The endless blue stretched in every direction.
A large ship, now stripped of its pirate flag, sliced smoothly through the rolling waves.
Ross lay lazily on his deck chair, rocking gently as the sea breeze brushed against him. Ever since he'd taken in the spiky-haired kid as his underling, he'd practically become a hands-off captain. He didn't have to lift a finger—no steering, no navigation, no chores. Just rest, eat, drink, and nap. Life couldn't get any better.
At that moment, Ross was truly content. Of course, that was only because he didn't yet know he had been officially listed on the Navy's wanted register. If he did, he wouldn't be nearly so relaxed.
"Hey, Spiky, how far are we from Windmill Village?" Ross asked lazily, sipping from his chilled drink through a straw. He closed his eyes in bliss.
Now this was life.
Who needed endless fighting and drama? That was the kind of nonsense main characters got stuck with. He preferred being a salted fish—quiet, lazy, and free. If he could live peacefully for twenty years, avoid getting killed, and watch how the story of the pirate era unfolded from the sidelines, that would be perfect.
He already had his life planned out: he would settle down in Windmill Village. Yes, that Windmill Village—the future home of Monkey D. Luffy.
"Dragon, Luffy's father, should still be single right about now, right?" Ross muttered, smirking to himself. "Luffy won't even be born for a few more years. After all, Roger's execution just happened not long ago, and Ace's birth is still a ways off."
Lost in thought, Ross barely noticed when his crewman, Tess Omic, approached with a report.
"Captain Ross," Tess said with a trace of excitement, "Windmill Village is still quite a distance away. With this headwind, it'll take us at least four or five days to get there—maybe a week if we're unlucky."
Ross gave a lazy nod and waved him off. "Fine, fine. Wake me up when we get there."
He leaned back, closing his eyes, drifting on the edge of sleep—until Tess's voice suddenly rang out in alarm.
"Captain Ross! There's an island up ahead!"
Ross cracked open one eye, unimpressed. "So? Islands exist. Didn't I say not to wake me until Windmill Village?"
"No, Captain—it's moving!" Tess's voice trembled with excitement. "I think… I think we've stumbled upon one of the fabled drifting islands of the East Blue!"
That made Ross sit up. "What?"
He pushed himself off the chair and strode to the rail. Out on the horizon, not too far away, a small island floated peacefully over the waves. It was lush with green foliage and ringed by ripples that shimmered outward in the sunlight.
The island was moving.
Ross blinked. "Well, I'll be damned…"
In this world, where sky islands floated above the clouds and a giant elephant named Zunesha carried a civilization on its back, a drifting island wasn't exactly impossible. Still, seeing it with his own eyes left him stunned.
Tess, however, was practically jumping with joy. "Captain Ross, should we go take a look?" he asked eagerly, eyes shining like a child's.
Ross rubbed his chin. "Nah. Probably nothing special."
He was about to lie back down when, out of nowhere, something flickered faintly in his mind—a brief spark from the strange system embedded in his consciousness.
He froze. That wasn't an illusion.
The system had reacted.
Ross's eyes narrowed. Even if he had sworn to live a quiet, laid-back life, a functioning system was no small matter. It could be the key to survival, maybe even power.
"Alright," he murmured. "Let's take a little look."
Tess blinked, surprised. "Wait, really? We're going?"
Ross gave a shrug. "You wanted to see it, didn't you? So let's go."
Tess beamed. "Captain, you're the best! The wisest! The—"
"Yeah, yeah. Enough flattery. Just steer." Ross waved him off, feeling a twinge of awkwardness from the barrage of compliments.
Under Tess's control, the ship turned and approached the drifting island. Before long, the massive vessel was moored along its edge. Ross threw two sturdy ropes around nearby trees to secure the ship, testing the tension with a firm tug.
Satisfied, he turned toward the jungle. "Let's go."
Tess hesitated. "Uh, Captain Ross… maybe we shouldn't…"
He shivered slightly. Though the sun still hung high in the sky, a bone-deep chill emanated from the island. It wasn't the crisp cold of wind or water—it was unnatural, a damp, eerie chill that seemed to seep into the bones.
Tess's excitement drained away, replaced by dread. "This place feels wrong. Maybe we should just turn back?"
Ross shot him a look. "You're the one who wanted to come here. Now you're scared? Too late for that. Move."
In truth, Ross also felt uneasy. But that strange pulse in his mind—the faint, glowing trace of his system—was still there. It was calling him forward.
He clenched his jaw and marched ahead, dragging Tess along by the collar.
"W-wait! Captain, slow down!" Tess stammered, clutching Ross's sleeve as they ventured into the dense greenery.
The forest was thick and humid, filled with towering trees and tangled vines. Strange birds cawed in the distance, and every rustle made Tess flinch.
Ross sighed. "You're supposed to be Bartolomeo's old man, and you're scared of a few bushes?"
They walked deeper into the island. The air grew heavier, the light dimmer under the canopy. Ross's instincts sharpened; he could hear faint rustling in the distance—something alive, something big.
His muscles tensed.
Sha-sha-sha…
Leaves trembled.
Then, with a burst of motion, a massive beast lunged from the foliage.
"CAPTAIN! HELP!" Tess screamed, collapsing into a shivering ball like a terrified cat.
Ross didn't waste time. His body moved on instinct. He sidestepped and drove his fist into the creature's flank, sending it crashing back through the undergrowth with a pitiful yelp.
A giant wolf.
It vanished into the shadows as quickly as it had appeared, but not before Ross caught a glimpse of its gleaming fangs and matted fur.
He exhaled, heart pounding. "Stay close," he warned, glancing back at Tess.
Though his arm throbbed and his pulse raced, he pressed onward. The strange energy within his mind was getting stronger. Whatever was calling to him lay ahead.
The journey grew more perilous. One beast after another sprang from the trees, forcing Ross to fight his way through. His sleeve was torn, his arm bleeding from a deep claw mark. If not for the brutal combat training he'd endured under Roger and Rayleigh, he would've been dead several times over.
Tess stumbled behind him, pale and trembling. "Captain, maybe we should go back—please—"
"Not a chance," Ross said flatly, his voice low. "We're close."
Finally, the dense forest thinned, opening into a small clearing at the island's heart.
Ross stopped abruptly.
There, lying on the moss-covered ground before him, was a single fruit—its skin swirling with strange, flame-like patterns, glowing faintly under the filtered sunlight.
His eyes widened.
A Devil Fruit.
And at that moment, Ross realized that this drifting island wasn't just a curiosity of the sea—it was fate calling him forward once again.