One piece: Black Cat

"Perona, what about your ability—?"

"It's useless!" Perona's voice crackled with frustration through the Den Den Mushi. "That muscle-bound idiot somehow managed to swat down my negative ghosts with a baseball bat! Damn it! Even my mini-holo ghosts can't get through!"

The acrid smell of gunpowder and the metallic tang of blood drifted up from the underground warehouse below. Both Perona and Robin had become expert reconnaissance specialists, their abilities allowing them to peer into the chaotic battle raging in the depths of the ship.

Perona, whose ghost powers were typically devastating against hordes of enemies like zombie armies, had naturally intended to provide support from above. But her ethereal advantage had been brutally countered.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Her voice pitched higher with disbelief. "I thought I had him that time, but my attack just bounced right off! My ability won't work on him at all... Robin!"

"I know. We're sending down more salt now." Robin's calm voice carried an undercurrent of tension. "Daz and the others are working as hard as they can."

Inside the ship's galley, the remaining marines scrambled through food stores with desperate efficiency. Their hands moved frantically, gathering every grain of salt they could find and stuffing it into makeshift cloth pouches. Robin's multiple arms sprouted like pale flowers throughout the cramped space, creating a human—or rather, superhuman—chain that passed bag after bag of salt toward the battle below.

"Perona, what's the situation with other enemies?"

"Give me a second..."

Robin couldn't spare any attention for additional tasks. Her concentration was split between maintaining the salt supply line and watching the underground melee unfold through her sprouted eyes. Every movement below demanded her focus.

Meanwhile, Perona's translucent spirits swept across the island like invisible scouts, their ethereal forms gliding over moonlit beaches and through twisted trees.

"All clear. Besides that weird guy on the motorcycle who passed through earlier, nothing unusual is happening."

"Good..." Robin's response came out as barely more than a whisper.

From Robin's perspective, this rescue operation felt like walking through a minefield blindfolded. She had explained to everyone that the Den Den Mushi Kuro had given them connected to a marine ally, but Robin alone knew the true identity of their contact. That knowledge made her hand tremble each time she reached for the communication device.

However, when she used her ability to observe the underground battle directly, she could see the captain's face contorting with pain each time he delivered a powerful kick to their massive opponent. The enemy was clearly formidable—perhaps more dangerous than anyone they'd faced before.

The situation mirrored Robin's own previous battles too closely for comfort. Behind the captain stood the marines he was desperately trying to protect. One wrong move, one moment of carelessness, and Moria's devastating abilities could crush them all in an instant.

The enemy towering over the captain was even larger than the gangsters they'd faced before. His well-trained physique and predatory stance screamed "experienced killer" to anyone with eyes.

Then she watched the captain drive his foot into the giant's body—and the moment she saw his face twist with genuine pain, saw blood seep through his torn clothing, Nico Robin made her decision.

"Captain..."

•~•

"What kind of life are you living? Fighting against Gecko Moria—the same man who went to war with Kaido himself?"

"You're right that things aren't exactly going smoothly." The captain's dry voice carried through the chaos.

Even though you're looking at me with those pitying eyes...

No, seriously, I spend my days cursing fate and wondering how my life spiraled into this madness. Every morning I wake up hoping it's all been some fever dream.

"The same goes for Nico Robin. Don't you think this is a bit much to put on a fourteen-year-old girl?"

Silence stretched between them, filled only by the distant sounds of combat.

"I don't plan on reporting this to my superiors for now, but if the government discovers what's happening here, they'll mobilize every resource to eliminate both you and Nico Robin." The marine's voice grew grimmer. "Though I suppose you already know what that would look like."

"No pirate worth his salt would abandon treasure once he's claimed it."

"You really do have incredible courage, I'll give you that."

"What do you people mean by 'pirates and marines teaming up'?!"

What does any of this really mean?

Lately, my life has been lurching around like a broken roller coaster—sudden acceleration, sharp turns, and I never know if the next drop will be the one that kills me. The whole experience feels like someone's playing a video game with my existence and they've cranked the difficulty to maximum.

