Chapter 006: Kuro of "Stealth"
"Officer candidates! The long-awaited moment has finally arrived, your first battle!"
The vessel cutting through the waves was one of the Navy's training ships, its white hull gleaming under the afternoon sun. Though designated as a training vessel, only five officer candidates received instruction aboard her. The remaining crew consisted of elite marines who had been forged in the brutal conflicts of the West Blue, where the five major criminal families held sway with iron fists.
"According to reports from local citizens, three wanted criminals and their accomplices are hiding in the town ahead!" The commanding officer's voice carried across the deck, sharp and authoritative. "We are the only ship conducting training exercises in this sector that received the emergency summons!"
The five recruits had no actual combat experience, but they had endured rigorous training that would have broken lesser men. Their instructors, battle-scarred veterans who had imposed this grueling regimen, held high hopes for this next generation of naval leadership.
(The problem is... 'Stealth.')
From the Navy's perspective, the strength of the two men reportedly part of the group remained unknown, but intelligence had identified their ringleader as the greatest threat: Kuro of the "Silent Step."
(I understand it's a pathetic beginning, but... forgive him, "Stealth.")
Countless bandits and bounty hunters had fallen to Kuro alone, their blood staining the earth of a dozen islands. Every bandit crew he'd captured, every pirate he'd defeated, and every East Blue marine who had faced him in combat shared the same haunting testimony about his abilities:
I couldn't see anything.
Just when I thought he had vanished, half my crew was already down.
When I regained consciousness, every member of my unit had collapsed around me.
The moment I thought I had a village woman as hostage, I was on the ground with my jaw shattered, not even remembering the kick that put me there.
(...I see he has mastered a movement technique remarkably similar to Soru. It seems the higher-ups believe that 'Silent Step' is merely a novice who escaped from slavery...)
Kuro had been hunting down criminals with such ferocious efficiency that he'd even decimated the mafia's funding sources, causing his bounty to skyrocket. Based on the marine reports, the commanding officer suspected the amount could climb even higher.
This was clearly not the average threat level expected from someone in the East Blue.
To be completely honest, he didn't believe this was the kind of wanted man they should be dealing with during a training exercise.
(But still! With these elite troops, capturing him isn't impossible!)
"The leader, Kuro of the Silent Step, is a bounty hunter who has defeated numerous bandits and criminals throughout the East Blue! Even though we outnumber them, we must not let our guard down!"
"I apologize for interrupting while you're attempting to boost morale, but may I interject?"
As the officer was building his men's confidence, an unfamiliar voice drifted from behind him, casual and almost polite.
"!? What the, who are you?!"
"My sincere apologies. Even though this is an enemy vessel, I must acknowledge the rudeness of boarding without proper introduction."
A young man in an impeccably tailored black suit stood on the deck of the naval ship, still miles from shore. The ocean spray hadn't even dampened his clothes.
•~•
"From the words of encouragement you were delivering, you must be the captain of this vessel."
He had come to the warship to practice the Geppo he'd accidentally mastered—and also to intimidate the villagers back there who probably weren't paying close attention to the battle's outcome.
From what he could observe, their fighting capabilities were indeed superior to any group he'd encountered multiple times in the East Blue. There were no obvious openings in their formation, and every man remained alert and ready.
"How did you board this ship?!"
"I believe the marines standing behind you witnessed it... I simply ran here."
"...That's impossible. Absolutely impossible."
I suppose it does resemble Geppo in principle, but since it's self-taught, it might appear crude to a professional. Perhaps I should give it an original name if possible.
As opposed to a silent step... perhaps a 'shadow step'?
"What brings you here? Surrender?"
"In my circumstances, the future holds only slavery or execution. I'm not quite pessimistic enough about my life for that yet."
"Then what have you come here for?!"
"...To petition you authorities for the retraction of false accusations against a certain young girl."
This is the crucial boundary.
Seriously, he had no idea how Perona had become Moria's subordinate in the original timeline, but witnessing this situation made it perfectly clear.
No wonder she had joined Moria so readily and sworn such unwavering loyalty to him.
However, leaving things as they stood wasn't acceptable.
He'd let Perona decide what path she chose for herself, but he wanted to properly clear her name from the false accusations leveled by her neighbors.
"The local residents have reported that the girl is also part of your criminal organization."
"Incorrect. That girl is..."
Well, how should I explain this?
"I don't fully understand the situation myself, but she was isolated due to conflict on this island. My crew consists of only one other person besides myself. She is simply a civilian who assisted in capturing the pirates terrorizing this area."
He didn't know the extent of animosity that had existed between the woman who raised Perona and the village, but he was certain his assessment wasn't wrong.
"...I cannot comply with that request. Even if your claims are truthful, I will have to arrest you immediately."
"She's only four or five years old."
"But as long as there's any possibility she may turn to evil, we must apprehend her!"
"Do you understand what arrest means? Do you comprehend what it means to be treated as a criminal despite having committed no crimes?"
Well, I did engage those pirates in battle, but I'm still awaiting their response, so this situation isn't justified!
It was their own choice to attack the villagers!
"Nevertheless!!"
