The Straw Hats swiftly resumed command of their vessel. Each crewmate returned to their post as the ship glided once more over calm seas. The U.A. students admired how the pirates operated in seamless harmony, following their navigator's instructions just as music began to lift the mood.
A gentle yet lively violin tune floated through Sunny's deck, bringing smiles to every face on board. Before long, it was joined by Brook's infectious laughter, woven into the melody, while distant whale songs echoed in perfect harmony from the surrounding waters.
Both students and teachers leaned over the railing, captivated by the sight of a pod of whales breaching the surface, misting the air with their blowholes and casting brief rainbows in the sunlight.
The looping chorus encouraged the teens to join in, adding their voices to the carefree rhythm, dancing alongside Luffy, Franky, Usopp, and Chopper.
Jiro slipped into the aquarium lounge and returned with instruments in hand, distributing them among her fellow classmates with enthusiasm.
~ ~
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho
Gather Up All of the Crew,
It's Time to Ship out Bink's Brew.
Sea wing blows, to where who knows
The waves will be our Guide
Toshinori looked down with interest, listening to the familiar melody. Soon, he began to sing along the rhythm with the skeleton and the pirates, who kept celebrating without pause, as their joy spilled over, infecting the young heroes.
The students joined in, dancing and banging on plates like makeshift percussion instruments—earning a scolding from Iida, while Sanji remained focused in the kitchen, finishing the meal.
"It's a pirate song, you aware of that?" Yue's voice said quietly from within the cloth, cutting through the serious conversation they'd been having.
"SO?" he replied with a wide grin and then continued humming while the lyrics danced just out of reach in his memory.
Bid fare well to weaver's town
Say so long to port renownd
Sing a song, it won't be long
Before we're casting off!
Curiosity finally got the better of the frightened woman, peeking out from her hiding place, where she watched how the students gathered around the table, laughting as they set up.
Near the mast, the skeleton twirled to the rhythm of a cheerful tune while his crewmates sang along—off-key and joyful. The haunting song of the whales accompanied the ship, as the gigantic mammals swam protectively beside the vessel.
The scene was so warm and alive that she couldn't help but smile.
"DON'T BE AFRAID TO ENJOY THE COMPANY... IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN, MIDNIGHT CAN PUT YOU TO SLEEP—OR YOU CAN STAY CLOSE TO HER IN CASE HER QUIRK TRIGGERS WHILE UNCONSCIOUS. WHAT DO YOU THINK?"
Yue remained silent, mulling over the blond's suggestion. It wasn't a bad idea... but even if she had the option, she wasn't sure if coexisting was really what she wanted.
"OI, SHAGGY! JOIN US!" Luffy's voice sung rather than shouted, joined by Denki, Kirishima, and Jiro, who had just realized their teacher had been humming along.
Flushed with embarrassment, Yagi's cheeks turned pink as the group beckoned him to the center.
"The captain requests your presence... Wouldn't be wise to brush him off." teased the white-haired, snorting as she stood up from her hammock, balanced on the perch, and gave Yagi a hard shove to the chest.
A surge of adrenaline shot through him as he lost his balance and tumbled backward off the perch. The stretched sail caught him with a gentle thud, springing him back into the air. For a breathless moment, he twirled midair, just missing Nami's cherished tangerine trees, then shifted his weight mid-spin and landed on his feet—surprisingly steady.
From her perch above, Yue let herself fall backward, gliding smoothly down the sail before landing beside the irritated retiree.
"Not bad, old man. Looks like you've still got it."
"WATCH IT! YOU COULD'VE DROPPED ME TO MY DEATH!"
"Hey, not my fault you didn't see it coming." She shrugged with zero remorse. "You should've asked the captain to train your Haki."
"I did. We're on break."
His answer made her freeze. A pirate—training a hero? Not just any pirate... The captain!
"Wait... he agreed?"
"YOUNG LUFFY ISN'T LIKE THE OTHER PIRATES YOU'VE FACED." he said, walking away without looking back. His calm dismissal of her doubts—and his strange bond with the pirate captain—left her stunned.
...
As the final notes of "Binks' Sake" faded, the whales slowly drifted away. The festive mood mellowed, but the warmth in the air lingered, undiminished.
