"Baaa!!"
The ram-headed sea beast spat Buggy out in a splash of foam. Its massive jaws opened in a deafening roar as its upper body surged out of the sea, revealing its full form.
The creature stretched nearly ten meters long. Its upper half resembled a ram—thick white wool, curled horns, muscled shoulders—while its lower half shimmered with silver-blue fish scales and a powerful tailfin that churned the ocean behind it.
A textbook Sea Beast.
In this world, there was a clear distinction between Sea Beasts and Sea Kings. Sea Kings were unpredictable amalgamations—reptilian, amphibious, sometimes even avian—with grotesque, mismatched traits. Sea Beasts, however, followed a more defined logic: mammalian upper bodies, aquatic lower halves.
Such oddities were common in the Grand Line's wonders. Even though Sager knew of their existence, the first time he'd faced one, he'd still been caught off guard.
Now, this ram-headed sea beast burst through the waves again, jaws wide, lunging straight for him.
"Sager!!"
From the distance, Lily cried out, voice sharp with worry. She drew her rapier in a flash, her silhouette gliding through the water like a silver dragonfish, surging toward him.
This was her newly accepted captain—no matter what, she wouldn't let anything happen to him.
But—
"No need."
Sager's calm voice cut through the air as he suddenly shot upward in a burst of water, breaking the surface. As the beast lunged, he stepped into the sky, tapping the air beneath his feet like invisible stairs—Geppō, one of the Six Powers.
In a smooth sidestep, he evaded the incoming jaws.
Boom!!
A massive splash erupted beneath him as the sea beast crashed through the waves. Sager rose higher, feet crisscrossing in midair, climbing with fluid ease. Below him, the water churned—and from the foam, the ram's horned head reemerged, snapping toward him with jaws wide.
It was fast. Fast enough to catch most people by surprise. But as its sharp teeth closed in on Sager's descending foot—
They stopped.
Not high enough.
Sager glanced down at the charging beast, a smirk forming on his lips.
A creature this size could rival a small ship. But out here, on the open sea?
"It's just a baby sea beast."
As the fangs came within reach, Sager's legs flickered in a blur—multiple afterimages spiraled out from his limbs, scattering pale-blue arcs in the air like a rainstorm.
"Rankyaku – Storm Scatter!"
He didn't need Hokuto Shinken for this. Although the martial art allowed him to locate pressure points even in non-humans, learning to defeat creatures through nerve strikes and internal bursts...
Why bother, when you had the Six Powers?
Shhhkk! Shhhkk! Shhhkk!
"BAAAHH!!"
The blue slashes tore through the sea beast's woolly hide, carving deep wounds across its torso. Blood fanned out in vivid arcs, turning the sea pink beneath it. The creature shrieked, body twisting, and crashed back into the waves with a heavy thud.
Its body floated, unmoving.
Sager finally descended, landing lightly atop the creature's massive back.
He glanced over his shoulder.
"Hop on, Lily."
She swam to him quickly, hoisting herself onto the corpse. The seawater had soaked her completely—her golden hair clung to her neck, slick and glistening. The once-loose skirt of her dress now clung tight to her hips and thighs, accentuating long legs and the curve of her body.
And her chest… with every movement, it swayed beneath the damp fabric, her full figure trembling slightly in the evening breeze.
A true golden-haired wave.
Just sixteen…
Sager gave her a fleeting glance, then immediately looked away, clearing his throat.
"Lily. Carve some meat. We're having seafood."
Anything from the ocean counted, even if its upper body looked like a barnyard animal. And this beast's midsection—the transition from beast to fish—was prime: tender, elastic, and rich in flavor.
Lily's blade gleamed faintly in the dusk, unnaturally sharp. As she prepared to stab down into the creature's upper half, Sager spoke.
"Not there. Go for the waist. That junction between mammal and fish—the texture's perfect."
She nodded, adjusting her blade, then carved smoothly into the beast's side. A chunk of meat slid free. She tossed it to him.
Sager caught it midair, took a bite, and chewed with satisfaction.
"Mm. Succulent."
Lily cut another piece—delicate, deliberate—and instead of using her hands, she brought the sword to her lips, biting daintily.
Her eyes widened. Then—
She dove in.
There was bounce and resistance, but not toughness. Every bite was full of juicy, briny tenderness.
Before long, she was devouring it eagerly, passing more chunks to Sager between bites.
By the time they'd eaten through half the creature's flank, she finally paused, licking her lips as she stared at him.
"Sager… I don't get it."
He was still eating, seated cross-legged on the corpse, meat in hand.
"Hm?"
"You're this strong. Why do you care so much about that dream? You're a pirate—shouldn't you be aiming for the One Piece?"
He let out a long sigh.
"Because rent back home is insane."
"…What?"
She blinked.
Sager just chuckled softly.
How could he explain it? People back home were born with a yearning for land. A house. A place of your own. That dream had followed him here—only now, it burned deeper than ever.
If he'd started with land, maybe it wouldn't matter. But because he didn't… it became an obsession.
A sickness, even.
"Not mutually exclusive," he said, swallowing the last bite and clenching a fist. "If I'm a pirate, then I'll commit to it. But who says the Pirate King can't be a landlord too? I'll have both—I'll be the Pirate King and own land."
A boy says "I want everything."
But a man knows—he can't have it all.
Still…
A man stays a boy till the end.
"Let's move. We need an island to rest."
He stood up, shaking off the fatigue. "If we stay here, the blood will attract more sea beasts."
He didn't want to test his luck.
He hoisted Lily by the collar with one hand and kicked off the air, leaping skyward once more with Geppō, soaring in the direction Buggy had pointed out earlier.
He didn't trust luck.
But he trusted Buggy.
After all, the clown had helped him catch a fish—and that was worth believing in.
And this time, Buggy didn't let him down.
Night fell. Stars glittered into view. And in the distance—just as the first one appeared—Sager spotted it.
The outline of an island.
His eyes lit up.
Perfect. A place to sleep. A real place.
As they neared, Lily's brows furrowed. She pointed toward one of the landing coves.
"Sager—there's a ship."
A ship?
He followed her finger—and sure enough, a small vessel floated by the shore. A bit larger than her old rowboat, with a modest cabin and a tattered black sail. The emblem painted in white: a skull, flanked by hourglasses on both sides.
A pirate flag.
Sager narrowed his eyes and turned to the island's center—there, faintly, a fire burned.
"Well, well."
He grinned.
"Looks like we won't be sleeping under the stars tonight. Might even score some hot food... and a drink."
(End of Chapter)