Can someone please release a patch or install a mod to adjust this insane difficulty level? I'm not asking for easy mode, but could we at least dial it back from "Nightmare" to "Hard"?

"This girl was the one who first noticed the marine slave situation, and she's been invaluable in helping us ever since."

"What kind of pirate are you supposed to be?!"

That's what I'd like to know!

Listen, I never had any intention of becoming a pirate in the first place! This whole thing just happened to me!

"I may have become a pirate, but I refuse to abandon my principles."

In this world, if you don't carve out your own path, you'll get hit with debuffs that'll cripple you permanently. Even when I do everything right, there are times I still can't win. But at least if I'm going to fail, I'll fail gloriously—like a proper character development episode!

If I can protect what needs protecting and get all my crew members to safety, then I've won, damn it!

"If I think someone needs saving, I'll save them—pirate or marine, it doesn't matter."

"Excellent. That makes me want your shadow even more."

"I'll definitely make you my subordinate! As a zombie! Kishishishi!"

Sorry, but that's a rather unconventional job offer, so... thanks, but no thanks.

•~•

"Hey, are you getting even faster?!"

The sound of Kuro's feet striking Moria's massive frame echoed through the warehouse like gunshots. Each impact sent vibrations through the wooden floor, but the giant barely seemed to register the blows.

"After all this kicking, the only thing taking damage is my leg..." Kuro's breathing had grown labored, sweat beading on his forehead despite the cool underground air.

"You're not a pirate of the same caliber as me!"

"Is this supposed to be the top level?"

"Stop talking, you brat!"

Fragment Bat

Brickbat

"Rear Admiral, the soldiers!"

Black wings exploded from Moria's massive form like a living storm. The marine officer's instincts screamed danger as he saw the trajectory—Moria wasn't aiming for Kuro at all. The bats were diving toward the young marines still fighting desperately against the zombie horde.

Ice crystals formed in the air with a sharp crackling sound as the Rear Admiral threw up a protective barrier, the frozen wall intercepting the deadly swarm.

I probably could have handled that myself, but thanks to the warning, I blocked it completely.

"You really do have excellent eyes..."

"Good eyesight goes hand in hand with speed and precision." Kuro's voice remained steady despite his injuries.

"Tch! Ice magic for that annoying fly boy!"

Natural System - Logia

Gecko Moria.

As expected, the fighting spirit of this great pirate—a man who ranked among the Grand Line's most notorious captains—far exceeded any enemy they'd encountered before. His presence filled the warehouse like a suffocating blanket of malice.

The Rear Admiral launched ice attacks infused with Haki multiple times, each frozen projectile whistling through the air like artillery shells. He followed up with slashing attacks from his ice-formed sword, the blade singing as it cut through the darkness. But every single assault was deflected or absorbed by Moria's overwhelming power.

"Even so, Gecko Moria is living up to his reputation. This might be getting a bit too intense..."

"No, I don't think so."

Hundreds of bats swarmed through the air like a living hurricane, cutting off every escape route the great pirate might have used. The young pirate who should have been completely outmatched faced the Shichibukai with unwavering dignity.

"You're blocking the Vice Admiral's attacks with Haki, but you're stopping my kicks with pure physical strength alone."

"You probably decided my kicks weren't worth using Haki against. And honestly, they're barely scratching you."

"If you had kept your Haki active the whole time, I would have been eliminated ages ago, and you could have devoted all your energy to fighting the Rear Admiral."

"I see, that's certainly true—"

Kuro sensed the attack coming from below and leaped forward just as a massive spear formed from concentrated bats erupted from the floor where he'd been standing. The spear was followed by another, then another, each one seeking his flesh with deadly precision.

"Kuro-kun!"

"No problem."

Perhaps deciding that the agile young pirate was becoming too much of a nuisance, Moria unleashed a relentless barrage of spear and bat attacks. The air filled with the whoosh of wings and the whistle of projectiles—and amazingly, Kuro dodged them all. His speed was so incredible that sometimes he seemed to vanish completely, only to reappear yards away from where the attacks landed.

