Oykot Kingdom, East Blue, 4 years after Gol D. Roger's execution

I was glad Kuro kept quiet. I was sure I wouldn't have the words to answer him if he hadn't. The first glimpse of the destroyed saloon, the deathly quiet of the entire town; nothing but dreaded confirmation, and yet, I couldn't keep the tears from streaming.

I remained motionless. For how long I didn't know. Sweat, tears, and blood left me a sunburned mess, but my eyes remained steadfast on the golden ring glowing in the rays of the setting sun. The brick in my hands, which had revealed it, was now strangely weightless in my hands.

It was a simple thing with the tiniest gem you could find, but it was an heirloom. Apparently, it was a stone only found on a handful of islands in the North Blue, a faraway place where my great-grandmother had come from a long time ago.

From generation to generation, this ring had been passed down until it finally reached my…

Almost gently, I placed the brick to the side. My hand stretched out and for the first time, I noticed I was shaking. However, not only was my hand shaking, but it was also a grimy mess of dirt and blood, and my eyes couldn't help but involuntarily shift to the almost mockingly unblemished skin of my…

Bile rising, my hands retreated to my side, and instead of reaching for the ring in front of me, I held the brick from before in my grip again. Strain, exhaustion, everything was ignored in favor of putting it back as gently as possible. This was now the grave of my mother, after all.

I paid my respect to the Old Man as well and climbed down the pile of desolation that had been my old life.

"That fat bastard," Kuro growled just loud enough for me to hear as I joined him near the dock.

"Who?" I quietly asked as the exhaustion of the day kept bearing down on me. This wasn't the case with Kuro. He had remained frighteningly stoic until now, it seemed.

"Captain Nelson," he said with an aura that hinted at an ocean of frustration beneath his skin. The wet rag he used for smoke signals was carelessly tossed to the side as he paced back and forth in front of the little bonfire.

"We have been chasing Bluejam's wolf pack for months," he hissed, his eyes on the horizon. "Until I recognized his pattern, I predicted his course, and I had a plan." This time, he fixated on me with a glance that was pure conviction and confidence. "Not this," he thrust out his hand toward my ruined home. "This farce! A simple ambush, four ships-worth of marines lying in wait in the woods, but that fat lard of a man couldn't be bothered to step off his ship," again he rounded on me, the sheer vitriol in his voice directed at his superior rocking me back. "Fools! All of them without exception!"

"But where are they?" I asked; we hadn't seen a single soul today.

"Turned tail or gave chase, depends on numerical advantage. My former captain is a coward, but he chases glory like a starving mud," he revealed with a disdain, that layered his every word. It wasn't his tone, but a single word that made me perk up.

"Former?" I asked, now curious. Perhaps it had been a slip of the tongue, but Kuro suddenly grew pensive. His pacing ceased right in front of the bonfire, which drew his gaze.

"Yes," Kuro squared his shoulders. "Yes!" He repeated, but this time more forceful before his voice gained a vicious edge. "No more! I refuse to take orders from such insufferable fools. Forced to depend on mediocrity. Never again!"

"I will be a pirate!" He proclaimed and then rounded on me. "And you will be my first recruit!"

I couldn't help but swallow at the sudden and undivided attention, let alone the proclamation. Before I could form a response, however, images of the ruined town behind my back rose unbidden. I had nothing here, and that simple realization tipped the scale.

"Aye aye!"

"Excellent, get yourself cleaned up. You're filthy."

"Aye…"

"You sure you don't wanna stay onboard? I could always use two bright lads like you," Captain Florry called from the quarterdeck as Kuro and I descended the plank from his little carrack. "I don't even mind the fancy dancing lessons, sonny," he went on good-naturedly, but even just after a week together I slowly recognized certain telltale signs that Kuro's temper was rising. As I saw no reason to leave on bad terms with an old regular of Old Man Larry, I took over the farewells. The fact the man had looted the remains of my old home for everything of worth remained in the back of my mind, however.

"Thanks again, Capt'n Florry, but we want to try our luck first," I called over my shoulder and watched him shrug his shoulders as if to tell me it was our loss. Given the state of his ship, I wasn't so sure.

"Shore leave for the day, boys!" I heard the old pirate shout from his vantage point to the cheers of his little crew. "No unwanted trouble, you hear me?!"

"So, why Loguetown, and what did he mean with dancing lessons?" I asked as we branched off the harbor area onto a cobbled alley leading toward the town center.

