Chapter 9: An Offer from a Fire Fist
"The Spade Pirates?" Roy mused, the name tickling a distant memory. He was sure they had appeared in the grand tapestry of the One Piece world, but they were a footnote, a name without a legendary reputation. For now, that is.
The crew around him was in the middle of a raucous banquet, but Roy's world had shrunk to the plate of food in front of him. He was a man possessed, his fork moving with a speed that blurred the line between eating and inhaling. After a week of starvation and scurvy, this feast was nothing short of a miracle.
Seeing the mountain of empty plates piling up beside Roy, Joseph let out a low whistle. "You can really put it away! Your appetite's almost as big as the captain's!"
"Sorry," Roy mumbled through a mouthful of stew. "Haven't eaten properly in days."
Just then, a soft snore cut through the noise. "Well, I'm asleep again," a voice mumbled from the corner of the deck.
Joseph grinned. "The captain's awake."
Roy turned, following Joseph's gaze to a man who was, indeed, sitting upright but had clearly just been asleep, his head having lolled forward onto his chest. As Roy watched, the man—the captain—snorted and lifted his head, blinking sleepily.
Their eyes met.
For a full minute, they just stared at each other, the noisy party fading into the background.
Pfft!
A spray of half-chewed meat launched from Roy's mouth, decorating the captain's face in a fine, greasy mist.
"You... you're…!" Roy stammered, his eyes wide as saucers.
"Hey, you're awake," the man said, completely unbothered as he wiped his face with his sleeve. He offered a wide, easy-going grin.
"I'll say he's awake! This is our captain, the 80 million Beri bounty, 'Fire Fist' Ace!" Joseph announced with palpable pride.
"Fire Fist Ace," Roy breathed, the name feeling heavy on his tongue. "Portgas D. Ace."
"That's me!" Ace laughed, a bright, infectious sound. "Guess my reputation's made it to... well, wherever you're from! So, what do you say? Wanna join my crew?"
Roy's mind went into a frantic spiral. He's asking me to join! Portgas D. Ace! A main character! Sure, his future is... less than ideal, but to sail with him now? This is an incredible opportunity. But if I just say yes, won't it seem too eager? Should I play it cool?
His internal debate must have been plain on his face. He took a deep breath, ready to give his answer, and looked up.
Pfft!
This time, it was Ace. A bubble of snot had formed at his nostril, and his head had slumped forward again, a soft snore escaping his lips.
"You fell asleep again?!" Roy and Joseph yelled in perfect, exasperated unison.
Ace jolted awake, rubbing his eyes. "Huh? Oh, sorry. Must've dozed off."
Roy let out a long, slow exhale, a wry smile finally breaking through his shock. This wasn't the legendary figure from the manga; this was a real, gloriously unpredictable man. "I'll do it," Roy said, his decision made. "I'll join your crew."
"Really? Alright, men!" Ace slung a friendly arm around Roy's shoulders, his energy instantly reignited. "A party! We've got a new crewmate!"
Well, I'm on a pirate ship now, Roy thought, a mix of excitement and surreal disbelief washing over him. A slightly chaotic, unreliable pirate ship. I wonder if Mihawk is still on that island, staring at a bag of oranges and wondering where his student went. Oh well. I'm alive, and our paths will cross again.
He clasped his hands together in a silent, thankful prayer to whatever gods watched over reckless sea travelers, then promptly returned to the important business of clearing the deck of every last morsel of food.
The feast escalated into a legendary eating contest between Ace and Roy, two bottomless pits who managed to devour the ship's entire stock of provisions, leaving nothing but a few crumbs for the next morning's breakfast.
The following dawn found Roy awake before most of the crew. He sat cross-legged on the dew-slicked deck, the wrapped form of Shiroi resting across his knees, its hilt cool beneath his palms as he faced the rising sun. The quiet was peaceful.
His meditation was broken by a speck on the horizon. His Observation Haki, still stretching its sea legs, picked up a faint presence.
"Hey, Skull!" Roy called up to the mast where the lookout, Skull, was supposed to be on duty. The man was, in fact, dozing upright, his chin resting on his chest.
At Roy's shout, Skull jolted awake. "Huh? Who're you?"
Roy sighed. "It's Roy. The new guy? Look, two o'clock off the bow. There's something out there."
"Right, right, Roy." Skull fumbled for his telescope and peered in the direction Roy indicated. His drowsiness vanished in an instant. "Pirate ship!" He scrambled down the mast and bolted into the crew's quarters, followed immediately by the deafening clang of a metal pan being beaten like a gong.
"Captain! Enemy ship!" Skull bellowed.
Ace burst out of the cabin, his eyes alight with excitement, not alarm. "An enemy? Perfect! We're out of food!" The lesson from last night's gluttony had been clear: restock or starve.
The rest of the Spade Pirates tumbled out onto the deck, weapons in hand, ready for a fight.
Roy remained seated, his gaze fixed on the approaching vessel. It was a nasty-looking ship, its Jolly Roger depicting a skull being strangled by a noose.
Skull, now fully alert, identified them. "It's the Yaro Pirates! Captain 'The Hangman' Yaro, bounty 60 million Beri! If we take him down, Roy can run the bounty to the Marines!"
"Sounds like a plan!" Ace cracked his knuckles, a flicker of flame dancing on his fingertips. "Let's get our breakfast money!"
############
Do You Guys Think Dragon has a Higher Bounty than Roger? After All He is the Most Wanted Man.
Don't Leave this Book like Dragon Left Luffy. Add it to your Collection.