I left Luffy and Koby in charge of giving the newcomers a tour of Heartless Island.
When Charles saw the name carved into the makeshift sign at the entrance — Heartless Island — he gave me a very strange look.
I simply pointed at Luffy with my chin.
Luffy was already laughing, proud of the reaction from the crewmates who hadn't seen the sign yet.
"It's Jordan's kingdom, his own island! Hahaha!"
Charles sighed… then understood.
"Well, it's awesome to have an island with your name on it," he added with a playful grin, joining Luffy in the joke.
Seeing the Heartless walking around freely on the island completely shocked Elise and Kazuki.Sure, they'd seen one or two aboard the ship before…
But now they saw dozens of dark creatures with blue eyes wandering about — some playing with small local mammals, others patrolling silently around the small hamlet, which had expanded to about fifteen houses.
Kazuki stared for a long moment."
Pinch me… is this what the paper meant when it talked about creatures appearing from nowhere?" she asked, clearly disturbed by the island's strange harmony despite all these monsters.
Elise nodded, just as uneasy, before being whisked away by Koby, who started showing her around. Meanwhile, Sanji pulled Kazuki along to do the same.
Meanwhile, Merry, now capable of leaving the ship thanks to her evolution, happily jumped onto the sand.She grabbed Nami's hand, and Nami took her to visit her family.
When they reached the house, they found Hachi and Belmére chatting cheerfully next to a pile of newspapers. But they fell silent the moment they saw Nami and Merry.
Smiling, they led them inside to join Nojiko and Jerry.
A little further away, Usopp and Kaya disappeared far too quickly into the house assigned to them.The door closed behind them with suspicious speed and silence.I simply smiled, realizing that Usopp and Kaya were about to… strengthen their bond.Let's just hope Kaya doesn't get too rough with her new personality.
Then I followed the path I knew by heart.
My house was built a little apart from the hamlet — not even a kilometer away, but far enough to offer peace and a cute, flowered setting.
As I entered, I saw Hector sitting at the table, peacefully sipping a cup of lemongrass tea, while Granny Heartless sat across from him — upright like a pillar, eyes sharp despite her age.
On the floor, Léa was babbling joyfully. She clapped her hands, fascinated by a small black kitten with blue eyes, playing with a ball of yarn beside her.I was honestly impressed by how the shadows could change form — the kitten was one, but it looked no different from a real cat.
Suddenly, Léa turned toward me.Her eyes lit up.She began crawling toward me with all her strength — clumsy, but determined.
"Dadan… dadan…"I couldn't help but laugh.I knelt and scooped her into my arms.She immediately snuggled against me, clutching my coat as if I might disappear.My heart tightened.
Hector looked up from his tea."Welcome back, Jordan."Granny Heartless gave me a soft smile and nodded, as if she had been waiting for me forever.
"I'm back," I said, sitting across from her, while the kitten climbed up my leg to settle on my shoulder, where Léa continued watching it while still clutching my coat.
Eventually, Hector stood."I'll leave you three alone.It's been a long time since you've just… been here."He patted my shoulder and left, closing the door behind him.
The evening light filtered in through the window.Léa fell asleep against me, and Granny went off to bed.
Family and good health… what more could I ask for? I thought, as I laid down in bed with Léa in her crib beside me — the kitten curled up next to her.
The next morning, I was woken in the most brutal — and predictable — way possible.Merry literally jumped on me.
"OOF—"
I bolted halfway up, still groggy, just in time to see little Merry laughing her head off before bouncing off the bed again.She landed softly on the floor, then turned her head… like she was checking something.
I followed her gaze.Beside me, Léa was already awake.Sitting up straight like a little statue, she stared at me with intense curiosity, head slightly tilted.I smiled and gently picked her up.
"Good morning, you."She immediately grabbed my collar, let out a happy sound, and pressed her forehead against my chest.
After a quiet breakfast with Granny — hot tea, warm bread, a comforting silence — I left the house with Léa in my arms.She watched everything around her, fascinated by the Heartless wandering along the path.
We arrived at Belmére's home.
She greeted me with her usual sincere smile, then immediately placed a small notebook in my hands.
"Take a look."
I flipped through it.
Six pages.No more.But everything was there.The full story of Cocoyashi.Arlong's arrival.The fish-men pirates imposing their rule.The tax to stay alive.The daily fear.Lowered eyes.Resignation.And the fall.
Clearly… romanticized.Our crew was portrayed as liberators emerging from the sea, defeating Arlong's pirates and restoring freedom to the village — with no mention of the Heartless.
I closed the notebook without commenting."Have you thought about distribution?" I asked.Belmére smiled, almost mischievously.
"Already done.You're not the only one who can travel between islands, you know.
I've seen Heartless take my newspapers… vanish… and return with a few Berries in exchange. Not that I really need them here."She burst out laughing.
Léa, in my arms, smiled at her beloved aunt's joy, waving her tiny hands happily.
I looked around."Have you seen Nami?"Belmére shook her head.
"You'd better head to the training ground.
I heard about your new crewmate… the ex-Marine.We had a long talk last night."
She paused, then added with unexpected seriousness: "And after some thought… we figured out an official story to tell people about your ability to create dungeons."
