The Blue-Eyed Pirates maneuvered through the dense, oppressive foliage of the forest, retracing their path to the secluded port where they had anchored their vessel earlier. The alien flora of the Grand Line seemed to conspire against them, with towering, gnarled trees and pulsating vegetation swaying in a rhythmic, hypnotic dance to obscure their vision, just as they had during their initial passage.
"We no longer have the luxury to goof around," Gojo exhaled sharply, his voice cutting through the humid air. In a blur of motion, his silhouette dissolved and reappeared further ahead, leaving no tangible trace as he cleaved through the obstructive thicket with ruthless efficiency.
A sudden, unnatural fog began to coalesce, structuring itself into a brief visual barrier before it was violently dispelled—disenchanted by a wave of Gojo's hand, erasing the obstruction in a flash.
Swoosh!
His figure materialized several meters ahead of his crewmates.
"That was fast," Ryuken remarked, a note of admiration in his tone.
"Jake, we need to reach the port immediately and set a direct course for Water 7," Gojo stated, his usual levity replaced by focused urgency.
"Now that's what I'm talking about. Let's get the fun started," Jake grinned, cracking his knuckles.
They advanced with exacting precision, navigating the final stretch of wilderness toward their hidden cove. However, an unforeseen incident erupted just as the tree line broke, utterly catching them off guard.
A marine warship, imposing and stark against the horizon, lay anchored directly beside their stolen vessel. Aboard their own ship stood a Vice Admiral, his posture rigid with authority.
"Wha—"
A contingent of marines, strapped with advanced firearms, instantly leveled their ammunition at the trio as they emerged from the forest's edge.
"Marines? No—pirates!" The vice Admiral uttered, his gaze locking onto Gojo. "Gojo Satoru, kindly surrender peacefully, and I won't lay a finger on you or your friends."
"Is there a genuine need to escort me to Impel Down?" Gojo chuckled, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Didn't you peruse the newspaper, vice-san? If your organization is so intrigued by the prospect of my custody, why not construct a prison stronger than Impel Down? Accomplish that, and I might consider turning myself in."
"I'll enlighten you, pirate: this is the Grand Line, not the East Blue. You will die here. Fire!" The Vice Admiral roared.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A hailstorm of bullets erupted. Ryuken's blade was a silver streak as he parried the projectiles with preternatural skill, while Jake deftly returned fire with his pistol, each shot deflecting an oncoming round.
"Your head is mine!" The vice Admiral leaped from the deck, both fists engulfed in the deep black sheen of Armament Haki, aiming to conclude the conflict with a single, annihilating punch.
His fist collided not with flesh, but with the immutable, invisible barrier of Gojo's Infinity. The smug smile faded from the vice Admiral's lips, replaced by dawning horror.
"Get lost."
Pivoting with effortless grace, Gojo delivered a decisive kick to the man's abdomen. The impact propelled the vice Admiral upward like a discarded ragdoll before he crashed through the canopy, blood gushing from his mouth.
"We don't have time for games of tag. Why don't you all take a nap? It's beneficial for the constitution," Gojo quipped.
He hopped onto their vessel's deck; Jake and Ryuken followed close behind, having efficiently incapacitated the remaining marines with minor, non-lethal wounds.
"How were we spotted so swiftly?" Ryuken pondered, sheathing his sword.
"Can't these marines learn a thing or two from past incidents?" Jake sighed, adjusting his hat.
"Raise the sails, boys! It's time to navigate to our next destination," Gojo commanded.
With the sails unfurled, Jake took the helm, piloting the vessel onto the course indicated by the Log Pose strapped to his wrist. A faint, anticipatory smile crept onto the sniper's lips as he glanced at the trembling needle.
A gentle breeze hummed through the rigging, the sun cascading in deep gold toward the horizon while Gojo and Ryuken busied themselves with a game of dice.
"Hehe, that's my fourth consecutive win, Ryu."
"One more round. I will not lose again," Ryuken insisted, a competitive smile visible on his lips. The crew had persevered through the antithetic chaos of the East Blue and now found themselves sailing the very waters once charted by the Pirate King.
"Ryu, I've conceived a plan," Gojo announced with an evil laugh.
"Oh? Do elaborate."
"Let's conduct an experiment with the ship's cannons!"
"A brilliant notion. I'm unequivocally in."
Jake could only smile from the helm, savoring every fleeting moment of this twinkling epoch disbursed alongside his unconventional crew.
