Dark Harbor Battle: The Navy Has a Mastermind! (Combined Chapter)

Another morning had arrived.

Sunflower Island, the Capone Family's secret Dark Harbor.

The enormous cavern bustled with activity.

Countless laborers and gang members hurried between mountains of cargo, struggling to carry heavy crates. Like ants in a long line, they moved in and out of Dark Harbor, transporting goods.

Family members overseeing the work stood atop makeshift wooden crates, waving whips as they shouted:

"Move faster! Don't slack off!! You up front, stop blocking the way..."

Capone Bege stood above them, looking down at the scene with a grim expression.

Ever since he had heard his father's grand plan two days ago, it was as though he had been cursed. One misfortune after another had struck him.

First, Gotti had died horribly. Then the Navy had come to inspect the cargo. And in the end, he discovered that the cause of all this trouble was the Historian he had never taken seriously!

Enough was enough!

These past two days, he had not enjoyed being a gangster at all!

"It's all that Historian's fault!"

Vito said indignantly behind him:

"If it weren't for him, Gotti wouldn't have died, this shipment wouldn't have been exposed, and we wouldn't have needed to transfer it in such a hurry."

"Damn it, we can't hide this from the other Families now!"

"Jogo... he ruined everything!"

"He has to pay the price!!"

Listening to Vito's complaints, Bege closed his eyes, took a deep drag from his cigar, and exhaled a cloud of smoke before sneering:

"That day will come, Vito. Father has already captured his companion. He has no other choice!"

"Once we catch him..."

A cold glint flashed through his eyes as fury churned in his heart.

"I'll let him know the price of angering the Capone Family!"

"When that time comes, even death will make him beg me to hurry up..."

Before he could finish, a violent commotion erupted at the entrance to Dark Harbor.

Bege frowned and looked over, only to see a Family member rushing in frantically. Apparently terrified out of his wits, the man stumbled and crawled forward on all fours, knocking over quite a few laborers carrying cargo and drawing a torrent of curses.

Before Bege could shout at him.

The Family member spotted Bege above and immediately let out a shriek like a slaughtered chicken:

"Bad news, Lord Bege, the Navy is back!!"

The Navy?

Killing intent flashed through Bege's eyes.

"Nezumi... still not satisfied?"

"It seems I haven't reminded you of the rules in too long. You've forgotten them."

"Very good, very good!"

"Looks like I'll have to deal with you first, then deal with that Jogo!"

He threw out an arm and strode down the stairs, saying to Vito behind him:

"Bring some men. Let's have a good talk with that rat."

Seeing this, the Family member who had brought the report nearly burst into tears and shouted:

"Not Nezumi, not Nezumi... Five Navy warships are coming!!!"

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

Bege rolled down the stairs.

"Lord Bege!!"

Everyone stood there with their mouths hanging open.

A hand stretched out from behind the crates concealing the stairs, followed by Bege's slightly panicked voice. "I'm fine!"

"Vito, gather everyone at once!!"

"Prepare to fight the Navy!!!"

As soon as he spoke, a piercing howl suddenly rang out beyond the Dark Harbor cavern.

The laborers and gang members turned around in confusion. At the cavern exit directly opposite the docks, a row of black dots over the blue waves gradually grew larger.

"Waaatch ooout forrr arrrtillery!!!" a gang member shouted.

Boom!!!

A cannonball struck the ground, erupting in flames.

Dark Harbor instantly descended into chaos!

A Navy warship, military strategy room.

The major wore a grim expression.

Just as expected, after he reported the situation again, Marine Headquarters immediately approved the combat request.

They had also stressed that they had to succeed!

They had to strike hard at the West Blue gangs' arrogance!

The major only wanted to curse.

Where was Marine Headquarters?

The Grand Line!

As they said, the Grand Line was the grand stage—if you had what it took, come on in!

It was the graveyard of countless pirates, and also where innumerable dreams began.

Saying that "bounties in the millions were everywhere, and bounties in the tens of millions were nothing" would not have been an exaggeration.

To handle that situation, every Marine Branch across the Grand Line, including Headquarters itself, was packed with experts and terrifyingly powerful.

Every one of them was a ruthless figure, capable of dominating an era!

Any random elite Marine soldier might have been evenly matched with him, a major.

Under those circumstances, when they encountered a powerful enemy, the natural first thought was to charge in and fight.

But could the West Blue compare?

What kind of troops did he command? What kind of enemies were they facing?

A battle that Headquarters considered relatively low-risk was already deadly for the ordinary soldiers of the West Blue!

Where was he supposed to find troops fierce enough to fight such a brutal battle?

But since the combat order had been issued, no matter how unwilling he was, the major had nothing more to say.

Reinforcements were already on the way. For now, they could only force their way through.

