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"Krieg? The one who tried to enter the Grand Line?" Aero asked sharply over the Den Den Mushi.
"Yeah, that Krieg. The one with the 17 million Berries bounty," Bugsy answered, watching the transceiver closely.
"I see…" came Aero's thoughtful mutter, just before he asked flatly, "You can't wipe them out?"
"We can," Bugsy said carefully, "but they're part of Krieg's fleet. If we take them out, Krieg might retaliate with his full 5,000-man armada. We could survive it, sure but the damage would be huge. Civilians, soldiers, property… It wouldn't be a clean fight."
He paused, then added, "We're not worried about getting wiped out but the fallout would be massive."
Aero didn't hesitate.
"Bugsy… have you forgotten who you are? You're a king. If pirates invade your kingdom, the Navy isn't just going to sit back and do nothing."
Bugsy nodded but quickly explained, "The Navy's already helped us a lot. They sent six elite instructors from HQ to train our troops. And the Rear Admiral stationed in East Blue is too busy with pirate raids elsewhere to focus on us."
---
Aboard Aero's ship, the early morning light crept into the captain's quarters. Eddie sat nearby, listening in quietly.
Dylan had already snuffed the lantern, letting the dawn settle over the calm sea.
When Bugsy mentioned the six HQ instructors, Aero turned to Eddie. Their eyes met both filled with disbelief.
"Six HQ instructors?" Aero asked, trying to sound calm. "What exactly are they doing there?"
"They're training our troops," Bugsy said. "Each one of them is a monster. One of them literally walked through the air I thought she had the same kind of Devil Fruit power you do!"
Aero's eyes narrowed.
"And… are they teaching those techniques to your soldiers?"
"I pulled together 600 men for them to train. They said maybe five or six would succeed. I was dreaming of making a super army but they refused to stay longer. They're only training a handful and then leaving."
Bugsy sighed, sounding a little frustrated.
Aero's voice dropped, serious now. "Bugsy, listen carefully. This is important. You have to convince them to stay in your kingdom. This could change everything."
"I tried, Captain," Bugsy admitted, his voice uneasy. "They flat-out refused. I thought they were gonna beat me up just for asking."
"Then you're going about it the wrong way." Aero's tone sharpened. "You need to go to the one who sent them. Offer him something. Money. Favors. Influence. I'm talking about bribery, Bugsy."
"…The base commander?"
"Yes," Aero said plainly. "Slip him some treasure. Persuade him. Get those instructors stationed in Gregor Kingdom permanently."
Bugsy gulped. "Understood. Oh—and what about Krieg?"
"Handle him the usual way," Aero replied. "Remember, you've recruited plenty of loyal ex-pirates by now. And don't forget to fly my flag."
Click. The Den Den Mushi call ended.
Bugsy stared at the transceiver, heart pounding.
So the captain's ready to challenge the kings of East Blue now…
---
What Bugsy didn't know was that Aero had never considered Krieg a serious threat. With his Wind-Wind Fruit powers, sheer numbers didn't matter anymore.
Bugsy burst out of his chamber.
"Ready the troops!"
His aides, already waiting, saluted and dashed off to execute orders. Their confidence in their king deepened this was a man worth following.
---
Krieg's advance force had only brought three ships, carrying around 300 men. At the south port alone, Bugsy had stationed over 1,000 trained soldiers.
The pirates anchored offshore cautiously, watching. Two ships remained behind while one inched toward the beach.
They were testing the waters probing the kingdom's response.
Before they could make landfall, seven pirate ships suddenly emerged from the opposite end of the island. Each flew a menacing black flag emblazoned with a hurricane-shaped skull.
Without warning, the seven ships opened fire.
The synchronized bombardment created a devastating blanket of cannonfire. All three Krieg ships were hit, masts shattered, hulls cracked, and crews panicked.
"Who the hell are these guys?!" a Krieg pirate captain shouted, spotting the identical flags. "They're flying our colors! Are they crazy?! Don't they know we serve Don Krieg?!"
Another captain roared from the deck, sword in hand, "Get the cannons! Fire back! Let's teach these fools what Krieg's fleet is made of!"
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