Chapter 1 (Proud Line)

The Pirate Boy of Shanghai Cay
''Wealth, fame, and power. ''

''Gold Roger, the man renowned as the King of All Pirates, obtained this and everything else the world had to offer. ''

''He became an icon of piracy, inspiring countless others to follow in his footsteps. Even when captured and executed by the World Government, his last words changed the very course of history. ''

''“You want my treasure? You can have it! I left everything I owned in one place…” ''

''Spurred on by these words, countless men left their homes and took to the sea, heading for the Grand Line and searching for the legendary treasure that would make their dreams come true. Thus, a new age had begun… ''

...This is the time known as the Great Pirate Era!

“..Blubblubblubblub...”

The young man floating a solid foot beneath the ocean’s top had a dream. Not an uncommon thing in this day and age; almost everyone and their mother had some sort of aspiration. It would be unthinkable to live without one.

Ah, but his was different.

It was grand, far-reaching, and many would consider it unattainable. This hadn’t hindered him in the slightest, and he had simply continued to prepare for the day when he would set off to sea and make it true. It was to be a glorious occasion, and though it had lacked in pop and fanfare, it was good enough for him.

A shame, then, that he was currently drowning.

Damn it. The lad thought as gravity began to pull him ever-downward. It’s all going to end like this?! With the last of his rapidly-waning strength, he clenched his fist. Sorry, Fleury… And his mind dropped into oblivion.

It appeared that his journey had ended before it had a chance to begin, but that was incorrect. You see, Death is something that keeps a its own timetable, not caring about that made by men. Whether it works this out with Life is something no one has discovered. Very few can accurately predict its arrival, and those that can are either in the worst situation imaginable or quite gifted.

No one had predicted that the lad would die this day. And luckily, neither had Death.

Shanghai Cay was nestled comfortably within the West Blue, surrounded on all sides by ocean like so many of its fellow islands. Unique in design, the island’s inner area was completely grassland, with the occasional smattering of wood here and there. All settlements had been constructed on the outskirts, were terrain was harder and more inclined to be of rock. These sections stretched out over the sea, expanded further by various docks and piers.

The island was a popular stopping point for Marines, as most towns were filled with the kind of amenities one did not often receive at sea. It was therefore a common occurrence for whole fleets of World Government vessels to sail in out of the blue.

On this day, however, the incoming arrivals were not on the side of the law.

A vessel crimson as blood swept through the waters a few miles away from the cay. Its crew was hardy; its sails black. On the uppermost of these stood a certain iconic symbol: a skull and crossbones decorated with a black hat and mustache who both sported a mauve trim. It was a Jolly Roger, a symbol of piracy.

With nothing to stand in their way and Marine presence in the area being nonexistent, they couldn’t have picked a better time for plunder.

On the island proper, however, no one had yet noticed the approaching danger. The sun was bright, the sea was sparkling in a pleasing manner, and the sound of gulls was already thick in the air. It was, by all indications, going to be a wonderful day.

Already the docks were busy. Men and women rushed around, storing and returning cargo, loading bundles on ships or taking them off, and even checking the vessels themselves to make sure they were in prime condition. A few cast nets off the piers, dropping them into the water below in order to catch the aquatic portion of the day’s food.

“Hoo boy!” one of the dock hands said happily as they drew in their nets, “the catch sure is great today!” True to his words, the nets were already filled to the brim with a variety of West Blue fish. In fact, the bounty was so great that they had to cast them out again only a few seconds later. Drawing them back followed at about the same brisk pace.

“Hm?”

A rather burly sailor, on loan from his ship to the island, frowned as he tugged at his. “The damn thing’s stuck…” he grunted, tightening his grip and giving a mighty heave. The net gave way and was dragged above the water, the end still dangling mere centimeters away.

With a larger grunt, the worker hauled the rest of it up. As he did, his usual expression of gruff boredom was replaced with one of shock.

For there at the very end of the net, buried under a small hill of fish, was a thoroughly waterlogged young man.

The worker who had hauled him up remained frozen for a few minutes. “...What the hell are you doing here?” he wondered aloud, jaw still about to hit the floor. Motor functions resumed shortly thereafter, and he pulled the rest of the net onto the pier. In so doing, the lad’s weight finally overcame the ropes, and the bottom of the net collapsed.

