Chapter 2: The Incubus of the Seas · Riven D. Dante
On the docks, the crew all laughed at the commotion, including Roger, Rayleigh, and Jabba.
"What the hell?!"
Even though he didn't know how this sudden brat knew the name of the great Lord Buggy, it didn't stop him from feeling extremely displeased at this overly familiar behavior.
"Do I know you? You come up and just go sa-shi-buri da na~?"
Turning red with anger, Buggy mimicked Dante's laughing mannerisms with exaggerated expression, his performance so vivid it had Shanks clutching his stomach in laughter.
Their crewmates around them also couldn't help but burst out laughing, arms around each other's shoulders.
"Don't say it like that, Buggy!"
Thick-skinned as ever, Riven D. Dante showed not a shred of fear facing a ship full of the New World's top monsters. His smile didn't waver:
"My Observation Haki doesn't lie. We're definitely going to be good friends one day."
With long black hair that nearly reached his waist, Dante's face still carried youthfulness, but traces of handsomeness were already clear. His infectious grin spread easily.
His bare upper body carried faint scars and lines of muscle, clad only in simple military-style pants and boots, with no accessories except for the luggage slung over his shoulder.
Hearing this, the first mate, the Dark King Rayleigh, narrowed his long eyes.
"So young, and he's already awakened Observation Haki? And it seems to be a very special type."
"Like… Ledfield, perhaps?"
Roger, intrigued, joined in, walking over to lean on the ship's railing and grinning down at the long-haired brat on the pier.
"Oi! Brat! What are you here for?"
"Of course it's to join you guys!"
Knowing full well the personalities of these top-level monsters, Dante answered with a smile.
Call him: The Incubus of the Seas, Riven D. Dante!
"Brat, why must you get on our ship?" The man who would hide the great treasure at the end of the Grand Line—the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger smiled at the boy in front of him.
For this question, Dante happened to know the perfect answer:
"Hahahahaha… of course, it's to turn this world upside down!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
Hearing those childish words from Dante, Roger and Rayleigh were stunned for a moment. Then they looked at each other—and both burst into roaring laughter.
They were reminded of their own beginnings, when they had said the exact same thing.
In this boy, they saw a reflection of their younger selves.
"Hahahaha! If you're not afraid of death, then get on board!" Roger, always free-spirited, waved his hand grandly, agreeing to Dante's request just from gut feeling alone.
Rayleigh, unusually, didn't question it.
He simply allowed his captain's whims.
But Jabba and the others nearby didn't quite get it. "Oi, Captain, our ship's starting to look like a daycare for brats."
"With a willful captain like ours, what else can we do~" some of the crewmates shrugged helplessly, though ultimately accepting it.
In the Roger Pirates, everyone shared one understanding:
Day to day, it was all laughter, drinking, and fooling around. But once the captain made a decision, every crew member followed it without question.
That was the charisma of Gol D. Roger.
Watching this scene, Dante thought to himself: No wonder even Golden Lion Shiki was bewitched by this man—his charisma was simply off the charts.
And just like that
Riven D. Dante successfully joined the Pirate King's ship as an apprentice.
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Once, back when he was just a grunt under Rocks, an old man named Kieck had survived the crew's collapse at the hands of Roger and Garp. Returning to his hometown, he became the town mayor.
He had dreamed of raising a monster like Whitebeard or Golden Lion to lead him to glory.
But now, returning home, he found his house looking like it had been robbed, and a farewell note on the table.
He froze in silence—then exploded.
"ROGER, you mother*****!!"
---
Meanwhile, Dante watched the coastline fade into the distance. On the shore, a figure seemed to be hopping up and down.
Even though his innate Observation Haki wasn't enough to reach that far, his sharp eyesight told him
it was the old mayor.
"Oi! Goodbye then! I'll take care of myself!"
Seeing the old man bouncing around in farewell, Dante thought it was reluctance to part. He waved his arms wildly in return, tears glimmering in his eyes.
After all, they had lived together for nine years. Even raising a dog that long would bring feelings.
"He was always so strict… but in the end, when I'm leaving, he finally shows some kindness… Old man, you bastard…"
Dante's exaggerated waving caught Shanks and Buggy's attention. Seeing Dante's sadness, the two fellow apprentices came over and patted his shoulder.
"Don't be sad! From now on, we're your family and your brothers!" Shanks said with an honest smile.
"A man of the sea doesn't cry so easily, you brat…" Buggy snapped, though his words carried hidden warmth.
Only Rayleigh, sipping his drink nearby, twitched the corner of his mouth and gave a strange look at this "old-era version of the Three Brats."
With his Observation Haki that could cross the Calm Belt without getting lost, it was easy for him to sense what the old man on shore was really shouting.
It was something like:
"Damn you, Roger! Not only killing me, but breaking my heart—YOU ##…!!"
…Something about someone's mother too.
But since it was a new crewmate's relative, Rayleigh decided not to intervene, pretending he hadn't heard a thing.
"ROGER, YOU #@**#! DAMN IT… Oi! Dante! Remember to wear a shirt! Don't catch a cold!!"
Old Kieck roared through clenched teeth, wiping away the tears in his eyes as he watched the Oro Jackson vanish into the sunset.
---
The days passed, the sun and moon rotating, the sea breeze gentle.
In just a few days—
To be honest, even with mental preparation, life on the seas was even more boring than Dante had expected.
Endless blue horizons, Sea Kings that surfaced only to be knocked out by Conqueror's Haki, constant banquets, and endless cleaning.
If not for having two buddies to chat and joke with, Dante thought he might actually go insane.
"Oi, Dante, why are you slacking again?! Lying on my bed?!"
The cabin door slammed open.
Buggy, just finished cleaning the deck, stormed in, grabbing Dante by the collar, yelling with his sharp teeth bared.
"Don't take it so seriously, Buggy. I'll pay you some hard-work fees, how about that?"
Swaying by the collar, Dante didn't care about Buggy's attitude. Instead, he pulled a few Berries from his pocket and shoved them into Buggy's.
Seeing Buggy's eyes light up with greed, Dante straightened his shirt with a smirk. Honestly, Buggy was the only one on this ship who acted like a "real" pirate—greedy, cunning, yet loyal.
Every time Dante paid him a little money, Buggy could be appeased.
That way, Dante could sneak in the occasional nap.
Just then, a young voice came from outside the cabin:
"Dante! Buggy! Time for training!"
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