The sun dipped westward as the Grand Fortuna, ship of the Freebone crew, docked at the main harbor of Duvall Island. The golden glimmer of the afternoon sea greeted them, reflecting off the surface of neatly aligned baroque-style buildings lining the port. From afar, Duvall looked grand—clean, orderly, even elegant. But Bastien knew all too well that a city's face rarely revealed its soul.
No children played in the streets. No merchants shouted out their wares. Only men in dark suits stood at alley corners, some puffing cigars, others casting sharp gazes at anyone passing by. Conversations took place in hushed tones, nearly whispers, as if every word had to pass through an invisible censor.
This island—regarded as a "paradise" for the mafia—was one of the key gathering points for the underworld's power players across the West Blue. And for Bastien and Arthur, this place brought back memories… and old wounds.
"This... is just like the western district of Mad Hat," Arthur murmured, staring at the left side of the dock. The scent of aged premium tobacco, luxurious perfumes, expensive drinks, and dried blood mingled in the air.
Bastien nodded. "Yeah. A place that taught us how to walk without stepping on anyone's tail."
Arthur took a deep breath. His fists clenched at his sides. There was something in this city's air that touched the deepest part of his heart—the part he had kept locked for years. Faint, like a whisper in the fog, his mother's voice echoed in his head: "If you see a black golden rose, walk away. That's not a world for you."
But here he was.
Without many words, they split up. Arthur, along with Nara and Juno, went down into the city to buy ship parts, and food supplies. Bastien and Ravi stayed on the ship. Ravi headed straight for the kitchen, slicing onions while humming a tune from North Blue that no one recognized.
Bastien sat at the stern, his revolver neatly disassembled on a cloth. He tinkered with the trigger spring, testing his homemade auto-fire system. His hands moved quickly, eyes alert. He felt uneasy. Not because of Duvall itself, but because of how silent Duvall was. Too quiet for a place teeming with criminals.
On the main road, Arthur walked side by side with Nara and Juno. Their eyes scanned every person, every strange symbol etched on the walls. A bird skull emblem, a circle with three arrows, and a thorned crown.
"Mafia family crests," Juno whispered. "And this one…" She pointed to a black golden rose symbol, "…Morenzo. Once a big family here."
Arthur tensed instantly. His blood seemed to stop flowing. That name… Morenzo… pierced into his skull like a nail.
"Arthur?" Nara asked, noticing his sudden shift.
He didn't answer right away. His eyes were fixed on the black golden rose, unmoving, barely blinking.
"When I was little…" he began slowly, "My mom told me my dad was a nobody. But she… she cried when she said that name. Morenzo. I thought it was just… some ghost story."
He chuckled weakly, but his voice was hoarse. His eyes reddened, but no tears fell.
"If he was part of all this…" He looked around the city with eyes filled with rage. "If he left us for… this, for a life like this…"
He stomped his foot against the stone road. "I'll burn it all down. Bury that name. Destroy every golden rose that grows here."
Nara placed a hand on his shoulder. "Arthur… calm down. We don't know for sure."
"Exactly. That's why I have to find out." His voice echoed low, cold, and filled with vengeance. "I won't live in the shadow of a man who didn't even have the guts to acknowledge me."
They bought their supplies at a store run by an old man with scarred fingers. Inside, there was no laughter. Even price negotiations were whispered. Duvall was not a place for loud bargaining.
Meanwhile, back on the ship, Bastien sensed something. Not with his nose—but with his instincts. He rose slowly, scanning the harbor road from a distance. A flamboyantly dressed man stood motionless beside a clock tower, watching them. For a split second, their eyes met, and Bastien knew—they were being watched.
"Ravi," he said, packing up his weapon, "Dinner might need to be moved up. I don't think we'll be sleeping easy tonight."
Ravi emerged from the kitchen with his arms full of vegetables. "So, two dinner versions then? The peaceful one… and the emergency one," he said, half-joking, his face half-serious.
Bastien only nodded, his gaze still locked on the shadowy figure in the distance.
Duvall was not a place where adventurers came to relax. Duvall was a place where dark fates waited to be claimed. And for Arthur, this place would open a door to a past that should never have been knocked on.