Luckily for the worker, it was far enough that all the fish spilled out onto the planks below. Unluckily for the one he had found, he came down on one of the posts making up the railing.

“Plugh!” His mouth flew open, and roughly a gallon of water poured out, briefly reviving his fishy companions. They were quickly joined by several more who had made their way into his throat while drowning.

“Whew…” Lungs free of water, the lad finally began to recover his wits. Drawing in a deep breath, light emerald eyes snapped open, and he surveyed the world around him. In that time, a small congregation of other dock hands had gathered, equally baffled by his presence. The young man glanced around a few minutes longer before his mind recovered as well.

“Man! Am I sure glad that you pulled me out when you did!” He grinned toothily. “If I had been in there just a second longer-!”

“You!”

A fist plowed down upon his forehead, silencing the youngster for the briefest of seconds. “Ow!” he grumbled, reaching up and patting the area where a lump was taking form, “what’d you hit me for?!”

“This is the third time this week, Luk,” the sailor who had rescued him whispered menacingly, leaning in close, “if we keep having to fish you out every single day, I’m gonna-”

“Luk! Luk?!”

A clear and feminine voice rang out over the pier, and all those who were present froze in place. From out of the crowd emerged a woman only a few years older than the lad fished out of the ocean. Dressed in an elaborate but practical outfit and with light hair tied so as to stay out of her face, her eyes speared into the young man in question.

“So this is where you where,” she sighed, exasperated.

“Oh, Lena-san!” Luk’s rescuer said, his expression changing rapidly to a smile as he turned around. The name was echoed among his fellows; this woman (and her waterlogged friend) were well-known in this neck of the island.

Ignoring the various cries and comments directed her way, the woman strode forward as they parted like the Red Sea. Who hadn’t moved was the young man, now wearing an expression akin to a child who has been caught doing something wrong (but isn’t exactly sorry about it and never will be).

For the first few seconds after arriving in front of him, her expression remained peaceful. “So, you tried to go out again?”

“Yep!” Luk brightened immediately, relieved about her mood.

“On?”

“A ship, but…” He turned his head backwards, looking over the edge of the pier and towards a small collection of now-rotting boards, floating away towards the horizon. “...I’m pretty sure it’s dead now.”

“DUMBASS!”

Any trace of calmness vanished, and Lena’s fist plowed into the side of Luk’s face, embedding it within a part of the railing before he could defend himself. An instant later she had seized him by the collar, dragging him out of the wood and pulling him away with her. Her expression had returned to one of happiness.

“I’m sorry, everyone!” she gave a quick bow, “please excuse this idiot here, and thank you for saving him.” She hoisted the lad up to scowl at. “He won’t try something this stupid again, right?!”

“You mean going to sea?!” Luk answered indignantly, having regained his senses, “of course I will- AUGH!”

Before he could even finish Lena had brought his head into the wooden floor, creating a sizable dent. Lifting the now thoroughly-comatose boy up again, she gave a final bow and tossed one last wave before heading a ways off, still grumbling to Luk about the various punishments awaiting him.

As the dockhands watched her leave, a dark-skinned girl with slightly darker hair sidled up to the rescuer. “Who is that guy?” she asked.

“Hm?” the burly man turned around to face her. “Ah, you’re new here, ain’t ya? That’s Luk. Crazy kid who got picked up from the sea ten years back or so. He’s been running his mouth off about goin’ out to sea and becomin’ a famous pirate almost that long. What’d he call it? “Pirate among pirates”... somethin’ like that. Anyway, if you’re gonna work here for awhile, you’d best get used to seein’ him around. Tries to get a boat and head off almost every other day lately, and, well…” He chuckled, reaching into his pockets for a smoke as he began to amble away, “...that’s how it usually ends.” He pointed with his free hand towards the sea.

Intrigued, the girl turned her head slightly to follow the young man and his caretaker as they faded into the distance.

“Pirate among pirates, huh…?” she muttered, before quickly turning back to the day’s work.

As the largest town on an island known for its vast array of visitors, the city where Luk lived was naturally equipped with a great variety of services. Almost anything any sea-bound individual could want after months away from land could be found there. Naturally, bars were the most popular location, and most new arrivals wished to liquor up as soon as humanly possible once their feet hit the ground.

