North Blue, over a certain sea area.
Under the blue sky and drifting white clouds, two figures sped across the ocean's surface.
"Drake, may I ask what your ability is?"
Reiju's eyes shone with surprise as she watched them move. The man before her never ceased to amaze. She had never heard of an ability that allowed someone to move faster than Soru itself.
To her, Drake was monstrously powerful.
"This is one of the many abilities I've developed—Spatial Warp." Drake's voice was calm as he looked ahead. "If I want to take someone with me, I must touch their body."
Normally, Drake would not explain himself. But Reiju was now part of his crew, and he answered patiently.
"Oh, so that's how it works… amazing!"
Reiju gazed at his back in silence, admiration filling her eyes. To her, Drake was powerful, handsome, calm, and irresistibly charismatic. There could never be a better man than him.
She smiled gently, her voice curious. "Drake, how fast could you go if you went all out?"
Knowing her nature, Drake didn't dismiss her curiosity. "I've never used this ability at full strength, so I can't answer precisely. However… it wouldn't be difficult for me to travel around the world in a single day."
Reiju's head spun at the thought. What kind of monster is this man? Why is he so powerful… so good? Her admiration reached indescribable heights. Following him promised adventure beyond imagination.
On the Black Sun Pirates' ship, on deck.
The crew had gathered, watching Burgess beside Pato.
"Little Pato, make another me appear!" Burgess demanded eagerly, itching to know what it felt like to fight himself.
Doc Q coughed, his twisted smile spreading. "This devil fruit… cough… is truly bizarre."
Laffitte twirled his cane elegantly. "It's a shame Pato is too weak to unleash its full potential."
Law's tone was cold, but his words carried weight. "Even so, this Mythical Zoan is extremely powerful."
"Alright, wait a moment~~"
Pato pulled out a leaf, grasped its pen‑like tail, and quickly scribbled the word Burgess.
"Here we go, nukikikiki…"
He flung the leaf. With a bang, white smoke erupted—and a figure identical to Burgess appeared.
"Wiiiihahahaha! Is there anyone here who dares fight me?" Burgess raised his arms arrogantly, staring down the crew.
Seeing his duplicate, Burgess couldn't help but mutter in awe. "Every time I see it, I'm amazed. This Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit can even transform leaves into people."
Laffitte adjusted his top hat politely. "The most terrifying part is that the transformed leaf can use the original's devil fruit."
Law nodded. "If Pato could transform into the captain… who could possibly oppose him?"
Hana smiled faintly. "But that situation will never happen."
Betty exhaled smoke, her voice calm as ever. "Drake is too strong. Pato can't replicate him. Not unless the little duck keeps improving his strength and reduces the energy cost."
Indeed, Pato's transforming leaves could mimic others—but it consumed immense mental energy.
The stronger the person Pato tried to imitate, the more energy it consumed.
Earlier, he had attempted to transform a leaf into Drake. When the transforming leaf was thrown, white smoke rose—but "Drake" never appeared. The smoke dissipated instantly, leaving only silence.
"It's interesting, very interesting… quite funny, Horohorohoro…" Perona laughed gleefully as she floated in the air.
"I'm done playing. I'm going fishing, nukikikiki~~" Pato announced.
With a puff of smoke, the duplicate "Burgess" vanished as if it had never existed.
At that moment—Bam! Two figures suddenly appeared on the deck.
"Reiju, meet the rest of the crew. If you need anything, ask them." Drake's voice was calm, decisive.
Without another word, he turned and walked straight toward the practice room.
Though Drake held a good impression of Reiju and found her strikingly beautiful, he would not allow himself to be distracted. For him, strength was everything—training came first, and all else was secondary.
He knew the women admired him, but until his greater goals were achieved, he would not accept their advances.
Everyone was surprised at the captain's arrival—most of all because he had brought a woman with him.
Is this the new crew member?
"It's a woman again… how boring." Burgess muttered, uninterested, shaking his head as he walked off to the side.
Doc Q's twisted smile spread as he coughed. "The captain is very fond of women. It's understandable."
Law rolled his eyes, his tone cold. "Everyone knows what kind of person the captain is. Besides Training, nothing else matters to him."
Lafitte nodded in agreement, twirling his staff elegantly before bowing slightly to Reiju. "Hello, welcome aboard the Black Sun Pirates. I'm Lafitte, the deputy captain. Allow me to introduce you to the general situation of the ship."
Baccarat raised her hand, smiling sweetly but firmly. "Lafitte, leave this to us. We're all women—we'll take care of her."
Hana stepped forward, agreeing with a playful smile. "That's right. You're busy with your duties, we'll handle this."
