The ship cut smoothly through the blue, its sails full, the sound of water brushing against the hull steady and calming, and for the first time since leaving Mirano Island, Shamrock allowed himself to simply stand at the bow and think.
Ohara…
The name surfaced naturally in his mind.
He knew where it was. He knew what slept beneath its libraries. And more importantly—he knew what awaited it.
A Buster Call.
Fire.
Erasure.
And a small girl who would survive only by running.
Shamrock exhaled slowly, resting his hands on the railing as the wind tugged at his hair.
"Not yet," he murmured.
Zoey, sprawled lazily on the deck behind him, lifted her head.
"Not yet what?"
"Someone I want to meet," Shamrock replied calmly. "She's still too young to sail."
Zoey narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"A girl?"
He didn't deny it.
"…I'll go later," he added. "When the time is right."
Zoey huffed, rolling onto her stomach.
"You say mysterious things way too casually, you know that?"
By noon, hunger struck.
Zoey stretched dramatically, hands behind her head.
"I don't want normal food."
Shamrock glanced at her.
"What do you want, then?"
She grinned, red eyes sparkling with trouble.
"A Sea King."
Silence followed.
"…You're serious," Shamrock said.
"Completely."
He sighed—but there was amusement in his eyes.
"Fine."
Shamrock baited the waters patiently, Observation Haki spreading far beneath the surface, reading movement, pressure, instinct, until something massive shifted below them.
Then—
The sea exploded.
A Sea King burst upward, roaring as water cascaded from its scaled body, its shape resembling a massive deer twisted by the ocean itself, antler-like horns curling from its head, its body covered in thick, glimmering scales.
Twenty meters long.
Zoey's eyes lit up.
"It's cute!"
"That thing could swallow the ship," Shamrock replied.
"So hurry up and kill it."
One clean motion.
A single slash.
The Sea King fell silent.
They dragged it ashore on a small uninhabited beach, fire crackling soon after as Shamrock expertly grilled thick slabs of meat, the aroma filling the air.
Zoey took a bite—and froze.
"…Shamrock."
"Yes?"
"This is amazing."
He smirked faintly.
They ate until they were full, sitting on driftwood, grease on their fingers, laughing quietly.
Zoey leaned back, staring at the sky.
"So… what now?"
Shamrock wiped his hands.
"First, we become pirate hunters."
She turned her head.
"Huh?"
"We hunt pirates. Grow stronger. Learn the sea," he said evenly. "Then—when we're strong enough—we become pirates ourselves."
Zoey smiled slowly.
"…Free?"
"Completely."
He continued, voice calm but certain.
"I want a crew I can trust. People who don't stab each other in the back. People who sail together because they want to."
Zoey sat up suddenly.
"Then I'm your vice-captain."
He blinked.
"And your first mate," she added quickly, pointing at him. "No arguments."
Shamrock stared at her for a second—then smiled.
"Of course you are."
Her grin was immediate and victorious.
Not long after, Shamrock's Observation caught something else.
A ship.
Pirate flag raised.
He straightened, hand drifting toward Ragna.
Zoey stood in front of him, blocking his path.
"Nope," she said cheerfully. "Leave it to me."
Before he could speak, she jumped—
launching herself cleanly into the air, landing hard on the pirate deck.
Alarms rang instantly.
"Who the hell are you?!" the pirate captain shouted, sword raised.
Zoey didn't answer.
She rushed him.
One slash—
The captain screamed as his right arm severed cleanly from his body.
Chaos erupted.
Pirates charged her from all sides.Zoey moved through them like a blade through silk—twisting, dodging, striking, her sword flashing again and again until bodies hit the deck one after another.
The captain fell to his knees, trembling.
"W-wait!" he begged. "Gold! Berries! Take everything—just spare me!"
Zoey smiled sweetly.
"After I kill you… it'll all be mine anyway."
One swing.
His head rolled——
Shamrock stepped onto the deck afterward, surveying the carnage calmly.
"That's my vice-captain," he said with approval.
Zoey turned, beaming.
"I was cool, right?"
"Very," he admitted. "But you still need Rokushiki training."
He ruffled her silky black hair.
Zoey puffed her cheeks instantly.
"Hey! Don't mess up my hair!"
She swatted his hand away, clearly offended.
Shamrock chuckled.
Later that evening, land appeared on the horizon.
An island—busy, alive, docks packed with ships and voices carrying over the water.
Zoey leaned against the railing, eyes shining.
"So this is our first stop?"
Shamrock nodded as the ship approached the harbor.
"Yes," he said quietly. "The world starts here."
And together, they sailed in——
.
.
.
.
Thanks For Reading.....