Meeting

( 3rd POV )

North Blue

On the deck of a colossal warship, flanked by two others, numerous individuals clad in white uniforms diligently tended to their duties.

A tall, slender woman with red lipstick, her long, curly black hair tied back, and a mole below her mouth on the right side of her face strode out from the cabin towards the deck. A black spider tattoo on her left thigh captured the attention of those around her as she passed.

"Huh? What are you looking at!?" she snarled at the people who seemed to be dazing off by looking at her thigh.

"N-no ma'am!" They snapped back to reality upon hearing her words, quickly returning to their tasks.

"Hmph!"

Continuing her walk, she eventually found someone she had been searching for. An elderly figure seemed to be in conversation with another woman in the same white uniform before she spotted her. The woman with the spider tattoo approached her, closing the distance before calling out.

"Vice Admiral Tsuru!"

Upon hearing a familiar voice, the elderly woman turned to see one of her talented subordinates. She dismissed the other woman before addressing the newcomer.

"Walk with me, Gion."

Gion approached the elderly woman and together they headed to the front of the deck. Observing at the elderly figure, who was not wearing her vice admiral coat despite the strong wind blowing on the deck, Gion tried to reprimand her.

"Tsuru-san, why are you not wearing your coat? The winds up here are getting stronger, you know? Here, use mine." She said with concern in her voice before pulling out her own coat and trying to give it to her.

"I'm not that fragile for a woman in her sixties, Gion." She refused the offer before replying with a smile to the younger woman, whom she regarded as her younger sister. After all, Tsuru had known Gion since she was a teenager.

"Anyway, what brings you here?"

Hearing her nonchalant words about her own health, Gion gave up, knowing Tsuru's strength despite her age.

"We heard a report from headquarters that the Germa Kingdom was destroyed by someone. They want us to investigate this matter as we are now in the North Blue as well." Gion relayed the news she had received.

Tsuru didn't respond to Gion immediately upon hearing her. She gazed calmly at the clear blue sea before her. Gion waited in silence beside her; she understood that Tsuru's contemplative look meant she was pondering.

"Since the mission is non-negotiable, we will undertake it. However, it will be our lowest priority," Tsuru finally responded to her protégé.

"Um... Is that okay, Tsuru-san?" Gion asked nervously, concerned that delaying the mission might incur the Gorosei's wrath upon their division.

Hearing Gion's worried tone, Tsuru simply smiled and offered reassurance. "It's fine, Gion. Besides, I bet the World Government has their own team investigating as well."

"Our primary goal remains unchanged: to capture the Doflamingo pirate. We've been on their trail for a week since they slipped away at sea near Minion Island."

"Sigh, yes. I didn't anticipate Doflamingo being so formidable and sly. I greatly underestimated him..." Gion admitted with a rueful smile, recalling their sea encounter.

"Don't be disheartened, you're still young, Gion. Concentrate on refining your abilities; I'm confident you'll soon be promoted to vice admiral, just like Kuzan.

Nevertheless, if the information we picked up from yesterday is true, then Doflamingo shouldn't be our biggest problem anymore." Tsuru said, shifting the topic after she reassured her younger protégé.

Gion responded with a confident smile, but as they conversed, a female crew member approached to report something. "Tsuru, Vice Admiral, Gion, Rear Admiral, we've spotted Vocas Island. It's ten miles away from our location, and we'll arrive approximately in fifteen minutes."

"It seems we've arrived..." Gion murmured as she caught sight of the island.

"Full speed ahead and inform the other two ships to prepare to land," Tsuru instructed the female sailor.

"Yes, ma'am!"

The female soldier wasted no time in carrying out her orders. Propelled by the robust winds, the trio of warships hastened towards the diminutive isle. While the marines were engrossed in their preparations for landing and dealing with the Doflamingo pirates, little did they know their efforts were in vain. Yet, the sights that awaited them were destined to be etched in their memories forever.

.....

In the heart of the Pearl, one of the bedrooms held an intimate scene. Vanze, skilled in culinary arts, attended to a stunning woman with flowing black hair. He presented a fork laden with sea king meat barbecue to her awaiting lips, an act met with eager anticipation as she took a savory bite.

"Mmhhh~~ Your meat has always been delicious!" she exclaimed, her joy evident as she savored the flavors.

Observing her delight with a content smile, Vanze continued his ministrations, slicing more meat for her consumption. "I'm glad you like it, Hancock," he replied warmly.