When first built, the small inn built on one of the pier’s undersides had been to fulfill that desire and nothing else. Made up of a set of two ‘boxes’ dangling downwards, the first was intended to provide newcomers with all the booze their stomachs could hold. The second functioned as a place to store their unconscious bodies when the alcohol switched off their brain. As time passed, however, two smaller cubes had been added onto the side, meant to house a small group of children who had made the place their informal residence. One such boy had, yet again, attempted to go to sea.

The ‘door’, a clearly marked hatch on the pier’s floor (and the building’s roof) swung open, and Luk was sent tumbling down face-first. To say he landed harshly is an understatement, a small cloud of dust whirling up with his arrival.

Lena followed him down much more gracefully. “Grandpa!” she called out, “I found him!”

“Hm?!” A voice, elderly yet still fierce, emerged from the direction of the john. “The little punk’s back, eh?” A second later and the bathroom door was flung open, allowing its occupant to take stock of the situation.

The owner of this bar was as old as he sounded, easily pushing 80, and yet his body and movements had lost none of their vigor. His skin had been tanned from long lost years on the ocean, and the shredded remains of an elaborate coat still hung from his shoulders. His hair was the lightest possible gray, covering his head and his mouth, the latter of which was adorned with a most spectacular set of braids and the occasional faded ribbon. Even though he was currently relieving himself, a gnarled cane of the finest oak was still in his hands. It was of the same make as the warped pipe between his lips.

It was said among Shangai Cay’s inhabitants that he had once had another name, fearsome and awe-inspiring, but among the locales and his employees he went by the simple (and most certainly false) name of Jenks.

“Tried to go to sea again, eh?” he grumbled, “and how’d it work out for you this time?”

“I made it twelve feet out this time!” Luk’s fists vibrated in place, such was his eagerness. “The waters around this island are too damn deep for me to go farther with our crappy wood though!”

“Crappy?!” Without changing position Old Man Jenks delivered three blows to the younger man’s head, quickly raising angry red lumps. “Is that any way to describe the wood you spent all that time harvesting?! If you work hard to make something, then it has value whether it’s good or not! Got that?!”

“I got it, I got it!” Luk said quickly while he rubbed the injuries, “but I have to have a decent ship, or else I can’t go out to sea and become a true pirate! That’s what all the guys at the docks say.”

“A true pirate, huh…?” the old man became contemplative, “still holdin’ on to that dream of yours, I see.”

“Of course!” his charge answered.

Silence filled the air of the inn for a few moments, before Jenks spoke again. “Luk. How many years has it been since ye first started trying to head out to sea?”

“Six years to the clock!” the youth in question nodded earnestly.

“...And you’ve made it out how many times?”

“...Zero.” Now slightly abashed, Luk turned his head away and stared hard at an empty corner.

Jenks let out a deep breath. “You know… you don’t have to continue with this. If you even get out there and become a pirate, it’s not going to be easy. The Marines’ll hound you from coast to coast, you’ll have other pirates to deal with… and the longer you’re out there, the more strong opponents will come at ya. That’s if you can get into the Grand Line at all. Every road a pirate can take is a difficult one, even with the staunchest companions. Achieving that dream of yours ain’t certain.”

The air hung thick between the two, and the oldster shook his head one last time.

“At the rate you’re going, it might be better for you to give up, frankly. Take it from someone older than you.”

“No,” the blonde lad answered simply.

A vein twitched briefly in Jenks’ forehead. “Eh?!”

“All that stuff doesn’t matter!” Luk shook his head petulantly, “I might fail, I might die, I might not! I promised Fleury, so I have to go out there! And I will!”

The old man let out his breath slowly, the tension fleeing his shoulders. He almost smirked.

''Idiot. But…''

A spark, a flash, an old memory arose in his subconscious, so brief he couldn’t make out any details aside from the emotions it carried. And that was enough.

“If all the logic in the world won’t stop you… well, I’m gonna get hell for this, but.. try stealin’ a ship.” He shrugged where he sat. “You don’t have to take one from the people around here, but there are plenty of travellers that come by these parts.” He grinned wolfishly. “Ya’d be doin’ us a favor if ya took it from someone we didn’t like.”

“Grandpa!” Lena cried indignantly, “don’t give him ideas!”

