We'd been out on our shakedown cruise for about two days when the lookout's voice cut through the salty air.
"Captain! Ship sighted to the starboard bow! Small vessel, pirate flag on the mast!"
Another pirate? Already? I stood on the deck alongside Lieutenant Rapanui. "Identify the mark!"
"It's a skull with a bushy beard, sir!"
I quickly cycled through my mental encyclopedia of pirate flags. Nothing clicked. I flipped through the "Pirate Memo" I'd stayed up all night writing. Still nothing.
"Order them to heave to! A bearded skull... does anyone recognize it?"
The crew shook their heads. If nobody knew them, they were either brand new or incredibly low-threat.
"Target is not slowing down! Orders for suppressive fire?"
"Hold the cannons," I commanded. "Check with Headquarters' Intel Division first. Lieutenant, give them a warning shot. Don't hit them."
"Gahaha! Leave it to me, Captain. I do this for a living. Finger Bomb!"
Rapanui flicked a coin from his pocket with terrifying force. It whistled through the air and detonated just ahead of the pirate ship's bow, sending a massive geyser of water into the sky. Rapanui's finger strength was legendary; I'd seen him punch holes in hulls with mere pocket change.
"They've stopped," Rapanui noted with a grin. I'd asked him to teach me that move, but my coins always flew off in random, dangerous directions.
"Report from HQ!" a subordinate shouted. "The Intel Division says the ship has been spotted for a few years. No reports of looting or violence. Mostly just... fishing."
"I swear, the definition of 'pirate' gets blurrier every day. Fine, I'll go check it out myself."
"Are we arresting them?"
"There's no end to arresting low-risk fishers. I'll see what the deal is."
I crouched and launched myself into the air. Using Geppo, I kicked the sky and landed lightly on the deck of the small ship. It was quiet—too quiet.
I extended my Observation Haki, which had improved significantly over the last two years. I sensed two presences near the bottom of the ship.
I headed below deck. The cabin was lived-in; there was a meal for one on the table and a pet bowl on the floor. One person, one animal, I noted. I opened the door to the hold.
"TORYAAAAAA!"
A man lunged at me with a mop. I caught the wooden handle with my left hand and, with my right, drew my modified pistol—the "Bear Kong."
It was the heavy-caliber handgun Bear King had "gifted" me, now overhauled by the tech division. Even though I could fight unarmed, a gun was a useful universal language for "calm down."
The man was middle-aged, wearing purple-toned clothes with a red tattoo on his chest. Beside him, a strange dog—looked like a bulldog but with shorter legs and longer ears—was growling at me.
"Are you the pirate here, old man? HQ says you don't have a bounty." I let go of the mop.
"That's right... What's a Marine want with me?"
"You're flying a skull and crossbones. That's usually a hint."
"Hmph..."
"Look, I'm just doing a routine check. Name and purpose of travel?"
"I'm Schneider. This is my partner, Buzz."
"Awoo!" the dog barked.
"We're heading to the next island for supplies."
"By 'supplies,' do you mean 'raiding towns'?"
"No! I don't do that! I buy my food with honest money!"
"Then why the flag? And how long has it been up?"
"Three years. I fly it to keep the real pirates away. It's a deterrent."
"A pirate repellent. Makes sense. Mind if I search the hold?"
"Grrr... you won't just confiscate my stuff, will you?"
"Depends on what you're hiding."
Schneider sighed. "Fine. We found something on the last island we visited." He dragged a small treasure chest from the shadows.
"Archaeology?"
"Better. Look." He opened the lid.
"No way... a Devil Fruit?!"
There it was. A fruit covered in those unmistakable, swirling spiral patterns. The mystical fruit that grants superhuman power at the cost of being hated by the sea. I'd seen one before, but this one was a different shape and color.
"I thought about eating it," Schneider muttered, "but I don't know what it does. Then I thought about selling it, but I don't have the connections."
"Having that on a small boat like this is a death sentence if word gets out," I said.
"That's why... look, Marine. Why don't you take it? I can't sell it without getting ripped off or killed."
Buzz the dog sniffed at the box, looking hungry.
"Hey! Back off, Buzz! We don't even know if animals can eat these things."
"If I take this officially, it could be worth 100 million Berries," I noted.
"Whoa, that much? Look, I don't need that much trouble. Just give me a fair price and get it off my hands."
I rubbed my chin. When in doubt, consult the boss. I reached into my bag and pulled out the heavy-duty Transponder Snail Admiral Sengoku had given me for the mission.
"Admiral Sengoku? Do you have a moment, sir?"
"Krieg? Is it an emergency?"
"Not exactly, sir. I've encountered a pirate who wants to hand over a Devil Fruit to the Navy."
"A pirate giving up a Fruit? Why?"
"He says he's afraid to eat it and afraid to keep it. He wants a safe way out."
"Is he a wanted man? What's his name?"
"Schneider. Flag is a bearded skull. Intel says he's a fisher, basically."
"The 'Dog-Walker'...? Ah, I remember him. He's harmless. There are bigger fish to fry. Put him on the line."
He actually remembers a no-name fisher pirate? Terrifying, I thought as I handed the receiver to a stunned Schneider.
The two talked for a few minutes. Schneider eventually handed the receiver back with a massive, relieved grin.
"Krieg," Sengoku's voice came through. "I've purchased it using my personal discretionary fund. Do what you want with it. Eat it, give it to a subordinate, or if you plan to sell it, send it back to HQ."
"Sir?! You didn't have to do that! I could have—"
"It cost 96 million Berries. Do you have that in your pocket? I didn't think so. Take it as a promotional gift. I'm investing in your future."
"Thank you, sir. I won't let you down."
"Any other reports?"
"The cruise is going smoothly. We'll return in five days as scheduled."
"Good. Stay sharp. Out."
The connection cut.
"96 million? Not a bad haul, old man," I said.
"He's paying me 500,000 Berries a month for the rest of my life," Schneider beamed. "It's safer than a lump sum. Though he did tell me to take down the flag..."
And just like that, I was the owner of a new Devil Fruit.
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