One Piece Gunslinger

That's why it's often said that your opponent is the one who understands you best. Yuri has been scheming against Hardman for years, and he's figured out Hardman's personality pretty well.

"It seems that Francis, who can control the earth, has run into some trouble. Right?"

Yuri paused for a moment, then said in surprise, "Considering that you haven't modified the reef, Francis is in quite a bit of trouble."

"Wait, don't tell me, let me guess. Hmm..."

"Is that man named Francis already dead?"

"Even if he's not dead, he's seriously injured, unconscious, and unable to get out of bed. That's why there's been no movement at all."

Yuri had now sorted out all the problems he had encountered since the start of the war, and he could accept them all. Even as a prisoner, handcuffed and bound, the gleam in his eyes couldn't be hidden. Yuri grew more and more excited as he spoke.

After everything was sorted out, in his heart, the culprit that caused all of this must be...

"It must be Jack, right? That Jack saw through Hardman's plan to terraform the seabed and warned us. Before we arrived, he also killed Francis and used underhanded tactics to force you to fight us here. In the end, he ran away, leaving us to fight a fierce battle. Jack is the mastermind behind all of this, am I right?"

Hearing this, Hatton's face also turned a little pale. Well, actually, it was due to excessive blood loss.

Hatton knew in his heart that everything Yuri said was true. He had taken Francis's place in the attack against Yuri, leaving the flagship without a commander. Francis had run into trouble, trouble that had even led to his death. Hatton had guessed it all correctly.

Yuri knew the answer from Hatton's expression without Hatton needing to reply.

Anyway, Yuri felt like he was going to die anyway, so he laughed without any restraint: "Hahaha, this Jack is really something, he's trapped both of us time and time again. One trap after another, one scheme after another, he's set up a scheme within a scheme for us. I really admire him, I really admire him, hahaha."

"Oh, right." After laughing, Yuri said solemnly, "Please spare my life for now, General. Let me see how Jack plans to close this net before executing me. I can't escape anyway, so consider this my last request as a dying man. I suppose you also want to know what other tricks Jack has up his sleeve. Ask me anything you want, anything you want to know. No need for any torture. I will tell you everything I know. Just keep my life for now."

"You're a madman."

"So what if he's crazy? This is all the old madman wants now."

After the conversation ended, Hatton, still carrying the bound and gagged Yuri, tried to persuade some of the gang members to surrender. However, just as Yuri had predicted, the gang members completely ignored him, and some even fired in Yuri's direction.

Only after Yuri's words were confirmed did Hatton truly give up.

Although we had been warned beforehand that anyone could die or be captured, Yuri's capture still dampened morale somewhat, though it wasn't entirely forgotten.

Hatton took Yuri around, and even though this had dampened morale, it didn't alleviate the immediate crisis. The gang still held the advantage and was continuing to expand it.

Of the original twenty-odd ships, only thirteen remain, and all of them are damaged; none are intact.

After running around for a while, Hatton realized that things couldn't continue like this; dragging it out would only make things worse. Besides, he had already lost a lot of blood, and running around like this almost caused him to go into shock.

So Hatton gritted his teeth and grabbed Yuri, charging straight into the command room of the flagship.

“You cannot go in, General Hatton.” As soon as he reached the door, Hatton was stopped by two guards. “Only Hardman and Francis have the authority to operate the command system.”

“The situation is urgent. The lack of command is making our situation increasingly unfavorable. Let me go in and take command now. I will take responsibility for any consequences that may arise.”

So that was Hatton's plan. Indeed, compared to Hardman, Hatton had far more experience in naval warfare. In his first encounter with Yuri, he managed to hold off an enemy force far outnumbering him with just two transport ships and a few escorts. Even though he ultimately lost the transport ships and suffered many casualties, he at least saved his own life and inflicted some casualties on Yuri and his companion.

This is the only solution Hatton can think of in his current desperate situation.

However, Yuri's forces, plagued by internal discord, were prepared with three commanders, ready to replace one if necessary. Hardman, on the other hand, lacked this awareness, or rather, his long-held authoritarian mindset prevented him from considering this aspect, from delegating authority.

Therefore, the two soldiers standing at the door firmly refused Hatton's request: "No, no one is allowed. This was specifically instructed by Hardman."

Hatton caught up without saying a word, but inwardly he was cursing, "That old bastard, even at this point, he's still clinging to this little bit of power. No matter how strong or smart you are, if you're so unwilling to give up power, it's a miracle you'll achieve anything great in the end."

