While Jack navigated the boat with practiced ease and Ryu stood firmly at the helm, following every instruction without hesitation, Jack flashed a wide grin at him. The salty sea breeze whipped through his hair as waves crashed against the ship's sides.
"BOHOHOHO! You're getting the hang of it, Ryu!" Jack laughed loudly. "Keep steering like that and you'll make a fine pirate someday!"
Ryu rolled his eyes at Jack's words, a small grin tugging at the corner of his lips as he shook his head in amusement.
"Heh… you really never shut up, do you?"
The sea breeze whipped through his blond hair while the ship rocked against the waves, and despite his annoyance, there was a spark of laughter in his eyes as he glanced back at Jack.
After carefully studying the weathered map and adjusting the needle of his compass, Jack slowly turned toward Ryu with a wide, carefree grin stretched across his face. He raised the booze bottle in his hand, taking a massive gulp before wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve.
"Alright, kid, listen up!" Jack barked with a wild grin stretching across his face as the waves crashed against the boat's hull. "Our very first target is the Capone Family! Those mafia rats have been far too arrogant lately… and we're gonna steal the treasure they just found!"
Ryu shot Jack a puzzled look, one of his brows twitching upward He scratched the back of his head and let out a confused sigh before asking.
"The Capone family...? The hell are you rambling about?"
Jack's eyes gleamed with greed and mischief, a wild grin stretching across his face. He rummaged through his battered bag before pulling out two bottles of booze. With a careless flick of his wrist, he tossed one toward Ryu.
Ryu caught the bottle effortlessly, not spilling a single drop as the boat rocked beneath them.
"BOHOHOHO! Relax kid… have a drink. I'm gonna explain everything for ya now!"
Ryu rolled his eyes so hard it looked like he was about to pass out from Jack's stupidity. Letting out a long sigh, he leaned against the railing and replied with a dry look on his face.
"Oi, are you brain-dead or what?! I'm still just a kid! I'm only fifteen, you booze-soaked moron!"
Jack burst into a roaring fit of laughter, clutching his side as tears gathered at the corners of his eyes upon hearing this.
"BOHOHOHOHO! You stupid brat! Who the hell told you you're too young to drink?! If you're gutsy enough to sail the vast seas, then you're already old enough to raise a bottle like a true pirate! Now quit whining — I'm gonna teach you how a real pirate lives, drinks, and conquers the seas, boy!"
Ryu let out a long sigh, a defeated grin stretching across his face as he finally twisted open the booze bottle before taking a massive gulp.
A second later—
"COUGH!, COUGH!"
"DAMN! This stuff tastes like straight-up poison! How the hell do you gulp this down like it's water?!" Ryu barked, coughing violently as tears formed in the corners of his eyes while the booze burned through his throat like cannon fire.
Jack threw his head back and roared with laughter.
"BOHOHOHOHOHO! YOU'VE STILL GOT A LONG WAY TO GO, BRAT!" Jack roared with a wild grin, swinging the booze bottle in his hand. "A REAL PIRATE NEEDS HIS BOOZE! IT'S AS IMPORTANT AS THE SEA ITSELF! At first it burns like hell, but before long you'll be chugging it down like water!"
He threw an arm around Ryu's shoulders and laughed even louder. "Trust me on this, kid! Sooner or later, YOU'LL BE BEGGING FOR ANOTHER BOTTLE! BOHOHOHOHO!"
Ryu rolled his eyes and shook his head, yet despite his complaints, he kept chugging from the booze bottle like a seasoned pirate already addicted to the burn. Foam dripped down the corner of his mouth as the waves rocked the boat beneath them.
"I ain't pirate, Jack! I'm sailing these seas for my own goal! I'm gonna become the greatest swordsman of all time! The only reason we're sailing together right now is because our goals happen to line up… for the time being!"
Jack gave a rough grin and nodded, tilting his head back as he took a massive swig straight from the booze bottle.
