The allied fleet slowly advanced toward the borders of Pilurka.
As expected, the journey was anything but peaceful.
Pilurka's outposts and patrol fleets kept appearing one after another, like sharks drawn by the scent of blood.
People often said that speed was everything in war.
In an age where even single-masted sailing ships struggled against the wind, that saying clearly didn't apply.
Ritter had once heard stories about ancient Spartan armies smashing into each other in tightly packed formations.
Looking at the alliance formed by the Twenty Kings, he couldn't help but feel it was the same thing.
They were practically announcing to the world:
"We're coming to attack you. Get ready."
As for Ritter?
He was the perfect example of someone who showed up to work without actually working.
The professional slacking techniques he had mastered under countless bosses in his previous life had somehow remained useful even in the world of One Piece.
Whenever a small Pilurka vanguard force appeared, the Marines would immediately prepare for battle.
Meanwhile, Ritter would casually lean against the railing with Black Tide resting on his shoulder.
"Not bad."
"Pilurka's gunboats actually look pretty stylish."
"Look at that paint job."
"Way better than your boring gray Marine ships."
Then he glanced down at the girl in his arms.
"Hey, little one, you hungry?"
To be honest, Ritter's biggest concern had always been his vice-captain.
He looked at the calm girl quietly eating snacks in his arms.
Then he remembered the fragile state she had been in when she first escaped the city.
Compared to then, she was unbelievably stable now.
And somehow, imagining what she might become in the future gave him a headache.
Ritter pinched her cheeks between his thumb and forefinger.
"Little one."
"Promise me you'll stay like this, okay?"
"Don't learn from me."
"I'm not exactly a good example."
The dutiful girl slowly produced a confused look.
A giant question mark practically appeared over her head.
Then she casually stuffed a small cake into Ritter's mouth.
Ritter immediately gave up.
"...You know what?"
"As long as you're happy."
The girl nodded.
She didn't understand.
But she approved.
Then she continued eating.
Gars rubbed his temples helplessly.
"Ritter."
"We're here to fight a war."
"Not sightsee."
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
Ritter waved lazily.
"I'm studying enemy tactics."
"Know your enemy, know yourself."
"Win a hundred battles."
"You guys go first."
"I'll provide strategic support from the rear."
The result?
The Marines fought fiercely on the front lines.
Ritter stood nearby with folded arms, happily watching the show.
Occasionally, stray cannon fire flew toward him.
Before it could even get close, the blood mist surrounding him silently erased it.
When they encountered heavily fortified coastal defenses, Admiral Mazal prepared to personally lead the assault.
Ritter immediately called out:
"Easy there, Big Red Tiger."
"Let the rookies get some experience."
"They need to see real combat."
"If you Admirals keep charging in first every time, when are they supposed to grow?"
The veins on Mazal's forehead nearly burst.
"Fog Lord!"
"If you keep neglecting your duties like this, don't blame me for being rude!"
Ritter looked utterly innocent.
"Neglecting my duties?"
"I'm training the future pillars of the Marines."
"I'm sacrificing so much for their development."
Using "training the next generation" and "observing enemy tactics" as excuses, Ritter effortlessly drove both Gars and Mazal crazy.
The worst part?
Neither of them could actually do anything about it.
So they endured.
As for the royal representatives...
They remained hidden at the rear of the fleet, watching Ritter's shameless laziness through telescopes.
Their teeth were grinding so hard they nearly cracked.
Yet none of them dared complain.
Surprisingly, Im never interfered much with Ritter's slacking.
The figure in white occasionally appeared atop the flagship.
Quietly observing the battlefield below.
Like a detached spectator.
Watching Ritter's seemingly lazy behavior.
Watching the Marines' rigid but effective tactics.
Watching the royal representatives panic themselves sick in the rear.
Ritter sometimes looked at the Marines risking their lives at the front.
A trace of regret would flash through his eyes.
Late at night, when the fleet anchored to rest and only the sound of waves remained, Im would occasionally appear silently at the bow of Ritter's ship.
Ritter would usually be sitting there with a bottle of liquor.
Drinking beneath the moon.
Never surprised by Im's arrival.
One night, Im finally spoke.
"Your control over power is unusual."
"It is neither a simple Devil Fruit ability nor a purely Haki-based system."
Ritter took a swig of alcohol and grinned.
"What?"
"Interested in my techniques?"
"Wanna learn?"
"I can teach you."
"Fair price."
"No scams."
"Guaranteed results."
"Tuition fee is only six billion."
Im's white mask turned toward him.
Then...
Silence.
Ritter blinked.
Wait.
Is this old guy actually considering it?
No way.
After a long pause, Im finally responded.
"...No need."
"I'm merely curious."
"Where does the path you've chosen ultimately lead?"
Ritter laughed.
His crimson eyes gleamed beneath the moonlight.
"Who knows?"
"But it'll definitely take me farther than those idiots who spend their lives hiding behind their ancestors' achievements and waving their bloodlines around like trophies."
"Power should be earned."
"One punch."
"One battle."
"One step at a time."
"That's the only power worth trusting."
"Don't you agree?"
Im didn't answer.
But somehow...
The silence itself felt like agreement.
Another night, Ritter narrowed his eyes toward the distant lights along Pilurka's border.
Then suddenly asked:
"Hey."
"You've mobilized twenty kings and the elite forces of the early Marines."
"Is this really just about some unfinished false god?"
"The more I look at it..."
"The more it feels like you're trying to silence someone."
"Like you're terrified Pilurka might reveal something that shouldn't be revealed."
Im remained quiet for a long time.
Then finally replied:
"Knowing too much would not benefit the fragile balance of cooperation between us."
"Fine, fine."
"Keep your secrets."
Ritter shook his bottle.
"I don't really care."
"When we reach Pilurka's capital, everybody can grab whatever they want."
"The harder you try to hide something..."
"The more valuable it probably is."
"So don't blame me if I happen to steal the thing you want most."
Im's response was immediate.
"As you wish."
"I do not care."
Ritter casually dropped a name.
"The Brain-Brain Fruit?"
Silence.
Then:
"You know quite a lot."
Those conversations beneath the moonlit bow of the ship were strange.
There was no trust between them.
Not really.
It was something else.
A mutual attraction between powerful individuals.
Ritter admired that Im wasn't the tyrannical monster he had imagined.
He admired that despite possessing terrifying power, Im still pursued military achievements and genuine authority.
He sought legitimacy through accomplishments rather than bloodline alone.
That part resonated with Ritter.
And Im, in turn, seemed to appreciate Ritter as well.
He admired Ritter's intelligence.
His vision.
His boldness.
Sometimes Im would catch Ritter looking at him with an expression that almost seemed... regretful.
As if seeing untapped potential.
Perhaps that had been Im's intention all along.
Perhaps it was simply honest recognition.
Either way, Im also seemed fascinated by Ritter's way of living.
Chaotic on the surface.
Yet always driven by a clear goal.
Backed by strength powerful enough to support that freedom.
A kind of purity.
The purity of someone who followed his own path without compromise.
Between two people who understood strength, ambition, and the weight of the world...
A strange sense of mutual understanding began to emerge.
Like vines growing silently through the darkness.
Slowly.
Quietly.
Taking root.
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