“Hey, that would work perfectly!” Luk brightened even more, pulling a notebook from some hidden pocket and quickly jotting within it. “Steal… a…. ship…” he muttered, before sobering slightly, “...from… a… fake… pirate...”

“Little fool,” the old man chuckled, “Oi, Lena! Give this kid something to do! Otherwise he’ll be down to the warf again before we know it.”

“Right!” She saluted, before her hand went to her chin. “Hmm… Ah! Luk, we’re a bit low on Déesse from the last merchant run, but a new shipment should’ve come in a few days ago. Could you go pick that up? The shopkeep always says he misses it when you and your friends used to run around.”

“Yosh!” Luk replied, standing up and dusting off his pants, “I can take a look at the new ships in the harbor while I’m at it!” And in a few bounds he had made his way up to the surface.

Lena waited until he was clear out of earshot, and then audibly sighed. “I wish you encourage him, Grandpa.”

The old man who was in no way related to her by blood chuckled. “Where’s the harm in it? Kid’s got a kind of spunk I haven’t seen for years. Even as a kid he was always tumbling about, getting into trouble, needing me to come and save him…” For a few moments, he spaced out and remembered times long gone. He quickly returned.

“It’s been twenty years since the Pirate King croaked, and his successors these days are more and more about the bottom line. The ocean needs a few more frantic dreamers or the whole profession’s goin’ to go bust.”

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about,” she replied, “You know how Luk is. If he goes out there...” She took a deep breath, clenched one fist. “They’ll tear him apart.”

“BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Jenks laughed suddenly.

“?!” She looked confusedly at her adoptive grandfather.

“Don’t you worry about him, Lena. Kid’s got lion’s blood runnin’ through his veins. He’ll be more than fine when he sets out to sea. Just you wait.”

She took a deep breath, allowing some tension out. When she glanced up towards the hatch, the worry had only slightly abated.

“If you say so, Grandpa…”

As noon drew closer and closer, the pirate ship finally came into sight. At first, it drew only the slightest attention, and no signs came from the shore that any concern was had.

The lookout on the mast grinned as he observed the utter lack of caution. “Captain!” he cried down to the crew below, “looks like we ain’t expected!”

“Good!” came the hearty voice of their leader.

Seagar was his name, a first and final curse placed upon him by his parents. He was tall and muscular, but as lean as a starving wolf. His hair was black both on his head and his beard, combed back in a facsimile of order that was broken only by the occasional streak of white. His eyes looked world-weary at a glance, but upon further inspection would be revealed as simply cocky. While having a somewhat humpbacked posture, he still carried himself with confidence and was decked out in rich furs and powerful armor, all the same color as his vessel. What hadn’t been covered was his chest, upon which a single ornament hung.

As his crewmember gave the report, he swaggered forward to the head of the ship and thrust an armored hand into the air.

“Alright, mateys!” he cried, “it’s been a long run, but we’ve finally found the ideal place for our base! All them people on the mainland are a bunch of foolish landlubbers! We’ll take them out… and finally have a place to call home! Who’s with me?!”

“Aye aye, captain!” the assortment of rogues cried out as one.

“Arararararararararararara!” Seagar guffawed, “then... prepare the cannon!”

Luk sighed audibly as he strode along one of Shanghai Cay’s rooftops. “This isn’t going well at all.” He bounded from one awning to the next without even looking down. “If this keeps up, I’m never going to get out to sea.”

The errand he was given completely forgotten, the lad plopped down on his current perch, looking at the city proper for only a second before looking up towards the sky and letting out a small groan. “Marian’s already left, Bro Hawkwood is gone…” he muttered, counting off his friends on his fingers before gripping his head in complete frustration. “I’m the only one left, damn it!”

After that moment of frustration, he brightened again. “But I’ve learned a lot,” he mused, pulling out a small, worn notebook from nowhere. A rueful smile formed on his lips as he flipped through it, exposing page after page of sloppy yet detailed notes. “Still!” He snapped it suddenly shut, his right fist clenching at the same time. “I can’t stay here forever. There’s so much out there to do and learn if I’m going to become a pirate among pirates-”

“Oi!”

A small voice, that of a child’s, reached up from the street below. Blinking, Luk leaned over the edge of the roof. A young boy of around 8 years was glaring up at him, a heavy-looking set of barrels perched precariously on his shoulders.