"BOHOHOHO! You're right, kid… but sooner or later, you'll have to become a pirate if you wanna chase that crazy ambition of yours!"
Ryu's brows shot up, a flicker of surprise crossing his face as he looked at Jack.
"Why is that?"
Jack let out a rough chuckle, the kind that echoed across the deck, before tipping the booze bottle back for another long swig.
"Kid, you've got monstrous ambition! The West Blue is far too cramped for a swordsman aiming for the top! Sooner or later, there'll come a day when no blade in West Blue can push you any further! And when that day comes… you'll have no choice but to set sail for the Grand Line—the graveyard of weaklings and the paradise of true monsters! BOHOHOHOHO!"
"You don't know the first thing about navigation, kid! And as a helmsman, you're greener than seaweed! BOHOHOHO! If you think you can sail into the Grand Line all by yourself, then you're begging for a watery grave! The Grand Line ain't some calm little river — it's a monster that swallows fools whole! You'll need reliable crewmates at your side if you wanna survive that cursed sea!"
"You and I both know damn well you'll never join the Navy after learning what really happened to Ohara. You're a man who lives by his own code, kid… and guys like you would rather die free than kneel like some lapdog to the World Government."
Ryu let out a low chuckle before tilting the booze bottle back, taking a long swig like a true pirate of the seas.
'That idiot might actually have a point… but thinking that far ahead right now is way too damn early.'
After draining the last drop from his booze bottle, Jack hurled it into the sea with a careless grin. "BOHOHOHOHO!" he laughed as he swaggered to his feet, his steps swaying as he walked towards Ryu.
"Alright, kid… now let's get down to business. Like I told ya before, our very first target is the Capone Family."
"In the West Blue, four great Mafia families rule the shadows of the underworld… and the Capone Family stands proudly among them."
"They made their fortune dealing in firearms, flooding the underworld with guns and cannons like merchants of war."
"Before I ever set foot on Ohara, whispers were already spreading across the West Blue… they said the Capone Family had gotten their filthy hands on Captain Ning's treasure."
Ryu's eyes gleamed with curiosity at those words, and he leaned forward before asking.
"Who is Captain Ning?"
Jack slowly turned around, his coat fluttering in the sea breeze as his eyes gleamed with fierce admiration.
"All I know about Captain Ning comes from the stories written in my grandfather's journal,"
"Captain Ning was a legend born right here in the West Blue! The guy was a monstrous pirate feared across the seas for his deadeye marksmanship and the insane luck that followed him everywhere he went. No matter how impossible the situation looked, fortune always seemed to bend in his favor!"
"When he set sail into the treacherous waters of the Grand Line, Captain Ning amassed mountains of treasure and riches beyond imagination. But just as his legend began to shake the seas, fate struck him down with an incurable disease, cutting his grand voyage tragically short."
"He disbanded his crew and sailed back to the West Blue… and before death finally claimed him, Captain Ning hid his legendary treasure somewhere here in the West Blue. Since then, countless pirates, bounty hunters, Mafia families, and treasure seekers have vanished chasing the Captain Ning's treasure."
"Even my grandfather spent years chasing his legendary treasure… but in the end, he returned empty-handed, just like every fool who dared seek it in West Blue."
"But when I heard the Capone Family had found his treasure, I set out to investigate for myself… and what I uncovered was far more interesting."
Ryu leaned forward, his gaze sharpening with quiet intensity. He said nothing, only listened—completely absorbed, by what he is hearing.
"What did you found?"
Jack let out a low chuckle, his grin widening as a glint of greed lit up in his eyes, sharp and hungry like a predator catching the scent of gold on the wind.
"Bege Capone, the ruthless second-in-command of the Capone Family, had just eaten a Devil Fruit when the rumors began to spread like wildfire across the West Blue."
"And this confirms the rumors I heard were true, the Capone family they really did found his treasure."
"Listen carefully kid, according to what I heard Bege's Devil Fruit is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit— the Castle-Castle Fruit."
