East Blue.
White seagulls wheeled across the sky.
A small fishing boat, sail raised, drifted on the surging azure sea.
Four men stood on its deck, deep in discussion.
"Captain Kuro, now that we've formed the Black Cat Pirates… shouldn't we make our own flag and hang it from the mast?"
"Exactly! With a proper Jolly Roger and the strength of the four of us, we'll make a name for ourselves on these seas in no time. We'll recruit a whole crew!"
The speakers—one fat, one thin—both had cat-like faces, giving them a strange, comical look.
Kuro, in his black suit and round, rimless glasses, furrowed his brow with a sigh.
"Butchie. Sham. First, you must understand our situation. This is our first voyage. We're nobodies out here, not even wanted men yet."
He pushed his glasses up. "That anonymity is our greatest asset. We can use it to create real value. As for the pirate flag… let's wait until we have a proper ship to fly it from."
A man in a blue suit and heart-shaped glasses pointed frantically toward the horizon. "Captain Kuro! A Marine ship! What do we do?"
Kuro raised a hand, adjusting his glasses with his wrist. His voice was low and calm. "Panicking already, Zango? We have no flag. We look like any other fishing boat. Just don't give us away."
He trailed off, his gaze locking onto the distant vessel. A plan clicked into place.
If he seized that Marine ship and modified it… he'd have his pirate vessel.
"Zango, lie down. Pretend to be unconscious. We'll use that to get close and take it."
"What?!"
"Now!"
"R-right!"
Under Kuro's sharp tone, Zango didn't dare hesitate. He dropped flat onto the deck and went limp.
"Butchie! Sham! Sell it. Don't you dare slip up."
"Yes, Captain Kuro!" they chimed in unison.
With his crew briefed, Kuro rummaged through the boat, pulled out a white cloth, and began waving it frantically toward the Marine ship.
...
On the deck of the Navy's 16th Branch vessel, Sephiroth was enjoying some peace.
He wore a floral shirt, white beach shorts, and black sunglasses, lounging on a sunbed. This quiet moment alone was hard-won.
Too many women could be its own kind of trouble.
Three meals a day, day after day…
Hancock, Sandersonia, Marigold, Scarlett, Violet, Yamato, Black Maria, Kozuki Hiyori, Gion, Perona, Iska, Kuina, Uta.
Even with his formidable stamina and endless vitality, a certain mental fatigue had begun to set in.
*I really should carve out a few days for myself each month,* he thought with an inward sigh.
Just then, a Marine soldier with a scar on his left cheek jogged over. He stopped beside the sunbed, blocking the light, and offered a crisp salute.
"Rear Admiral Sephiroth, sir. A fishing boat ahead is signaling distress. Your orders?"
"Oh? Then we rescue them. We are the Marines, after all. We can't just watch."
Sephiroth impatiently raised his right hand and waved, signaling the scarred soldier to leave and stop interrupting his sunbathing.
The Marine vessel drew alongside the fishing boat. Kuro tilted his head back and shouted up at the scarred soldier leaning over the warship's rail.
"Sir! My friend just started convulsing and passed out. Could your ship's doctor take a look at him?"
The scarred Marine at the rail immediately jogged over to the silver-haired young man lounging in the sun. He saluted. "Rear Admiral Sephiroth, there's a man on that fishing boat who's fallen ill. Should the medic attend to him?"
"Oh?" Sephiroth sat up from the sun lounger, stretched, and scooped up the two swords beside him. "Bring the patient up. Let's have a look."
He walked toward the rail.
On his order, the scarred soldier found a stretcher, secured it with ropes, and lowered it to the fishing boat's deck. Kuro and the Catman Brothers quickly loaded the 'unconscious' Zango onto it. The Marines hauled him up and set the stretcher down on their own deck.
Kuro snatched a briefcase from the fishing boat, then he and the Catman Brothers climbed aboard the Marine ship.
"This man isn't sick."
Sephiroth crossed his arms, his gaze amused as it traveled from Zango on the stretcher to the three men standing beside him.
"His physical condition is excellent."
His Observation Haki sensed a strong, steady heartbeat and muscles coiled, ready to spring.
All four pirates froze. They hadn't expected the ruse to be seen through so fast.
A moment later, Kuro acted.
He flung the briefcase, stomped the deck, and his body blurred as he shot toward Sephiroth. His judgment was simple: this casually-dressed silver-haired man clearly held high rank here. Taking him down should mean taking the ship.
But—
*Bang!*
Kuro hurtled back three times faster than he'd come. He slammed into the warship's rail with a sickening crunch.
"Wah!" A gout of blood sprayed from his mouth. He caught himself on his hands, knees hitting the deck hard.
Their strongest fighter, defeated in an instant—and none of them had even seen the attack.
The sight terrified the Catman Brothers senseless. Zango, who'd just risen from the stretcher to join the assault, stood utterly bewildered.
The Marines on deck, snapping out of their delay, raised their rifles and trained them on the four intruders.
If Sephiroth hadn't lifted a hand to halt them, the pirates would have been shredded.
*Who am I?*
*Where am I?*
*What just happened?*
His abdomen… it felt like he'd been kicked.
Kuro fought through the dizziness. He pushed his upper body up, his right hand pressed to the blazing pain in his gut. With his left sleeve, he wiped the blood from his mouth.
He struggled to his feet, his eyes wide with dread as they fixed on the silver-haired young man still standing calmly in place.
He hadn't had time to put on his weapon, the Ten Blades "Cat Claws," before he'd attacked. That was true.
But…
He'd used his full speed. He'd even used his signature technique.
**He was still instantly defeated!**
Sephiroth's mouth twitched into a cruel smile.
"Well now. You're a brave little nobody."