The Piece of Spadille cut clean through the water, the horizon painted in soft oranges and pinks as the sun sank lower. Somewhere ahead was the Calm Belt — I could feel it. Not see it yet, but the air knew. The wind had thinned, and the usual slap of waves against the hull had softened into something too perfect. It was the kind of quiet that made your skin itch. The kind of quiet before a storm, or something worse.
Didn't matter. I wasn't one for nerves. Never had been.
I leaned against the wall of Deuce's cramped little cabin, arms crossed, watching him pace back and forth like a caged animal. He was muttering to himself, stealing glances toward the door like Ace was gonna burst through it any second.
"What's Ace doing?" Deuce finally snapped, rubbing a hand through his hair. "He said he was grabbing something from storage. That was, what, twenty minutes ago?"
I shrugged, a grin tugging at my mouth. "Told me he wanted to grab something special. Didn't say what. Wouldn't be surprised if it's something dumb."
Deuce sighed loud enough for the whole ship to hear. "Always makes us wait."
"You'll get used to it, Doc," I teased.
He shot me a look but there was a ghost of a smile under it. For all his complaining, Deuce liked Ace more than he let on. Truth be told, so did I.
A few moments passed, the only sounds the creak of wood and the far-off hum of the sea. Even the crew topside had gone quiet. Everyone felt it — the weight of what came next.
Deuce broke the silence. "Hey… I already know about Ace's background. He told me before in Sixis. I'm just wondering — you know too?"
I gave him a single nod. "Since the day we met."
He let out a breath, a small satisfied smile curling his lips. "Good. Doesn't change anything anyway."
Then he hesitated, giving me a sideways look. "But what about you? Eighty-nine million berries on your head? That's insane. What happened?"
I raised a brow at him. "You sure you wanna know?"
Deuce snorted. "I wouldn't ask if I didn't."
With a sigh, I reached into my coat and pulled out the old, creased wanted poster I kept with me. Tossed it on the desk. The thing had seen better days — the ink faded, corners bent, but the number stood out: ₿89,000,000.
Deuce let out a low whistle. "Damn."
I followed it with an even older newspaper. One I'd grabbed before the Marines could burn every last copy. The headline screamed in bold, ugly letters: Ex-Marine Lazarus Betrays Navy, Slays Sorbet Kingdom's King.
Deuce's eyes widened. "You… killed a king?"
"King Bekori, I tell you guy before," I said, my voice low. "Ruled Sorbet Kingdom like a damn tyrant. Starved his people, ruled through fear. Marines wouldn't touch him — politics, they said. So I did what they wouldn't."
Deuce picked up the paper, eyes skimming the lines. "Says you destroyed the whole kingdom."
I scoffed. "Marine lies. I killed Bekori and his loyalists. The people weren't my enemies."
He set it down slowly. "Shit… Well, good thing you're on our side."
I cracked a grin. "I could say the same, Doc."
Another stretch of silence. Not awkward — more like the kind of quiet that settles between people who've decided they trust each other.
Then Deuce spoke again, voice a little softer. "Y'know… you told me something big. I should tell you one too."
I glanced over. "Yeah?"
"My grandparents were from Ohara."
That made me pause. Even a bastard like me knew that name. Ohara — the island of scholars. The island the World Government wiped off the map. I straightened, my grin fading.
"No shit."
Deuce nodded, a small, almost sad smile on his face. "Yeah. Before the Navy came. They left a few years before it happened. Settled somewhere quiet. But they never stopped teaching me. I grew up on their stories — about lost kingdoms, ancient secrets, how much of our history's been buried or twisted."
He gave a little shrug. "I guess I wanna be like them. Not just see the world, but understand it. Learn its real history. The truth. And write it down. Make sure it survives, no matter what."
I gave a low whistle. "Didn't take you for a scholar, Doc."
He laughed. "Yeah, well… I wear a mask. Gotta keep some mystery."
Before I could reply, the door burst open like a cannon shot. Ace came swaggering in, grinning like he'd just robbed a Marine treasury, hauling a big wooden barrel under one arm.
I pushed off the wall. "You planning to barrel us, Ace?"
He set it down with a loud thud. "Nah — this is important."
Deuce frowned. "Like what?"
"A barrel foot ritual," Ace announced like we should already know.
Deuce blinked. "A what?"
"It's a pirate tradition," Ace said, his grin so wide it was contagious. "Before a crew crosses into the Grand Line or does something big, they gather around a barrel, each put a foot on it, and declare their dream. No stepping down until everyone's said theirs. Then, together, we lower our feet and seal it. It's a pirate vow."
I smirked. "Didn't figure you for the sentimental type."
Ace shrugged. "Even pirates need traditions. And we're founders, damn it — let's make this official."
Deuce rolled his eyes but couldn't hide a grin. "Alright, fine. I'm in."
"Same," I said, moving in.
Ace stepped up first, planting one foot on the barrel's weathered surface. "I'm Portgas D. Ace. My dream is to become a famous pirate — one so great, the whole damn world knows my name and acknowledges me. I won't stop until I'm standing at the top."
Deuce went next. "I'm Masked Deuce. My dream's to explore the world — every island, every sea, meet every kind of person. But more than that… I wanna be like my grandparents. Learn about this world. Its real history. The truth buried under centuries of lies. And write it down, record our journey, leave behind a book the whole world will read one day."
Then it was my turn.
I stepped forward, setting my boot beside theirs. "I'm Lazarus. My dream's to meet someone… and find a world where peace's more than a damn bedtime story. I don't know if it exists yet — but I'll tear apart every sea to find it."
For a long moment, we stood like that — feet on the barrel, our words hanging heavy in the small cabin. Outside, the wind picked up, rattling the shutters. The ship groaned like it knew what we'd just done.
Ace grinned. "Alright, boys — together now."
And as one, we lowered our feet to the floor.
"To the Spade Pirates!" Ace called.
"To the Spade Pirates!" Deuce and I shouted.
In that instant, I felt it — like the world shifted a little, a new story starting right here, in this room, with us.