I tensed slightly. Out of reflex, I activated my Observation Haki, checking for any unwanted presence nearby.
"Really?I'm listening."
Belmére crossed her arms, confident."You fought Sora alongside Garp, with all your showmanship.
All we need to say is that you got this power from Sora. And like Nami noticed, everything she obtains just appears in her hands — and you're the only one who sees the reward messages, according to what she told me."
I nodded slowly.
"That works out well," I said. "I've got some teammates to gear up — accessories, weapons, upgrades — before we move forward in our journey.
And with our resident instructor…"I let the sentence hang, a knowing smile on my lips."…we can become even stronger."
Belmére smiled back.Léa babbled softly as Belmére took her from my arms and accompanied me to the training ground — where everyone was already gathered. Really, everyone.
Usopp hugged me tightly, crying."Thank you for the gift, Jordan! Without it, she would've…" he stammered, panicked — then froze as a hand landed on his shoulder.
Kaya, in her bunny form, looked at him with an adorably sweet expression."What are you talking about, darling Usopp?" she said, dragging him away under the amused gaze of everyone present.
"Nami, I'm not sure if you told everyone about my ability?" I asked.
Seeing me with Belmére, she understood I was fine with her version.
"Yes, everyone knows. And Charyzax has agreed to train the others during dungeon sessions," she said with a smile.
"Alright then, like Nami said, I can open dungeons and get items… but it's still dangerous,
" I said, glancing at Kazuki, Elise, Kaya, and Charles."So when we're inside, safety is the priority — we can only enter in groups of three."
Timeskip – One month later
That month was intense.I spent most of my time farming Heartless, opening and clearing dungeons, while regularly checking on the state of the other islands.
Belmére's newspapers had spread throughout East Blue — or at least, everywhere a lock had been opened.
By the end of the month, I had successfully fully equipped our four companions.I had also gathered an impressive number of accessories: rings, pendants...
Even though everyone made one shared decision:to wear at least one Apprentice Ring, to make their training more effective.
I had mainly farmed the Deep Jungle, especially for the Fang of the Beast, whose effects turned out to be invaluable.The results exceeded my expectations.
Ironically, Kaya turned out to be one of the biggest surprises.
She acquired skills inspired by colossal primates: magical claws, similar to Usopp's arrows, and primitive martial arts.With her Zoan's agility and the brute force of her strikes, her claws were far from harmless.
Kazuki obtained a pair of daggers and a type of wind magic far more advanced than mere gusts.She could now increase her speed, glide through the air, and even fly briefly by fusing this magic with her Devil Fruit — literally slicing through the wind.
She also mastered Aero Blade, enchanting her daggers to give them a terrifying sharpness.
As for Charles, he earned the recognition of a Guardian Armor.He received a full-body armor reminiscent of the Guardian Armor itself, greatly enhancing both his defense and physical strength.He also obtained a battle axe from Alice's dungeon.
No special abilities —but a solid, reliable base for a frontline fighter.
For Elise, we discovered an entirely new use for her fruit.When she acquired her first potion, and later an ether, something shifted.
he developed two unique abilities:she could now brew potions and ethers directly through her fruit, in exchange for stamina.No weapons for her —but she unlocked an extra accessory slot, reinforcing her role as support.
Luffy, Zoro, and Kuina worked tirelessly on their Armament Haki.It had now stabilized.All that remained was to strengthen it.
Sanji showed signs of awakening —but true to himself, he chose to focus first on mastering his Devil Fruit.
At the end of this month of intensive training, one conclusion became clear:everyone had made progress in Observation Haki.
Not spectacular for all, but enough to cross an essential threshold.Each of them could now perceive a personal space of about two meters — an invisible, instinctive bubble that warned of danger before it even appeared.A subtle, yet vital improvement.
Unsurprisingly, the one who excelled in this training was Usopp.For him, Observation Haki seemed almost natural.He didn't just sense hostile presences:
he could detect the movement of an insect over a hundred meters away, notice the slightest shift in the air, anticipate a trajectory before it even formed.Even Zoro was left speechless.And coming from him, that meant a lot.
When I returned to inspect the cave beneath the Red Line, I immediately realized the work had progressed far faster than expected.
Krieg's Heartless and his pirates had completed the task.The wall had been fully breached, replaced by a massive tunnel nearly five hundred meters long — wide, stable, rough, but functional.
The stone still bore the marks of thousands of impacts, as if the mountain itself had been relentlessly hammered.
And it wasn't surprising.Krieg had devoured the enhancement of a CP0 member, integrating a portion of his strength and discipline.
Even his Heartless pirates now showed traces of Haki on their blades — imperfect, unstable, but undeniably real.
And most importantly…they hadn't taken a single break in an entire month.No fatigue.No hesitation.No slowdown.
An army of shadows, working tirelessly, until the Red Line finally gave way.
I stood silently for a moment, taking in the scale of what had been achieved.
"Let's wrap this up — and I'll even monogram the entrance with our flag," I said with a smile, transforming into my full beast form.Reinforcing my fangs with Haki, I dug a small five-meter alcove for Krieg to settle in and monitor anyone passing through.
(Author's note: I finished writing this Sunday at 11 p.m., so sorry for the delay — I would've normally translated and posted it Monday. Attached are two bonus images ^^)