"News," he simply said as he handed a shouting boy a few years older than me a handful of coins and grabbed what looked like the latest newspaper, which went folded under his arm for the time being. "And Loquetown is the perfect place to recruit and get recruited."

"Huh?" I eloquently tried to get Kuro to explain, while I struggled to keep up with his long strides.

"Simple; here is every single pirate who is either too sensible or too scared to go one step further and up Reverse Mountain and into the pirate grave," he elaborated without sparring me a glance.

"So, what's the plan now that we are here?" I asked, feeling out of my depth.

"We stay at a hotel and buy proper gear. We need to make an acceptable impression on our new employer, whoever that will be," he said absently as over his shoulder the legendary execution platform came into view and I couldn't help but gasp, while Kuro ignored it and went left, a fancy building at the corner of the street. Pretty flowers, clean façade, and 'Hold on!'

"With what money?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

"With Capt'n Florry's money, of course."

'Oh…'

"He's here!" I panted as I skidded to a stop next to a stack of empty crates just in time to see Kuro finish his weird tap dance performance.

It would have been funny if it wasn't for the fact that, according to Kuro, this was part of some technique of the marine big wigs. The guy talked little, but in the month we have been here, with Kuro training, and me watching and learning from him how to pickpocket, he had revealed a handful of things.

One such tidbit was that he grew up here in Loquetown, and according to him, right after Roger's execution, in an effort to quell total chaos, Marine HQ had sent one of their heavy hitters. That guy had gone through pirates like a hot knife through butter, only for a year, mind you, after which he had been ordered back and subsequently replaced by the current guy, a Captain Pudding, but the manner and the tricks of that terror had been burned into Kuro's memory since then.

Anyway…

"Krieg's just dropped anchor at the western docks," I said again, with a bit more posture. Kuro always made a point about it.

"Are you certain it's him?" he questioned, but still put his new saber around his waist and tossed me my bandoleer with a single flintlock and a dagger.

"Aye, he sailed under false flag, but the galleon had the figurehead you told me about, and the guy that went into the captain's cabin looked a lot like the wanted poster," I stated confidently as I adjusted the piece of leather across my torso.

"Very well," he said, and straightened his brand-new glasses. "Let's go."

And off he went, with me trailing after him and my displeasure kept hidden.

Krieg, the feared newcomer with already a bounty of nine million berries, had been part of the little pirate coalition led by Bluejam. The bunch of bastards that razed my home to the ground and killed my Ma. I felt my frown turn into a full-blown scowl. The pirates and their crews had been scattered, and while the smashing of Bluejam's pack had been touted as a major victory for Marines, the fact of the matter was that every single ringleader remained free so far.

I hadn't voiced my thoughts yet, because I didn't believe for one second Kuro would serve willingly under such a cunt without some ulterior motive.

Thankfully, the walk was short and I couldn't dwell too much on it as we got noticed by a rough-looking fellow directing a bunch of men along the dock.

"My cousin here is handy in the galley," Kuro explained to the man in front of us, while I kept quiet and tried not to be weirded out by Kuro's hand on my shoulder. The man, who had introduced himself as the first mate, eyed me and I simply met his gaze. Pirates of all kinds had been regulars in Old Man Larry's saloon, so this felt familiar in a strange way.

"And you, pretty boy?" the man, whose name was still a mystery, turned to Kuro, who remained stone-faced despite the remark.

"I can navigate; I'm very good with numbers, and decent with the blade," he replied stoically, which made the guy in front of us cock his head.

"Are you now?" The first mate questioned with a healthy dose of suspicion.

"We apprenticed on the Speed Pirates' ship, but Captain Jiru refused to take us with him to the Grand Line," Kuro lied through his teeth, having sensed that our age seemed to be the issue here.

"I see," the guy finally shrugged his shoulders and turned toward the ship. "Bruno!" He shouted and a second later, a barrel-chested bloke popped his head over the railing.

"Get this runt to Wilson," he commanded and shoved me up the plank. "Galley or powder monkey, I let him decide."

'What the hell is a powder monkey?' I thought bewildered as I made my way up toward the deck, but still close enough to hear the first mate address Kuro.

"You come with me," I heard the first mate tell Kuro. "With such bold claims, Capt'n Krieg will want to be the judge of you. Fair warning though, you better impress or your pretty little head is gonna catch a bullet."

'What?!'

