The Sword of Damocles

On a sunny summer afternoon, the sun blazed like a giant fireball, as if it meant to burn everything in the world to ashes.

In weather like this, everyone felt lazy and lacked motivation.

Yet on a small island in the Grand Line, a group of people lay sprawled across the ground, their faces flushed and their bodies reeking of booze. They had clearly been drinking quite a lot.

Among the scattered bones of wild beasts, it was clear they had held a grand feast.

Just then, a little boy with a large red nose groggily opened his eyes.

"Hmm, what's that thing?"

He thought he saw something in the sky. At first, he figured he was seeing things because he'd had too much to drink. But the object grew clearer by the second, so he hurriedly rubbed his eyes. Sure enough, it was still there.

"C-C-C-Captain, look at the sky!"

The sight instantly sobered him up, and he shouted in alarm.

At his cry, the others slowly came around as well.

"Hey, Buggy, what are you yelling about?"

The little fellow who had shouted was an apprentice aboard the Roger Pirates. The people who had just finished their feast on the island were members of the Roger Pirates.

"Captain, look at the sky!"

"Hm?" Hearing Buggy cry out in alarm again, Roger looked up, squinting.

"What is that? A sword?"

Staring at the object in the sky, Roger wondered to himself. The others started talking among themselves too, because the thing hanging overhead was impossible to miss.

"Is it Shiki?" Roger murmured. In his mind, only the Golden Lion's Doss-Doss Fruit could do something like this.

"Yeah, it should be him. I can't think of anyone else with that kind of power. But where did he get a sword that big?"

The speaker was a man with blond hair and glasses: Silvers Rayleigh.

Both men looked grave. The Golden Lion was no ordinary opponent; even they had to take him seriously.

Just then, a burst of white light appeared on the giant sword, and something separated from it and fell toward the ground.

Rayleigh put his hand on his sword hilt. If anything seemed amiss, he would immediately unleash a flying slash.

"Don't rush in, Rayleigh. This probably isn't the Golden Lion."

At Roger's words, Rayleigh loosened his grip slightly. But from his posture, it was clear he could draw his sword in an instant.

"That looks like a person."

As the spot of white light drew closer to the ground, the people on the island gradually made out what was inside it.

"That's right. There really is a person in there."

Roger was the one who said it.

The rest of the crew relaxed. How strong could just one person be? The Roger Pirates had nothing to fear.

Even if the Whitebeard Pirates appeared before them now, they would remain perfectly calm.

Their earlier alarm had only been because they'd seen something beyond their understanding, so a little nervousness was inevitable.

But now that they knew it was a person, there was nothing to be afraid of.

"Do you think he'll fall to his death?" asked Buggy, his big red nose twitching as he spoke again. He was a coward by nature, but now that he was with the Roger Pirates, he feared nothing.

"Who knows? But even if he does fall to his death, what's that got to do with us?" said a red-haired boy beside Buggy. His name was Shanks, the other apprentice aboard the Roger Pirates.

He didn't have the three scars on his face yet, and he wasn't nearly as imposing.

When the white light reached the ground, there was no thunderous crash like the one they expected from a heavy object hitting the earth. Instead, it descended smoothly.

When the light faded, a boy who looked around seventeen or eighteen stood before them. The enormous sword in the sky had vanished too, as if it had never been there.

The boy lying on the ground became the focus of everyone's attention.

"Looks like this kid was the one who made that sword."

"Hey, Buggy, see if you can wake him up and ask what happened."

"Yes, Captain."

Having received his captain's orders, Buggy grabbed a barrel of unfinished wine beside him and poured it over the white-haired boy's head.

But the boy didn't react at all, as if he were dead.

"Captain, I'm reporting that he's probably dead."

"Shut up." First Mate Rayleigh scolded Buggy.

His Observation Haki told him clearly that the white-haired boy's heart was beating steadily.

"He's probably just unconscious. Buggy, Shanks, you two keep an eye on him. Let me know when he wakes up."

"Yes, Captain."

The Roger Pirates went back to doing whatever they pleased. Some lay down to rest, while others, newly sobered up, resumed drinking.

After all, they had once again escaped from Hero Garp. They deserved a good rest and a proper celebration.

"Hey, Buggy, keep watch here. I'm going to have another drink."

"Shanks, don't even think about it! If anyone's drinking, it'll be me, the great Buggy. You're the one who has to stay and watch."

"All right, you go ahead. I'll keep watch here. I'll go for a drink after you're done."

Hearing Shanks say that, Buggy froze. Since when had Shanks become so agreeable?

"Fine, Shanks. Then I, the great Buggy, will go get a drink."

As Buggy turned to leave, Shanks punched himself in the face.

"First Mate, I'm reporting that Buggy abandoned his post. I tried to stop him, but he punched me."

Just as Buggy was about to head off happily for a drink, he suddenly heard those words. He turned around and saw a red, swollen mark on Shanks's face.

Seeing Shanks like that, Buggy knew he'd been tricked.

"First Mate, listen to me! I didn't do it. Shanks did that to himself!" Buggy explained in a panic.

"So you're saying he beat himself up?" Rayleigh replied.

"Exactly!"

"Do you think Shanks is stupid enough to punch himself?"

At Rayleigh's words, the smile on Shanks's face froze. Am I stupid enough to punch myself? That is pretty stupid. But it's worth being stupid once for a drink.

"But it really was Shanks who did it to himself!"

"Enough, Buggy. You don't need to say anything else. You were the one assigned to keep watch, so you do it. Shanks, you can go do whatever you like."

"Yes, First Mate." At those words, Shanks hurried off happily to get a drink.

"Shanks, you shameless, good-for-nothing cheat!"

Watching Shanks's pleased retreating figure, Buggy yelled angrily.

Then he turned to the white-haired boy. "This is all your fault. Now I can't even have a drink."

Then he gave the boy a light kick.