Ace soared into the air, his body morphing into flames as he landed lightly on the rocket ship tied behind the Going Merry.
With a snap of his fingers, the rope ignited and burned clean through. Ace looked up at everyone on the ship, laughing warmly.
"I'm really glad to see Luffy has such loyal crewmates by his side.
Shirogai, even though we fought, I'm grateful Luffy has someone as resourceful as you watching his back.
With such a reckless little brother, an older brother can't help but worry.
He probably causes you all a lot of trouble with his foolishness."
The crew nodded in unison, their faces full of shared exasperation.
"He really is a fool," they all chimed. "It's exhausting sometimes."
Luffy frowned, looking hurt.
"Hey!"
Shirogai smiled faintly and spoke up.
"Ace, keep an eye on Teach.
The Dark-Dark Fruit he ate isn't your average Logia.
He has the power to extract Devil Fruits from users.
If he gets hold of someone, they'll lose their ability completely."
Ace's eyes grew serious.
"Thanks for the heads-up.
Honestly, if we hadn't fought, I might've gone straight for him without thinking.
I could've walked right into a trap."
Luffy's voice trembled with reluctance.
"Ace, can't you stay just a bit longer?"
Ace shook his head gently.
"No can do, Luffy. We've all got our own crews and our own paths now.
I have to hunt down Teach, that traitor who killed one of our own."
He turned toward his younger brother, no longer a tag-along child but a man charting his own course. Waving cheerfully, Ace smiled.
"Luffy! I'm happy you're living freely out here.
The next time we meet… it'll be as true pirates at the peak of our strength.
See you then!"
Luffy raised his arm high, grinning ear to ear.
"Ace, take care! We'll meet again!"
Ace's eyes lingered briefly on Shirogai. He gave him a slight nod.
Shirogai returned a calm smile.
Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on that idiot for you.
"Goodbye, everyone!"
Flames ignited beneath Ace's feet, rocketing the small ship forward with explosive speed. Water blasted from the stern as the rocket boat shot off across the sea, quickly disappearing into the distance.
"Whoa! That tiny ship's so fast!"
Usopp watched with awe. Then he turned to Shirogai, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Shirogai, you should build one too! That thing looks awesome!"
Shirogai chuckled, a faint interest in his eyes.
"Sure. Someday. I don't have the materials right now."
In truth, he was already considering constructing a solo ship powered by the Flame Flame Fruit or perhaps even the Smoke Fruit.
With such a vessel, Shirogai could travel alone to pursue personal goals.
For instance, he could quietly visit Marineford and observe the abilities of the top-ranking Marines.
Thanks to the [Whisper-Whisper Fruit] and the [Imitation (Clone) Fruit], his presence could go undetected.
Marineford was, in essence, a banquet of power.
There he could find the current Fleet Admiral Sengoku and his Human-Human Fruit: Buddha Model.
The Admirals—Akainu with the Magma-Magma Fruit, Kizaru with the Glint-Glint Fruit, Aokiji with the Ice-Ice Fruit—and future Admiral Fujitora with the Gravity Fruit.
He might even study Vice Admiral Garp's famed "Fist of Love" and the secret techniques of other high-ranking officers.
If successful, Shirogai's strength would leap dramatically. He could then rejoin the Straw Hats or, on a whim, challenge Marineford itself—an unthinkable feat.
But all that was for later.
The first step would be crafting the rocket ship—an idea that might be possible once they reached Water 7, a city overflowing with shipbuilding materials and advanced technology.
"Everyone! We're almost at our destination!"
Vivi stood at the bow, looking ahead at the Sandora River with a complex expression.
"What we're about to do… won't be easy.
We have to cross a massive desert, pass through Alubarna, and reach Yuba, where the Rebel Army is stationed.
There, I'll try to persuade their leader, Koza, and reveal the truth behind all this."
Luffy clenched his fist with resolve.
"Great! Then let's go to Yuba and defeat their leader!"
WHACK!
Nami struck him without hesitation.
"Can you not jump to violence every time?! At least let Vivi finish!"
She turned back toward Vivi, thinking aloud.
"If everything goes smoothly, Karoo will already be delivering our letter to the palace, exposing Crocodile's plan to the King.
If that works, the King will grow cautious and try to resolve this without bloodshed.
And if Vivi can convince Koza, then this entire war can be prevented.
After that… all that's left is to deal with the Warlord of the Sea, Crocodile."
Nami grinned and nudged Shirogai, who was finishing up everyone's packed lunches.
"And if persuasion fails… well, Shirogai can force them to back down."
Shirogai placed the lunchboxes down and dusted off his hands.
"You all go. I'm staying here to guard the Going Merry."
Nami spun around, visibly alarmed.
"What? We agreed to go together!"
To her, Shirogai was the strongest among them—calm, capable, and reliable.
Far more dependable than their impulsive Captain.
Shirogai smiled gently.
"I've got things to handle too. I'll leave the Princess to you."
Vivi opened her mouth to protest but stopped.
She knew pirates didn't change their minds once set. It was pointless to argue.
Nami groaned.
"If Shirogai stays… it's just us? Seriously?"
She eyed Zoro, who looked excited at the thought of possible swordsmen in the desert.
Then she looked at Sanji, sulking because she and Vivi had changed into more modest clothing.
"If the enemy's a beautiful woman," she muttered, "he'd probably surrender on the spot."
Sanji whimpered.
"Aww… I wanted to admire Nami-san and Vivi-san's elegance!"
Chopper was already lying in the shade, his tongue hanging out from the heat.
"It's so hot… I hate deserts."
Then there was their Captain—full of energy, completely oblivious to the tension.
"Hehe! I can't wait to fight! Don't worry, Vivi, I'll punch Crocodile into the ground!"
Nami sighed in despair.
Apart from Shirogai, none of them were truly reliable.
"Hey, Nami…"
Usopp stood quietly to the side, on the verge of tears—completely ignored again.
Soon after, Luffy landed ashore and encountered a group of Kung-Fu Dugongs. He sparred with them joyfully and, unsurprisingly, ended up with a small army of them as underlings.
Usopp, on the other hand, lost miserably to one and sulked all the way back.
After a round of laughter, the crew said their goodbyes.
Luffy waved enthusiastically.
"Hehe! Shirogai, we'll meet up later!"
Usopp sobbed dramatically.
"I want to stay on the ship with you, Shirogai!"
"We're heading out!"
Zoro and Sanji nodded at Shirogai, trusting he had his reasons.
"Phew… this desert is the worst."
Chopper was already too overheated to speak clearly.
Vivi and Nami gave him one last wave.
Surrounded by Kung-Fu Dugongs, Shirogai watched his crew vanish into the vast desert.
Boom!
Black flames ignited around him—[Eternal Demonic Flames].
The intense aura startled the Dugongs. They scattered instantly.
"The Seven Warlords, huh?
Crocodile… I think it's time we met."
And just like that, Shirogai vanished.
---
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