The Rocks Pirates sailed through the New World like a storm given flesh. Villages, kingdoms, and even Marines fell in their wake. Yet within the ship itself, another storm brewed.
Vice-Captain Ada Wong—Nyx D. Ada—found herself caught between titans.
On the training deck, Kaido slammed his mace into the floorboards, splintering the wood. "Fight me, little wolf!" he roared, scars already decorating his young but monstrous frame.
Ada stood ten paces away, her rifle resting lightly against her shoulder. Her voice was calm, cold.
"I don't fight toys, Kaido. I kill targets."
That only made him laugh. "Then kill me if you can!"
With a beast's grin, he charged, footsteps shaking the ship. Ada exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing. At the last second, her haki glazed bullet cracked through the air, grazing his temple.
Kaido's charge halted. He touched the blood dripping down his cheek—exactly where she'd marked him months ago.
"Still aiming at the same spot…" he muttered, then grinned. "One day, I'll see if you can finally finish it."
Ada lowered her rifle, unfazed. "And one day, you'll realize monsters fall just like men."
Later, as dusk settled, Ada found Whitebeard watching the horizon from the bow. The massive man leaned on his naginata, his broad back facing the sea.
"You don't waste energy on brawls," he said, his deep voice rumbling like distant thunder. "That's rare in this crew."
Ada approached quietly, her cloak whispering against the deck. "Brawls are noise. Assassins like me thrive in silence."
Whitebeard turned, his eyes calm but sharp. "You fight like someone who carries more than vengeance. Something heavier."
Ada's crimson gaze met his. For a long time, she said nothing. Then:
"Monsters don't live forever. But shadows do."
Whitebeard studied her, then let out a low chuckle. "You're strange, girl. But I respect you." He turned back toward the horizon. "Still… I wonder how long your shadows will last in a crew full of beasts."
That night, Rocks called Shiki, Linlin, Kaido and Whitebeard into his cabin. Ada was already there, leaning against the map table, eyes cold and calculating.
"You five," Rocks said, slamming his hand down on the chart. "You are the fangs of my crew. Each of you has the hunger to devour this world. But hunger without unity? That's nothing but wasted teeth."
Shiki merely shrugged it off. Linlin just laughed. Kaido growled. Whitebeard frowned. Ada said nothing, though her eyes flicked between the crew memebers.
Rocks leaned closer, his grin manic. "You'll clash, you'll bleed, but in the end—you will obey my will. Because the Will of D. isn't just a name. It's destiny."
Ada's lips tightened. She remembered her parents, their ship aflame, their voices lost to the sea. Destiny. Such a cruel word.
Still, she said nothing. Only her shadow deepened across the map, falling like a veil over the Grand Line.
And in that silence, Rocks laughed, louder than the storm outside.
Ada had carved her place among beasts. But the question remained—would her shadow survive the fire of their ambition… or would it consume even them?