Once the tarp was pulled away, the members of the Silver Pirates finally got a full view of the ship—even Shirakawa was seeing it for the first time.
Shirakawa had told Tom it could be finished within five years, but Tom had completed it in under two. Still, Shirakawa had never gotten the chance to see the whole thing.
Yet now, the moment his eyes landed on the ship, he was completely satisfied.
The hull gleamed in a striking silver-white. At the bow sat a small emblem resembling the Sword of Damocles, and the ship itself had a three-tiered structure.
In every way, it matched Shirakawa's vision perfectly.
"This ship doesn't have a name yet," Tom said to Shirakawa. "I figured that task should fall to the captain."
"Mm, I already thought of a name a while back. We'll call it the Silver."
Hearing this, everyone froze. Wasn't that a bit too casual? Sure, they were the Silver Pirates, but naming the ship Silver just felt… lazy.
"Captain, are you sure about that name?" Jorah asked.
"What's wrong with it? I put a lot of thought into that name. But if you're not satisfied, I've got a backup."
"What is it?"
"The Dharma."
The moment those two syllables hit their ears, for some inexplicable reason, an image of a bald head popped into all their minds.
"Captain, let's go with Silver."
And so, the Silver Pirates' ship was officially christened the Silver—with absolutely no deeper meaning behind it.
"I'm starting to think the captain has a real problem with naming things," Jorah muttered, sidling up next to Eurytion after the naming discussion wrapped up.
"I'm thinking the same thing," Eurytion agreed with a nod.
Truth be told, Eurytion had already come up with plenty of names in his head—Greatsword, Silver Blade, Godlance, Phantom, Demon—but alas, he wasn't the captain, and had no say in the matter.
With that settled, the crew began boarding the ship, getting a feel for its layout and various features.
"I've got to say, this ship is way better than our last one. By the way, Riddle, what did you do with the old ship?"
Even though they now had a new love, they still held plenty of affection for their previous vessel.
"I brought it to Water 7. It's docked at one of the ports there. I was thinking about bringing it here so Tom could keep an eye on it for us."
"That works," Shirakawa said, then turned his gaze toward Tom. "What do you think, Tom?"
After all, they should get the man's consent first.
"No problem at all. Leave it here—it won't take up much space."
"Great. Riddle, if you have time today, bring the ship over."
"I can do it right now," Riddle replied.
"I'll go with you then. We'll move faster that way," Salar chimed in.
"Sounds good."
With that, Salar and Riddle took off.
"You know, Riddle's changed so much in these five years," Jorah remarked, watching Riddle's departing figure with something like awe.
He and Riddle had been the first to board, which made him the person who knew Riddle best on the crew. But after five years apart, Riddle seemed like a completely different person.
"Aren't you the same? The aura you give off has sharpened considerably."
"So, Captain—how about a spar?"
Jorah wore an eager, itching-for-a-fight expression.
"Oh? What's this? You broke through, got some confidence, and now you're looking to stage a mutiny?" Shirakawa raised an eyebrow.
"No, I just want to see how big the gap between us is now," Jorah said with utter sincerity.
"Fine. Follow me."
By now, Shirakawa had long since scouted out every inch of the terrain around Water 7, so he naturally knew where to find a suitable spot for a fight.
"Shall we go watch?" Eurytion suggested to the other crew members.
"Of course."
Everyone was in unanimous agreement. They were intensely curious about these two's strength—or rather, they were intensely curious about the strength of every crew member besides themselves.
Not long after, Salar and Riddle returned—only to find that the Silver Pirates were already gone, along with their brand-new Silver.
"Uh… what's going on?" Riddle asked Tom.
"Oh, them? One of your crew challenged Shirakawa to a duel, so they all went off to watch the show."
"I see. Salar, want to go take a look?"
"Absolutely. No way I'm missing this."
Following the direction Tom pointed out, they set sail on the old ship. With Salar's Speed Fruit boosting them, they quickly caught sight of the Silver.
"Hey! You guys are shameless—you didn't even wait for us for something this good!"
Riddle shouted at them.
"Because I knew you'd catch up anyway."
Jorah hollered back. Soon, the two ships pulled even, and Riddle and Salar both leaped onto the new ship. As for the old one, they simply tied it to the back of the new ship with a rope.
At that moment, a sharp, biting aura suddenly swept over them from a nearby island.
"Looks like the fight's already started."
The unleashed presence sent massive ripples across the calm sea—wave after wave radiating outward from the island.
"We'd better hurry, or we might miss the whole thing."
"Leave it to me," Salar and Wend said at the same time.
The two exchanged a grin. Salar applied his Speed Fruit ability directly to the ship, while Wend took control of the wind, pushing their speed even higher.
"OK, stop here."
They didn't dare land on the island recklessly—it might interfere with the duel.
"So, who do you think wins this one?"
Eurytion asked the group.
"The captain, obviously." There was zero disagreement. It wasn't that they doubted Jorah's strength; it was simply that Shirakawa's strength was genuinely monstrous.
The one who felt this most keenly was Kurokam. Five years ago, the gap between him and Shirakawa had been roughly seven to three. But now, facing Shirakawa felt like nine to one—Shirakawa being the nine, him being the one.
Even though he hadn't slacked off for a single day in those five years, the gap between him and Shirakawa had only widened.
"I really wonder how the captain spent these past five years."
There were news reports about the captain's whereabouts from time to time, but the reality was definitely far from simple. The trials Shirakawa had endured in those five years were surely beyond anything they could imagine.
"Maure, do you know anything?"
"I don't know either. These five years, the captain was only by my side for a very short time."
/-\
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