The Tontatta representative chosen to accompany us was a woman named Cotton.
She was the purple-haired scout I'd noticed earlier—the one who had been tracking our movements through the forest.
It turned out she was a member of their reconnaissance unit, and as expected of a scout, she possessed incredible speed.
She gave me a brief demonstration of her movement, and I had to admit, her confidence was well-founded.
Her combat ability was formidable too. While she didn't possess a Devil Fruit like some of the "canon" heavy hitters, her combination of blinding speed and a powerful, prehensile tail made her a versatile fighter. She was more than qualified to represent the kingdom.
After finalizing the trade of rations for our weapons, I placed Cotton on my shoulder. We bid farewell to the entire Tontatta tribe, who had turned out in force to see her off, and made our way back through the hidden tunnel toward the surface.
Cotton-tatta... I found myself thinking of the pun, then shook it off.
「You said you wanted me to see the world-less, but what exactly am I supposed to do-less?」 Cotton asked from my shoulder.
「To start with, you're going to learn about humans,」 I replied. 「By the way, I realized I haven't formally introduced myself to you. I am Krieg, Rear Admiral of the Marine Headquarters. Looking forward to working with you.」
I reached up a finger toward her, and she tilted her head in confusion. 「What is this-less?」
I realized she didn't even know what a handshake was. 「This is called a handshake. It's a greeting where you grip the other person's hand.
Usually, it's done with the dominant hand—the one you'd hold a weapon with—as a sign of trust, showing you aren't hiding anything.」
「Even if you say that-less, big-human hands are too big-less! This will have to do-less.」
Cotton grabbed my index finger with both of her hands and shook it up and down. I'm well aware that my physique is considerably larger than the average human's, so I figured this was the best "handshake" I was going to get from a Tontatta.
「Rear Admiral! Major! Are you alright?!」
Emerging from the cave, we were met by the rest of the squad, including the frantic corporal. When I introduced Cotton, the reaction was a mix of awe and curiosity. The men started crowding around to get a look at the "fairy," so I had to step in.
「Easy now. She's a comrade now, albeit a temporary one. Don't go scaring her.」
I calmed the troops, then brought a finger to my lips and let out a specific, rhythmic whistle. A moment later, a sharp cry echoed from the sky, and a large bird descended with mechanical precision.
It resembled a bird of prey—an eagle—but with distinct metallic flourishes across its body. It landed on my other shoulder, opposite Cotton.
This was Kafu. A Gatling gun that had "eaten" the Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Eagle.
Kafu is a living weapon. Like other objects that have consumed Zoan fruits, he has several forms: his Bird form with mechanical accents, a Hybrid form where his neck transforms into a rotating Gatling barrels (the "Mecha-Bird" form), and a Weapon form where he returns to a gun state with eagle-themed engravings.
Equipped with miniature Transponder Snails (visual and audio) for long-range communication, Kafu has been with me since my days leading the Independent Company. Interestingly, he generates his own ammunition from the food he eats. His favorite? Minestrone soup.
Cotton stared at the bird, her mouth agape.
「Cotton, meet Kafu. He's one of us. He's highly intelligent and understands human speech. Since he handles reconnaissance, I'm planning on having you two team up.」
Cotton cautiously crept around the back of my neck to Kafu's feet. 「I'm Cotton-less. You're Kafu-less? Nice to meet you-less. ...Krieg, this bird feels... unnatural-less? What is he-less?」
She saw through it instantly. I explained the concept of weapons "eating" Devil Fruits, and she nodded in fascination.
「Once we're back on the ship, I'll have the workshops prepare gear tailored to your size. Any requests?」
As we walked back toward the iron bridge connecting Green Bit and the mainland, I felt a sense of satisfaction. My unit just gained a stealth specialist and a legendary gardener.
The Scout and the Machine-Bird:
「By the way, how did you big-humans even get to this island-less?」 Cotton asked from my shoulder as we navigated the path back toward the iron bridge.
「We just walked across the bridge. Also, 'big-humans' is a mouthful. Call me by my name, or my rank—Rear Admiral,」 I replied. I didn't bother mentioning that my "walking across" involved a massive culling of the local predator population.
「Is Krieg strong-less? There are Fighting Fish in those waters—ferocious ones-less! We can beat normal big-humans, but I heard they're usually weaker than us-less...」
「Hmph. You're not entirely wrong, but don't paint everyone with the same brush. Among humans, the gap in power is staggering.
You have individuals capable of toppling entire nations single-handedly, and others who couldn't defend themselves against a common stray dog.
You Tontatta were born with natural gifts—those tails of yours, for instance. It's just the luck of the draw when it comes to race.」
「Big-humans sound complicated-less...」
「You'll learn. For now, Cotton, how about we put you to work?」
We reached the entrance of the iron bridge. Cotton tilted her head as I laid out the plan.
「Cotton, while we cross, I want you in the sky. You'll relay the position of any Fighting Fish to us. This is a baby Transponder Snail; speak into it, and we'll hear you.
Kafu will transmit my orders back to you. This other device is a visual transmitter—it won't do much today since we didn't bring the receiver, but get used to carrying it. One rule: don't release the snails into the wild, got it?」
「I understand-less! I'll watch from above and tell you which side the fish are coming from while you cross-less!」
「Good. Tell me 'Right' or 'Left' relative to our heading. Assault Formation!! Listen up! This time, we're sprinting across as a unit. I'll clear the path, but don't you dare fall behind!!」
A chorus of "Sir!" erupted from the squad. I signaled Cotton to take off, and we charged.
The Fighting Fish, sensing prey, lunged from the depths with their usual mindless hunger. But their horns and teeth met only cold air and bent iron. The speed of the unit was far beyond what they anticipated. By the time a fish could track a target and leap, the target was already ten meters ahead.
This was to be expected. The Marine Independent Vanguard Unit under my command is composed of elites.
It's not necessarily that they start that way, but they operate in what some call the "most combat-intensive unit in the Navy."
Those who survive are inevitably forged into something sharper and faster than the average Marine.
As we reached the midpoint, Cotton's voice crackled through the small Transponder Snail.
『Krieg! The fish realized they can't catch you from behind, so they're flanking the exit-less! They're waiting on both sides!』
I didn't slow my pace. 「Numbers?」
『Right now, three on the right and four on the left-less! But more are coming... it might be more than ten by the time you get there-less!』
「Understood. Kafu, switch to Mecha-Bird Mode. Provide cover fire upon contact. Cotton, if you see an opening, give Kafu target coordinates. Start with simple directions.」
『Got it-less! Cover is on the way-less!』
「All men, draw blades!!」 I roared. 「The fish are waiting in a swarm at the exit! You don't need to kill them—just blow them out of the way! Keep moving!」
A moment later, the water exploded. Like organic cannonballs, the Fighting Fish launched themselves at us in a coordinated ambush.
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