Chapter 19: The Spoils of Chaos
Even Roy didn't fully grasp the extent of his own strength. He knew he was powerful—Hawkeye himself had remarked on his monstrous physical potential—but the "why" remained a mystery. Was it a lifetime of brutal training with the baboons since he could walk? Was it the strange herbs and fruits he'd consumed on Kurai Kana? The source didn't matter; the result was a punch that carried the weight of a giant's blow.
The Jaeger, a pirate with a 60 million Beri bounty, was utterly unprepared. Roy's uppercut connected with his chin with a sound like shattering pottery. Teeth and blood erupted from the man's mouth as he was lifted off his feet and launched backward like a cannonball, crashing through the jungle and disappearing toward the distant sea.
"Done," Roy stated flatly, wiping a speck of blood from his knuckles. He retrieved Shiroi, the familiar weight a comfort in his hand as he slung it across his back.
"Let's go! We got the treasure!" Ace yelled, his eyes shining with the thrill of a successful heist. He was already sprinting for the beach, the two metal boxes clutched tightly.
"Right behind you!" Roy called, turning to follow.
"Don't let them escape! You, fish the captain out of the water! The rest of you, to the shore! Blow their ship out of the water!" The Chief of Staff, having just stumbled out of the collapsing tunnel, was shrieking orders, his face a mask of fury and desperation.
Roy stopped dead. He turned slowly, his expression hardening. He reached back and once more drew Shiroi, the white blade gleaming under the moon.
"Roy, what are you doing?" Joseph asked, his voice laced with both curiosity and concern.
Roy didn't answer with words. He answered with action. He raised the white sword, his entire being focusing into the edge of the blade. The air around him grew heavy, and the fleeing pirates, both Spade and Jaeger, felt a sudden, primal fear, as if a blade was already resting against their throats.
"Dragon Fang Strike."
He swung the sword. It wasn't a wild slash, but a single, precise, and devastatingly powerful horizontal cut.
SWOOSH—BOOM!
The sound was a deafening roar. A trench, inches wide and impossibly deep, tore across the island from Roy's feet, racing through the jungle, slicing through the already wounded mountain, and continuing out to sea. The ground trembled as a clean, perfect fissure now scarred the landscape.
The Chief of Staff stood frozen, a cold sweat drenching his back. The slash had passed so close he felt the wind of its passage. He stared at the mountain, now cleanly split in two, and his blood ran cold.
"G-Great Swordsman...!" he stammered, all fight draining from him. They had been trying to capture a monster.
"WOW, ROY! THAT WAS INCREDIBLE! That's the coolest swordsmanship I've ever seen!" Ace whooped, his fear forgotten in a wave of pure admiration. If he knew Roy also possessed a terrifying Devil Fruit power, his mind might have short-circuited entirely.
Roy, however, knew the truth of his power. He had sparred with Mihawk countless times. He knew the chasm that still lay between them. If it had been Hawkeye wielding Yoru, that single slash wouldn't have just cut the mountain; it would have cleaved the entire island in two. Roy's journey to the top was far from over.
"Let's move," Roy said, sheathing his sword and turning his back on the stunned Jaeger Pirates. "Now."
His crewmates looked at his retreating back, then at each other, and broke into wide, relieved grins. Having such a formidable power as an enemy was a nightmare. Having it as a friend and crewmate? That was the greatest treasure a pirate could ask for.
Back on the ship, sailing safely away from the crumbling island, the crew gathered on the deck. The two metal strongboxes sat in the center, the objects of their desperate flight.
"Open them," Ace commanded, his excitement barely contained.
"Who's doing the honors?" he asked, looking around.
The entire crew pointed at him in unison. "You."
"Alright, then! Everyone stand back! The glorious shine of gold might blind you!" Ace puffed out his chest.
"Don't worry, we're prepared," Roy said, and with a synchronized motion, he, Joseph, Taft, and the others all produced pairs of ridiculously oversized sunglasses and put them on.
Ace stared. "...You guys are no fun."
"Just open it, Captain. The suspense is killing us," Joseph said, a smile playing on his lips despite his crossed arms.
Ace took a deep breath, grabbed the lock on the first box, and with a mighty heave, ripped it clean off. He slowly, dramatically, lifted the lid.
A collective gasp went up. A brilliant, golden glow spilled out. The box was filled to the brim with gleaming gold coins and intricately crafted golden artifacts. It was a king's ransom, easily worth hundreds of millions of Beri.
"And the other one!" Joseph urged, his doctor's composure finally cracking under the weight of greed.
Ace, beaming, moved to the second box. He ripped the lock off and threw the lid open.
The crew leaned forward.
Then, they leaned back, confused.
The box was filled with... mush. A dark, fibrous, disintegrated pulp.
"What... is that?" Ace asked, tilting his head like a confused puppy.
"I think... it was paper money," Mouse said, taking off his sunglasses for a closer look. "Must've been Beri notes. After two hundred years buried in a damp mine... they just rotted away."
Joseph let out a long, pained sigh. "What a waste. If that box had been full of notes, it could have been another five hundred million."
Ace, however, was undeterred. He looked back toward the vanished island, a wild glint in his eye. "Hahaha! Isn't this fun? Should we go back and dig up the rest?"
"Forget it," Joseph said, shaking his head firmly. "It would take years to excavate that landslide. Are you willing to stay in one place that long?"
"No way," Ace admitted, his shoulders slumping slightly.
"Then let's think of it as our personal treasure bank," Roy suggested with a grin. "If we're ever broke, we know where to come digging. And if we never need it... well, we can always make a treasure map and sell it. Wouldn't that be more fun?"
Ace's face lit up again. "Yeah! That's a great idea!"
Laughter erupted on the deck, the disappointment of the rotten money forgotten in the face of their victory, their survival, and the boundless, chaotic future that lay ahead.
############
You Guys Liking the Story So Far? If so leave a positive Review.