It had been a few days since I unwillingly became Diron, Vice-Captain of the soon-to-be Whitebeard Pirates.
And by "soon-to-be," I mean it was still just me and Oyaji on this stolen ship.
But of course… life wouldn't stay quiet for long.
"Oi, brat! Wake up!"
I groaned, still half-asleep on a barrel.
"What now, Oyaji…?"
"We got company!"
I scrambled to my feet and looked out over the railing.
Sure enough — several Marine ships were closing in, their sails marked with that cursed seagull symbol.
At the head of the fleet, standing tall with his stupid smug face, was none other than Sengoku.
The man was 41 now, and somehow looked both young and grumpy at the same time.
"WHITEBEARD!!" Sengoku's voice boomed across the sea. "SURRENDER YOURSELF AND THE STOLEN SHIP IMMEDIATELY!"
Whitebeard grinned, leaning on his bisento.
"Brat, today you'll see what a real pirate fight looks like."
I turned pale.
"Wait, wait, wait — can't we talk this out?!"
"No time for that." He shoved me toward the nearest cannon.
"Load it, light it, and aim for the flag. First lesson: if you can't sink a ship, ruin its pride."
I clumsily grabbed the cannonball, loaded it, and fumbled with the fuse.
"I've never done this before!"
"Then you better learn quick — they're firing!"
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Cannonballs splashed into the water around us. I nearly dropped mine in panic.
Meanwhile, Whitebeard just laughed like it was a fireworks show.
"Alright, Oyaji — here goes nothing!" I lit the fuse, aimed vaguely at a Marine ship's flag, and braced myself.
BOOM!
The recoil nearly knocked me into the ocean, but I held on.
My cannonball sailed through the air and, by sheer dumb luck, shredded the Marine flag right off one ship's mast.
"HAH! I DID IT!"
Whitebeard roared with laughter.
"Good shot, brat! You've got the makings of a pirate after all!"
Then he raised his bisento and pointed it toward the fleet.
Time seemed to slow.
And then—
CRACK!
A shockwave ripped through the sea as Whitebeard used his Devil Fruit. The ocean itself trembled, and the nearest Marine ship cracked like an eggshell.
I clung to the railing for dear life.
Sengoku gritted his teeth, giving orders, but thankfully — and I mean THANKFULLY — he was laser-focused on Whitebeard and completely ignored me.
'Please keep looking at him, please keep looking at him…' I silently begged.
And somehow, the universe answered.
Whitebeard turned back to me with a grin.
"Not bad for your first naval battle, Vice-Captain Diron!"
I gave a shaky thumbs up.
"Can we… not do this every day?"
He just laughed.
And so, my pirate life kept getting crazier by the hour.