The Blood Hand Pirates were shrouded in a heavy, oppressive atmosphere. Cutter Barlo had been a fine first mate. Their captain was a carefree man who talked endlessly about his dreams, so Barlo had always been sharp, decisive, and a man of action. To the crew, Captain Rhode was their pillar and guiding light. The first mate, meanwhile, was the one who actually navigated and steered the ship, keeping it on course.
But now, the man was dead—dead in the most horrific way. Even after they'd killed the murderer and subjected him to the same treatment, he'd still suffered the vilest humiliation. If killing a sworn enemy had cost them a dear friend, then no matter how you looked at it, it hadn't been worth it.
Captain Rhode was unusually silent that day, sitting there in a daze without saying a word.
At that moment, Louis stepped forward. He was a newcomer, but in terms of strength, he had already shown himself to be second only to Rhode aboard the ship. He was strong enough to command respect, and while Rhode sat in a daze, he began taking charge of the crew.
The day after Barlo's death, the Golden Lion Pirates set sail. Golden Lion wasn't about to change his strategic plans over the death of a single pirate in one of his subordinate crews. Rhode and Louis didn't even have time to hold a funeral. In fact, since Golden Lion would be flying over with all the ships, they didn't even have the chance to give Barlo a sea burial.
Rhode wailed as he set Barlo's body alight, reducing him to ashes.
"Captain."
It was time to depart. Louis pushed open the door to Rhode's cabin. "We're leaving."
"Yeah."
The windows were tightly shut, leaving the room dim. The man climbed out of bed and sat by the porthole in a daze for a while before finally standing. Rubbing his head, he walked to the door. Though only a day had passed, his face was already haggard, with stubble covering his jaw.
"Let's go."
Rhode strode out first.
Louis followed behind Rhode. The man's broad back looked especially forlorn now. The loss of his dear friend had dealt a terrible blow to the boisterous man.
"..."
Louis forced himself not to smile. There was something rather satisfying about quietly destroying everything someone had.
Once aboard, he found all the crew waiting in silence. Rhode sat by the railing and gazed up at the sky.
"Captain, isn't it about time?"
Louis leaned against the railing with his arms crossed. "A brutal battle awaits us. Do you really want to take us all down with you?"
"..."
Rhode turned to look at Louis. "Mario."
"Captain Rhode, we're all grieving over the loss of our first mate," Louis said bluntly. "But please, that's enough! Our adventure isn't over. There are even more beautiful, magnificent sights waiting for us! Don't make yourself look so pathetic! Losing someone is painful, but there's no undoing it. How can you move forward if you keep dwelling on the past? How can you follow behind Admiral Golden Lion?"
"Captain! Admiral Golden Lion needs our strength right now! Please pull yourself together! I'm sure this is what First Mate Barlo would have wanted, too."
"Mario, you little punk..."
A smile slowly spread across Rhode's lips. "Did I really just get lectured by a kid?"
"No. I just want to survive the battle ahead, Captain. Don't forget—you're the one thing all of us..."
Louis wasn't lying.
"...can count on!"
"..."
Rhode looked around the deck. Every pirate was watching him with an expectant expression.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Rhode suddenly burst out laughing. "Damn, I nearly forgot. I got depressed because I lost someone, and almost lost so much more. Ha, I really am pathetic."
"No. Realizing that is already impressive," Louis said with a smile.
Boom!
The ship lurched and began rising into the sky. The other ships around it began ascending one after another. Highest in the sky was a ship with a base of earth and stone, and a massive vessel as its main body. A giant lion's head adorned its bow. This was the flagship of the Golden Lion Pirates.
Before long, dark clouds filled the sky. Each cloud was a massive ship.
"Ha ha ha! We're off!"
Rhode laughed as he gazed at the sky. "No matter how many times I see it, it's still magnificent!"
There were more than a hundred pirate ships, carrying nearly ten thousand pirates alone. And since even larger pirate crews traveled in huge fleets and couldn't make it to Sky Island, they had already gone ahead. The total number of people deployed by the Golden Lion Grand Fleet this time might have reached thirty thousand—a terrifying force.
"You were right, Mario. Barlo is gone,"
Rhode sighed, taking a small box from his clothes. Barlo's ashes were inside. "All the more reason I can't let myself sink into despair! Before, I had Barlo by my side. Now I'm all alone, so I have to work even harder."
"No, Captain,"
Louis said with a smile. "How could you be alone? You still have me—and all of us."
"Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha! You're right..."
Rhode laughed as he opened the box. He lowered his head. The ship had already left Sky Island, and the open sea stretched out below them. "Then this is where we part! Farewell, my friend!"
The ashes scattered into the air.
One thing had to be said: the Roger Pirates hadn't run. They hadn't even tried to hide. They were cruising leisurely across the sea. Even with the Golden Lion Grand Fleet as their opponent, Roger refused to flee. That was the kind of man he had always been.
"Our opponent is... Roger?"
Louis trained hard on deck. Armament Haki required constant practice. Even a genius like Monkey D. Luffy, trained by Pluto Rayleigh—the right-hand man of the One Piece—had needed more than a year of Rayleigh's guidance to master it. Louis didn't think he could learn it quickly by cramming at the last minute.
He was focusing on Observation Haki. With his powerful mental strength, he figured he should be able to awaken it fairly easily. His training involved blindfolding himself and having people attack him. By constantly sensing their auras, he tried to feel their movements. He was making steady progress in that regard, but truly awakening Observation Haki still seemed a long way off.
Though his efforts yielded little, Louis couldn't stop. His opponent was Roger; he could die at any moment. The calm he showed on the outside didn't reflect what he felt inside. All he could do now was train himself relentlessly to drive away his fear.
Time passed slowly. By the third day, Louis had mostly recovered from the wounds Barlo had inflicted, thanks in part to Life Return. The Golden Lion Pirates finally caught up with the Roger Pirates. The name of this stretch of sea was Aethelwold.
"Jiehahahaha! Roger!!!"
A booming, hearty voice rang out from the massive ship as it descended. "Long time no see!!"
Louis looked down from the railing. A ship bobbed up and down in the waves.
"Shiki!!!"
"When do people die?
When their hearts are pierced?
When they contract an incurable disease?
When they drink poisonous mushroom soup?
No!
They die when they get no recommendations, bookmarks, or tips!"
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