Pirate: I Can Repel Anything

"Oh my..."

Borsalino's mouth twisted as he drawled, "Young people these days are truly frightening~~"

Sakazuki sat upright, his resolute face utterly stern. He spoke.

"For the sake of Absolute Justice, we must dispatch troops at once and wipe out these damned pirates."

Doberman nodded in agreement. "Admiral Sakazuki is right. We can't ignore scum as vicious as this."

"I propose sending a Marine Headquarters captain to East Blue immediately to bring them all to justice."

Onigumo clenched a cigarette between his teeth and said viciously, "Pirates have been getting more and more brazen lately. They have no respect for the Marines."

"For justice, we must strike hard. We can't hesitate any longer."

The other hard-line officers nodded their agreement.

Kuzan did not stay silent. He yawned and said, "East Blue is a long way off. By the time we got there, the pirates would already be gone."

Yamakaji nodded. "Admiral Kuzan is right. Help from afar won't arrive in time, and these pirates aren't going to stand around waiting for the Marines."

"Chris may be a promising young man, but he's not worth such a major mobilization by Marine Headquarters."

Momonga looked around at the assembled officers, his expression stern.

Momousagi sat quietly without offering an opinion, though inwardly she sighed.

Chris has finally caught the Marines' attention. Now we'll see how high his bounty goes.

During their last conversation, Chris had told her he intended to make a name for himself before becoming a Shichibukai.

After all, if a nobody suddenly took down Crocodile, people might chalk it up to luck.

If the Marines used that as an excuse to refuse him a place among the Shichibukai, all his efforts would go to waste.

But there was no need to worry now. Chris had caught the attention of Marine Headquarters. All he had to do was defeat Crocodile.

Then his place among the Shichibukai would be secure!!

"Let me share my thoughts."

Staff Officer Tsuru rested her chin on her hands, a knowing gleam in her eyes, and spoke slowly.

As always, everyone stopped talking when she spoke. They turned toward her and waited for her analysis.

Her reputation as the Marines' chief strategist was well deserved.

"Tsuru's about to give us her take again! Hahaha..."

Garp looked at Staff Officer Tsuru and laughed without restraint.

Tsuru ignored the old man and continued. "The Chris Pirates clearly made thorough preparations before setting sail."

"None of the crew seem like rookies. If anything, they seem to have sailed the Grand Line. Every one of them has extensive combat experience."

"The Logia Miasma Fruit and the Paramecia Sound Wave Fruit... Both are powerful Devil Fruits."

Staff Officer Tsuru lowered her gaze slightly to the table. Her voice was certain. "According to the reports, these crew members are ruthless killers who wouldn't blink at taking a life."

"Yet they all obediently follow Chris's orders. That tells us Chris himself must be extremely strong."

"Doberman suggested sending a Marine Headquarters captain to arrest them. If my assessment is correct, that officer would undoubtedly lose."

"At the very least, dealing with this crew would require a Marine Headquarters rear admiral, perhaps even a vice admiral."

"In my view, even a rear admiral would struggle against them and might well be defeated."

Hearing his name, Doberman was the first to respond. "That trash has never even entered the Grand Line."

"They were complete unknowns before this. Not one of them had a bounty."

"Isn't it excessive to send an officer of rear admiral rank or higher for the first attempt to capture them?"

Onigumo nodded and took a drag on his cigarette. "I think that's making too much of this, too. There's no need."

"Sending a rear admiral or someone higher after a crew of rookies who haven't even reached the Grand Line would make the Marines look bad."

"If we do that, we'll be telling the world one thing: the Marines can't handle pirates!"

"So I personally don't think we should involve anyone of that rank."

Borsalino leaned back in his chair with his legs crossed and his arms folded. In the same peculiar tone, he said, "Young people these days really are terrifying. This old man is scared to death."

Kuzan spoke up, a rare occurrence, his face as languid as ever. "Staff Officer Tsuru's analysis is sound. We do need to take them seriously."

Momonga nodded. "This isn't an overreaction. This crew really is different."

"Rather than risk sending a rear admiral, we might as well send a vice admiral and capture them all."

Garp slapped the table and burst out laughing. "Then send this vice admiral! I wonder if this old man is up to the job."

Sengoku immediately glared at him. "Damn it, Garp. You just want to go back to East Blue. Not a chance."

"You're staying right here at Marine Headquarters. You're not going anywhere. Understood?"

Sakazuki spoke then, his expression grave.

"Sending a vice admiral may be somewhat wasteful, but it's justified if we are to uphold Absolute Justice."

"We should crush that trash with overwhelming force. Let's see who still dares oppose the Marines after that."

Sengoku nodded and addressed the assembled officers solemnly. "This crew is strong and has enormous potential."

"If they reach the Grand Line, they'll become another headache for us."

"So we must act before they grow stronger. We can't give them any chance at all."

"Now, who's willing to go?"

