The morning sky stretched bright and clear above the Grand Fortuna, with the cool sea breeze carrying the scent of salt and freedom. The ocean lay calm, almost like glass reflecting the sky's hue, and seagulls soared in the distance, screeching joyfully. On the ship's deck, two figures stood facing each other—Arthur and Ravi, both upright, sweat trickling down their temples.
"Don't hold back your punches!" Ravi shouted, sweeping aside Arthur's strike with his left arm before countering with a knee aimed at his chest.
Arthur twisted his body, dodging with ease, then grinned. "If you die, who's gonna cook? Nara won't cook for me. Last time she did, I vomited for two days and had nightmares about talking curry."
"Don't insult Nara's culinary experiments," Ravi shot back, leaping backward. "She made curry with pineapple and squid—it's a glimpse of the future of cuisine."
"More like a glimpse of hell."
Ravi laughed, then launched a flurry of punches. Arthur blocked with his elbow and retaliated with a kick toward the hip. The two of them looked like puppies fighting while barking at each other—a lot of noise, a lot of style, but no killing intent. Between the blows and banter, there was a quiet trust neither of them voiced.
"Why do you even still train with me?" Arthur asked, panting.
"Because you're annoying and fun to beat up," Ravi replied.
"Thanks. I love you too, you know."
In a corner of the ship, in a small room he'd converted into a personal workshop, Bastien sat with dirty hands and eyes full of enthusiasm. He wore protective goggles with one cracked lens—which, for some reason, he hadn't replaced in two months. In front of him, various chemicals and metals were scattered. He was trying to recreate a piece of technology from his old world: a flashbang. But this time, he wanted to put it inside a bullet.
"If I can load this into a revolver," he murmured, combining magnesium powder, sulfur, and a light explosive into an empty bullet casing, "it could be a perfect opener. Or… maybe a way to blind the enemy—or myself."
He grinned, then very carefully sealed the bullet and set it on a metal table. He took a deep breath, eyeing his creation.
Suddenly, BOOM!
A small explosion shook the room. The deck trembled. White smoke billowed out of the small workshop window. Three seagulls perched on the mast took off in a panic.
"BASTIEN!!!" Juno's voice rang out from outside, a mix of panic and fury. "DID YOU BLOW UP OUR SHIP AGAIN?!"
The workshop door slammed open, and Bastien emerged with his face covered in soot, his hair standing up like a hedgehog hit by lightning.
"Relax, it was just the first prototype," he coughed. "I still have both eyes, so... partially successful?"
"Partially?" Juno pointed to the now-slightly-tilted mast. "The mast is almost broken and you call that partially?!"
"Well, at least it didn't catch fire," Bastien said, holding up another bullet that hadn't exploded. "We're one step closer."
From the galley, Nara poked her head out while waving a spatula. "If you put a hole in this ship before breakfast, I swear I'll make pineapple curry again. Three times a day. No salt. With durian."
Arthur immediately stopped his duel and looked up at the sky as if pleading for divine mercy. "Please... stop the weapon and cooking experiments. We're not gonna die from enemies, but from ourselves."
"Shut up!" Nara and Bastien shouted in unison, making Arthur flinch like a chick getting smacked with a broom.
Meanwhile, Ravi leaned against the mast, chuckling. "Sometimes I feel like we're not a pirate crew, but a sitcom cast with an overblown explosion budget."
"I once suggested putting cameras on the ship for documentation," Juno said flatly. "Bastien said the money was better spent on gunpowder."
"Priorities, Juno," Bastien cut in, wiping soot from his cheek. "If we don't explode today, that means it's a productive day."
Amid all the chaos and laughter, the Grand Fortuna sailed steadily across the blue ocean. The day seemed light-hearted, but every member of the Freebone Crew knew—even a calm day was a training ground, a place to grow, to laugh, and to prepare for the cruel world out there.
Arthur and Ravi nodded to each other, then bumped fists to mark the end of their duel. Bastien returned to his workshop with renewed excitement and a faint smell of burnt hair. Nara went back to the kitchen muttering a new experimental recipe that made everyone nervous. Juno began checking loose nails on the deck with the resigned expression of a tired mother of three.
And in the middle of the vast blue sea, they remained one thing: a weird, chaotic, but solid family.
The Freebone Crew—a place where laughter, explosions, and pineapple curry blended into one mad harmony.