The table was set, and the only thing missing were the dishes that still weren't ready. While they waited, the students dove into a passionate conversation with the pirates about how terrifying the wild sea was, only to be interrupted by Usopp's fantastic stories. His exaggerated and animated tales quickly drew a large crowd around him, while the teachers watched over their students from the second-floor hallway.
"Are they always this lively?" a voice asked from behind Nemuri, Shouta, and Mic. It was the embarrassed white-haired who had decided to stick close to Midnight as suggested.
"WELL, THEY'RE JUST A BUNCH OF FRIENDS LIVING OUT AN ADVENTURE."
"They don't even seem like pirates," Nemuri said softly, resting her head on her hand, clearly charmed by the scene, as the white-haired laughed at the remark.
"What's so funny?"
"That they don't seem like pirates," she replied, smirking as she stepped closer to the group and joined the three teachers.
Aizawa stayed composed despite the interruption, keeping his unreadable expression. Yet there was something he'd been meaning to say ever since Eri's rescue.
"…I owe you an apology. For earlier."
"You mean when you wrapped me up in that grimy scarf?" "It doesn't matter… You were doing your duty—protecting your students. There's no need to say sorry for being a responsible teacher."
"Uh... Yue-san…" Izuku called a slightly nervous coming up the stairs, accompanied by Ochako, Iida, and Tsuyu, drawing the teachers' attention.
"What you said earlier… about us being part of the problem because we only focus on fighting villains… what did you mean by that?"
"Let it go, Midoriya, she's not in her right mind," Iida interjected, trying to stop his friend.
"But I'm curious about her perspective. What made her think that way?"
"That you haven't considered them as people—only focused on their actions," she answered plainly.
"THEY'RE VILLAINS! THEY COMMIT CRIMES, THEIR ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES!" Iida shouted, pointing with an outstretched arm.
"Yes… but those acts stem from something deeper. It's not just about confronting them. You also need to understand the root of their actions."
The four students fell silent. They understood what she was trying to say… but didn't fully grasp the purpose of it.
"UNDERSTAND THEM? ARE YOU INSANE?! YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT JUSTIFYING THEIR DEMEANORS!" Mic burst out.
"A CRIME IS A CRIME. THERE'S NO JUSTIFICATION THAT EXCUSES BREAKING THE LAW."
Mic's words were echoed by Iida, but the other three students remained silent, eager to hear what she would say. Instead, the woman simply let out a quiet laugh and shifted her gaze to the pirate flag billowing in the wind.
"How long have you been traveling together?"
"This would be our fifth day," Aizawa replied.
"Nezu probably thinks you're dead…" she muttered.
Her words made both students and teachers swallow hard.
"I suppose you've tried to understand where a villain comes from."
"What do you mean, kero?"
"You're heroes… so you must've realized that crime hasn't gone down over the years. And now, with the symbol of peace out of the picture, it just keeps getting worse. Is it because villains are being set free… or because new ones keep emerging every single day?"
The students remained quiet as the teachers frowned at the woman's arrogance.
"What I'm trying to say is… if there are so many heroes and law enforcement agencies, why do more enemies keep appearing? Shouldn't their numbers be dwindling by now? After every battle, the so-called defenders of justice walk free, while villains are thrown behind bars. Heroes are shaped in schools… but where are villains made?"
"Where?" Ochako asked, her curiosity piqued.
"In your society. You should already know the answer."
"No… we never really thought about that," Deku admitted, mulling over her words.
"That's because, like your teacher, you all suffer from limited thinking," she said, pointing at Mic with a look of disdain.
"EXCUSE ME?! WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!" Mic snapped.
"Your villains are a mirror of how your society functions. They exist because of what your system fails to provide. Everyone's so obsessed with quirks, they've forgotten how to cultivate their own humanity," she explained, her tone cool as a quiet, nasal laugh escaped her lips.
"What's so funny?" Nemuri asked, irritated.
"The word 'humanity'... it's supposed to mean showing affection, compassion, or solidarity toward others. But honestly? The best way to define humans might be by how often they lack those very traits. Don't you think?"
