Pirate: Invincible from the Start

"Kuina, take a look! These are the opponents you'll be facing. Until you become a Great Swordsman, don't underestimate anyone."

"Mm. I know."

Kuina took the wanted posters from Ahua and looked them over.

"So every member of the Arlong Pirates is a Fish-Man!" she exclaimed when she saw Arlong's poster.

Then she added with a hint of disgust,

"They're really ugly."

"They may be ugly, but they combine the traits of fish and humans. They're stronger than ordinary humans, and their strength doubles when they fight in water."

Kuta drew on what he knew to explain it to Kuina.

"Six years ago, the Fish-Man Pirates split up on the Grand Line. Arlong led one of the groups."

"Later, he formed the Arlong Pirates, came from the Grand Line to the East Blue, and took control of the Gollome Islands."

"How do you know so much?"

Kuina stared at Kuta in puzzlement.

"Me? I read the newspaper every day, along with all kinds of strange books!"

"That's true. When we were little, I never saw you without a book in your hands."

Kuina nodded. After a moment's recollection, she was about to return to the wanted posters.

"Hm?"

Just then, she turned and looked curiously at Ahua and the other two, who were all standing at the bow.

"You three... what's wrong?"

The usually lively, goofy trio stood there with slumped shoulders and gloomy faces.

Kuta noticed too. He walked over, patted each of them on the shoulder, and asked with concern,

"Is something bothering you? Tell me. I'll help you carry the burden."

A-Tao took a drag on his cigarette and answered glumly,

"It's nothing serious. I just feel useless. We can't help at all against a powerful pirate crew."

They all knew that against the Arlong Pirates, they would basically have to stay aboard and watch the ship. They couldn't beat a single member of that crew.

And this was still the East Blue. Once they reached the Grand Line, they would be even more out of their depth.

"So that's all!"

Kuta sighed in relief. He had wondered what had gotten into them.

He looked at the three of them and said earnestly,

"You didn't come aboard to fight in the first place. Besides, a ship needs more than fighters."

His gaze turned to Ahua. "Take Ahua. Without him, we'd have to eat our own cooking. Just imagine what that would be like."

Everyone glanced at Ahua, then shuddered at the thought of eating their own cooking every day.

They shook their heads again and again.

At Kuta's words and the others' reactions, Ahua's gloomy face brightened at once.

He pushed up his glasses, stuck out his plump belly, and raised his head with pride.

"So I'm that indispensable!"

Kuta turned to A-Tao next. "And without A-Tao, who would sail and repair this big guy beneath our feet?"

A-Tao's mouth curled into a grin that quickly spread across his face. Even the way she smoked looked a little more elegant.

"What about me? What about me?"

A-Luo looked at Kuta expectantly, his voice a little hurried.

"You..."

Kuta rubbed his chin and studied A-Luo in thought.

As A-Luo watched him, the hope in his eyes slowly faded. He stared blankly at the sea, as though a shadow had swallowed him whole. He looked ready to jump overboard at any moment.

Seeing him like that, Kuta smiled and decided to stop teasing him.

He fixed A-Luo with a stare and shouted, "Of course you're important too!"

At Kuta's shout, A-Luo stiffly raised his head and looked at him pitifully.

"Really?"

"Really."

Kuta nodded firmly.

"Of all of us,

you're the only one who can spend a whole day in that cramped lookout, keeping us safe on our voyage."

"You're the eyes of this ship. Without you, we'd be sailing blind."

The more Kuta said, the straighter A-Luo stood. By the end, even his spiky hair seemed to perk up.

Seeing the three of them regain their confidence, Kuta clapped to get their attention.

Then he told them, "Every one of you is irreplaceable. Don't sell yourselves short. This ship can't do without any of you."

He paused, then joked,

"If all of you went off to fight, what would be left for Kuina and me to do?"

"Doesn't that make sense?"

"Yeah!"

Ahua and the other two nodded eagerly.

"Besides, there are shortcuts to getting stronger."

"Kuta, you know a way to make us stronger?"

At his words, they turned to him in excitement.

No one wanted to be weak. They knew Kuta wouldn't abandon them even if they were, but if there was a way to grow stronger quickly, how could they not be interested?

"Have you heard of Devil Fruits?"

"Devil Fruits?"

Ahua looked puzzled.

Just then, A-Luo, who had been thinking with his head down, suddenly spoke. "Are those the treasures of the sea that make people stronger and give them the power of devils?"

He had heard someone talk about them back when he was a street thug.

"That's right. They're treasures of the sea called Devil Fruits, and they give people various supernatural powers."

"Then did your power come from a Devil Fruit, Kuta?"

A-Tao took a drag on her cigarette and looked at him curiously.

Kuta lowered his head and thought for a moment. "My power didn't come from a Devil Fruit. You can think of me as someone born with special abilities."

"Oh..."

They all nodded.

Kuta went on, "Devil Fruit abilities fall into three main types: Paramecia, Zoan, and Logia."

"Any one of them would give you enough power to handle ordinary dangers."

"But I heard even the cheapest Devil Fruit costs at least a hundred million Beli on the market!"

A-Luo scratched his head, troubled.

"Huh? They're that expensive?"

Ahua and A-Tao both looked surprised.

They had picked up nearly twenty million Beli from the Krieg Pirates, but that didn't mean a hundred million

was a small sum.

The Krieg Pirates had been the largest pirate crew in the East Blue.

And they had only gotten twenty million from them. How many pirate crews would they have to wipe out to scrape together a hundred million?

Kuta smiled at them. "Don't worry. If I hear of any Devil Fruits, I'll get them for you."

He paused, then added, "Besides, I know a place where we can find plenty of them."

Of course he knew. If he really couldn't find any when the time came, he would just have to go to Doflamingo early and demand some.

"Really, Kuta?" The three stared at him anxiously.

They knew Kuta wouldn't lie to them, but they still wanted to hear him say it.

"Yeah. When have I ever lied to you?"

Kuta nodded with certainty.

"Hell yeah!"

At his answer, the three of them jumped up, shouting at the bow. They were back to their lively selves.

Kuina had been watching quietly nearby. When she saw them cheer up, a faint smile appeared on her face.

She knew what Devil Fruits were. Kuta had once planned to find one especially for her, hoping it would improve her physical strength.

But she had refused. She wanted to become a Great Swordsman through her own abilities.

Besides, Devil Fruits had drawbacks too.

They came with one weakness that was deadly for anyone who sailed the seas: seawater.

She was a swordswoman, and her attacks were already strong enough. She had no reason to give herself a Devil Fruit's weakness.

So she had never considered eating one.

Of course, a truly extraordinary ability might be another matter.

"Huh?"

Just then, Kuta and Kuina both froze. They exchanged a glance, then looked toward the shore across from them as they quietly activated their Observation Haki.

Kuina could only sense many presences in the distant village, all jumbled together and panicked.

Kuta was different. A red gleam flashed through his eyes, and he knew what was happening in the village.

He turned to the three and said, "We'll land here. Wait for us. We'll come back once we've dealt with the Arlong Pirates."

"Got it."

The three answered loudly, then turned to get to work.

Kuta looked back toward the distant village, lost in thought.

I'd better clear out those small fry first. If they escape, they could cause a lot of harm.

They're Fish-Men, after all. If they hide in the sea, they'll be hard to find.

We're Strong Too ### The Arlong Pirates had ruled the island for nearly six years.

Every month, every villager on the island had to pay the Arlong Pirates a head tax.

If they couldn't pay, only one thing awaited them: death.