"4997, 4998, 4999…"
On the deck, a girl with emerald-green eyes swung a wooden sword that matched her small frame with fierce determination.
Sweat dripped from her forehead, soaking her short, cherry-pink hair.
For the sake of her training, Sakura had specifically asked Uncle Jabba to cut her hair short.
Oh, and by the way, the wooden sword in her hands? Also crafted by Uncle Jabba.
Though Jabba kept protesting about being called "Uncle," Sakura didn't care one bit.
"5000!"
With a powerful swing, Sakura brought down her final strike, the gust of wind from her blade roaring through the air.
The breeze whipped up droplets of sweat from her hair, which fell onto the deck already drenched from her efforts.
In the distance, up on the lookout post of the Oro Jackson's mast, two young guys were watching her train.
"Ugh! That girl's messing up the deck I just cleaned!"
A boy with blue hair tucked under an orange knit cap, two short swords strapped to his waist, had a vein popping on his forehead.
"Bucky, Sakura's working hard on her training, you know," said a red-haired boy wearing a straw hat, clapping Bucky on the shoulder. "Besides, look, she's already cleaning up the deck."
"Shanks, since when did you get so chummy with her, calling her 'Sakura-chan' like that?"
Bucky shot Shanks a scornful look, then pulled down his face with his hands, mimicking Shanks' earlier serious expression.
His impression was so spot-on that Shanks, who was about to launch into some grand lecture, burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, what, are you still mad she outdrank you last night?"
Shanks adjusted his straw hat, grinning as he slung an arm around Bucky's shoulders.
"You! Said! WHAT?!"
Bucky's face turned beet red, steam practically shooting out of his red nose.
He yanked open the lookout post's door, grabbed a rope, and started sliding down.
Before he left, he spun around, baring his shark-like teeth and roaring at Shanks, "Just wait, I'm gonna settle this with her once and for all!"
"Hey, Bucky!"
Shanks, who'd only meant to tease him, was stunned. He hadn't expected Bucky to take it this seriously.
But on second thought, losing to a delicate girl like Sakura in a test of grit (or appetite) was probably eating away at Bucky's pride.
---
On the deck, Sakura finished putting away the cleaning tools and stepped out from the ship's hold.
Stretching under the glow of the setting sun and the endless blue sea, she let out a satisfied sigh.
"Man, this is just too beautiful."
"Hey, you—!"
A boy's voice called out, getting closer. Sakura turned her head.
And there it was—a red nose charging straight at her face.
"Huff… huff… huff!"
Bucky, panting from his sprint, skidded to a stop.
"Bucky, I'm sorry, but… I'm not into guys," Sakura said, frowning as she patted his shoulder.
"Oh, snap! Bucky just got friend-zoned!"
Shanks, jogging up behind Bucky, delivered the fatal blow with a cheeky grin.
"SHUT UP! I'm not here to confess, you idiot!!!"
Bucky's eyes rolled back into white triangles, veins popping as his mouth morphed into jagged shark teeth.
Pointing furiously at Sakura, he shouted, "You! I'm challenging you to a duel!"
At his words, Sakura's head tilted slowly, until it was practically at a 90-degree angle.
Then, a spark of realization lit up her delicate face.
"Oh! Bring it on!"
Sakura clenched her right fist, flexing her arm as her left hand patted her bicep, her green eyes gleaming with excitement.
She looked every bit the pure… warrior.
"Hey, looks like the kids are up to something fun!"
The helmsman, Donquino, caught sight of the commotion on the deck and eagerly started calling over the other members of Roger's crew.
Before long, the deck was packed with burly crewmates watching the show.
"Go get her, Bucky!"
"Don't let a girl show you up, Bucky!"
"Lose this, and you're washing the whole ship's laundry!"
The Roger Pirates, always ready for some chaos, cheered and jeered around the two.
At this point, Bucky, who hadn't even specified what the duel was about, was in way over his head.
From the moment Sakura opened her mouth, the whole situation had spiraled out of his control.
But…
Retreating isn't what a man of the sea does—so bring it on!
With grim determination, Bucky struck an offensive stance.