"Try not to signal our position to every marine in the vicinity, will you?"
"No need for concern on that account. I'd be delighted to send any interlopers to heaven," Gojo lamented theatrically. "Don't fret; I've been there precedently, albeit briefly. It's rather entertaining, thanks to a fellow named Toji."
"I can imagine."
With synchronized purpose, Gojo and Ryuken moved to where the cannons were stationed along the gun deck.
"Hoho, behold our arsenal," Ryuken whistled, massaging his temples with a smirk, his eagerness palpable.
"I cannot wait to commission a new ship," Gojo mused, his eyes alight. "This promises to be immensely fun."
Surveying the three batons of cannonballs lined in a respective array, the duo each stationed themselves behind a cannon.
"First, you deposit a cannonball inside…" Ryuken instructed, hefting a heavy iron sphere from the rack. 'Why is it so impossibly dense?' With measured deliberation, he rolled the orb into the gaping maw of the cannon. It settled with a definitive, grinding thud against the breached chamber, awaiting the spark that would propel it toward devastation.
Ryuken gulped, his smile unwavering. "All that remains is to ignite this powder." He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.
"On my count. Three… two… one!" He touched the match to the fuse and covered his ears.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A deafening thunderclap echoed across the water as the cannonball scorched through the air, soaring meters away in a flash before plunging into the sea.
"Incredible! Hey Gojo, did you witness that? I literally launched a cannonball!"
"My turn."
Gojo's excitement skyrocketed. He ignited his own cannon, and the resulting explosion made the very waters dance from the concussive force.
"Hey!" Jake's exasperated shout from the deck jolted the duo from their destructive revelry.
"What is the matter, Jake?" Ryuken called back.
"We've acquired a company. A pirate ship at six o'clock. I theorize they've mistaken us for a marine vessel and aspire to barrage us, believing this to be a secluded warship."
"Heh, perfect."
"How foolish of them. Let's blow them to shreds."
Jake massaged his temples, peering at the approaching pirate ship. It was smaller than the marine warship but carried a strange, ominous aura. Its flag—a grotesque, grinning skull—emanated intended menace, but to the Blue-Eyed Pirates, it was merely a curiosity.
"My apologies, unsuspecting pirates! You shall serve as our experimental lab project for the next minute."
Uncontrollable, identical grins spread across Gojo and Ryuken's faces as they swiveled their cannons, locking onto the distant vessel.
"Fire!" Gojo exclaimed.
Simultaneously, they ignited the fuses. The twin cannonballs screamed across the expanse, dismantling the pirate vessel into splintered shreds at nearly the speed of light.
"Good heavens, these two are positively cold-blooded," Jake whispered to himself, watching the wreckage get swallowed by the vast, uncaring ocean.
The duo ascended to the main deck, taking a final, satisfied glimpse at the wooden fragments submerging into the depths.
"That felt… profoundly awesome!" Ryuken whistled.
"Wasn't it?!"
Their ship gathered speed, the stolen marine "Justice" flag flapping mockingly in the wind as they navigated toward the base of the greatest shipwrights in the world.
"Water 7, indeed. I wonder what manner of island it is," Ryuken pondered aloud.
"Who in hell named it that? Does it possess seven distinct kinds of water?" Jake laughed, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye. "I sincerely hope it's entertaining."
After a period of calm sailing, their journey was interrupted by a surreal sight: a giant frog executing a perfect front crawl stroke ahead of them.
"Heh, is that… a frog?" Gojo swallowed hard, sweat streaming down his temple.
Jake rubbed his eyes vigorously. "Am I dreaming? How in the world is a frog performing the crawl stroke?" His cigarette tumbled, forgotten, from his lips.
"Jake! Follow that amphibian. Doesn't it look supremely delicious?" Gojo ordered.
Steering in pursuit of the bizarre creature, they soon found themselves veering onto submerged tracks. Their strange chase nearly ended catastrophically when a train, moving impossibly atop the water, thundered past, plumbing the depths where the frog had been moments before.
"Hey, Ryu… I don't believe I shall awaken from this strange dream. Could one of you assist in waking me?" Gojo muttered, pointing a trembling finger at the retreating sea train.
The trio stood utterly dumbfounded, their exclamation a perfect, exquisite unison:
"A SEA TRAIN?!"
------
Read 10+ chapters ahead on my patreon.
Patreon.com/Hunchovroy848