Authors note: So guys, this is how it's going to be. I'll be posting at least 3 chapters a week and you'll get enough filler chapters starting from tomorrow.
I've been severely sick lately so I visited the hospital recently and the doctor told me my only cure is for you guys to donate Power Stones!
One Power Stone per person isn't that hard of a tasks isn't it? Each of you should pleaseee Donate power stones so I'll be in good health and up the weekly rankings and also, I've got more chapters ahead on my Patreon so do well to check it out!
Lastly, do well to drop a Review and your thoughts in the comment section... Here's your chapter for today... enjoy!
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The weather was serene and perfect for setting sail; seagulls were visible in the sky, flapping their wings while moving in cohesive packs. The trio raised their Jolly Roger and hoisted the anchor as they prepared to sail once again.
The ship Jake had helped them afford was adequate—not too large and not too small—but was said to be incapable of lasting in the Grand Line. Consequently, their only option was to visit the legendary Water 7 to acquire a brand-new vessel crafted by the world's greatest shipwrights.
"Well, for now, we won't have to worry about obtaining a ship," one of them said.
"Yeah," another replied.
Assuming their positions, Jake took charge of the helm to navigate the ship onto the nearest course, utilizing the map he had purchased back in the traders' haven.
"Let's rock and roll," he declared.
After raising the sails and completing the preparations, they departed from the shore as the vessel began to move at a decent speed, the calm breeze whispering around them.
Ryuken's mouth twitched, a sensation of unease making him glare at Gojo. "You know, I have been wondering whose parrot has been flying about," he swallowed, "don't tell me you bought that as a pet or a plaything?"
Gojo laughed it off and spoke nonchalantly, "Hehe, you caught me!" Lifting a finger, he called, "Come on, boy! Your name from now on is Rio." The parrot shrieked, descending to perch on Gojo's outstretched finger.
"Rio-krr," the parrot muttered in a fractured tone, still attempting to grasp its new name.
"Hahaha, what an amusing bird," Ryu observed. "Jake, is it me, or am I dreaming? Did that little creature just speak?"
"Ehhh? Hey, Ryu, it talked!" Gojo laughed while bringing the bird closer to his face. "Welcome aboard, Rio!"
"Aye!" The crimson parrot saluted with its right wing.
"Oi, for real?!" Jake and Ryuken exclaimed in unison, glaring at Gojo and his pet. "Don't tell me that little fiend ate a Devil Fruit that allows it to speak!"
"Wait! Is that even possible?!"
"Who knows!" Gojo replied with a dismissive laugh.
Sighing softly, Ryuken grabbed an orange. "Well, it is what it is."
As Jake tilted the ship's helm onto the correct trail, the sudden motion caused Ryuken to stagger, relinquishing his grip on the orange and watching it plummet into the vast ocean.
"Noooo!"
The parrot, now standing on Gojo's shoulder, watched the scene unfold until it inadvertently released a low shriek, likely a strenuous effort to suppress its laughter. Ryuken's ears perked up. "This bastard—did this little pest just laugh at me?!"
Gojo and Jake erupted in laughter, watching Ryuken grit his teeth in embarrassment; he slowly turned to glare at the parrot, which immediately took flight as the swordsman gave chase.
"I will fry you, you little pest, someday!" He pointed his sword at the parrot hovering mid-air, its wings flapping continuously until it released a dropping. Ryuken furrowed his brow, feeling a cold substance on his forehead. "Oi," his expression morphed into one of sheer disbelief before his body flared up, engulfing himself in azure flames as he watched the parrot soar into the sky, utterly beyond his ability to cleave Rio in half.
Gojo and Jake collapsed onto the deck with their rears, tears streaming down their cheeks as they glanced at Ryuken, the duo laughing uproariously while holding their stomachs.
"I never knew you were such a comedian, Ryu," Jake managed to articulate while suppressing his laughter, picking himself up from the deck and taking his seat directly in front of the helm.
"All because of this airhead captain who possesses no sense of fashion, purchasing a parrot for a pet," Ryuken retorted, wiping the small dropping from his forehead.
"Hey, do not blame me. Why do you not acquire your own pet, eh?" Gojo argued back, feigning innocence and displaying no sympathy.
Ryuken murmured to himself after sitting down until he suddenly laughed aloud, capturing the attention of the duo. "This is rather fun," he remarked with a smile.
"Well, that is good to hear."
After several hours of sailing, Rio, the pet parrot, flew upwards and spotted a vessel approaching at a considerable speed up ahead.
"Rio, what is the matter?"
"Ship incoming!"
Ryuken jolted upright from the deck. "Man, it will take a while to become accustomed to this," he grumbled.
As it came into view, the trio identified the ship as none other than a pirate vessel. "Let us continue sailing, Jake. I am in no mood for trouble," Gojo hummed with a sigh.
"That is a rare admission," Ryuken whistled in response.
…
"Captain, that is definitely a pirate ship," one of the pirates snorted.
"What is the meaning of that Jolly Roger? It appears somewhat pretty yet bizarre," the captain mused, sipping his sake from a huge bottle in his hands.
"Captain, should we engage them?"