Up on the stern railing, Roger, Rayleigh, and Jabba leaned casually, watching the chaos unfold below.
"Hey, Rayleigh, Jabba, wanna bet on who's gonna win?"
Roger, clutching a bottle of wine, glanced at his two companions with a tipsy grin.
"Nope," his right-hand men replied in unison, shutting down their captain's suggestion.
Are you kidding? After Sakura's performance back in the Edd War, her strength was undeniable.
As for Bucky… well, maybe give him a few more years.
At the center of the deck, Bucky's heart sank lower and lower.
I'm gonna die. I'm really gonna die.
The monster in front of him could tear the sea apart and hold her own against Rayleigh's spirit.
But…
"But I've got my own reasons not to back down!"
With a trembling roar, Bucky charged at Sakura.
His fiery shout, filled with unyielding conviction, made Sakura, Roger, Rayleigh, and Jabba all perk up.
"Nice! That's the spirit, Bucky! I respect that!"
Sakura swung her wooden sword horizontally, her slender frame humming with monstrous strength.
Even as a kid, her pure Giant Clan physique gave her raw power that could dominate most people in these seas.
Now, a blazing gust wrapped around her wooden sword, unleashing a thunderous boom.
"God—Slayer!"
It was a crude imitation, lacking finesse.
Sakura had stolen a glimpse of Roger's swordsmanship and stripped it down to raw, brutal force, recreating just a fraction of its essence.
Up on the stern, Roger's jaw dropped, his wine bottle spilling unnoticed.
The Roger Pirates watching the fight scrambled to their feet, ready to jump in and save Bucky.
But Sakura was too fast. In a blink, she closed the few meters between them, her wooden sword inches from Bucky's face.
"What just flew by?"
"Whoa, a shooting star!"
"Should we go save him?"
"She's too fast—we can't make it in time!"
"We didn't see anything, go ask Roger!"
"Bucky, take care!"
"She's going all out—you think you're surviving that?"
CRACK!
A sharp snap rang out from Sakura's wooden sword as it finally gave way under her immense strength.
That tiny broken piece was enough to make her deadly strike miss.
The storm of wind she unleashed tore through the air, grazing Bucky's cheek with its ferocity.
"Hahaha, oops, looks like a tie!"
Sakura scratched her head, crushing the remaining half of her wooden sword in her hand.
She shrugged at the Roger Pirates crew.
Behind her, Bucky, pale as a ghost, collapsed to the deck.
The red-nosed boy pulled his knit cap low, but tears were already streaming down his face.
Sakura, sharp as ever, caught his reaction and pouted, glancing at the others.
The Roger Pirates' crew collectively took several steps back, giving her thumbs-ups from a safe distance.
"Sigh."
With a soft exhale, Sakura walked over to Bucky and extended a hand.
"You fought well just now. Let's introduce ourselves again. I'm Sakura Haruno, and my dream is to one day reach the top and see every sight this world has to offer!"
Bucky pushed up his cap, his teary eyes meeting Sakura's bright, sunny smile.
Biting his lip, he hesitated before grabbing her hand.
"I'm Bucky, and my dream is to claim all the world's treasures!"
"And you better remember—until I beat you, you're not allowed to lose to anyone else!"
With Sakura's help, Bucky stood, wiping his eyes with his forearm.
Then, he loudly declared his dream to her.
"Hey, you guys are so sneaky, leaving me out!"
Shanks jumped between them, slinging his left arm around Bucky and his right around Sakura.
"I'm Shanks, and my dream… well, probably to become a pirate like Captain Roger, heh heh."
The morning sun bathed the three young dreamers, their laughter and chatter lighting up the moment.
Up on the stern, a slightly drunk Roger leaned over the railing, watching the scene with a radiant smile.
"New sprouts, huh?"
In that moment, Roger desperately wanted to call for the ship's cook to bring him another bottle of fine wine, but…
BOOM! CRASH!!!
A sudden cannonball shook Roger off the railing.
"ROGER—!"
A shout rang out, accompanied by a deafening black thunder, echoing across the seas.
---