The morning sun slowly rose over the horizon. On the deck of the Belfast, Yuuto and his group stood by the rail, watching a brigantine sail away.
That ship carried the Night pirates — the criminals Yuuto and Yamato had defeated last night. Now they were tied up and being escorted by one of the "traitor" crew members chosen to pretend to be the official captors.
Even bound tight… the pirates would not stop shouting.
"Goodbye, Miku-samaaa!"
"Goodbye, Miku-sama!"
"We love you, Miku-sama!"
Miku, standing beside Yuuto, pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed.
"Looks like I underestimated the power of my angel…"
Kuroneko nodded as if she'd expected this from the start.
"Well, that's Gabriel's power. They became your hardcore fans… If you wanted, you could form a whole country with a single smile."
Miku puffed her cheeks a little.
"That's not what I meant…"
Yamato turned and stretched her arms.
"With that, the problem's solved, right, captain?"
Yuuto leaned an arm on the rail, staring at the sea.
"Yes. The bounties on their heads will be handled by the 'traitor' crew. He'll hand over the captain and his ship to the Marines, and once the bounties are cashed, he'll hand everything over to us."
Kuroneko whistled.
"Neat plan for our first operation."
Yuuto lightly tapped Miku's head.
"With Miku's Gabriel assisting, everything ran smoother. They were obedient and gave up all their info and supplies."
Miku blushed — a mix of embarrassment and pride.
"Hehehe~"
A calm, sharp voice spoke from behind.
"Aren't you worried about being discovered?"
It was Irene. She leaned against a mast, watching them without emotion.
Yuuto turned and gave a faint smile.
"No need to worry. Sensei planted memory-erasing and manipulation magic. What they remember is… the betrayal of one of them. Not us."
Lady Avalon cleared her throat proudly and twirled her staff.
"Hehehe~ leave it to me. Erasing human memories is like scrubbing a stain from a shirt."
Kuroneko looked at Lady Avalon with a face halfway between awe and fear.
"Terrifying when you think about it."
Yuuto clapped his hands to refocus.
"All right, let's head inside and rearrange the plan. Belfast — bring all the documents you prepared."
Belfast, standing gracefully by the door, bowed deeply.
"Yes, sir."
They all moved into the ship's briefing room, except Irene, who stared at Yuuto's back a few seconds longer before following behind.
---
This briefing room on the Belfast felt different from the large room earlier. Here the atmosphere was warmer — plush sofas formed a semicircle facing a large whiteboard Belfast had prepared. A long table was covered with files, maps, and a few items taken as spoils.
Everyone sat on the sofas, except Kuroneko, who stood by the whiteboard holding a pointer, and Belfast, standing gracefully behind Yuuto's sofa, ready to serve.
Kuroneko inhaled and spoke.
"I'll read the plan."
Everyone opened the files Belfast had organized from Kuroneko's notes.
Kuroneko began.
"From the Night pirate intel… Sir Crocodile was recently defeated by the Straw Hat pirates. So it's likely Luffy and his crew are currently heading to Jaya Island."
She then placed a strange compass-like object on the table. Its arrow pointed steadily in one direction, and the compass was labeled "Jaya."
Miku tilted her head.
"Hmm? What's that?"
"A Log Pose pointing to Jaya. We got it from the Night ship. We'll use this to go there."
Kuroneko tapped the whiteboard.
"And… it's very likely that the Transmigrator will attack the Straw Hat Pirates when they take the Knock Up Stream."
Irene crossed her arms, eyes sharp.
"Why are you so sure they'll attack at that moment?"
Kuroneko glanced at Irene for a beat… but this time she didn't flinch and answered.
"Because that's the perfect moment. The Straw Hats will be entirely focused on the Knock Up Stream; as they rise, that's when they're most vulnerable. Their ship may be modified to go up the stream, but it's still fragile. And on the open sea? That's a perfect scenario for a one-sided slaughter."
A silence fell.
Yuuto leaned back on the sofa and spoke.
"The problem is their strength.
Kuroneko… from these pictures, can you estimate what his power is?"
Kuroneko was silent for a long moment. Her gaze flicked to Irene again. Irene nodded minutely — continue.
"All right… after studying the photos and consulting Irene…
it's very likely the Transmigrator's power is —
the power of August Dragneel. The Magic King from the world of Fairy Tail."
