Divide-And-Conquer

It was early morning, the fresh fog of the day was still settling over the seas as their ships got into place. Shane's large galleon eagerly bobbed up and down in the water as if it was just like its captain, unable to sit still in anticipation of the up-coming fight. The Infinity Pirates were busy with last minute preparations, but all-in-all were also excited about the fight. They were currently diving up duties as to who was where during the fight. Zesiro, Rosa, Lily, and Hiro-Shu were delegated to ship duty, they were to stand back and guard the ship from any invading forces...of course, having two of their strongest fighters side-lined wasn't exactly a very promising start. However, with Maria leading the charge on the ground they felt a little safer. Aaron, Ridley, and Enma were going with her despite some protest for each of them. It was believed that Enma should stay back despite being a good fighter because he was the doctor, but it was pointed out that the Dark Knight pirate's doctor would be staying back to take care of them and he would be a very necessary field medic in case of emergency. Ridley was probably just not happy with the plan overall, believing an all-out offense would be better and that the rest of the ship-protectors should be heading out with them. Aaron, on the other hand, just wanted to stay back with Rosa, Lily, and Sage on the ship...which actually lead them on into their final problem.

"I wanna be on the offense, too!" shouted Sage defiantly, stomping her foot down and glaring the rest of the crew in the eye. The rest of the crew was a little bit more wary of sending her out and onto the field...this was a Shichibukai and a war they were talking about. She may have decent fighting capabilities...but that was it and 'decent' wouldn't cut it any more. Besides compared to everyone else...she didn't really have the personality of a crusader charging into enemy territory and being offensive...at least Ridley had that. "I can handle it, I promise!"

Ridley chuckled. That was it...that didn't really sound like the booming confident voice of a brave warrior choosing to lay his life on the line just to fight alongside their comrades. And, of course, Ridley being Ridley he voiced his opinion. Sage glared at him grumpily. "I'm just saying," Ridley said, "this is not something that your 'promise' will get you through. You have to be able to fight!" Sage glared at him harder which was basically her stating that she didn't think Ridley could fight either, "hey! I may not be the best fighter, but I'm a good one and I'm used to these do-or-die situations, I got quick-thinking on my side! After all, you guys call this war, I call it Friday night!" Once again the crew found themselves wondering what Ridley did on Friday nights, but they decided it would be once again best if left alone.

"Please!" begged Sage, turning around and facing Mikoto, "I can do this...you just got to believe in me, okay?" Ridley chuckled once again, causing Sage to throw a frying pan at him to get him to shut up. However, it obvious that her quick attack with the frying pan did all, but change their minds. They all still looked a bit questioningly at her. They felt a lot safer with her back on the ship rather than on the front-lines with them...they had to wonder why she felt the other way around, though. Ordinarily she would be all for staying behind and protecting the ship.

"I say we let her," intruded Shane as he came from his ship and landed roughly on theirs. Sage looked over at him. The crew turned to him, apparently this time it was their turn to question why the opposing crew wanted to meddle in their affairs. "Trust me, she's stronger than you all are giving her credit for." He nodded towards Sage, causing her to become elated for a brief second, but she quickly quelled it as she noticed the strange stares. Mikoto paused for a second thinking it over.

"OKAY!" he shouted giving Sage a thumbs-up as if he never doubted her...and for some reason Sage believed it. Mikoto definitely wasn't someone to look down on his crew. However, he still seemed wary. While he did trust his crew fully, he couldn't just say that everything's going to be alright. "There are two kinds of people who won't die in a war. There's the overwhelmingly strong like me and Shane," the rest of the crew shook their heads, Mikoto certainly got a little bit a big-head since forming this alliance and finding out he could throw his name around. "And then there are the ones with a lot of heart! People who believe they'll come out the other side no matter what!" Ridley scoffed, belief was a poor substitute for strength.