Perona floated around Reiju, her curious eyes sparkling. "Your curled eyebrows are so strange! This princess has never seen eyebrows like yours before, horohorohoro…"
Reiju smiled gently, her voice calm and generous. "You misunderstand. I'm not a new crew member. I am a member of the Vinsmoke family, here to oversee the cooperation between both parties. I hope you'll take care of me in the coming days."
The crew froze, momentarily stunned.
"Since the captain allowed you aboard, we have nothing more to say. You're welcome here." Lafitte smiled politely before stepping aside.
Law and the others didn't ask further questions. They knew Drake always had his reasons, and it was better to remain silent than pry too deeply.
"Reiju, let's talk in the training room." Baccarat's eyes gleamed as she smiled. "When we're free, we spend our time there, watching Drake train."
Betty exhaled smoke, her tone calm but curious. "Let's chat while we watch. I'm very interested in this cooperation."
The women moved together toward the training room, their steps purposeful.
Reiju's eyes lit up with excitement. She smiled sweetly. "Alright, let's go. I really want to know Drake better. He's so powerful… and mysterious. I want to see how he trains."
Hana explained as they walked, her voice cheerful. "He's the hardest‑working person on board. Besides training, he doesn't care about anything else. He's a complete training maniac!"
Baccarat added with a smile, her tone serious beneath the sweetness. "On this ship, strength is everything. The strong are respected, and their voices carry weight. If Drake ever stopped working harder, he could even lose the captaincy."
By then, the women had reached the door of the training room. One after another, they stepped inside—ready to witness Drake's relentless discipline.
As Reiju walked into the training room, her eyes immediately caught the figure at the center—Drake, swinging Shinku Hazama with relentless precision. Around him, the room was filled with bars, sandbags, and weights, the atmosphere heavy with discipline.
But the girls weren't idle. Each of them was training while they spoke.
Hana was stretching her arms with weighted bands, sweat glistening on her forehead as she explained with a smile, "Drake is the hardest‑working person on board. Besides practicing every day, he's not interested in anything else. He's just a training maniac!"
Baccarat was working through a series of fluid strikes against a sandbag, her dark red hair whipping with each motion. She glanced at Reiju and added with a sweet smile, "On this ship, strength is everything. The strong are respected, and their words carry weight. If Drake doesn't keep pushing himself, one day he could even lose the captaincy."
Betty exhaled smoke between sets of push‑ups, her tone calm but firm. "You can see from his routine that his sword skills must be terrifying. He hides them, but they're there. He's always concealing just how strong he really is."
Perona floated lazily in the air, but even she was practicing—sending her ghosts darting through the room like sparring partners. She frowned in thought. "Not only does he hide his sword skills, but Drake's physical techniques are insane too. Didn't you say last time he developed those moves? Morning Peacock, Daytime Tiger, Evening Elephant… what was the last one?"
Baccarat struck the sandbag again, smiling as she answered. "Night Guy. He said the martial art is named after the cycle of a day—morning, day, evening, night. A complete rhythm."
Perona's eyes lit up, her ghosts swirling faster. "That's it! Horohorohoro~~"
Reiju watched them all—training hard, speaking with admiration—and her own surprise grew with every word. Her gaze returned to Drake, Shinku Hazama cutting through the air with relentless force.
"He knows swordsmanship, hand‑to‑hand combat, and wields the power of a Devil Fruit…" Reiju's voice trembled with awe, her beautiful eyes shining. "I've never heard of anyone whose combat ability is so complete. If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't believe such a man exists."
Hana paused mid‑stretch, her voice brimming with excitement. "That's why he's destined to change the world. It's inevitable."
Betty tossed away the cigarette butt, her tone calm but sharp. "If you don't have enough strength, how can you navigate the New World? That's why I train so much—it's the only way to survive."
Baccarat smiled gently at Reiju as she worked through a set of strikes against the sandbag. "Anyway, if you stay on this ship, you'll gradually understand Drake and what kind of person he truly is."
Reiju paused, her eyes gained a thoughtful expresion. Then, with a hint of curiosity, she asked, "Yes… I'd like to know something. What is Drake's strength now? Has he ever told you?"
It was the question she had wanted to ask all along, but she had been too embarrassed to ask Drake directly. Now, surrounded by these women who spoke so openly, it felt like the right time.
"I know, I know…"
Perona swooped down in front of Reiju, her laughter echoing as she floated playfully. "Drake said his current strength is at the Admiral level~~"
Reiju's eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat. Admiral level…?
She looked back toward the training floor, where Drake swung Shinku Hazama with relentless precision, each strike shaking the air. Her admiration deepened—this man was not only mysterious, but his power was beyond anything she had imagined.