The captain drew his saber, the blade singing as it cleared its sheath. Following his lead, the marines behind him raised their rifles and brandished their swords, creating a bristling wall of steel pointed in his direction.
"We must seize every opportunity! To ensure that threats like you never emerge again!"
"The government is the one posing a threat to me! Surely you officials must realize that!"
"If you had been arrested initially, this would have ended there!"
You bastards! I'm going to shatter every one of your jaws!
I absolutely refuse to end up being tamed by that gorilla woman!!
"At least for now, that's how this world operates! Therefore, citizens should comply to ensure stability! That's simply how it must be!"
To be honest, he'd expected a 99% chance this conversation would end exactly this way, but they'd still managed to reach a complete breakdown in negotiations.
Let me take a breath. This is getting far too heated.
...No, I'm going to kick this man with everything I have. His solar plexus, collarbone, and jaw.
"—I understand your position."
However, he suspected the captain harbored some conflicted thoughts about this situation as well.
He hadn't immediately shouted, "Seize him!"
...Yeah, as a fellow man, I suppose I can spare his groin.
"Though our discussion has broken down, I'm grateful you took the time to speak with me. I apologize for causing such trouble."
So for now, he offered a respectful bow.
Even though that question-and-answer session could have had an adverse effect on his soldiers' morale, the captain had still conducted it properly.
"And with that understanding, I'll break through!!"
But I'm still going to attack now!
"Come then! Kuro of the 'Silent Step'! Everyone! Battle stations!"
•~•
One could only describe the recruit's first naval battle as thoroughly unlucky.
His comrades, who had undergone the same rigorous training alongside him, suddenly found themselves sprawled across the deck like discarded dolls. Senior marines who were older and more experienced, men he'd believed were stronger than himself, were being carved apart by invisible slashes or felled by unseen kicks that struck with the force of cannonballs.
As for the recruit himself, the moment the conversation with the branch captain ended, he was suddenly launched across the deck by a pirate who appeared no older than himself. He could barely maintain consciousness through the ringing in his skull and the taste of blood in his mouth.
"Damn it! My ship's elite soldiers can't land a single blow!"
"They were strong. Not a single marine in the East Blue has been able to track my movements."
Only two figures remained standing on the blood-slicked deck: the pirate and the captain, circling each other like predators.
Until that moment, the other soldiers had fired volleys of rifle shots and delivered coordinated sword strikes, but none had even managed to graze their target.
Such was the terrifying speed of Kuro's "Silent Step."
Clang!
"Incredible speed! That's absolutely incredible!"
"Strange words from the man who just blocked it."
The pirate, whom everyone thought had vanished entirely, materialized behind the captain and delivered a devastating roundhouse kick toward his temple. The captain barely managed to intercept it with his saber, the impact sending shockwaves through both their bodies.
A metallic ringing echoed between them, as if the young man had iron concealed within his shoes.
"Ah, what a tragedy! How magnificent it would have been if a man of your caliber, a warrior like you, had served as a marine!"
"You seem to be struggling yourself. Why don't you simply become a pirate?"
"That's impossible!!"
While blocking Kuro's leg, the captain pivoted and swung his saber in a wide arc, attempting to slam his opponent into the ship's railing.
However, Kuro remained one step ahead when it came to footwork and agility.
"Neko Guruma!"
He spun through the air like a shadow given form, evading the strike's force while unleashing an invisible slash from his foot that carved through the salt-tinged air.
The captain blocked with his saber, but failed.
His eyes widened in shock as he felt the impact, and in the next instant his blade was knocked from his grasp, spinning away to clatter against the deck.
He immediately attempted to counterattack with his bare hands, but there was no way "Silent Step" would miss such a brief opening.
This time appearing directly in front of the captain, Kuro's razor-sharp kick materialized before the man's eyes and pierced through his guard to strike his solar plexus.
"...What a waste of talent...!"
"...That's true."
For reasons unknown, the pirate supported the captain as he momentarily lost consciousness and began to collapse, preventing him from striking the deck.
If you had been satisfied with your way of life, wouldn't you have become even stronger?
At first glance, the sight of a boy of perhaps twelve or thirteen supporting a larger man created an almost peaceful scene, like a child helping a wounded parent... but in reality, it was a surreal tableau between sworn enemies.
As the pirate glanced around the mast, he noticed the recruit glaring at him with barely contained fury.
"So you're still conscious. I was certain I'd kicked you hard enough that you wouldn't wake until this was all finished..."
The recruit felt his blood boil at those casual words.
"You had no intention of killing us..."
"Ah."
"I-Is it because I'm female?! Because I'm young?!"
The recruit, a young marine girl approximately the same age as the pirate, fixed "Silent Step" with a burning stare.
"No, I never intended to kill anyone from the beginning. ...If someone died as a result of information from those villagers, it would tarnish the name of 'Silent Step.'"
When the girl looked around at the pirate's words, she observed the shoulders and chests of her fallen colleagues and classmates rising and falling with shallow but steady breaths.
They were breathing, they were alive.
No... saved.
"Humiliation... such humiliation..."
"Hina finds this... humiliating..."
As consciousness began to slip away due to pain and exhaustion, her eyes caught sight of "Silent Step's" face. For some inexplicable reason, he was regarding her with an expression of genuine surprise.