“Margretta-san says that if you don’t shut up, she’ll throw you off her roof for good this time!”

“Really?” Luk asked good-naturedly. He casually leaped from his perch, landing on the ground and crouching next to the boy. “Was she the one who told you carry those around?” He glanced in the barrels’ direction.

The child nodded uncomfortably.

The older youth nodded sagely, before standing up and looking the child over. “Bad luck. But you’re carrying those wrong.”

“Eh?”

“You’re trying to lift them from just your shoulders. The strength’s gotta come from the back, the back! Hoist ‘em with your whole body! Here.” Retrieving his notebook yet again, he quickly flipped through the pages and found a certain entry. This was promptly displayed, and the child looked at it curiously. “That’s how you do it.”

“Ohh…” the boy looked it over and then brightened. “I see! You’re really smart, big brother.”

Luk chuckled. “Want a demonstration?”

“Sure!” His new follower nodded eagerly.

A moment later, he had hoisted half the barrels to his own shoulders, standing slightly crouched over and with feet planted firmly on the ground. “See, if you let your spine and legs take most of the weight,” he instructed, beginning to move forward, “then it’s going to feel overall less heavy. Get it?”

“Un!” Another nod. “Hey, do you think you could, you know, help me get these to the square? I’m supposed to have them back in half an hour...”

“‘Kay!” Luk answered, immediately extending his foreward march. “Just lead the way!”

And with that, whistling, the would-be pirate followed the boy through the streets. I think I was supposed to be doing something… His expression became serious for a moment. ''...Ah well! It’ll take care of itself!'' Smiling contentedly again, he continued onward.

The pirate ship had finally been spotted from afar, and the docks had begun preparations for their arrival.

“W-what’s going on?!” The girl from earlier asked frantically as she glanced around. All about her were coworkers, rushing this way and that, seizing appliances and picking up weapons. Most were clustering near where the sea met the wood, but others had elected to run for the hills, pouring out of the area in waves.

“Isn’t it obvious?!” the gruff man said as he moved past her, “pirate ship’s been seen a few miles off!” He shifted his grip on a rather large crate and resumed movement towards the rapidly-growing pile of such items on the pier’s end. “You’ve gotta pack up or move out, because they’ll be arriving any second now!”

“Damn it,” another coworker grumbled as he passed, carrying a slightly-antiquated rifle, “why do they always show up on the lax days?”

“Wouldn’t be any fun if they showed up when we were ready~!” another called.

“Oh, shut up! This world would be a whole lot better of a place if damn pirates weren’t everywhere!”

Shaking her head, the girl looked up and out over the water. Eyes narrowed, taking in the entire seascape before her, scanning for… for… There! True enough, in the distance was a crimson flag whipping rapidly in the wind.

“Come on!” the gruff handyman growled, elbowing her lightly in the shoulder, “don’t wanna get caught with yer skirt down, do ya?” He chuckled darkly and resumed his business. She gave him a narrowed glance before beginning to put distance between herself and the front line.

At that moment, a whistling noise echoed in her ears. Her eyes widened quickly, and she turned around to face her colleagues.

“Cannon!” she shouted, before hurling herself towards the floor, “duck!”

Less than an instant after she got the words out, her prediction came true. A dark shape hurtled across the water, rapidly entering the area of the docks and speeding through them. The workers scattered in all directions, some dropping to the floor like the girl and others leaping off the pier and into the water below. Still more scrambled behind some of the assembled cargo, using them as makeshift shields against the incoming blast.

Finally, the cannonball made impact. It struck the closest building to the docks and made it burst into a hail of splinters. As the debris toppled to the ground, the projectile continued forward, crashing into the next building, and the next, and the next. Cleaving a hole straight through the center of the town, it continued to charge forward…

“Huh? You wanna be a pirate, bro?”

“Yep!” Luk answered brightly as the boy carefully lifted the last bucket from a large well in the city’s center. “I’m gonna sail away from this place soon, and then go out and become a true pirate!”

“That’s crazy. You’re crazy!” The young boy turned around, frowning.

“Why?” Luk tilted his head and lifted an eyebrow.

“Pirates are bad people, right? They mess whole cities up and take whatever they want, hurting anyone who gets in their way…”

“Wrong.” The young man’s response was blunt.