East Blue, 6 years after Gol D. Roger's execution

Two years, I hated every last second of the last two years on this godforsaken ship. Countless cuffs behind the ears and rants that sent spittle flying by a man who wouldn't have been good enough to sweep Old Man Larry's floor. Wilson, the cook, was a young and incredibly nervous fellow. He wasn't on the ship of his own volition; No, he had been considered booty, as he had apprenticed on a famous cruise ship and had been deemed useful enough to keep around. Since then, Wilson had been stuck on this ship. Too nervous to run away, and always gripped by a myriad of fears; to be deemed useless, to disappoint the Capt'n, or to be replaced.

Sadly, the man had a point, as the consequences of such things were always on full display under a captain such as Krieg. Still, as it had quickly turned out, that I was more than a simple helping hand in the kitchen, I was considered a threat to his position and therefore his health. That I was ten didn't seem to cross his mind all too often.

"Miserable cunt," I muttered under my breath as I left the galley. Having been kicked out yet again because Wilson didn't want me to see him preparing Capt'n Krieg's menu. Trade secrets and insurance I reckoned.

I scowled as I watched Kuro talk animately with a crew member. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought he was having the time of his life. But…

'There!' My eyes narrowed in suspicion.

The second he was done talking, after a friendly clap on the shoulder, he would turn away and the smile would vanish in a heartbeat, to be replaced by an expression that could have been carved out of stone.

When he wasn't doing his training at night, when he wasn't flying through the ranks, Kuro played friendly with about a dozen crew members. He was subtle, but I knew the guy; I had seen him at his lowest.

I shook my head. I honestly didn't care, so I continued my way into the bowels of the ship with the air of someone that had a purpose, a job to do, just so no one would bother me.

It was a calm and gorgeous day, most men either up enjoying the breeze or snoozing in their hammocks, a fact which allowed me to make my way to the ship's stores without crossing anyone's path.

Countless times I watched Kuro train and countless times did I see the results in combat, his five million berry bounty a testament to his ever-growing prowess. Yes, I could watch him butcher his way through marines and pirates, because the more I was kicked out of the galley, the more I was pressed into combat, either as a powder monkey below deck or as cannon fodder with my dagger in hand.

I would love to say that I was some pirate prodigy, given that I was still alive, but that, sadly, wasn't the case. Enemies simply tended to be surprised by my age, and their hesitation was my chance for a quick stab into their thighs and to run away. Unglamorous and cowardly, but enough for a 50,000.00 berry bounty.

Since the run-away part was kinda crucial in the survival department, I found myself whenever I could in the ship's depths, hidden among our supplies.

With my tiny oil lantern placed on a hook near the door, I quickly found something suitable, and a groan later, the sack of potatoes was flung over my shoulder and onto my back.

'Here goes nothing,' I sighed and went down for the first squat of many, many more.

"Are you done yet?" Wilson shouted over the sizzling of the giant wok before him, and I gritted my teeth. The urge to sink my knife into his unprotected back…

Deep breath! Nose in, mouth out!

"Nearly," I answered as I let the knife rock up and down instead, from left to right, back and forth. The second whole garlic bulb getting neatly minced by deft hands. A scrap and a scoop with the side of the blade and the little pile got deposited in a small ceramic bowl together with the first bulb.

The characteristic odor and the sticky fingers were easily ignored as I slid the bowl in a practiced fashion across the counter toward Wilson at the stove.

My eyes involuntarily wandered toward the wok, which was expertly tossed over the high heat.

I would never, ever admit it, but the stir-fry the asshole whipped up with just leftover veggies and some fish was genuinely incredible.

If the two rings of our bell hadn't cut my musings short, then surely the shout that followed would have. Krieg's thunder-like bellow swept over the entire ship.

"Up on deck, you worthless maggots!"

Krieg's command barely registered as my knife clattered onto the cutting board and I bolted out of the galley.

"Look after…," I barely heard Wilson as I crossed the threshold and left him, without doubt, absolutely furious at the stove. Probably scared shitless, too, torn between disobeying Krieg's order and leaving the red-hot stove unattended.

I burst onto the main deck like greased lightning and saw the towering figure of Capt'n Krieg waiting on the quarterdeck. Two rings of the bell meant news, sometimes new bounties or usually plans that the Captain deemed worthy of sharing.

More and more of the crew burst onto the deck, and I was glad I got my seat on the railing with a prime view of the proceedings. I had noticed it in the kitchen, but these gatherings were the most obvious reminder. Our gigantic galleon was bursting at the seams with sailors.