Lady Avalon leaned back, smiling with interest.
"Huhuu~ this gets more interesting. Explain more, Kuroneko."
Kuroneko exhaled.
"That's probably his cheat. Every Transmigrator has a cheat. And this… is his."
Yuuto leaned forward, elbows on his knees, face serious.
"Is there a chance we could lose?"
Kuroneko was quiet a moment, then said:
"To be honest? No.
With Lady Avalon, Irene, Yamato, and Yuuto cooperating… you'll win easily. However…"
Everyone waited.
Kuroneko added:
"If he's learned Haki… then things could get much harder."
Miku raised her hand.
"Why am I not involved?"
Kuroneko pointed the pointer at Miku.
"You're the last resort fighter. If everything fails… use Gabriel and order him to self-destruct. Gabriel should still obey him."
Miku flinched.
"Isn't that too cruel!?"
Kuroneko nodded calmly.
"Well… it's the last option, Miku."
Belfast looked over everyone carefully.
Yuuto stood from his sofa for a moment.
"All right, thanks Kuroneko. Please sit."
Kuroneko sat down on a nearby sofa.
"I need to ask something before we start the operation. First, Belfast," Yuuto said, eyes serious as they fixed on Belfast.
"Belfast, are you sure you want to join us? Your ship will be used against the Marines who side with justice, and we may commit raids and pillaging — basically becoming pirates. We'll be doing bad things. Are you sure you want to join us?" Yuuto asked Belfast.
Belfast looked at Yuuto calmly, hands folded neatly before her skirt. Not an iota of doubt in her grey eyes.
Then she bowed slightly.
"Sir Yuuto…
My decision to be at your side is not because the path you choose is right or wrong."
She lifted her face; her smile was gentle but carried iron conviction.
"I am not a warship that follows this world's laws.
I am a maid who follows her master."
She continued, voice steady and deeper.
"If you fight the Marines — then I will be your shield.
If you commit robberies — I will prepare storage in my hull.
If one day you become pirates reviled by the world…"
She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them with surprising resolve.
"…then I will be the maid of the most hated pirates in the world."
Belfast bowed again respectfully.
"As long as you still show mercy to your crew and important people, respect lives worthy of respect, and do not lose yourself…"
She bowed more deeply.
"Then I will remain at your side, Sir Yuuto."
"That is the promise of a maid of the Royal Navy."
Yuuto nodded at Belfast's answer, then looked at everyone in the room.
"So, what about all of you? Are you sure you want to join? We'll be committing crimes and opposing the allies of the world's justice," Yuuto asked them.
Lady Avalon laughed softly while twirling her staff.
"Crime, virtue… boring concepts, my pupil."
She stepped closer and patted Yuuto's shoulder.
"I don't pick sides. I pick people."
"And that person is you."
She gave a sly smile.
"Besides, a bit of harmless chaos is good for the soul. Come on, make the world interesting."
Irene crossed her arms, her gaze cold but clearly not refusing.
"Hmph. The justice of this world has nothing to do with me."
She looked out the ship's window, then returned her gaze to Yuuto.
"As long as you don't do shamefully stupid things… I don't mind."
Then, in a flat but slightly softer tone:
"And if anyone dares to stand in our way, I will erase them. That's it."
Kuroneko flicked her cloak dramatically.
"Fufu… finally. Our era of darkness begins."
She cleared her throat and spoke more normally.
"Y-yeah, I mean… I'll join because — "
She glanced at Yuuto, cheeks a little red.
"…we were already a group from the start."
"And evil is not always wrong. Good is not always right."
Yamato slammed her staff on the floor, spirit blazing.
"I'm in!"
"Marines, pirates, World Government — they're all fools!"
"I don't care who the enemy is. If you lead, Yuuto…"
She grinned widely.
"Then I'll fight at your side!"
"Besides… Oden always said, 'Follow your heart and protect your friends.'"
Miku smiled gently and took Yuuto's arm.
"Yuuto… do you think I'd leave you?"
She shook her head slightly.
"Evil or good are just labels."
"What matters is your intent."
"As long as you don't lose your heart…"
"…I'll always stand by your side."
Then in a playful tone:
"And I don't want to miss out on the great adventures with you all."
"You all…" Yuuto looked at their earnest faces and then slumped his shoulders.
"So it seems decided. I'm the captain then," Yuuto said.