Her comment hit a nerve.
"DON'T PAINT US ALL WITH THE SAME BRUSH! NOT EVERYONE'S LIKE THAT!" Iida shot back.
"Maybe not the majority," she conceded with a shrug, "but sadly, those in power—the ones pulling the strings—usually are."
"You can't know that!" Iida, Tsuyu, and Uraraka protested in unison.
"Sometimes," she said flatly, "not knowing is more comfortable."
Yamada stepped forward, voice rising. "JUST BECAUSE THE PEOPLE IN YOUR TIME WERE CORRUPT AND HID BEHIND THEIR TITLES DOESN'T MEAN OUR GENERATION IS THE SAME! STOP COMPARING US TO THE ONES WHO TWISTED JUSTICE BACK THEN!"
"Mic. Enough," Aizawa cut in, sharp tone.
"I used to stand by your perspective... but after everything we've seen on this trip, it's clear—there is a lot going on behind the scenes."
Yue said nothing more, choosing instead to look toward the crew of pirates, still gathered in laughter around their stories—until Luffy abruptly began swinging punches at Yagi, making everyone around them break into a cold sweat.
"Mr. Mic... Earlier, you said there's no excuse for a villain's behavior. And yet, here you all are, living side by side with people labeled as criminals. Doesn't that feel... a little hypocritical?"
"THIS IS DIFFERENT!" they all protested, everyone except Aizawa, who stayed quiet, observing and listening.
"Is it?..." she asked, calm and steady. "Do any of you even know what pushed this group of so-called criminals to walk this path?"
"To follow their dreams," Uraraka said confidently.
"She means becoming pirates, Uraraka," Eraserhead clarified.
"No… We don't really know," Deku admitted.
"These pirates—people you willingly placed your lives in the hands of when there was no other choice—it makes me wonder. How many others out there have been labeled criminals just because no one bothered to understand them? How could they ever be heard, if help only comes after they become a threat?"
She let the silence settle for a beat before continuing.
"What I'm trying to say is… Everyone has a reason, a story, a moment that set them on their path. Could it have been avoided? What part of your society is failing so often that more people are choosing that path?"
"But they're good people!" Ochako insisted, stepping forward. "They're pirates by title, but they're not bad!"
"'Good pirates'? Straw Hat?... Pfff—ha! Hahaha…"
"What's so funny?!" Deku snapped, joinning Uraraka. "You don't even know them!"
"You're right, I don't… But let me try to recall all the crimes they're world-famous for—" she said, turning to face the group.
"What else instead Tax Evasion" Mic Joked.
She sat casually on the railing, took a deep breath, and began counting on her fingers, ready to list every offense the newspapers had ever accused them of.
"Nice try… but you missed a few: aiding and abetting other criminals, arson, assault and battery, assault with a deadly weapon, attempted murder, murder, conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, committing crimes on government property, defacing and destroying property, disorderly conduct, harassment, hijacking, hostage situations, illegal substance use, injuring officers, interfering with law enforcement, terrorism, kidnapping royalty, mass destruction, both first- and second-degree murder, obstructing criminal investigations, possession of military-grade weaponry, public corruption, racketeering, rebellion and insurrection, resisting arrest, robbery, shoplifting, theft, treason, escaping from prison, breaking into prison, assaulting nobility, and of course, everyone's favorite… attempted regicide.
The small group of heroes stood in stunned silence after hearing the information. The list of crimes didn't just keep going—it kept getting worse, leaving them in shock. They didn't even notice when the girl stopped counting on her fingers, eventually using Ochako's and Froppy's frozen hands to finish listing them.
"Oh, and let's not forget plain old piracy." She teased, falling backward and landing on her feet, ready to join the infamous group, but not without continuing to poke fun at the stunned heroes.
"There must be more on the list, considering how long I've been here... I wonder how much time has passed?"
"Excuse me, cotton candy lover, how long has it been since the Marineford War?" She asked the reindeer, who was sitting on a swing, enjoying an ice cream.
"Two years."
"Oh, it seems like only a year has passed since I got here..."
"Well guys... triple that... The list I gave you only covers six months." She said with a grin, stepping away, pleased with herself.