Hancock responded with a smile as both of them enjoyed their rare intimate moment without any disturbance.

She felt like she had just won the lottery: her strength reached a breakthrough, her beloved doting on her, and a promise of a romantic outing on the horizon. All thanks to the enigmatic "pink guy."

But their moment was interrupted by someone entering her room. The newcomer was Robin. She glanced at Hancock, who had just woken up a few hours ago, with surprise before turning to Vanze with a solemn look on her face.

"It's good to see you're already awake, Hancock. I understand that being disturbed can be irritating, but there's an important matter that needs attention." Noticing Hancock's frown, Robin realized she had caused annoyance. To prevent any anger, she quickly explained the reason for her visit.

"Hmm, what's up, Robin?" Vanze asked curiously, noticing her serious demeanor.

Meanwhile, Hancock just pouted and tried to ignore her best friend. "Tch."

Robin wasted no time, relaying urgent news from her encounter with Azel in the conference room. "While I was still in discussion with Monet, Azel burst in, claiming he sensed an approaching presence. My attempts at sensing it was faint, hence I rushed here to inform you," she explained, her words tinged with urgency.

Hearing this, Vanze also put on a serious look before activating his Observation Haki and his Kamigami no Gigan at the same time. His senses expanded greatly, even penetrating the walls of the ships and the town's ruins before fixing his gaze toward the warships about to dock on the other side of the island.

After realizing who the unknown party was, Vanze turned off both his sensing powers before sharing what he saw with them. "It's them, Robin," he said calmly.

Seeing his expression turn calm as he uttered his words, Robin also quickly realized who was about to arrive at the island. "I see, they're quite fast. I'll go tell Azel to meet me in the prison then."

But before she could depart, Vanze issued a directive, his tone firm with resolve. "Before that, gather everyone on the ship in the lounge and don't let them go out without my permission," he instructed, underscoring the gravity of the situation.

Hancock, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, finally voiced her inquiry, her curiosity piqued. "Hey, what are you guys talking about? And who's coming?"

Robin hesitated slightly to tell her before making eye contact with Vanze and seeing him nod, signaling that it's fine to tell her.

"It's the marines, Hancock."

"Huh? Why are they here?" Hancock's confusion was palpable as she grappled with the sudden turn of events.

Robin sighed, preparing to elucidate the complexities of their situation. "Let me explain. Prior to our confrontation with the Doflamingo pirates, Vanze approached me with a plan. Vanze wanted to give those people to the marines, but this plan needed Doflamingo to be captured alive before it could be executed."

"Wait, what!? Why hand them over to those hypocritical marines, Vanze? And why keep us in the dark about it?" Hancock's incredulity was evident as she confronted Vanze, her gaze fixed on him with a mixture of shock and bewilderment.

"It's not that I didn't want to inform you, but I harbored doubts about the plan's viability. I couldn't ascertain if Doflamingo would survive our assault, but thankfully he still managed to come out alive from your last attack, Hancock," he replied to her.

Honestly, after seeing her last kick, Vanze didn't believe that the pink guy could survive. But somehow, he really managed to do it, albeit barely.

Understanding dawned on Hancock as she absorbed Vanze's explanation, her expression softening with comprehension. "Okay, but what's your reasoning behind surrendering them?"

Vanze's gaze hardened, his resolve unwavering as he articulated his strategy. "Well, after what we did in this sea, there's no way we could keep ourselves hidden in the shadow. We will be dealing with the marines sooner or later, so I thought why not buy our guild some more time to develop by getting on their good side by handing those trash over.

By doing this, we can also clarify ourselves to them that we are not pirates and tell them that we are just humble adventurers who want to travel the world. If this plan works, then we can lower their guard toward us and stay hidden right under their noses for some time," Vanze said, explaining his real intention to them.

He had been thinking about it since they rescued Reiju and burned down the whole Germa. He knew their actions would not go unnoticed; after all, Germa is quite a famous kingdom with a lot of influence. If Vanze also included their deed of taking Doflamingo down, then their guild would be sticking out like a sore thumb in people's eyes before being hunted down by every faction in this world.

That's why he decided to try this method and let the marines take all the glory from them by handing over the Joker. Hancock, who finished hearing his explanation, also showed a solemn look while contemplating his plan.

After a few seconds of silence, Hancock looked back at the man she loved before sharing her opinion. "There is no guarantee it will work, Vanze. Your plan is like a gamble."