The two soldiers refused to let him pass, so Hatton didn't say much. He simply used both hands to shoot out two finger guns, each piercing the heart of one of the soldiers.

Seeing the two soldiers fall, Yuri, who was being led away by Hatton, also praised Dan: "That's how it should be. In a crisis, you can't dawdle. When you need to use swift and decisive measures, you can't be soft."

……

"Hey, still haven't found a target?" Jack said, estimating the time. "If we don't find a target soon, they'll all be wiped out."

"It's not that easy to find," Haku said helplessly. "Seriously, aren't your requirements a bit too much?"

Just as Jack was feeling bored, Fujitora, who had been keeping his head down and silent, suddenly said, "It seems I've found my target."

Chapter 100 A New Idea

After Hatton entered the command system and began to take command, the situation indeed improved.

Although initially the group was somewhat resistant to this unfamiliar voice, they couldn't deny his undeniable ability. Following Hatton's orders, their combat strength improved noticeably, if not immediately.

Compared to the previous system where everyone acted freely and opportunistically, this unified and integrated instruction is clearly more efficient.

Hatton wasn't doing all this by himself; Yuri was also by his side. You could say that the command was being carried out by two people at the same time.

Yuri certainly didn't want to help, but with a knife to his throat, what could he do?

So this scene unfolded in the command center:

Where is the ship's ammunition depot?

"Um, hey, it's near the stern, a little above the middle."

"Okay!" Then he turned on the radio, "Ship No. 4, listen up, fire at the 12 o'clock position, aim at the stern of that ship."

Shortly after, in the battle with the enemy ship ahead of it, ship number 4 detonated a large number of enemy shells, turning it into a sea of ​​fire.

"And what about this ship?"

"I think it was..."

With Yuri's help, Hatton launched a series of precise attacks, managing to turn the tide and recover some of the disadvantages.

While Hatton was making a great deal of noise in the command room, Hardman was locked in a fierce battle with Maxim. During their fight, the entire ship, which served as the battlefield, suffered multiple damages.

Hardman looked somewhat surprised when he heard Hatton's voice occasionally coming over the radio.

It was only then that he realized that the two operators sent by the other side were meant to lure him out of the command system. At this moment, Hatton, whom Hardman had been constantly on guard against, performed a series of remarkable feats, not only capturing Yuri but also restoring the command system.

"Oh? So you have such a prodigy in your camp. We didn't even notice him beforehand. That was a real blunder."

Not only was Maxim caught off guard, but even Hardman himself hadn't anticipated it. His original plan was for Francis to handle all the miscellaneous tasks, while Hatton and the other generals would simply be responsible for their respective ships. Now, however, Hatton, through an unexpected and extraordinary performance, had managed to turn the tide to some extent.

"To be able to carry out such a precise strike, Yuri must have been quite helpful inside. That's something I didn't expect." Maxim was also a bit of a headache seeing Hatton commanding so effectively.

While dealing with Maxim's attacks, Hardman said, "Oh? I didn't expect that we couldn't use him to turn some people against us. But now it seems that Yuri is quite open-minded, and it's not bad that he can still be of some use in this."

Maxim activated his Armament Haki and threw another heavy punch, saying, "No, no, those people didn't defect because we gangsters value oaths and loyalty. But based on what I know about Yuri, if he's unwilling, even if you torture him for three days and three nights and beat him to death, he won't utter a sound."

Hardman calmly dodged the punch, letting it shatter a section of the stairs, and returned the punch, saying, "So you mean Yuri's actions were voluntary?"

“Yuri, even after being arrested, he’s still restless. From what I know, he’s probably plotting something wicked,” Maxim said after parrying Hardman’s punch.

"I don't think he has any tricks up his sleeve now that he's a prisoner."

"Don't underestimate him. You know, his specialty is finding loopholes when he's at a disadvantage. Maybe he's already found one."

The two fought while talking, exchanging punches and kicks, but neither managed to inflict much damage on the other. After all, their fighting skills and the strength of their Armament Haki were roughly equal, and neither could gain the upper hand for the time being.

To an outsider, the fight between the two seemed like a game, with no real effect after all that fighting. Only when you saw the ship's hull damaged by the impact, the deck and mast smashed, did you realize just how intense their seemingly simple battle really was.

Yuri, who was tied up in the command room, was just as Maxim had said, still searching for a way to survive even as a prisoner.

If he does nothing, he will die regardless of whether Hardman or the gang wins. If Hardman wins, he will definitely be executed, and if the gang wins, the other two will secretly eliminate him as well.

