At night, stars dotted the sky. The bright moon lit the nightmarish sea, its surface smooth as a mirror. The sails hung limp against the mast. With no wind, even the sea was silent.
On a night like this, Small Boat quietly left Shimotsuki Village. It had come without a sound and departed the same way, taking not a single cloud with it—only "abducting" the toughest girl in the village.
"Where did you get this boat?"
Kuina asked as she gritted her teeth and rowed. With no wind or waves, they could only move by hand. Before long, sweat beaded on her forehead. Ye Chen, meanwhile, stood at ease with his hands behind his back. Kuina was doing all the rowing alone.
"I had someone build it a month ago. I've kept it hidden in the woods ever since. Even Lucci doesn't know about it. What do you think? Not bad for our pirate ship, right?" Ye Chen turned back with a smug grin.
"Not bad? It's a wreck. One good wave could capsize it." Kuina gave a cold snort.
"It's a start. Things will only get better." Ye Chen shrugged with a smile.
In the world of One Piece, almost every pirate had set out to sea in an ordinary, battered little boat, sometimes one even smaller than a fishing boat. Roger, Shanks, Ace, Luffy, Sabo... none of them had been exceptions.
Ye Chen had only one companion so far, and neither a shipwright nor a navigator. He was starting from nothing.
He believed things would improve as more companions joined them. His fighting skills had been the same way. At first, hadn't he lost to everyone?
If Ye Chen had known nothing about fighting, even Robin's aunt would have given him a beating.
"Why aren't you rowing?"
Kuina