Hearing the frantic report over the Den Den Mushi, Mina and the others grew visibly serious.
A ghost? In a world like this, there was no such thing as actual phantoms. Even if one did appear, it was bound to be the work of a Devil Fruit user.
"Speaking of phantoms, the only one who fits that description... is that walking skeleton from the Straw Hat Pirates!" Smythe Betilla knitted her delicate brows, immediately recalling a specific member of that crew.
"Our intel dossier has records on him, information directly provided by the Captain," Mina added, her beautiful eyes narrowing sharply as she recalled the data by heart. "'Humming' Brook. Originally a member of the Rumbar Pirates fifty years ago. His initial bounty was 33 million berries. He possesses the Paramecia-type Revive-Revive Fruit. Having died once, his soul journeyed back from the Underworld, but because his body had already decayed into a skeleton, he's been forced to live as a walking corpse ever since. He later joined the Straw Hat Pirates and is now known as the 'Soul King.' His current bounty stands at 83 million berries, and he is a world-renowned musician."
"The Revive-Revive Fruit! Now that's incredible!"
"Talk about literally having an extra life!"
Cavendish and Betilla's eyes lit up with sheer fascination. A grand ability that granted absolute resurrection after death was a terrifying prospect.
Mina's clinical breakdown left the others genuinely astonished. To think a Devil Fruit existed that could drag a soul back from the depths of the Underworld to animate bare bone, the Grand Line truly held endless horrors.
Realizing that the Straw Hats had successfully infiltrated the facility, Edmond snapped back to attention and barked directly into the Den Den Mushi: "Lock down the entire manufacturing district! Initiate a Class-1 alert! Muster all workers for a full headcount, and double the guards at every single transit checkpoint!"
"Understood, sir!"
The voice on the other end shouted back before the line went dead with a sharp click.
Within seconds...
Wooooo—Wooooo—Wooooo—
The piercing, rhythmic blare of the security sirens echoed throughout the valley as crimson warning lights flashed in rapid succession.
A sudden wave of panic washed over the production lines, with thousands of laborers looking around in utter confusion, completely blind to what had triggered the massive emergency response.
But while the workers remained in the dark, the security details knew exactly what the alarms meant: an unauthorized intrusion.
"Move it! All workers assemble immediately!"
"Count every head! Verify every ID pass!"
"Guards, hold your ground at every single sector gate!"
"Administrative Center, keep your eyes glued to the surveillance Den Den Mushi! Don't let a single shadow slip by!"
From the Guard Barracks, a vast tide of security personnel deployed in full tactical gear, bristling with rifles and heavy artillery as they split off into tight columns to sweep every sector. From the ordinary laborers in the Firearms Production Zone and the high-tier weaponsmiths in the VIP Customization Area to the live-fire specialists at the Weapons Testing Grounds, everyone was systematically herded into designated assembly points.
"Gin, take a squad and lock down the main gates. Only authorized entries from here on out, absolutely nobody leaves," Mina commanded, her tone cutting through the noise like ice as she gestured toward the stoic warrior standing behind her.
"Understood. Leave it to me."
Gin nodded expressionlessly, turning on his heel to lead his contingent out.
For this internal security sweep, Mina had brought along forty super-soldiers from the Elite Strike Team, ten high-ranking field agents from the Internal Affairs Department, and five of the bio-engineered Dragonians under Gin's direct command.
With a defensive lineup this monstrous, almost no standard Marine base outside of a major Grand Line branch fortress could hope to withstand their combined might.
Yet, a sudden thought crossed Mina's mind, causing her to mutter quietly, "The Straw Hat Pirates aren't pushovers, and they have Trafalgar Law backing them up. Relying on just the few of us might not be enough to completely suppress them..."
Overhearing her muttered doubt, a flash of severe displeasure crossed Betilla's breathtakingly beautiful face. "Who says we can't handle them?!" she snapped, her voice dripping with lethal irritation. "If it really is that Straw Hat brat and Law, I'll personally carve their heads from their shoulders!"
Betilla was already entirely out of patience. She wanted nothing more than to butcher these disruptive brats instantly so she could hurry back to Unzan Port and claim her place in the historic clash against a Yonko.
Suddenly, the ambient temperature within the corridor plummeted drastically. A suffocating, bloodthirsty torrent of murderous intent erupted violently from Cavendish, causing Mina, Betilla, and Edmond to flinch in shock, their hands instinctively flying to their hilts.