Something Capt'n Krieg seemed to enjoy as I could see the grin on his face only get bigger the more crammed the main deck got.

"Where is Kuro?" I heard someone close by mutter and couldn't help but crane my neck toward the steps leading up to the quarterdeck, the place where all the officers assembled during these gatherings.

Sure enough, a familiar shock of black hair with glasses was missing. A fact that seemed to spread among the men until…

"Silence!" Krieg roared and instantly it was deathly quiet. No one dared to move an inch or even breath, it seemed.

"Today," he shouted, "is a great day, for it's the birth of Don Krieg's armada!" he bellowed the last bit to the heavens and pointed starboard. Every neck on the main deck twisted at once and we watched as a large carrack came into view behind one of the many rock formations around the Polestar Islands. Some instinctively reached for their weapons, while I noticed the white flag waving at the top of the mainmast.

"Helmsman, I want us broadside of that ship," Krieg commanded over his shoulder, and Groote at the wheel expertly corrected our course accordingly. Satisfied, Krieg turned to his first mate, "Boris, proceed with the names!"

Our eyes shifted again, and we watched as Boris at the top of the stairs unfurled a small scroll.

"Sayori," Boris began in a loud but monotonous tone, that made a tall guy near the front perk up.

"Chip," a guy further up the railing on my side raised his hand in acknowledgment.

"Yainu," a guy I had mistaken for Kuro on more than one occasion answered with a loud 'Aye'.

On and on it went until…

"And Hadley!" He finished with my name since the scroll was subsequently rolled up and pocketed.

"From now on," Capt'n Krieg continued with his hands clasped behind his back, "you will refer to me as Admiral Krieg!"

Since no one was suicidal, no eyebrows were raised, and the megalomanic declaration was simply met with a boisterous "Aye, aye, Admiral Krieg!"

"You scumbags on the list, prepare to grab your shit and get ready to join Capt'n Kuro on our sister ship, the Iron Guard!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, with uncommon delight in his voice, and pointed again enthusiastically at the approaching ship.

The closer the carrack, which must have departed the nearby Loquetown only this morning, got, the higher my eyebrows rose in shock.

"Oh, shit!" I heard someone curse next to me.

"When…?" another equally shocked voice asked.

"I guess he remained in Loquetown and snuck onboard there," I answered quietly, impressed and disgusted by the butchery on the main deck. I let out a deep sigh and got off the railing.

I had stuff to pack, and the self-satisfied look on Kuro behind the wheel told me quite clearly that the bloody mess on the main deck continued below deck.

Removing blood from wood was always such a pain.

A new moon, thick clouds blocking most of the stars, and an ungodly hour. In short, the night was pitch black. The last puzzle piece Kuro, Captain Kuro as of three days ago, apparently had been waiting for to watch his so far grandest plan come to fruition.

The man was still as a statue, the only sign of life the tiniest movement of his telescope. I followed its gaze and found the object of Kuro's intense scrutiny.

Admiral Krieg's galleon rested with dropped anchor just a quarter of a mile away from us on the same beach of this inhabited island. Not a single speck of light and…

"Crow's nest unmanned," Kuro murmured under his breath, perhaps the only sign that he was feeling some nerves, and I turned my gaze back on him. His eyes were now up our mainmast and the burgee fluttering in the wind above it. Tailwind.

"Lights out!" He commanded in a low voice, directly toward me. I nodded once and made my way to stairs leading from the quarterdeck down to the main deck, where Yainu was already waiting.

"Lights out!" I said, just loud enough for him to hear, and watched as he went to a nearby hatch that led below deck. I watched rather than heard him repeat the order for someone beneath, where the message would travel through the entire ship.

A handful of seconds later, with Yainu's gaze still down the open hatch, I watched as he nodded once and returned to his previous position at the bottom of the stairs below me. "Lights are out!" His message received; I gave a firm nod and hurried back to Kuro's side.

"Lights are out, Captain!" I said to his motionless frame, that was back gazing through his spyglass.

"Weigh anchor!" He muttered without sparring me a glance, and I started the spiel again. This time, however, Yainu repeated the order to the men at the capstan. Slow, oh so slow, they lurched into motion, but they were quiet and that was all that mattered.

Then we were off.

The ship of Don Krieg was getting smaller and smaller until… it finally vanished in a sea of darkness.

"Welcome to the Black Cat Pirates!"