“Wrong?” the kid titled his head.

“Mhm-hm!” Luk nodded confidently as his arms crossed, “those kinds of people aren’t real pirates.”

“Then… then what is?” the boy asked, looking if anything more confused.

“Gaohuhuhuhu!” he laughed, “that’s easy! A true pirate is-!”

Before he could finish, a sudden change came over him. He halted mid-sentence and his eyes flashed in the direction of the docks. Curiously, his nose twitched, taking in a brief puff of air suspiciously.

“...Bro?” the child in front of him asked.

Just then, the cannonball erupted through the wall of the house in front of them. Luk lunged forward, sharp lines manifesting all over his body as he tackled the kid and sent them both rocketing forward. The projectile leaped soared through the air where they had been only an instant before, colliding violently with the well and detonating. Shards of stone soared flew into the air, joined quickly by their brethren in mortar and surrounded by a blanket of smoke.

The small square was plunged into darkness as the dust choked everything. People unlucky enough to be in the area but fortunate enough to have not been hit fled screaming. Those without luck on both counts remained silent.

And in a crater that had once been another house’s wall, a young boy was coughing.

“W-what was that?!” he gasped, spitting out small bits of debris. Above him, Luk stood up, his body assuming its normal form as he returned his gaze towards the docks. “Was that a bomb?!”

“It was…” his protector said slowly… before his aura suddenly erupted into a shower of light and sparkles. “A cannon! A cannonball! Hey, do you know what that means?!” He turned around, his expression vibrant enough to pierce through the smoke.

“It means we’re under attack, right?!”

“Not what I was talking about! It means that...” Luk leaped into the air, landing on a still-standing roof in a single bound. Growing more excited by the second, he peered anxiously through the smoke….

...and finally saw what he was looking for: a ship he had never seen before, with black sails adorned with a Jolly Roger.

“...I’ve found my ship!” the pirate-to-be almost squealed, his eyes sparkling with glee.

Proud and regal as only a conqueror could be, Seagar strode onto what remained of Shanghai Cay’s front dock. Booted feet carefully avoided splinters of burning wood as he took a deep breath and smiled slowly.

“Don’t ye love that smell, mateys?!” he suddenly called, flinging his arms into the air, “the smell of victory?! The smell of…?!”

“...home!” He and his crew shouted as one.

The pirates leaped from their own ship, landing on the ruined pier and rushing forward while brandishing swords, flintlocks, and other weapons of the sea.

As they approached the shore proper, a cry went up before them. Leaping from behind what barricades had been frantically constructed and the little cover that remained available, the dockhands met them midway. The two forces clashed in the middle, and the air rapidly filled with the sounds of battle.

“Hrm…” Seagar pondered as he watched the chaos unfold, “this could be troublesome…” He shrugged, barking out a short laugh. “Well, if they want to throw their stupid lives away, that’s no skin off my nose-”

“Oh, wow! This’s even bigger up close than it looked from town!”

A voice suddenly came from behind him! Whipping around, the pirate was dumbstruck to see a young man with a head of straw-colored hair running his hand along his ship’s bow, a collection of sparkles blinking around his head.

“Wha… what the hell are you doing here?!” he growled, stomping closer as he regained his composure.

“Oh!” Seeming to notice him for the first time, the boy whirled around. “You’re the owner of this pirate ship, right?”

In response, Seagar flexed his arm. The armored gauntlet on his hand seemed to shift, moving in a deadly snakelike fashion. The youth, however, appeared unfazed.

“Everyone’s gonna be pretty mad after you’ve wrecked the dock like this,” he continued, casually glancing around, “so even if the Marines take their time getting here you and your crew will probably have to pay for this.”

“What the hell’re you getting at, boy?!” The pirate’s patience was wearing thin, and he loomed over the newcomer now, attempting to intimidate him.

“Well, in this situation,” the grin that responded was purer than a fresh patch of snow, “you don’t mind if I run off with your ship, right?”

While their captain was distracted, the crewmembers of Seagar’s Pirates continued their attempted rampage through Shanghai Cay. However, they were met at every turn by not only the dockhands, but a motley collection of citizens who had come to do battle. As a result, the two sides had reached stalemate right on the divide between the piers and the island proper.

