"Achoo!" Dante rubbed his nose, frowning. "Feels like someone's talking trash about me."
"Of course they are! If I were those pirates, I'd be cursing you too," Nami said, folding her arms and eyeing him with contempt. "Who knew you could be so crooked? You're supposed to be a Marine, Commander of the 16th Branch, all about justice, and here you are scheming with pirates, scamming half the crews in East Blue."
"And you're not involved?" Dante shot back.
"Of course, Captain Dante," Nami winked, a sly smile playing on her lips. Her playful expression faded as she scanned their surroundings, her gaze lingering on the swarm of pirate ships closing in on all sides.
They weren't on Mock's ship anymore. They'd switched to blend in with a slightly better-off crew heading towards the Conomi Archipelago.
"Okay, seriously, what's the plan now?" Nami asked, her voice tight with worry. "Look at all these pirates... We can't let anything go wrong. Nojiko and the others are still on the island. Isn't this too dangerous?" Though the thought of potential loot appealed to her, the safety of her family came first.
"Relax," Dante waved a dismissive hand. "I guarantee there won't be any problems. Trust me!"
He is Marine Captain Dante trained under Zephyr, after all. If he couldn't handle a bunch of small-fry pirates after all this time, he might as well pack it in.
'Maybe fake my death for the insurance fraud...' he mused internally.
"Did you let Nojiko know, like I asked?"
"I did. Genzo's ready too," Nami confirmed, still frowning. "But are we really going to handle all these pirates? We can't let them tear up the island."
"We'll just need to split them up," Dante said thoughtfully. "I'll get some Marines over to help the town guard keep an eye on them." He looked up, recognizing the familiar silhouette of the islands in the distance.
Conomi Archipelago...
Dante stood and stretched, the Marine uniform stark white against the sea air. "Almost there? Good. Time to get to work. The sooner we wrap this up, the better. Things are about to get busy."
---
"Land ho! Conomi Archipelago, straight ahead!"
The cry went up across the pirate fleet. Eyes fixed on the shore, particularly the newly built, surprisingly lavish docks of Cocoyasi Towm. Greed sparked in their gazes.
"Heh, Captain Mock was right. Cocoyasi looks loaded. We're gonna make a killing!"
"And with Captain Mock keepin' the Marines busy for us, there's nobody to stop us!"
"Let's not let Captain Mock's kindness go to waste!"
"Captain Mock's such a great guy! Charge! Everyone, charge onto Conomi Archipelago! Plunder the gold, the women, the booze!"
Roaring, the pirates urged their helmsmen faster, eager to descend upon the unsuspecting village.
---
On Alvida's ship, a small, pink-haired boy, Koby paced anxiously near the railing, staring at the approaching islands.
'This is bad, this is really bad!' he muttered, wringing his hands. 'So many pirates... what's going to happen?' If they all stormed the shore, Conomi would be overwhelmed. Chaos. 'But... what can I do? I can't stop them!' His heart pounded. 'I have to warn the Marines on the island!'
"Koby! Quit stompin' around like that!" A burly veteran pirate scowled at him. "Tryin' to sneak off? Captain Alvida said scrub the deck, so get to it!"
Koby flinched, lowering his head. "Y-yes, sir... I'll get right on the deck..."
But before he could finish, a lookout yelled.
"Someone's up ahead! Someone's up ahead! Those clothes... are they Marines?"
"Marines? Didn't Captain Mock say he'd handle them?"
"How many? Should we run for it?"
The sudden mention of Marines sent a ripple of panic through the nearby crews. Escape was always the first instinct.
But then the lookout clarified, "Wait... looks like... only two of 'em!"
"What? Just two? Hah! Scared me for nothin'!"
"Probably just some local patrol! C'mon everyone, push forward! We owe Captain Mock!"
"Yeah, let's teach those two Marines a lesson! The girl is a beauty, she's mine!"
Reassured, the pirates roared again, shaking their fists in the air.
Koby heard too. Hope flickered for a moment, 'Marines!' then died as he registered the number. Just two? Against all these ships? Still, seeing the small boat approaching, he gritted his teeth. He scrambled to the bow, took a deep breath, and yelled with all his might, "Run! There are-!"
---
"Are you sure you have a plan?" Nami asked, her voice trembling slightly despite herself. Facing the oncoming wave of pirate ships, she clung tightly to Dante's arm. "They're almost here."
"Don't worry," Dante said calmly. "It'll be over in a second."
"A second? How are you going to stop all of them?"
"Like this."
Before Nami could press further, Dante's eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on the approaching fleet. A silent, unseen pressure seemed to emanate from him, washing over the sea like a fierce wind.
Then, Dante clapped his hands. "That was easy!"
*Thump... thump... thump...*
One by one, the pirates on the closest ships slumped over, unconscious.
Dante clapped his hands together softly. "Done."
'Conqueror's Haki,' he thought. 'That's why I let Mock gather such a mob.' Fighting them conventionally would have meant casualties for the 16th Branch, even against weaklings. 'Good for clearing out the small fry.' He hadn't gotten to infusion yet, but this basic application was more than enough for East Blue fodder.