"I also said the same thing, but you know him... He will not change his mind as long as the plan can benefit our group," Robin replied to Hancock with a wry smile. She also had already warned him about the possibility of it failing, but Vanze was quite stubborn about it.

Hancock saw her friend's helplessness before showing the same smile. They knew that Vanze would not put their safety in danger if he was not confident about it, so they trusted him with the plan.

"Heh, if the arrival is someone of Sengoku or Sakazuki's caliber, I'll abandon the plan immediately. However, the one tasked with pursuing Doflamingo is Vice Admiral Tsuru. She's one of the few marines I still respect, alongside Garp," he reasoned, also considering Tsuru's intelligence and apparent trustworthiness.

"Sigh, alright then. Let's prepare to meet them; I'll go first," Robin said before leaving Hancock's room.

As her friend departed, Hancock made a move to rise from her bed. "Whoa, whoa! Where do you think you're going, miss?" Vanze interjected immediately.

"I want to participate too," she declared, responding to the concern evident on Vanze's face.

"No, you've just recovered from a devastating battle. You need more rest; leave the marines to me."

Vanze was trying to convince her to rest more, still worried about her health even though she had recovered after eating the senzu bean the day before.

"Vanze, I appreciate your concern, but I'm completely healed, and you know that. Besides, I'm aware you wouldn't let Azel or Yamato leave, so allow me to assist you," she said, locking eyes with him as she rose from her bed, hoping to persuade him.

After a moment of silent contemplation, Vanze relented, allowing her to have her way. "Alright, but don't stray too far from me, okay?"

Seeing his approval, Hancock showed a radiant smile before she quickly hugged one of his arms beside her twin peaks, squeezing it. "Of course, babe."

Despite the feeling of fluffiness that he felt, Vanze knew he couldn't continue to mess around and needed to focus. So, both of them stepped out from Hancock's room to leave before dealing with the marines.

.....

"It's terrible..."

Gion murmured with a sad face as she walked through the dilapidated buildings of the town. Their crew had already arrived on shore for a while, and she began deploying them to search for survivors.

She, Tsuru, and a few of the crew also made their way toward the town's location, but what they found was truly a scene straight out of hell. It wasn't just the ruined buildings, the numerous stone rubble, or the fissured earth that struck them; it was the sheer carnage of blood and bodies littering their path. Some had died crushed, some were headless, and there was even a teenager's corpse that had lost all its limbs, yet still wore an expression full of terror on its face even after death.

For women like them, this scene was just too cruel. Observing the dismal state of the town and the corpses, Tsuru, who walked ahead of Gion, sighed sadly. "Sigh, this must be Doflamingo's doing. You girls must remember this scene deeply in your minds because if we are late, incapable, or worst, defeated by pirates, this is what will happen to the normal people who will eventually encounter them.

So let this experience be a warning and a reminder that we Marines, as the last defense against piracy, cannot be defeated no matter what. Because if we are gone, then who is going to save them?"

Though sorrow weighed heavily upon her, Tsuru had witnessed such atrocities countless times in her age. It helped shape her will and her pursuit of justice. She believed that her crew, as Marines, also possessed a strong will, but she hoped the younger generation, like Gion, would draw strength from such horrors, rather than succumb to despair.

The girls behind her, despite their pale looks on their faces, nodded after hearing her words and reaffirming their will, especially Gion.

"I understand, Tsuru-san," she replied. Gion was determined to ensure something like this never happened again as long as she was around. That's why she needed to become stronger.

Seeing that they had regained their bearings, Tsuru smiled with relief before gesturing for them to keep moving. "Good, now let's go meet our informant."

The female sailor led by Tsuru continued their march toward the dock of the island, leaving behind the gruesome scene of the town.

Not long after the walk, they finally arrived at the dock and saw a massive black luxurious galleon with gold-tinted railings. Some of the soldiers even looked surprised because it was more gigantic than their warships.

Yet, what truly captured their attention was the figure standing before the vessel: a striking man with white hair and serene purple eyes, fixed upon their approach. Flanking him were two women with black hair, each exuding a distinct aura.

To their left, Tsuru could see that the scum they had been chasing all day long were lying neatly on the ground, unconscious with various degrees of injuries on their bodies.

"Well, well, well, looks who's finally arrived?" The man finally decided to break the silence as he walked toward them with both of his companions.

He stopped just a few meters from the Marines before speaking his welcoming words. "Nice to finally meet you, Vice Admiral Tsuru. Oh, and thanks for coming and believing in our call."

.....