While everybody else probably just believed that Shane had helped Sage due to an odd sense of duty because she fought with him and trained with him, Suzanne held back...she knew the real reason. While she was with Shane in the bath (against his wishes and without his knowledge) she saw the latest scar Shane had had added to his body. A large mark the size of a cannon ball was on his torso. Suzanne had seen Shane's body many times, but that mark was a new one. The only person he had sparred with in the few days that passed was that woman. She had no idea how she mustered the strength to deliver such a powerful blow, but however she did it...it worked...and made Suzanne honestly fear the Infinity Pirate's seemingly never-ending growth.

Sage ran up to Shane and bowed about to thank him, but he stopped her short. "How about instead of thanking me...you just take out the first hundred soldiers, huh?" Sage looked slightly uncomfortable...that was an incredibly high number, however, Shane lowered himself down to her level and quietly whispered in her ear, "for you, it should be child's play." Sage, despite basically being frozen for the past few minutes, slowly nodded. Sage tightened her grip, indeed, no matter what happened she'd show her crew that she was no longer dead weight. She'd show them that she was every bit as strong as they were...she'd put her life on the line time and time again just to prove to them that she, too, desired to be standing on the same magnificent podium as them.

It was a bit odd for the rest of the sail. Sage's valiant determination seemed to put the entire crew into weird fluctuating spirits. They were happy seeing that special glisten in her eyes, but they had to admit they hadn't seen any reason why she should have it. They still all felt off about it. Mikoto was perhaps the only one who didn't seem to be worrying about it at the time being. As a matter of fact, he seemed happy that she was going with them. But nobody would dare say their captain wasn't thinking about the bigger picture, despite the fact that they all knew he wasn't. They couldn't babysit Sage this time around, if she did fail...she would die. Of course, a glance in her direction told them that she knew that. She had accepted her ultimatum that she herself had thrown down.

She'd either be crowned as a real pirate tomorrow...or die trying. Such conviction was rare on the seas these days. Their hearts beat a little bit faster with that in mind. "Hell," muttered Ridley as he walked by Maria and the rest of them, "if she's willing to put her life on the line to prove that she's as good as us, then the very least we can do is return the favor. Let's put our lives on the line to prove that we are something worth that kind of admiration." The crew looked at him questioningly, after all, it was him that she was trying to measure up to, but they supposed the sentiment still stood. Tomorrow the Infinity Pirates would be like something nobody has ever seen before!

The rest of the crews had gotten into position, all of them were busying themselves by settling down and preparing for the war. It was said...things seemed deathly quiet once more and this time there was a good reason for it. They were about to wage war on the Shichibukais...this would be their first official claim that they were serious. They were going head-hunting with a passion. Everything was ready. The Infinity Pirates had given another pirate crew a makeshift replica of their flag to be used as bait and they had been given a different one in return. They weren't quite sure to what it was the pirate captain only had a 23 million beli bounty on his head, but they were told it was from the 'Ageless Pirates'.

A glance up at their mast told them that it was real. The strategy was real, the war was real, and the risks would be real. Mikoto felt a little bit silly with another pirate's flag above his head, but he had to admit. It seemed like a solid strategy. There was no way the Fox Brothers would send their strongest forces to fight with them. So, it was obvious that they would find themselves against a weak welcoming party...if there was a welcoming party at all. Surely the Fox Brothers wouldn't even think about sending their pirates against some two-bit players. Why would they tarnish their reputations by playing it safe? Mikoto smiled, pleased that there was nothing they could do to stop their assault.

However, even the most well-thought plans could have a wrench thrown into them by the right words...and for this plan those words seemed to have come from a mail bird, flying above them and dropping a newspaper into their lap. They already knew what the front page was...undoubtedly it was about Kraven's mutiny against the Marines. Why else would an early release of the papers be printed? But...apparently according to the front page of the paper, there was indeed a more important matter to be addressed.

(-One day ago with the Fox Brothers-)

"Are you sure they are coming after us?" asked Alan as he reclined slightly. "I mean, they did just say Shichibukai? They could be going after any one of us. Hell, I'm personally betting that they attack Lin she always did seem like a weakling." Alan laughed. Most of the Shichibukais probably considered him the friendliest amongst them, often making jokes that they should do a secret Santa or get together for a barbecue, but once he was certain he was alone he threw the tiresome charade into the garbage can, returning to his much more natural state. A state with barred fangs and a quick wit. He turned to his other brothers and laughed. "Seriously, they are soooo not fabulous."