Even the surrounding guards felt their knees buckle under the sheer weight of the malice filling the air.
"Hakuba!"
The trio stared at Cavendish's twisting, monstrously contorted features, their eyes narrowing with deep apprehension and defensive caution.
"Hehehehe..."
Hakuba let out a twisted, manic cackle, his voice dripping with pure malice. "Leave Roronoa to me... Our little dance back at Punk Hazard was interrupted before I could cut him down!"
Without anyone noticing, the famed blade Durandal had already cleared its scabbard. Held tightly in his grip, the polished, mirror-like steel gleamed under the harsh industrial lighting, causing Mina and the others to feel a sharp twitch of unease.
But just as quickly, Cavendish's expression contorted again, a furious roar ripping from his throat: "Get back inside, Hakuba!"
With a violent effort of will, Cavendish snapped awake, forcefully suppressing his alter ego once more.
"Seriously, keep that lunatic of an alter ego under lock and key," Betilla grumbled, rolling her eyes in exasperation.
"Since Hakuba requested it, Roronoa Zoro is yours," Mina conceded. Though she was wary of Hakuba's volatile nature, she couldn't deny the tactical value of his lethal swordsmanship. "Enough talking. Edmond, lead the way. We sweep the sectors for the invaders together."
Betilla waved her hand impatiently, giving Edmond a rough shove forward. With the four executives leading the vanguard, a column of several thousand elite guards filed out behind them, fanning out into the darkness.
…
Munitions Vault. Secure Storage Room.
Click. Click. Click.
The beams of several high-powered flashlights cut through the gloom, casting a harsh glow across a massive, three-hundred-square-meter holding facility.
A group dressed in stolen, brown factory jumpsuits stood near the entrance, staring in absolute, stunned silence at the endless stacks of long, reinforced wooden crates packed tightly from floor to ceiling.
"Are all of these... actual munitions?" Nami asked, her voice trembling slightly in shock.
Beside her, Chopper's eyes were completely wide, his mind entirely blown by the sheer scale of the cache.
Crack—
Usopp wedged a nearby crowbar beneath the lid of the nearest crate, prying it open with a sharp grunt. Inside lay five pristine flintlock rifles neatly wrapped in protective white parchment, nestled securely atop a thick bed of straw.
"The Vade-Style Ten-Shot Flintlock Rifle," Law murmured, recognizing the distinct make of the firearms instantly. He let out a slow, controlled breath to steady his nerves.
He knew for a fact that the cavernous corridor outside was lined with dozens of identical vault doors. If a single room held this much firepower, the entire sector was a literal powder keg, and Law was acutely aware that this facility comprised far more than just one corridor.
"Whoa! This is insane!"
"Yo-ho-ho-ho! I must say, I've never been inside a place quite like this before!"
"Just the rifles in this single room alone could easily equip an army of thousands!"
"But why are there only rifles and no heavy artillery? Is this just a dedicated small-arms vault?"
The same realization dawned on the rest of the Straw Hat crew, eliciting a chorus of hushed exclamations.
"Whoa, look at these guns! They look so cool! Why is it called a 'Ten-Shot'? Can it really fire ten times in a row?" Luffy exclaimed, completely ignoring the tension. He yanked a flintlock from the crate, striking a series of dramatic, exaggerated poses he deemed incredibly heroic.
The display immediately caused Chopper and Usopp's eyes to sparkle with awe. Unable to resist, the duo grabbed rifles of their own, joining Luffy in striking a series of bizarre, ridiculous poses.
"You three..." Nami's face went completely blank, her jaw twitching violently as her veins throbbed with pure rage. "Are you quite finished?!"
Whack! Whack! Whack!
With three lightning-fast punches, Nami sent Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper crashing to the floor, each of them sporting a massive, throbbing red bump on their heads.
Thud-thud-thud-thud... Thud-thud-thud-thud...
"Seal off all primary entrances!"
"Hurry up! Check every single storage vault down this line!"
"The intruders are highly likely to be the Straw Hat Pirates and the former Warlord, Trafalgar Law! If you spot them, do not engage, notify the executives immediately!"
Suddenly, the muffled thunder of synchronized boots and booming commands echoed from the corridor outside, signaling the rapid approach of an immense security sweep.