"Approaching the Dark Harbor cavern entrance!"

The lookout shouted from outside.

Inside the warship's cabin, a huge nautical chart lay spread across the table. With one hand braced against the tabletop, the major held a Den Den Mushi and began issuing combat orders.

"...Ship Five, slow down and patrol the perimeter. Maintain a coastal blockade!"

"Keep a close watch. I don't want us getting stabbed in the back halfway through the battle."

"All other ships, maintain suppressive fire. Ships One and Two advance first, with Three and Four following. Don't stop until you reach shore!"

"Once inside the cavern, Ships One and Two will engage the enemy head-on. Set up cover on deck; all soldiers are to delay disembarking... Ships Three and Four, deploy assault boats and land quickly from the left and right..."

One orderly command after another was issued.

Hina stood behind the major with her hands behind her back, standing on tiptoe with a graceful posture. Her slender fingers were intertwined behind her, and excitement glittered in her eyes.

"Is this... real Navy combat?"

"Hina is so excited!"

Outside the warship,

The flames of explosions instantly filled the Dark Harbor cavern.

Apparently caught off guard, the Capone Family could only mount scattered counterattacks.

Soon, the warships slowed and docked. The Navy landed successfully, and large numbers of Marines leaped from the ships with rifles in hand, crouching as they charged along the docks into Dark Harbor's wide warehouse district.

Only then did the offensive and defensive battle truly begin.

Having gained some time to regroup, large numbers of gangsters answered Capone Bege's call, gathering from every corner of Sunflower Island and flooding into Dark Harbor.

Together with the various bunkers and positions prepared from the harbor's construction, the gangsters gradually began to display their terrain advantage.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!!!

Bullets flew everywhere as the major and Hina hid behind a barricade of large crates stacked in the warehouse.

The Den Den Mushi in his hand rapidly cycled through different expressions, relaying intelligence from every front.

(Crooked mouth): "Left flank, advance stalled!"

(Grim face): "Right flank, unable to advance. Enemy firepower is too heavy!"

(Shocked): "Center line... fall back! Fall back! (Expletive) Why are there two machine-gun positions?!!"

Whoosh—Boom!

A cannonball screamed overhead and blossomed into brilliant flames atop a warship.

There was little good news, but a whole basketful of bad news.

Ever since entering the warehouse district, the Navy's offensive had been completely suppressed!

From above.

The gangsters' defensive lines linked machine-gun positions into an arc.

They repelled the Navy's attacks from three directions.

The barrage practically covered all of Dark Harbor!

Clearly, the Capone Family had prepared for this from the very beginning when they built Dark Harbor.

Hina cautiously poked her head out for a look and was immediately greeted by a burst of bullets.

Someone had clearly set their sights on her.

"Hina will take out those two machine-gun positions!" There was no fear in the girl's eyes, only eagerness to fight.

"You're not going. It's too dangerous!" the major refused instinctively.

Even Devil Fruit users could die at any moment on a battlefield where bullets flew everywhere.

And to him, the most important thing in this battle was not even victory or defeat, but protecting this future seed of the Navy at his side!

"It was Hina who suggested the battle plan. Hina can't just watch from the back!" Hina's eyes were filled with determination.

The major gritted his teeth. He knew Hina was an extremely powerful combatant.

If he sent her out, she would certainly achieve results.

But using her now was too dangerous!

Devil Fruit users were not invincible. There was a strong chance the enemy would target her specifically.

According to his original plan, he had intended to use Hina at the critical moment.

That said...

The Capone Family's firepower was unexpectedly fierce. The Navy was already gradually falling into a disadvantage, and dragging this out would only increase casualties.

They desperately needed a way to break the deadlock!

And aside from Hina, he truly seemed to have no other option.

What should he do?

Should he use her?

Right now?

But even if he deployed Hina, with so many positions, how many could she destroy alone?

The major's eyes were bloodshot.

The bad news coming through the Den Den Mushi kept fraying his nerves.

The terrifying bursts of automatic fire sounded like death knells. Several machine-gun positions were practically pinning the Navy down!

A few seconds later, ruthlessness flashed through his eyes as he raised the Den Den Mushi.

"No choice. Listen up, everyone. I have a plan. Hina..."

Before he could finish.

The automatic gunfire around him suddenly stopped.

The Den Den Mushi copied the stunned expression of the center-line lieutenant.

"(Expletive) What's going on? The machine guns stopped!!"

Replies came one after another from the left and right flanks:

(Crooked mouth): "The left-flank machine-gun position—the gunners are down! Did the major's plan work?"

(Grim face, shocked): "Same on the right! Incredible, Major, your plan is amazing! Charge, charge, charge! What are you standing around for? Move!"

Behind the barricade, the major stood there with his mouth wide open.

Me?

