Ten months later…
The seas around Hachinosu were thick with mist and the reek of gunpowder. Ships came and went, carrying pirates, smugglers, and killers drawn to the rising storm of a single name—Rocks D. Xebec.
And on the flagship, a girl barely sixteen stood at the rail, cloak whipping in the salt wind. Ada Wong. Once whispered as an assassin in the North Blue, now spoken with awe and caution as the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates.
It hadn't been easy. The crew was a nest of monsters, each too proud to bow to anyone but Rocks himself.
Kaido, a towering beast even in his youth, had tested her first—charging at her with a mace in hand, laughter booming. Ada hadn't flinched. She didn't need to. A single bullet grazed his cheek before his strike landed, leaving a burning line of blood.
"Next time, I'll aim for your eye," she'd told him calmly.
Kaido had only laughed harder, calling her "little wolf" ever since.
Charlotte Linlin—Big Mom—had sized her up with a wicked grin, offering her sweets laced with poison just to see if the girl would notice. Ada had sniffed the cup, then calmly poured it over the rail without blinking. "Try harder," she'd said. Even Linlin had chuckled at that.
And Whitebeard… he had simply watched, arms crossed, as the girl commanded men twice her size with a sharp word or a sharper stare. He said little, but in his silence was respect.
They weren't friends. They weren't family. But they knew one thing—Ada Wong was no weakling hiding behind Rocks' shadow. She had earned her place.
That night, in the captain's quarters, the sea raged outside as Rocks poured himself rum. Ada sat opposite him, eyes narrowed at the map sprawled across the table, littered with marks of kingdoms, treasures, and targets.
"You've been quiet lately," Rocks rumbled, watching her.
Ada sipped her tea, ignoring the rum he'd pushed her way. "Quiet wolves bite hardest."
Rocks chuckled, leaning forward. "Tell me, girl… what do you think of the name I carry? The D." His grin widened. "The world calls it dangerous. They call us devils born to destroy."
Ada's crimson eyes flickered. For a long time, she said nothing. Then…
"…You're not the only one."
Rocks' grin faltered. "What?"
Ada set her teacup down gently, the porcelain clicking against the wood. "My parents hid it from me… but before they died, they told me my full name. Nyx D. Ada."
The room darkened as thunder rolled outside, as if the sea itself acknowledged the words.
"Nyx," Rocks repeated, tasting the name. "Goddess of the night." His grin split wide again, fierce and wild. "Hah! No wonder you walk like shadow and strike like death itself. Another D., and one clever enough to hide it from the world."
Ada's expression hardened. "That name is not for everyone's ears. The D. invites chaos. And chaos is a double-edged blade."
Rocks slammed his cup down, rum spilling across the map. "Chaos is freedom! That's the will of D., girl. To tear down the order that chains this world and build something greater!"
Ada met his fire with her calm steel. "…Or it's the will to burn, whether we choose to or not."
For a moment, silence reigned. Captain and vice-captain. Fire and shadow.
Then Rocks laughed again, so loud the ship itself seemed to tremble. "You're more dangerous than all these monsters combined, Nyx D. Ada! Together, we'll crush the world under our feet!"
Ada allowed the faintest smile. Not of joy, but of acknowledgment.
The world had yet to know it, but the Rocks Pirates had not one, but two bearers of the D. at their helm.
And that secret alone could shatter everything