Regretfully, none of the present marines had seen is face as all the one present there have been killed, twenty marines and a colonel, the meanest marine killer since Kuro, a pirate Morgan have taken down himself. While not as infamous as Kreig, the HQ was unwilling to leave him alone, for fear than he became like him, or worse, join him.

As a marine killer, and having taken down a colonel, he would be a.s.sured to have a lieutenant place among Kreig"s men. Thankfully, the said man has been staying quiet those last months.

What, or rather who they know was that the "pirate huntress" Kuina has been said to have joined him. That was also a reason why they had to send her after them. The duo would be dangerous. She may be only an Ensign, but she did come from the HQ, thus she was deemed enough to take care of the threat, that why she had sailed for the last week, Trying to track them done.

... Or that what they wanted to make he think, but she was far from stupid, after the last three year since they have take post in Logue town, she had learned to discern lies from truth, at least for an extended.

Looking at the two wanted poster, she couldn"t help but grit her teeth. The reason for her wrath was the uncanny resemblance she shares with the ex-pirate huntress. Because of this, the higher up have suspected a family link and had sent her after then, wishing for a confrontation, and with any chance, they"re mutual takedown.

When she had joined the marine, she was still an innocent girl. Raised by the government after founding her on a raided island by pirates, she has been taught to hate pirates from her younger day, and for her shame, it had taken hold.

That faith had first wavered when she hears to what extend she was allowed when dealing with pirates, they wanted nothing more than complete extermination. Admiral Akainu has been adamant on this, pirates where sc.u.ms, a plague on this world.

Then she had served for two months on the ship of a Tenryuubito, she had brushed against dismissal when she had seen how they treat the slave they had bought. Just the notion that one human could own another had her nearly draws her blade, it was only the death of a comrade having done exactly what she was about to do that hold her hand.

After graduating from the HQ, and because she had been caught off during her service, that she had been sent as Enseign, rather than Lieutenant, and to east blue, her birth sea, rather than any other blues.

She had known what it means, the HQ was keeping her for any promotion and any risk. At the first sign of rebellion, Smoker would have all right to execute her. He was the one that had to send her against the two when they know that he had taken down a man that would have an Enseign grade in the HQ.

By sending her against them, as she came from the HQ and would be a lieutenant in east blue, she couldn"t refuse to say that she was too low ranked. So here she was, with two warrant officer from Logue town and their twenty-five men each.

If this wasn"t enough, they have received the order to stop at the 16 regiments to take on their board captain Nezumi, and fifty of his men.

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"Why are you here Captain Nezumi, last I know I was in charge of this expedition."

She wasn"t liking having a superior to look at her every move, more so that piece of trash. She had never liked him, founding his att.i.tude fishy.

"Chichichi, it not how you speak to your superior, ENSIGN Tashigi. But I will let it slide down for this time, Words from orange town are that a man, 2m50 tall, red hairs, green eyes had taken down Baggy the clown."

"Then good riddance, the man has been a torn in east blue for years."

"Quite, but it had also been said that he had with him, a woman at his side, a woman with a sword and bearing a strange resemblance with you, some would even think of you has twins." A disgusting smile appearing on his face while squitting his eyes at her.

At his words, she gazes at the two wanted poster on her side, the first blank of image and name, the second sporting Kuina image and the moniker of "pirate huntress Kuina". The first had a bounty of 10,000,000B and the second of 8,500,000B. The reason no one knows of them as of yet, was because they were provisory bounty, only put for marines until Tashigi take care of them or they were published. The only reason as of the bounty was to give incentive to marines to take them down as with it, they would know how much contribution point they would hear from them.

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Contribution point was a mean for the marine to either promote among the organization, receive personal tutoring, weapon or even devil fruit from the higher up. They factored as of 1/100 for bounty.

This way, Alex would be worth 9,000 Points and Kuina 8,500 Points, both nearly enough for low ranking marines to obtain a promotion into warrant officer as 10,000 Points needed.

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Earing him, her eye widen if they had taken Baggy and his crew down, then she knows that their provisory bounty would be risen to at least 10,000,000 each. Gritting her teeth, she asks.

"What is your order, sir?" Spatting the last word.

Hearing and seeing her struggle to not insult him and receive a black mark on her file, he chuckled, loving the sensation of power he had over her.

"Chichichi, we are to sail toward Gekko archipelago, the nearest place from Orange town for them to go."

Thankfully for Tashigi, they were quite near of say island, and with a hundred men taking a turn to row, they had rejoined the island in only two days. While she was finally able to escape from the stifling ambience on the ship, she was ordered to follow Nezumi.

They would patrol the island, trying to found if they had been spotted here or they had gone further, without re-supplying themself. The chance would that they dock near the sh.o.r.e of Syrup village, their boat unable to approach the shallow water of the sh.o.r.e.

While they came from the other side of the island, they had the confirmation by a merchant that Kuina had been spotted her, buying an impressive amount of food.