"Kuro, your speed is impressive. However, you lack experience!"

"Tch."

But Moria's experience showed.

The Shichibukai read Kuro's evasion pattern perfectly. At the exact moment the young pirate dodged what appeared to be the main attack, a black spear shot out from the warehouse wall—not the floor—aimed directly at Kuro's predicted position. The weapon pierced through his body with a sickening wet sound.

"Kishishi! I finally caught you, you annoying fly— Ugh?!"

The spear had punched through Kuro's left shoulder and right leg, crimson spreading across his clothes like spilled ink. But incredibly, his speed showed no signs of decreasing. The moment Moria's guard dropped in satisfaction, Kuro channeled all his remaining strength into a devastating kick aimed at the giant's throat, blood spraying from his wounded leg as he moved.

"Vice Admiral!"

"Right!"

Violent Pheasant Beak

A massive ice sculpture shaped like a diving pheasant crashed into the collapsed section of the warehouse. This time, there was no opportunity to gather energy for defense—Moria's robustly trained body absorbed the full impact of the ice attack.

"Damn it! What a troublesome combination! What kind of partnership do you two really have?!"

"Isn't it a perfect pairing? Actually, I'm surprised at how well we can synchronize our attacks." The Rear Admiral's voice carried a note of genuine admiration.

Even so... I think I could win if I managed to touch him directly, but will he really let me get that close? He definitely knows how to fight Logia users.

"Kuro-kun, is your leg all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." The words came out steady despite the obvious pain.

They were managing to hold their own thanks to the pirate's disruption of Moria's attacks, but the stalemate couldn't last forever.

The situation was particularly precarious since Kuro—their primary disruption and harassment specialist—had sustained significant injuries to his leg.

"Going back to what I was saying earlier, Moria is probably reaching his limit."

As they tried to figure out their next move, the Vice Admiral adjusted his glasses and spoke with clinical precision.

"I can't maintain my Haki for extended periods. That's why I focus as much energy as possible on offense rather than defense. Also, the time lag when switching between Haki enhancement and attack mode is gradually increasing."

"Hey, Kuro-kun."

"Yes?"

"You know quite a lot about Haki."

Kuro's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.

The sound of steel clashing against steel rang out behind them, reminding the Rear Admiral of something else that had been nagging at him.

"You were the one who told the kids to use salt, weren't you? How did you know about the weakness of zombies created by his ability?"

"Just a... lucky guess."

"Just a guess."

The biggest immediate threat in terms of raw fighting power was undoubtedly Gecko Moria. As a pirate of the New World who had challenged one of the Four Emperors, his strength was absolutely no joke—every movement radiated lethal intent.

However, the Rear Admiral's battle-honed instincts were telling him that there might be an even greater threat hidden in plain sight...

I can't believe that such a mysterious kid is serving as Nico Robin's guardian.

—"Please, hurry!"

—"The Captain is fighting!"

You never know what kind of surprises this world will throw at you.

"Kuro-kun."

"Yes?"

"This is just a theory, but if his concentration wavers, I think I can win if I manage to make physical contact."

"But he won't let you get close... I guess I just need to stop him from moving?"

"I understand—I'll make another frontal assault."

Really... I'm certain this kid is going to become a truly dangerous pirate from the Navy's perspective.

•~•

"—...Zan... Kuzan."

"—Oh, sorry. I seem to have dozed off there."

"—You looked like you were sleeping quite peacefully."

"I was dreaming about the first time we met."

"—Another nostalgic story... it's been almost twenty years already."

"—You were so small back then."

"—I've thought this many times before, but that one is just too big for his own good... No, never mind. I can see our island now."

"—Well then, shall we prepare ourselves?"

"—Yes, please. Even though you're still a newcomer, I'm entrusting you with the role of our 'Commander,' so make sure you look the part."

"—I understand... Captain."

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[10 Advanced Chs]