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It was midday, and the sun blazed overhead. Its heat beat down on the open ocean, turning seawater into haze and casting a salty scent across the deck.
Seagulls wheeled overhead, and the wide expanse of blue stretched endlessly beyond the horizon.
Cutting through that vastness was a sturdy mid-sized pirate ship the Dove.
At its prow stood a carved figurehead of a dove in flight. Its sails bore a white skull crest with two crossed bones beneath it, and swirling around the insignia were smaller cyclone patterns symbols of the wind. It was Hurricane Pirate's flag.
The Dove had four levels two above deck and two below. The upper decks were for daily life, mess, and quarters. The lower decks stored cargo, training gear, and supplies.
Captain's quarters? Private.
Dylan had his own too. Everyone else either shared a dorm-style common room or, if they were like Eddie, opted to bunk with the crowd to "build camaraderie."
Eddie insisted on sleeping among the men to shake off any bad blood over his earlier infiltration.
This was the crew's first time out at sea, and it showed.
They clung to the rails, eyes wide as strange, enormous fish swam alongside the ship. Awe and caution filled the air. Even on a calm sea, something primal reminded them they were out of their depth.
Two lookouts stood atop the mast crows' nests, peering through worn spyglasses though they'd seen nothing but blue for hours. Their excitement was fading into boredom as they watched their crewmates laughing and pulling out fishing rods below.
Aero lounged at the prow, legs crossed, taking in the sea breeze. A crewmate brought him a fishing rod, bait already hooked.
"Why not," he murmured.
He flicked the line into the water with a practiced snap. The splash echoed faintly. If only he had a cold drink, an umbrella, and a few bikini-clad models this might actually be paradise.
But no such luck. Just men. Loud, sweaty men.
Aero sighed.
Powerful women were rare in this world and the ones that did exist usually looked terrifying.
He gave the sea one more bored look, then gave up, handing his rod off to Eddie. "Here. You fish."
Without a word, he walked back to the prow only to see someone already there.
"Dylan," Aero said as he approached. "Think we can eat yet?"
Dylan smirked. "Captain, it's not even close to dinner."
Aero rolled his eyes. Cooking wasn't his thing. His old life? Takeout and microwaved ramen. This life? Not much better.
But Dylan—Dylan could cook. And fight. A damn good combo.
When he wasn't gutting enemies, he was dicing onions.
Once aboard the Dove, Dylan took over the galley, mostly because no one else had the faintest idea what to do with a frying pan.
At first, he fumbled through the kitchen, grumbling that he was "rusty." But even that rough start impressed the crew. Most had never tasted anything but basic rations. His food? A miracle.
So when Aero mentioned dinner, every head turned.
Their hungry eyes said it all.
Dylan sighed, leaped from the prow, and waved a hand. "Fine. Dinner early. But you'd better catch me something decent."
"YES, CHEF!" the crew cheered, scattering to get their lines back in the water.
As Dylan headed to the kitchen, Aero retrieved his rod from Eddie.
This time, he promised himself he'd be patient.
They were moving, so small fish would never catch up to the bait. Only the big ones could chase it down. He had to believe one would.
Then came the sound that made him flinch: Eddie's booming laugh.
"HA! Another big one!" Eddie shouted. "Extra fish tonight, boys!"
Aero's eye twitched.
Eddie swaggered over, glancing into Aero's bucket. Empty.
"No catch, Captain?" he teased.
Aero gave him a glare that made him retreat instantly. "Right! Yep! I'm leaving."
The crew gathered around Eddie as he paraded his one-meter catch like a prized trophy. Combined with a few others and some shellfish, it was enough to fill every stomach onboard.
By the time dinner hit the deck, the crew was drooling.
And Dylan's cooking?
Perfection. Again.
For a moment, Aero looked around at the lively, full-bellied pirates laughing on his deck. It felt... almost too peaceful.
Was he really in the world of One Piece?
Then, from the upper mast, one of his men casually leaped ten meters down to grab a plate.
Aero's doubt disappeared instantly.
Yeah, this was the right world.
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After dinner, Aero gathered Dylan and Eddie in the captain's cabin.
The room was small, dimly lit, and thick with sea-salt air. Aero lit a pair of lanterns one hung from the ceiling, the other placed in front of them on the table.
Eddie shut the door. They took their seats: Aero in the captain's chair, the others to his left and right.
Silence fell.
Then Aero broke it with a calm voice:
"Today's voyage was smooth…"
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
~Thank you for reading!