Not to mention that Jack might suddenly appear and take down both families at the same time, which would mean the end for everyone.

So after Yuri was captured, he racked his brains, trying to find a way to survive, or even turn the tide.

But once Hatton brought him to the command room, this audacious idea took root in his mind.

"Here, and here, where should we break the blockade on both sides? Which place is the weakest?" Hatton asked Yuri for his opinion again, as was his habit.

This time, Yuri changed his usual demeanor and said, "Alright, alright, that's enough. I've already helped you turn the tide quite a bit, now let's talk about something else."

Hearing Yuri's unusual reply, Hatton asked with some curiosity, "Oh? What do you want to talk about there?"

"How about we discuss cooperation?"

A few minutes later, Hardman and Maxim both noticed that there had been no sound coming from the radio for several minutes. Maxim, as if he had expected it, said, "See? I don't know what method Yuri used, but I reckon his trick has worked."

Hardman remained silent, but his furrowed brow betrayed his worry.

They weren't kept waiting long; soon Hatton and Yuri jumped onto the ship they were on.

Seeing that Yuri was not restrained at all and was essentially free, Hardman and Maxim instinctively backed down and temporarily ceased their attack.

After landing, Yuri said, "How about we stop fighting here and cooperate for now?"

"Cooperation? Is this the crazy idea you came up with?" Maxim said with a sneer as soon as Yuri arrived, "What possibility of cooperation do we have now?"

“Hey, don’t say that,” Yuri continued. “There are only permanent interests, not permanent enemies. Rather than both of us being weakened and Jack taking advantage of the situation, why don’t we temporarily stop fighting and eliminate Jack first? What do you say?”

Chapter 101 Cooperation

As Yuri said, there are no permanent enemies; when interests are at stake, there is nothing that cannot be cooperated on.

The biggest problem facing everyone now is Jack, who has disappeared without a trace. Presumably, when Jack returns, he will be ready to end everything.

To be honest, no one continued to underestimate Jack after his series of actions. They weren't even very confident they could defeat the returning Jack, even though he only had two thousand men; who knew what kind of schemes he might be plotting?

At this time, cooperation is a good way out.

Yuri hadn't actually considered cooperation before; even if he wanted to, he needed the consent of others. The reason preventing them from cooperating wasn't the hatred among his subordinates, nor the clash of ideologies, but rather the disparity in strength.

At that time, Yuri's side had gained a significant advantage, so naturally, no one would consider cooperating with Hardman. Yuri and Maxim's deployment was actually aimed at expanding their advantage, shortening the time frame, and resolving the matter as quickly as possible. After capturing Donald, they would immediately return to their homeland. Once back on land, in their own territory, Jack's two thousand men wouldn't be able to cause any trouble.

After Yuri's capture, this path became much more difficult. And once Hatton entered the command room and began taking command, that hope was essentially dashed.

This gave Yuri a different perspective, creating the possibility of cooperation.

Even with that, Hatton would never release Yuri, not even in the wild. Unless Hatton's brain has been kicked by a donkey, he wouldn't do something so stupid.

If Hatton actually agrees to cooperate with Yuri and releases him, then the situation will immediately return to square one, and all that work will have been for nothing.

At that point, Yuri would no longer be willing to continue the so-called cooperation and would definitely take down Hatton in a few moves. Hatton would then have truly been incredibly foolish.

Yuri naturally understood that if they wanted to negotiate a partnership, the gap between the two sides couldn't be too large. So, without Hatton resorting to torture, Yuri simply revealed everything, painfully helping Hatton eliminate many of his own men.

Yuri is a ruthless man, ruthless not only to everyone. To achieve his goals, he didn't hesitate to sacrifice these gang members who had shared joys and sorrows with him, and he personally destroyed them all, simply to narrow the gap between the two sides and make cooperation a possibility.

Yuri's self-destructive actions successfully dispelled Hatton's doubts. In the current situation, even if Yuri killed Hatton, he couldn't eliminate Hardman's forces and seize King Donald in a short time. If the fighting continued, Jack would inevitably return and wipe them all out.

After listening, Hatton thought for a moment and then agreed to Yuri's request.

After all, Hatton himself felt that if both sides suffered heavy losses, they would definitely not be able to deal with Jack in the end. It would be a wiser choice to cooperate and unite to deal with Jack first.

It's just that, from a personal perspective, the enemy was captured at the risk of his life, and then he just let him go. And after dealing with Jack, he still has to face Yuri, who has already been tricked once before. It just feels a bit unsettling.