"No, we shall pay them a visit, futufutu. If they exhibit any sign of resistance, we will sink them."
"Aye aye, Cap'n."
The Camouflage Pirates sailed their ship, which was five times larger and more formidable than the Blue Eyed Pirates' modest vessel. A sailor steered the massive ship toward the smaller one, halting directly in its path in the middle of the sea.
"Captain, we have made contact with them."
"Excellent." The captain, Kaseki, with a thirteen-million-Beli bounty on his head, was a huge, towering figure wearing an eyepatch over his left eye, a black hat adorned with a pirate skull, his enormous sword strapped behind his back, and a pistol holstered at his waist.
A swordsman?
The captain laughed heartily, hoisting himself from the chair where he had been sitting and sipping his sake. He emerged from the shadows, his underlings clearing a path for him as he took the lead onto the other pirates' ship.
Several of his men, armed with an assortment of weapons, followed him aboard the opposing vessel.
The pirates tilted their heads in confusion, finding only three individuals seemingly playing at piracy in the vast sea.
"What is this?" Kaseki inquired of one of his crew members before erupting into derisive laughter.
"Is this truly a pirate ship? Only three people? Who in the hell are you nameless bunch of shits?" One of the pirates, carrying a sword, walked over to Jake and draped his arm over his shoulder.
"Captain, it is no use fighting these weaklings, so let us simply take whatever they have and spare their lives."
"Very well. Men, seize anything of value you find aboard, and kill them if they display arrogance."
"Aye aye, Cap'n."
A prominent vein throbbed on Jake's forehead as he watched the insolent pirate drape an arm over his shoulder, the man reeking pungently of stale liquor and acrid body odor.
"That was bold of you to waltz in here without an invitation," Jake declared, before delivering a powerful punch that sent the pirate hurtling into the sea with two of his teeth shattered.
Kaseki, the captain, and his remaining crew watched in stunned silence as one of their own was effortlessly defeated by this stranger, until Kaseki's lip curled into a menacing smirk.
"I will ask again, who in the hell are you people?"
Gojo cleared his throat theatrically. "We are the Blue Eyed Pirates!"
"..."
One of Kaseki's crewmates, lost in thought upon hearing the name, suddenly recalled. "Oh, I remember! Captain, they are the new rookies. The captain of the Blue Eyed Pirates, Satoru Gojo, has a five-million-Beli bounty, while Ryuken has a three-point-five-million-Beli bounty," he muttered, staring intently at a wanted poster he had produced from his back pocket.
"So, their combined total is not even nine million? How fortunate are we to have discovered such small fries out here on the sea," the captain laughed derisively. "We will be taking your bounties and everything you possess on this little ship—or, my apologies, this little boat you dare to call a pirate ship."
In an instant, the confrontation was over. Kaseki could only watch, dumbfounded, as his men were swiftly thrown into the sea by two of the trio, while their captain merely observed the scene with an amused smile.
A cold sweat slid down Kaseki's temple before he forcibly regained his composure. "What can a blind dog possibly do without his owner?" He taunted Gojo with his sword raised high above his head in an attempt to cleave the blind man in two, only for his blade to halt mere inches from its target, meeting an invisible resistance.
"You still cannot land a hit on a blind man? How weak." Gojo teased with a smirk.
"Do not tell me you have eaten a Devil Fruit, you shit!"
"Perhaps… a mysterious fruit I'll say, hehe."
'What the hell is this power? Some kind of fruit base on invisible barrier?' Kisaki thought to himself gritting his teeth.
With a single, dismissive kick, Gojo sent Kaseki plunging into the sea, while Jake shot him a sharp, interrogating glare. "So, you have consumed a cursed fruit after all, have you not?"
"No way, you idiot. This is a power that has been passed down through my clan for generations," Gojo explained patiently. "Why don't you shoot me and confirm for yourself."
"Okay."
Bang! Bang!
The bullets Jake fired from his pistol halted just before making contact, suspended in the air. "See?"
"Wow!"
"I believe the marine commander who was pursuing us earlier must have contacted Marine Headquarters and informed them I have eaten a Devil Fruit," Gojo mused. "So, I believe I will perpetuate that misconception for a while, to thoroughly mess with the World Government, who will undoubtedly be curious about my supposed devil fruit ability."
"Splendid. Anyway, why do we not pay a visit to Kaseki's ship?"
"That is an excellent idea."
Walking over to Kaseki's vessel, the few crewmates who had been left on watch duty spotted the trio boarding their ship without permission.
"Where is our captain?" One of the pirates demanded, unsheathing his sword, while another pointed a pistol directly at the trio.
"I believe now is not the ideal time for such questions. You should probably focus on saving your captain and crewmates before a Sea King decides to feast upon them," Gojo suggested calmly.
"Damn it! I promise I will get you for what you did to the captain!"
"Okay, okay."
They immediately jumped into the sea to attempt a rescue, while the trio proceeded to strip the pirate ship of everything valuable: their maps, Belli, gold, drinks, and food were all appropriated by Gojo and his crew.
"Now that was worth the effort."
"Indeed. Anyway, let us feast as we sail toward the next island."
...
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