Sengoku turned to Garp and said coldly, "Don't bother volunteering. You're staying put."

Garp roared with laughter. "Sengoku, quit picking on me. I haven't been feeling too well lately. Why would I go back to East Blue? Hahaha..."

The assembled officers exchanged glances, but no one volunteered right away.

After all, it was a thankless job.

East Blue was a long way from Marine Headquarters. By the time anyone arrived, the trail would have gone cold.

Besides, the Chris Pirates weren't statues. They could move.

Actually catching them would likely mean chasing them for quite some time before finding them.

In short, the assignment sounded dreadfully tedious, and no one wanted it.

Tsuru is as sharp as ever. It's a shame things between us can never be what they were before...

Momousagi stared silently at the table and sighed to herself.

She respected the wise older woman deeply and was very fond of her.

They were not sisters by blood, but they were closer than many who were.

Staff Officer Tsuru had always looked after her and treated her like a younger sister.

But now Momousagi had betrayed the Marines and sided with pirates.

They were enemies now!!

Still, Momousagi had no regrets. She firmly believed everything she had done was right.

The Celestial Dragons committed atrocities from their lofty perch, trampling on people across the world...

The times had to change. Things could not go on like this.

Everything she had done was for justice...

(Some readers in the reviews mentioned Momousagi's relationship with Staff Officer Tsuru, so I thought I'd touch on it here. Also, a Marine Headquarters vice admiral is about to make a move. The coming battle should be interesting ︿(￣︶￣)︿.)

Chapter 77

"I'll go."

Onigumo took a drag on his cigarette, his face stern. "Rest assured, everyone. For Absolute Justice, I'll capture them all."

Sakazuki turned to look at his subordinate and nodded, his face unsmiling.

"With you on the job, that trash won't escape. Go ahead."

Borsalino leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and tilted his head, courting trouble as usual.

"Oh my..."

"Even Vice Admiral Onigumo is going? Young people these days really are terrifying~~"

Sengoku looked at Onigumo and said solemnly, "I'm confident with you going. It's settled, then."

"Now let's discuss the bounties for these people, especially Chris."

Garp burst out laughing. "Sengoku, if we're sending a vice admiral, his bounty ought to be a few hundred million at least! Hahaha..."

Momonga looked at Garp and smiled faintly. "The Chris Pirates haven't even entered the Grand Line. They're only rookies who happen to be stronger than most."

"Giving them bounties that high would only advertise the pirates' strength. I don't think that's wise."

Doberman sneered and said casually, "They'll be sitting in Impel Down before long anyway. Their bounties don't matter."

Chaton shrugged and offered a rare opinion. "I'd say that although they have great potential, they're still rookies."

"No matter how high we set their bounties, they shouldn't exceed a hundred million."

"After all, I've never heard of a pirate in the four seas getting over a hundred million for a first bounty."

Yamakaji smiled warmly and spoke with gentlemanly composure. "Many factors go into setting a pirate's bounty."

"The threat they pose to the Marines, the harm they've done to civilians, and their potential..."

"From what we know, the Chris Pirates haven't harmed any civilians. Their impact hasn't been that severe."

"But they have tremendous potential and pose a considerable threat to the Marines, so their bounties can be set relatively high."

"Why not make it an even hundred million? It's neither too high nor too low."

The dovish officers nodded in agreement.

Staff Officer Tsuru spoke then. She gave a slight nod, wisdom shining in her eyes. "Yamakaji makes a good point. I think a hundred million is appropriate."

With Staff Officer Tsuru in agreement, the hard-line officers had little more to say. One by one, they fell silent.

"Then it's settled. Captain Chris will have a bounty of one hundred million Beli."

Sengoku tapped the table, making the decision final.

Borsalino twisted his mouth and drawled, "How frightening~~"

"A rookie with a hundred-million-Beli bounty? This old man is scared out of his wits..."

Momousagi stared silently at the table and could not help thinking, Chris really is extraordinary. His first bounty is already this high.

The meeting continued, and they assigned bounties to the other members of the Chris Pirates one by one...

The next morning.

On the deck of the Chris.

"Caw, caw~~"

The News Coo flapped its wings and flew off to deliver more papers.

"As expected of the First Mate. You're always watching the seas and keeping up with changes around the world."

Gin paused his training and looked at Lafitte, his expression cold as he spoke.

Burgess glanced at him with disdain. "I heard you wanted to be First Mate. That's a damn good joke."

"You, a scrawny runt like that? Think you've got what it takes? Wehahahaha..."

Doc Q looked at Gin with an eerie smile. "Come challenge me after I become First Mate. You interest me. Heh heh~~"

Hawkins was playing with his cards. In a low voice, he said, "Your face hasn't changed. You won't become First Mate."

Lafitte smiled faintly and spoke in a gentle voice.

"Good. The captain's in the paper. We finally have bounties."