"Well, it seems that they plan to travel for at least a week, perhaps more, and the only island on the surrounding is..."

"Your base, colonel, or Konomi archipelago, sir!" Respond one of the two warrant officers.

The previous nonchalant att.i.tude of Nezumi immediately shifts to a fidgetting one. Seeing his reaction, she couldn"t help but found it suspicious.

"I-I-I sees, then, let not waste time here anymore, men regain the ship immediately, to 16 regiment base at once!"

"Yes!" Salute the marines, ready to break into a sprint, when they were stopped by the voice of a man on their side.

"Please wait!" Looking on the side, they see a sheep-like man, wearing a butler outfit. "thank kami I made it. I hear that you were asking for pirates around here? One of our men, Klahadoll had vanished from the past two days, as well as a young man from this village."

"I don"t see what it concern the marines, men to the ship, now!" Shout Nezumi, seemingly growing more anxious as time pa.s.s.

"Colonel Nezumi, as the higher-ranked here, it"s your duty to hears this man concern, he could have crucial information." Say Tashigi, barely hiding her smirk.

"That b.i.t.c.h! Does she know of my deal with Arlong, that bad, if they arrive before us... That bad, I need to return and warn Arlong, ask him to sink them before they could raid my base, I don"t have to acc.u.mulate those past ten years of bribe, for them to fall in the hand of those dirty pirates!"

"Very well, speak, but be quick, we are in a hurry, here!"

It was visible for all that the man was growing restless. Merry, think that they were indeed chasing after pirates, nod and tell what they found.

"After looking for him, we had found a house hidden in a grove that hadn"t been there a few weeks prior, as well as a copious amount of blood, and-and two legs." His voice betraying him at the end, his knees growing weak at the memories of them. "They were sporting the uniform of miss Kaya butler, and think that he may have been abducted for ransom."

"Do you have any drawing or a picture of the man?"

Nodding at Tashigi, he withdraws the picture taken when Kuro had entered the service of Kaya family. This one was his copy that no one knows off, as he liked to keep a picture of all the family was employed, creating a sc.r.a.pbook. Strangely all other pictures have been destroyed or missing, so he had kept this one secret.

What he wasn"t knowing was that Kuro wasn"t very fond of having proof of his existence at the sight of all, so he had destroyed all the copy he found, thinking having them all.

When Tashigi saw his face, she whiten, this, was seen by all.

"Enseign Tashigi, do you know this man?" Ask the other warrant officer that had to accompany her.

While she searches the small bag she keeps at her waist for her gla.s.ses, and sword care kit, she responds. "I do, you perhaps are knowing that I have always keep wanted poster since my arrival here?" Receiving a nod from the man. She was indeed known to keep a trace of all past and present pirate on east blue, as it wasn"t harming, no one had stopped her to do so." I was looking through them last night, wanting to see if they have been the previous spotting of our target, or past feats of colonel Morgan" They all nod, it was a good idea, who knows when past information could be useful." When I saw him." She says, taking Kuro past bounty and showing it to then.

It was now their turn to whitening, the resemblance was more than fitting, and they didn"t like it. That a pirate was able to foul the marines didn"t send back a very positive image of them, more so in the weakest sea. It was the entire base who was given the surveillance of this zone that would be slapped from this, that Nezumi was said the man didn"t help. That it was Tashigi who bring the matter out didn"t endear her to him, as there would be an inspection on his a.s.s after this affair. If that was the case it would be really bad for his business with Arlong.

"You b.i.t.c.h! I won"t let this one slide easily, trust me! I need to contact Arlong, I need him to take care of any witnesses and those pirates too. I could always blame the kid, yes that will do. As an only survivor, I will take credit for getting rid of the kid, but before that, I need the HQ to know he had taken down Baggy and Kuro. That last could be put on Morgan". Since he was dead I could always spin in into the fact that he helped the man to escape for a promotion... Yes, that will do, Chichichi, I am a genius!"

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Now free to go, the marines hastily made it back to the ship, rowing full power back to the base.

In his cabin, Nezumi sat on his desk and contact the HQ via the transmitter denden mushi on it.

"Yes? Here the information treatment centre of the marine" H.Q, what can I do for you?"

"Here Colonel Nezumi, from the 16 regiments, east blue, code 00733."

"Colonel Nezumi, 16 regiments, east blue, code 00733, you have been correctly identified, what his you request colonel?"

"I have news concerning the affair of the marines killer!"

He could hear the sound of a chair sc.r.a.ping the floor and some yell in the background. "Thank you for the wait, you will be immediately put in contact with Captain Brandnew, the H.Q are waiting for your new, colonel."

As the line buzz, he stays dumbfounded, the case rapidly blowing out of proportion. Never would have the thoughts that he would be directly put in contact with a higher-up that fast.

""Purupuru purupuru catcha!" Colonel Nezumi? Captain Brandnew here, we are waiting for your report!"

