Chapter 26: The Singing Ship
With their supplies fully stocked, the Spade Pirates set sail. Soon after they left, a Marine warship arrived at the island and captured the Musket Pirates, putting an end to a crew they had hunted for years.
Since the Spades hadn't been caught, the reward money went to Old De. The old bartender was as shrewd as ever; with a few well-chosen words, he sent the Marines on their way and kept the bounty for himself and the town.
"Fire Fist Ace was the one who did this," the captain of the Marine warship reported, having pieced it together from the captured pirates' accounts.
"Fire Fist... that Logia user," the Colonel mused. "A man with that power is nearly invincible in the first half of the Grand Line. Notify Headquarters. They need to keep a close watch on this 'Fire Fist' Ace. And it seems he has a powerful fighter beside him."
"According to the pirates, this other man is extremely strong. That fissure we saw in the town center was his doing. He also..." the captain trailed off.
"What is it? Is there something else about him?" the Colonel pressed.
"The pirates said he carried a large sword with a cross-shaped handle. It sounded very similar to Hawkeye's, but... white."
"Is that so?" The Colonel's eyes narrowed. "It seems this man cannot be underestimated. Do we have a picture of him?"
"No, sir. It appears he only recently joined the Spade Pirates."
"Keep a close watch on the Spade Pirates. Their strength is growing rapidly."
"Yes, sir!"
Ace and Roy remained unaware of their heightened notoriety with the Marines. For now, they were happily counting their newly acquired supplies, which were more than enough to last them for a long while.
Life at sea was profoundly boring. As a rule, alcohol and gambling were prohibited on the ship, and there were no women on board.
The rules were justified. A drunken crewman would be at half-strength, or worse, if they encountered an enemy. In a fight between evenly matched crews, the intoxicated side would be annihilated.
Gambling was another destabilizing factor. While it might seem harmless, losses could breed deep resentment. That bitterness often festered and erupted at a critical moment, causing a crew to tear itself apart from the inside.
As for women? Many pirate crews forbade them entirely, unless the woman was a formidable fighter in her own right. On the long, lonely sea, they could become a source of conflict, turning crewmates against each other.
A week passed uneventfully. Roy had his own way of dealing with the monotony. After fifteen years alone on Kurai Kana, he was an expert at handling boredom. His solution was simple: relentless training.
He had bought a set of weights in the town and now dedicated himself to a brutal exercise regimen at the ship's stern.
"Roy," Ace said, lying on the deck nearby and watching him. "What do you think it actually feels like... to be the Pirate King?"
Roy, hefting two massive barbells on his shoulders as he did squats, didn't pause. "The Pirate King? Only the man who conquered the Grand Line knows that. The 'Pirate King' in my mind is already dead. How should I know what it feels like?" He grunted with the effort of another rep. "If you want to find out, then let's just go to the final island."
"I have to go there. I need to see what he left behind," Ace said, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon.
"Captain! Ship sighted! Twelve o'clock!" Mouse yelled, running up to them.
"Finally, some action!" Ace jumped to his feet, his boredom instantly forgotten. The recent days had been a dull cycle of sailing, thunderstorms, and more sailing.
"What kind of ship is it?" Ace asked, rushing to the bow.
Roy set down his weights, wiped the sweat from his brow, and slung his shirt over his shoulder. He picked up Shiroi and walked over to join them.
"I'm not sure," Mouse admitted, shaking his head.
"Give me the telescope," Ace said. He peered through the lens and confirmed it: a ship flying a Jolly Roger. "Hahaha! It's a pirate ship! Close in on them!"
"Prepare for battle!" Joseph called out, watching Ace's exhilaration with a wry smile. When pirates met on the open sea, a fight was almost inevitable.
"Hey... that ship looks familiar," Roy said, squinting at the flag.
"You've seen it before?" Ace asked, turning to him.
"It feels familiar, like I've seen it somewhere." Roy scratched his head, trying to place it. After eighteen years in this world, he couldn't remember every detail of his past knowledge.
"Laaa la-la la-la laaa!!!!"
As the ship drew nearer, a song drifted across the water to them. It was a vessel with a sunflower-shaped figurehead, and the singing seemed to be coming from the ship itself.
"Ah! A ship that sings? What's going on?" Ace exclaimed, utterly bewildered.
"I remember now!" Roy said, his eyes widening in shock. "Why is her ship here?"
"Whose ship is it?" Ace asked, completely puzzled.
Roy spoke a name that sent a jolt of pure dread through everyone present.
"The Four Emperors. Big Mom."
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Big Mom is the Weakest Yonko imo.