“Ugh!” a pirate cried as he was felled. Incredibly, he appeared to have been defeated by a variety of tightly-knit knots, all of which had struck him with remarkable force on the jaw, knocking him out cold.

The dark-skinned girl landed where he had been an instant before, the top of a large crate pile, the ropes withdrawing to various places around her person. Taking a deep breath, she glanced around to take stock of the situation from her perch.

Though Shanghai Cay’s defenders had managed to hold the line, the docks themselves had seen better days. What hadn’t been cracked, ruined, or buried in rubble due to the initial attack was now being trampled by the invading hordes, and fires were springing up willy-nilly throughout. What this morning had been a busy but peaceful scene was now engulfed in disorder.

“This world would be a whole lot better of a place if damn pirates weren’t everywhere!”

The words of her fellow dockhand echoed in her mind, and her eyes narrowed.

“Oi! Look out!”

The voice of another coworker briefly rang out before the area around her was consumed with fire.

Another cannonball had been fired, striking the ground just below where she was standing. The girl was sent flying through the air, going for no small distance before her flight was arrested by another pile of boxes. With a cry she crashed through them, hitting the ground a mere moment later.

“Unhh…” she muttered, head fuzzy from the impact as she struggled to return to her feet. She had managed to get on her knees, flames licking at the area around her, when out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of two figures. She looked towards them, regaining her focus as the sound of their voices became clear…

“...Arararararararararararar!” Seagar threw back his head, laughing uproariously at the youth before him. “A landlubber like you?! Take my ship?! Ararararararararar!”

“Yep,” Luk replied nonchalantly as the pirate captain fell deeper into his hysterics.

“W-what would you even do with it?!” he got out, now grasping his stomach as he leaned forward from mirth.

“Go out to sea,” the young man answered, raising an eyebrow, “gotta become a true pirate somehow.”

“A…” Finally, Seagar’s laughing slowed, and he became serious again. “A true pirate?” He shook his head, letting out one last chuckle. “Seems there’s been a misunderstanding, kiddo.” He reached out, grabbing Luk by the head and twirling him around, giving him a good luck of the carnage around them.

“See all this, matey? The screaming, the flames, the blood, the fear? ...That’s what being a true pirate is! Being able to take what you want, to do what ya want, and crush everyone who says ya can’t underfoot! If ya wanted to join, you could’ve just asked! I’ve got what yer looking for right here! Arararararararararar!”

Luk remained where he was for a minute, soaking it all in, the sound seeming to dim around him for a minute. The carnage, the chaos surrounding him was imprinted. Finally, he took a slow, deep breath.

“Wrong.”

“...?” Seagar could not other response make but a questioning snort.

“You’ve got it all wrong!” the youth continued, spinning around in a blur and appearing much more energetic, “that’s not what being a pirate’s about at all!”

“Wha…?”

“All this-” He gestured with his shoulder at the battle raging “-isn’t what being a pirate’s supposed to be like!” His hands, clenched into fists, were planted firmly against his hips as he nodded with eyes closed. “Being a pirate’s a lot more and a lot better than that! Un!” He nodded to himself.

“Wha the hell does that mean?!” Anger had worked its way into Seagar’s voice once more.

“It’s about adventure!” Luk spread his hands wide, the area around them seeming to be filled with light and stars. “About leaving familiar shores and setting out to fulfill your dreams, even if they seem impossible! It’s about the thrill of facing insurmountable danger with your comrades, the joy of overcoming them and reaping the rewards! Making memories, travelling the world, discovering new lands… that’s what it means to be a pirate!”

...

Silence resulted from the lad’s extraordinary sermon. Seagar looked flabbergasted, mouth hanging partway open. Their observer was stunned to silence, though her dropped jaw was for a different reason; the beginning of what might have been hope was shining in her eyes.

But Luk wasn’t finished.

“That’s why…” He seemed to sway back, posture shifting. “That’s why I can’t forgive people like you! People like… people who take what a true pirate should be and rub it all in the dirt! That’s why…!”

In an instant, the lines from earlier had covered his body and he was leaping forward, delivering a blow squarely to the pirate captain’s jaw!

“GAH!” Seagar cried, toppling backward as Luk landed once more on the ground.

“...I have to go out to sea, and become a pirate among pirates!”

TO BE CONTINUED Next Chapter→