Upon the vast ocean, a 500-meter-long Sea King swam at incredible speed. On its back, a wooden house sat perfectly stable.
"The next island should be Banaro Island!" Nami declared to the group with unwavering confidence, holding up a map of Paradise.
"Are you sure, Nami?" Ryuuto asked, skeptical.
Just yesterday, Nami had nearly led them straight into the Marine G-2 Base. It was only thanks to Ryuuto's quick thinking that he had commanded Mohmoo to change course just before they were spotted.
Looking at the several islands already crossed out on the map...
'Is Nami just charging ahead based on gut feeling?' Ryuuto wondered. He glanced at her again, and seeing her confident expression, he chose to trust her.
"Nami, you've already led us down the wrong path twice. Are you sure about this?" Hancock said irritably.
Her exquisite face darted between the map and Nami, unable to hide an expression of utter suspicion.
"Trust me, we're almost there!" Nami said, feigning composure. In truth, she wasn't certain either, but after eliminating two incorrect routes, the probability of finding the right one was indeed much higher.
"I'll trust you for now," Hancock tossed her beautiful hair with a haughty flick and prepared to pull Ryuuto away.
Ryuuto felt the pull from her small hand and was about to follow when he suddenly felt a force on his right arm. Nami had, at some point, cozied up to his other side.
"Hmph," Hancock glared at Nami.
Not to be outdone, Nami glared right back.
Caught in the middle, Ryuuto could only pretend he didn't notice what was happening. He quietly slipped his hands free from both of them and moved to the front of the wooden house.
The two women watched him go.
"Hancock! I've had it with you!" Nami roared, striking a fighting pose as if she were about to charge.
Hancock, completely confident in her own strength, remained unfazed. She simply stood there and watched Nami's display.
"Ah... Hah!" Nami struck a dramatic pose, then lightly poked Hancock's arm with her little hand.
"There, I'm done!" After the poke, Nami tilted her head up, tiptoed, and whistled, pretending as if nothing had happened before following Ryuuto out of the house.
"?" Hancock was completely baffled, rendered speechless by Nami's bizarre maneuver.
'Hahahahaha, I may not be able to beat you in a fight, but I can definitely outsmart you!' Though Nami's expression was calm, she was laughing hysterically on the inside. In that brief moment, she had stolen Hancock's luck.
This meant... for the next few hours, Hancock would become incredibly unlucky.
"Ah!"
Sure enough, just as Nami stepped outside, she heard Hancock's cry of surprise. Ace had been sleeping soundly on a stool, but as Hancock walked past, the stool suddenly slipped out from under him.
This caused Hancock to trip over the falling Ace. Ordinarily, with her skills, she could have easily dodged. But just then, Mohmoo came to an abrupt halt. Hancock, who had just leaped into the air, slammed her head hard against the ceiling.
"Moo," Mohmoo bellowed, signaling that an island was just ahead.
The sea cow had already started to slow down. Otherwise, at its top speed, it would have a hard time stopping and might crash into the island, which would be unpleasant.
Seeing the island faintly visible two or three kilometers away, Ryuuto felt a strong premonition.
"Mohmoo, take us over there. You stay safe out here in the open water," Ryuuto instructed.
"Why did Mohmoo stop so suddenly?" Hancock asked, rubbing her head as she came outside.
"We're about to reach an island," Ryuuto explained.
"Hmph. Let's get ashore quickly... I can't wait!"
As Ryuuto finished speaking, Ace also emerged, yawning.
As they drew closer, a small island appeared before them. But what they saw first was a massive three-masted galleon: the Saber of Xebec. This enormous ship was built by Blackbeard in Water 7, and its name, Xebec, came from his admiration for Rocks. On the mast hung a pirate flag with a unique three-skulled design.
"What a huge pirate ship!" Nami exclaimed, her eyes wide as she gazed at the colossal Saber of Xebec.
At this point, the Blackbeard Pirates were not yet famous, so besides Ryuuto, the other three did not recognize the vessel.
"Looks like we found them," Ryuuto announced.
"What? This is Teach's pirate crew?" Ace heard this and immediately launched himself onto the deck of the Saber of Xebec.
The others exchanged a look and quickly followed.
"Who's your captain? Where is he?" By the time Ryuuto, Nami, and Hancock landed on the ship, Ace had already grabbed a random pirate grunt and was interrogating him. The deck was littered with injured crewmen.
"Our captain is Blackbeard! You'll be sorry when he gets back!"
With the grunt's words, Ace finally got the answer he wanted. He tightened his grip, crushing the man's throat.
"Teach, I've finally found you," Ace said in a low voice, a ball of fire instantly erupting in his hand, revealing his turbulent emotions.
'This trip was definitely worth it,' Ryuuto thought to himself. 'But I'm sorry, Ace. I have other plans for Teach.' He recalled his original reason for accompanying Ace on this journey.
"By the way, where are Teach's officers? It's all just grunts here," Ryuuto said, walking across the deck and inspecting the Saber of Xebec.
"Officers? Teach has officers?" Ace asked, confused.
Nami and Hancock didn't have as many questions. Their focus was solely on Ryuuto; whatever he planned to do was secondary. Being by his side was what mattered most.
'He really is a man destined to be killed by the plot,' Ryuuto lamented internally. 'Charging in to find Blackbeard so recklessly, without any preparation whatsoever!'
Ryuuto then spoke up. "Blackbeard should have three main officers by now. There's the champion, Jesus Burgess. Then there's Van Augur, and the ship's doctor, Doc Q."
"Burgess has incredible strength, which he combines with powerful Armament Haki. He's not to be underestimated."
"Van Augur has the Warp-Warp Fruit, a Paramecia-type. As long as he has coordinates, he can instantly teleport himself and anything he touches to a designated location, achieving spatial jumps."
"Doc Q is the user of the Sick-Sick Fruit, another Paramecia. He can inflict serious illnesses on anyone he touches. He's also known for using explosive apples, which are hard to defend against."
As Ryuuto finished his explanation of Blackbeard's officers, Ace's heart sank. He would have been no match for those four.
'It's a good thing I'm not alone this time,' Ace thought, looking at Ryuuto, then at Hancock and Nami flanking him on either side. He couldn't help but feel a wave of relief.