I didn't do anything!

He had actually wanted Hina to take men around by boat and strike the Capone Family from behind!

But he had not even finished speaking!

Why had the machine guns stopped?

Yet he had no chance to explain. The truth was, the moment he said "I have a plan," dozens of the Capone Family's machine-gun positions had all stopped firing at once.

How could that have been such a coincidence?

It had to have been you!

"You did it?" x2

The major and Hina turned around at the same time and looked at each other, seeing confusion in one another's eyes.

"It wasn't him."

"It wasn't him."

Then who was it?

Those two were already the strongest in the Marines.

If it wasn't them, could there be some hidden master in the Marines that even they didn't know about?

Not far from the two of them, within the Marine camp.

Jogo lowered his finger.

[...

Conqueror's Haki (Awakened)

Trait loaded: "Flower-Flower Fruit (Gold)" "Otherworldly Soul (Silver)"

...]

Wherever his gaze fell, not a single person could remain standing behind a machine gun.

Unlike the killing move Hundred Flowers Wither: Ten-Ring Dance,

Under normal circumstances, as long as he did not fuse Traits to forcibly raise the upper limit of his Conqueror's Haki, releasing it from however many directions only cost him more stamina and focus.

"It was time to make a move, wasn't it, Capone Bege?"

With one move, he had helped the Marines solve a major problem.

His gaze turned toward the entrance of Dark Harbor, toward the figure guarding the rear, his eyes dark and unreadable.

"You're blocking the exit. That makes things difficult for me!"

At the observation point by Dark Harbor's entrance, Capone Bege had also fallen into confusion.

He grabbed a nearby family member responsible for supporting the machine-gun positions and coldly asked, "Why did the machine guns stop?"

"I-I don't know!"

The family member was drenched in sweat.

"All the machine gunners at every position have passed out!"

"Get people to replace them already!!" Vito cried out anxiously. Those machine-gun positions were the Capone Family's most important firepower points in Dark Harbor.

With all of them silenced, how could those idiot gangsters possibly hold back the Marines?

"Lord Bege, we can't replace them!"

The family members were nearly in tears.

"Anyone who goes up passes out!!"

He even felt that those machine-gun positions had been cursed. Anyone who dared to grab a machine gun and poke their head out would instantly roll their eyes and collapse like an idiot.

Bege paced back and forth rapidly, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.

"There's no time to figure out what's happening. Rip out the machine guns! Gather the gunners around me!"

Vito was startled. He had already guessed Bege's plan.

"Lord Bege, are you going out yourself?!"

"That's too dangerous!"

"It'll be even more dangerous if I don't!"

Bege said coldly, "We can't let the Marines seize the advantageous terrain. Now is the best time to strike!"

And so, the battlefield soon changed once again.

The Marines, who had been advancing smoothly, found their offensive stalled once more.

"The center line... the center line..."

A terrified cry came through the Den Den Mushi.

(Shocked snot-nosed face): "(Expletive) The wall stood up!!"

Immediately afterward, a tremendous roar rang out in the distance.

The entire Dark Harbor cavern shook!

The major behind the barricade poked his head out and stared in shock.

In the direction leading straight to Dark Harbor's exit, a massive city wall bearing Capone Bege's face was pushing forward!

From several narrow windows in the wall, the flashes of machine guns and cannon fire flickered.

Its firepower was so fierce that everything in its path, whether cargo or Marines, was instantly blasted to pieces!

It advanced as though no one stood in its way!

On the Marine side, whether machine-gun fire or cannon shells, everything striking him was blocked by the thick city wall. They could do nothing to him at all!

The moment Capone Bege made his move, the situation reversed instantly!

He was practically suppressing the entire Marine force by himself!!

Yet when the major saw this, he was delighted rather than worried.

"So you've finally revealed your trump card?"

"This is exactly what I've been waiting for!"

"Hina, get ready. It's time for us to take the stage!"

At the same time, within the Marine position.

Watching Capone Bege leave Dark Harbor's exit, suddenly expand into a city wall, and slowly push toward the Marines.

Jogo stopped firing.

He released the precise Conqueror's Haki suppression he had been maintaining over several machine-gun positions with the Flower-Flower Fruit.

He stripped a suit from a dead gangster on the ground, shook it out, and put it on.

Trait switch!

[...

Conqueror's Haki (Awakened)

Trait loaded: "Flower-Flower Fruit (Gold)" "Spy (Blue)"

...]

Conqueror's Haki released: 1%

A faint aura spread out, enveloping the entire battlefield.

"Capone Family head, was it?"

"Since you personally tortured the Acne Pirates on the very day they were captured."

"That means you must be on this island too."

"Wait for me. I'm coming."

He lowered the brim of his hat slightly, then charged fiercely toward the gangster line.