"Think about it for just five seconds before you start firing off accusations like that," muttered his brother as he stood up. This brother as a stark contrast to Alan's slightly tanned body was unnaturally pale as if the majority of his life was spet in a lap and it was. He preferred the life of science to the life of war. He was dressed as a scientist to further hammer home the point, this man was Alistair...a deadly young man, whose intellect could only be considered matched by his killing ability. "Shane and Mikoto are both deadly pirates, right? So why issue the challenge? If they were attacking Lin they wouldn't need a larger army. Combined they could probably win against her, so the logical conclusion is they are not attacking her or any other single entity, they must be planning to wage war against someone they need another member for...a third member for. Now, which Shichibukai do we know of has three members of incredible power?"

Alan paused for a second before shaking his, "no one, we are the only ones." Alistair stared at him for a few more seconds hoping that his own words would sink in soon. "CRAP!" shouted Alan as he shot back, THEY ARE COMING FOR US! Man, I didn't really particularly want to fight them, right now..."

"Good for you then cause my brilliant brain has come up with a counter-measure to their plan," Alistair said as he raised his arms up into the air and threw a piece of paper with them. The sheet fluttered down to Alan's desk and landed right in front of him. Alan picked it up and carefully began reading it over. "Its a genius move. A plot twist they'd never see coming. I'm the only one who would ever move the chess board in such a way." Alan slowly pulled the papers away from his face as the letter began to sink in. "We don't have to fight them...hell, why risk our reputation just in case they got something sneaky planned? We'll reduce everything to dust, a leveled playing field, wouldn't you say?"

There was a moment of silence as Alan perused the document once more as if making sure he read it right. "Are you sure this is our best option? I mean, I like the idea of the nuclear option as much as the next guy, but shouldn't we just beat them up?" He held up the paper to Alistair making sure he pointed at the line that gave him the most unease. "Is this really necessary?"

"One way or the other Shane and Mikoto will become a thorn in our side as long as we leave them with the right to attack us," he explained further, writing out every single little detail of his plan. "But...even they are not stupid enough to engage in a pointless war, right? So, we simply need to wipe their reason off of the face of the planet. Not only that, but let's say that regardless of this reasoning Mikoto and Shane continued this attack even after we sign this paper? What do you think would happen?"

"Uh..." Alan looked at the paper once more, it was apparent that Alistair was born with much superior brains in the family as Alan was a little lost. It didn't make sense it seemed to him that they were the ones that we losing out big time in this little negotiation. "They'd feel stupid?" Boy, didn't Alan know how that felt right about now as Alistair gave him a look that told him that and more.

"No. Right now Mikoto's and Shane's forces have been gathered under the name of taking down Shichibukais. If we mess with that reason even a little bit, then for sure at least half of their forces will quit, bringing their total force down to a much more manageable number. We can finish them off then. And either way it doesn't upset our grand plans anyways...hell, it may even make it go quicker."

"I'm sorry to say this brother, but this isn't messing with their reason a 'little bit'!" shouted Alan as he stood up, finally getting tired of his brother's words. "You're telling us to quit the Shichibukai!" Alistair smiled, hoping it would finally sink into his brother's skull. The Shichibukai agreement had grown tiresome as a matter of fact with the number of laws and regulations in place it was more tiresome with it then without. Alistair had been looking for a way out for the past several years. This was the best one he could hope for...perhaps this extreme excitement and joy that was overcoming him was the reason why he could only think of one word at this moment.

"Exactly."

Counter Plan

I was...uh, supposed to post this last Friday, wasn't I? I forgot! I guess all the problems with Iron Hammer seeped into my other works! Don't worry! I remembered before a week was up so here this is! Ultimately there is more to Alistair's plan than at first sight, but you'll have to wait for it. As with all Shichibukais arcs this is going to be a little bit long, but I can say I am already beginning to wind it down.