Looking at the pirate ship slowing down as it approached, Dante frowned. "Did you hear something just now? Sounded like someone was telling us to run? Oh well~"
He casually dismissed the thought, then looked down at Nami, who was leaning on him for some reason. "The ship's here. Get Nojiko and the others to take over. Remember to be quick. We still need to head to the other side next. If there are any accidents, even if we-"
Dante stopped. He looked again at Nami, properly this time. She was completely unconscious, her face pale.
He fell silent, his expression shifting.
'Crap.' He rubbed his temples. 'Forgot to control the range, was too focused on taking them all out fast. Shielded my back, but didn't think about her right next to me.' He sighed. He could already feel the phantom pain of Nami pinching him awake later. 'And now... still have to deal with the other side, fast!'
Just as he was debating whether to quickly hand Nami off to Nojiko, a familiar voice called out.
"Captain Dante! Good, you're here!"
Dante turned. Tashigi stood there, having arrived in a small boat.
"We landed on the other side," she explained, slightly out of breath. "Good thing we made it. I saw you over here and came right away."
"Kuina?" Dante blinked. "What are you doing here?"
"Kuina?" Tashigi pushed her glasses up, confused. "Captain Dante, I..."
"Oh, Tashigi! Right." Dante's surprise grew. "How did you get here?"
"Kuina?" Tashigi repeated, puzzled, before remembering her duty. "Right! We got word from HQ. Intel said the Mock Pirates were planning to wipe out the 16th Branch, so Captain Smoker brought us immediately."
"Smoker's here too?" Dante's mouth twitched. He glanced past Tashigi, searching the water, but saw no sign of the gruff Marine. A knot formed in his stomach. Hesitantly, he asked, "Where... is he now?"
"Don't worry, sir!" Tashigi offered a reassuring smile, mistaking his unease for concern about the base. "Captain Smoker already headed straight for the 16th Branch to provide backup. He said he'd definitely capture Mock. Honestly, that pirate!" She frowned, clenching her fist slightly. "After you trusted him so much... He betrayed you! Just goes to show, you can't trust pirates. Even if you had your reasons, Captain... Huh?" Her gaze fell on the figure slumped against Dante. "Is this Nami-san? What happened to her?"
Muttering indignantly, Tashigi gently took the unconscious Nami from Dante's arms. She looked up just as Dante hopped onto the small boat she'd arrived in.
"Captain Dante, where are you going?"
"Help take care of Nami," Dante said, already starting to guide the boat towards the Marine base. "Borrowing this."
"But... what about all these pirates?" Tashigi gestured towards the now silent fleet.
"Taken care of," Dante called back over his shoulder. "They won't be waking up for a while. Oh, right, help the town guard round them up, will you? And try not to damage their ships."
"Taken care of?" Tashigi watched Dante sail away, then glanced down at the still-unconscious Nami, then back at the eerie quiet of the pirate ships. Surprise dawned on her face. "When? How?"
'I didn't see Captain Dante do anything!'
She looked towards where Dante had disappeared, frowning, then sighed. 'Captain Dante must be really upset. After all, he trusted that pirate, and then this happened. He must want to deal with Mock personally.'
---
Meanwhile, on Mock's flagship...
"Ugh... what's wrong? Feel kinda dizzy..."
"Damn, me too."
"You too? What's going on? Are we poisoned?"
"Poisoned? By who?"
A sudden, chilling thought struck the lead pirates on deck. As the strange weakness spread, their faces paled, and they looked up in panic at Captain Mock, resplendent and untouched in his golden cloak.
Mock met their terrified stares, his previously serious expression cracking into a satisfied smile. He glanced towards the approaching Marine 16th Branch base and let out a soft sigh of relief. Turning back to his bewildered crew, he announced, "Congratulations, you lucky devils."
Understanding dawned with brutal clarity. Their expressions hardened as they looked from Mock to the nearby Marine base.
'Could it be... the new 'overlord' of East Blue... and the Marines...?'
The terrible implication settled in their minds. Just as they were about to demand answers, to ask *why* their fearsome captain would do this...
"Captain Mock! Marine warship spotted!" a lookout yelled frantically. "Heading right for us!"
"No kidding?" Mock grumbled, annoyed. "After what we were planning, you surprised the Marines showed up?"
"No, Captain! It... it doesn't look like it's from the 16th Branch!"
"Not from the local branch? What the hell?" Mock scratched his head and stomped to the railing.
He peered out. The lookout was right. It wasn't a 16th Branch ship. And the figure standing stoically at the warship's bow... was familiar.
'Captain Smoker? Why is he here?' Mock frowned. 'Did the boss call him in for backup?' Seeing Smoker, though, a wave of relief washed over Mock. He grinned and waved enthusiastically. "Hey! Smokey-"
His greeting died in his throat.
Across the water, Smoker removed the cigars from his mouth, his own expression grim, jaw tight. Ignoring Mock's wave completely, he spoke, his voice cold and carrying clearly over the waves.
"Mock, Captain of the Mock Pirates. You are under arrest!"
As the words echoed, a cannon roared.
*BANG!*
The deck beneath Mock's feet shuddered violently from the impact.
He stared, utterly bewildered.
'Why... why are they firing on me?' he thought, stunned. 'What's going on? This wasn't in the script the boss gave me!'
==========
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