Ryu stared at Jack, bewilderment flashing across his face when he heard this.
"I know about Devil Fruits… but how does that Castle-Castle Fruit actually work?" he asked, eyes narrowing with curiosity.
Jack shook his head slowly, his expression hardening as he met Ryu's gaze with rare seriousness.
"I don't know… but when it comes to Bege, we'd better tread carefully."
"Also…we need to be incredibly careful when dealing with the leader of the Capone family… Francisco Capone."
"He's an incredibly skilled swordsman… but the most terrifying thing about him is his Devil Fruit."
"CLICK!"
Ryu slowly drew Chi Hime from its sheath, the blade whispering through the air before he slid it back with deliberate calm. A bloodthirsty smirk crept across his face at the mention of Francisco Capone being a skilled swordsman—as if the thought alone had already promised him a worthy kill.
Jack rolled his eyes at Ryu, letting out a low, amused scoff.
"Don't get too excited, kid," he said with a sharp click of his tongue. "That man is far more troublesome than you think."
His gaze darkened as he continued, voice lowering. "He once fought the main branch commander of the Navy here in the West Blue… and held his ground."
Jack paused for a moment before continuing.
"Thanks to that damned Crystal-Crystal Fruit… it's granted him absurdly versatile ability. You've gotta stay on your toes every second when you're up against that bastard. I saw him fight once… and it sent chills straight down my spine."
Ryu narrowed his eyes upon hearing this.
"crystal-crystal fruit!"
Jack nodded seriously.
"That bastard… he can create any kind of crystal he wants," he spat, his voice tight with anger. "Liquid crystal, hardened crystal, even crystal turned to fine powder—if you can imagine it, he can bring it into existence."
"I saw it with my own eyes… that guy even can shape crystals into weapons! He can twist them, forge them, even wear them like armor made of pure crystal!"
"His crystals… can be like steel given form," he said, voice low with unease. "I saw it with my own eyes—when he fought, not a single weapon could even leave a mark on that crystal armor of his. Swords, bullets… it was as if they were striking a fortress made of pure unbreakable steel."
Ryu's heart thundered in his chest, each beat sharp with anticipation. Excitement burned through his veins like wildfire as his grip on Chi Hime tightened unconsciously.
He couldn't wait any longer—he needed to face Francisco.
"I'll take care of that crystal guy myself," he said with a sharp grin, eyes gleaming with anticipation. "It's been a long time since I've had a real fight worth remembering."
Jack let out a low chuckle, the kind that carried both amusement and approval, his shoulders shaking slightly as he listened to Ryu's answer.
"Good, relax for now, kid," he said with a calm grin. "The Capone Family's main base is in Lore City. It'll take us about a week to get there.."
Ryu gave a firm nod.
In a single smooth motion, he drew Chi Hime, the blade sliding free with a sharp ring that cut through the air like a challenge itself.
His stance dropped instantly.
His focus sharpened—eyes burning with raw excitement, the kind that only came when battle was near. Each breath carried intent. Each heartbeat, pressure.
Then he moved.
The sword danced.
Fast at first—then faster.
Every swing was clean, precise, almost beautiful in its discipline, like a storm being shaped into form. The air itself seemed to react, whispering under the weight of his blade technique as he drilled his movements again and again without hesitation.
Ryu wasn't just training.
He was sharpening himself into something dangerous.
Jack let out a low chuckle at the sight, clearly amused. Without a word, he unfurled the weathered map in a smooth motion, the paper snapping softly as it caught the air.
His eyes narrowed with focus as he traced the lines with his finger, then reached for his compass. The needle spun for a brief moment before settling, pointing directly toward Lore City.
A wide grin crept across Jack's face as his eyes traced over the worn edges of the map.
"If we pull this off…" he muttered, a crooked grin slowly creeping across his face, "we'll have every organization and assassin in the West Blue crawling after our heads."
He let out a low chuckle, eyes glinting with excitement rather than fear.
"Heh… looks like things are about to get interesting."
________