"Right away captain! As of a little less than half an hour now, we have received some urgent news! First, the confirmation that the "pirates huntress Kuina" had joined the until now unidentified man. All we have is a physic description, 2m 50, green eyes, long crimson hairs. His he says to wear two large knives and a rifle.

It has also been confirmed that he had taken down Baggy the clown and his crew two days prior. From there he had sailed to Gekko archipelago, Syrup village, where he had abducted a butler that has been revealed as the though defunct Captain Kuro. All sighting of the Kurodan crew have been lost the past two days, he is suspected to have taken down his captain, Jango the hypnotist and the Nyanban brothers. Respective bounties 16,000,000B; 9,000,000B; and 7,000,000 for the two brothers.

The rapid identification and takedown of the dangerous individual Kuro and the crew suggest that he didn"t receive wounds from all fight, and thus an extremely dangerous individual. From you investigation, he is supposed sailing toward my now defenceless base, 16 regiments, near the Konomi Archipelago, we have started the pursuit but unable to ascertain to be on place rapidly enough to defend the base. By the time we return, we may have another marine base attacked by the man."

"Very well, thank you for your report colonel Nezumi, make haste to return to your base, and should the unthinkable happen, you wound be hold responsible from the loos of our men. Dismiss."

"Thank you, captain. "Catcha!""

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In Marinefort, the H.Q of the marines and island on Grand line, all present in a certain reunion room where sporting solemn and hard expression.

"As you all hear the situation is rapidly spinning out of control, the man is unstoppable, and should he successfully rejoin Grand Line, it would be a disaster! This can"t be allowed! As a special reunion, I wish to submit a rise of his provisory bounty up to 25,000,000B! as well as the Pirates huntress Kuina to 15,000,000B! Both are a danger for civilians that need to be put down immediately!"

All around the room, the motion was immediately seconded by all men and high-ranked marines.

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Back on the ship, Nezumi was cackling like a mad beast before calming down after ten minutes.

"This is perfect, once they raid the base, all will be put on their head on none on mine! Any witnesses from my deal with Arlong sunken to the bottom of the sea! All is left is for Arlong to be called. I need him to raid the base with some of his men."

Taking another denden mushi, the one the fisherman have to give him for personal trade among themselves, he calls.

"Yes, Nyuu? Arlong park her Nyuu, Octo, desu-nyuu!"

"Octo, it"s me, Nezumi, I need to speak to Arlong, it urgent."

"Nyuu? Ok."

"Nezumi, what wrong, it"s not you to call out of nowhere like this."

"I have work for you and your men."

"Oh? Do tell."

"I need you to take care of a group of a pirate coming your way. They shouldn"t be more than two, after than, I need you to came and sink the ship I am here, kill any other but the woman, I have some use for the b.i.t.c.h before I put her down!"

"Oh, boats to sink, pirates and marines to kill? You"re for sure, you give interesting jobs, very well, I will send my boys to those pirates, I will personally come with Kurobi, Smack, and Octo on Meuh-Meuh back to bring you back here, with your human b.i.t.c.h, wait for us at midnight tomorrow."catcha!""

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The attack came a day later, in the middle of the night. During all that time, Nezumi had stayed in his cabin, taking all his effect, that he had brought with him, before rejoining the deck.

Looking on the side, he hears a popping sound before a large splash and a crunching sound. As the cow-like sea monster approaches, he could see it chewing on what was the vigil in the crow nest that had been shot down by smack.

"Ready?" Ask Arlong, lazily leaning against one of the monster horn.

"Yes, I just had to bring her down, and you can tears them apart.

Sneaking into the cabin of Tashigi, he shot her from afar. Being in the dark, he wasn"t able to aim, but hearing her scream of pain, he must have been spot on.

As the surrounding marines were starting to wake up from the gunshot, he was dragging the screaming and shouting Tashigi my the hair. Due to her wounded stomach, she could barely put a fight against a man she would have squashed any other time.

Grunting, Nezumi was barely able to throw her above the stern, on the monster.

The moment he put a foot on the creature was the signal for the four fishermen to lay waste on the ship. It would only be an affair of a few seconds, or minutes if they take their time to enjoy it.

Soon screams and gun"s shot resound as orders were barked to the men. On his side, Nezumi takes his official denden mushi and call the H.Q once again.

"h.e.l.lo? It colonel Nezumi here, I have an urgency to declare, Enseign Tashigi had betrayed the Marines and join the pirate crew of the marines killer! I repeat Enseign Tashigi had ... wait, no... ahhhhhhhhh! "Catcha!". That should do it."

"Your monster! you had sacrificed your men to pirates!"

She couldn"t believe it, but once again could. Another corrupt marine among the ma.s.s. She knows that this time she was finished, with her blacken file, and now reported as having joined the marines by a higher up you facked an attack on himself, she knows that the H.Q you see her as a deserter. She couldn"t hold back her tears, her life destroyed for the second time in her life.

I didn"t take long for her to pa.s.s out from her blood loss, and slumber into unconsciousness, dreading of what will happen to her when she will wake up the next time.