◉◉◉◉◉
The dim glow of the oil lamp flickered inside the captain's cabin. Shadows danced across Aero's black-clad form as he rose to speak.
"The sea's been... too quiet."
Dylan, ever composed in his black suit and slicked-back hair, nodded solemnly.
"Yeah," he said. "A little too quiet."
Eddie, lounging nearby with his sunglasses off and his ponytail loose, arched a brow.
"Isn't that what sailing's supposed to be?" he quipped.
"…?"
Their stares made him chuckle. He straightened his collar, leaned forward on the table, and added:
"Sailing the sea isn't just about fighting and raiding. You have to be ready to give your life to the waves and live with the silence they bring."
Dylan stroked his chin, intrigued. "So... days without even seeing another ship is normal?"
"Completely," Eddie confirmed. "There are more pirates than anyone can count. But the sea's vast more than you can imagine."
Aero lifted the lantern and stood. The golden light rippled against the cabin walls.
He nodded. "Exactly. That's why we need to make a name for ourselves fast. We start by dominating the East Blue."
He walked to the small window. Moonlight spilled through, painting a pale rectangle across the floor.
Eddie leaned back. "Captain… what is your goal, exactly?"
Dylan perked up too, eyes flicking toward the captain.
Aero didn't turn around. His voice was calm, resolute.
"Fame. I want the world to know my name. I'll rule these seas."
Eddie smirked. "So… Pirate King?"
Aero ignored the jab and returned to the table. "No. First, we handle what's in front of us. Time's running out."
In this world, it was January of 1519 by Sea Calendar. That meant they had less than nine months before the world truly changed before the tide of the new age rose.
Ace was already making waves in the Grand Line. Luffy's departure from East Blue couldn't be far off.
"Time? What's the rush?" Eddie asked, now fiddling with the lantern again.
"The Great Pirate Era… is about to begin."
Eddie blinked. "Captain, we're already in the Great Pirate Era. The Four Emperors rule the New World. The Seven Warlords on the routes. Even the East Blue has its own 'ruler.'"
Aero turned. "Ruler?"
"Yeah. Krieg. He's the so-called 'Warlord of East Blue.' Hold on." Eddie rifled through the inner pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a stack of wanted posters.
As he spread them out, Aero's eyes caught two familiar faces.
One was a saw-toothed Fishman with a malicious glare. The other was a clown-faced pirate with a manic grin.
With a flick of his fingers, Aero used his power to lift the two posters into the air and then laid them gently back on the table.
"That's Arlong," Eddie explained. "Captain of the Arlong Pirates. Bounty: 20 million Berries. Highest known in the East Blue. But no one's found him. Not even the Navy."
"I know where he is," Aero said calmly, pushing Arlong's poster toward Dylan.
Eddie froze.
"…You what?"
He stood abruptly, his chair clattering to the floor behind him. "You know where Arlong is?! The Navy's been searching for years!"
Dylan stayed calm, scanning the bounty. "20 million… Scar's bounty was only 3 million. That's a huge gap."
Aero folded his arms. "I know where he's hiding. And I know he's working with a corrupt Marine officer to terrorize a local island."
Eddie slowly sat back down, still wide-eyed.
"Krieg's not the ruler of East Blue," Aero continued. "He's just loud. A few days ago he announced he was recruiting 5,000 men to storm the Grand Line. That's where his rep comes from."
Eddie gave a half-smile. "Yeah, you're not wrong. Most pirates want Arlong gone. They can't stand the idea of the biggest bounty belonging to a Fishman. Krieg's been after him for a while."
He held up another wanted poster.
"Here. Krieg. 17 million bounty. Thinks he's top dog."
Aero glanced at the smug, purple-haired man on the poster.
Unimpressive.
Without special abilities, Krieg wouldn't stand a chance against Aero or even his top officers.
That said, Krieg's massive lance weighed over 2,000 pounds. Most pirates couldn't lift that, let alone swing it.
Even so, Aero's elite crew could carry up to 1,000 pounds during training. They were tough but not ready to fight Krieg head-on. Not yet.
"We ignore Krieg for now," Aero declared. "Aside from his numbers, he's not a threat. Our focus is Arlong."
He drew the crimson short sword Scar had given him and stabbed it straight into Arlong's wanted poster.
Eddie grimaced. "If I go near Arlong, I'll be fish food. I might be able to handle his subordinates, but not him."
Aero turned to Dylan.
Dylan sat up straight and shrugged. "I'm probably weaker than Eddie. If he's saying that, I'll stick to the grunts too."
Aero nodded.
"Good," he said with a smirk. "If I told you to fight him, what would I do?"
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access Patreon normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!