"They did all that in just six months..." The heroes still couldn't react, feeling numb and a cold sensation washing over them, visible by the paleness of their faces.
"Oi! Guys, it's time to eat!... Uh... What's wrong with you? You look like you've seen a ghost." Mineta mocked, going over to the group.
"Waaaaah, you lost all your color! You must be sick!" Chopper said, nervously finishing his ice cream in one bite to check on them, only to got brain freeze.
"Nemuri chwaaaan~ !... And the others... The food's ready!"
"Assistant, if you're feeling better, help deliver the dishes." The cook ordered Izuku, who shook his head to focus.
"Aaaah, yes!" Deku obeyed, following the blonde.
The table was piled with food; the colors, flavors, and textures were as varied as always, showcasing the young chef's brilliant talent as he filled the table with delicacies.
Strangely, this was one of the quietest meals, with several diners not touching their plates, as they were lost in thought. Uraraka, Deku, Iida, Tsuyu, Nerumi, Yamada, and Yue had lost their appetites, staring blankly at their plates without touching them.
"What's going on with you guys?" Asked Franky, with sweat trickling down his antenna-like fashion hair.
"Still down because you have to rethink your fighting styles?" Sanji asked, shifting his focus to the girls, who were only holding their utensils without using them.
"Or is it that you don't like what I made?" He asked, heartbroken at the thought of disappointing the ladies.
"Ah, sorry Sanji-kun, I'm just really distracted, but your food smells amazing as always, right Ochako?" Nemuri nervously said.
"Yes!" Ochako answered, finally using her fork.
"How strange... Uraraka usually devours whatever's in front of her." Sero noted.
"If you're not going to eat, can I have it?" Luffy asked, pointing at the dishes.
"OF COURSE!" Yue responded without hesitation, handing over her plate to the captain.
"Hey, you need to eat." Midnight scolded, giving her plate to Yue, who just stared at it, disappointed, playing with her utensils.
"And eat quickly, or Luffy will steal it." Nami pointed out beside her.
"Okay... This isn't normal... What's going on?" Jinbei asked, noticing the group that had been missing from the deck wasn't touching their food at all.
"IT'S NOTHING!" Iida shouted with his usual firm pose, holding his chin high, starting to devour his food. The others only grew more suspicious as he choked.
"It's just something that have b..."
"Midoriya." Iida whispered, turning red from lack of air.
"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" The green-haired shouted, pointing his fork toward the sky, starting to shovel food into his mouth as Kirishima patted Iida's back, hoping he would get it down.
"You know... I'm an expert at spotting lies, and I can tell you're avoiding saying something."
"You don't need to be an expert to see that, Usopp-san." Brook said, clearly uncomfortable.
"Why are you so nervous, Brook-san?" Jiro asked.
"Uh... It's just... I don't know how to explain it..." He said, pointing at the white-haired who wouldn't stop staring at him.
"Is everything okay, Yue-san?" The skeleton asked, still staring at her.
"Mr. Soul King... Strip off."
"What?!" Everyone yelled, spitting out water and food.
"Sorry, where are my manners? Could you please take off your shirt?"
"OW! She's also a pervert!" Franky exclaimed, giving a thumbs-up of approval.
"As if there weren't enough perverts on the ship!" Jiro complained, disturbed, with her companions shouting in agreement.
"Pervert!"
"Depraved!"
"WHY ARE YOU ASKING FOR THAT?!" The skeleton asked, intimidated.
"I'm curious how your digestion works without organs... I don't see food coming out of your body when you eat... unless it's in your pants..." She said, curiously looking under the table, causing several to cover their legs.
"Take off your pants!" She ordered, pointing her fork.
"ENOUGH!" —Nami yelled.
"She has a point." Sero, Mineta, and Denki said.
"Well, sometimes he burps..." Jiro added, tilting her head.
"Can you take a shit?" Denki asked.
"WE'RE EATING!" Bakugo and Zoro yelled, annoyed, with sharp teeth.
"Yes." The skeleton answered, causing everyone to spit out their food.
"DON'T ANSWER!" They all yelled in unison.
"HOW DOES YOUR BODY WORK?!"
"You know what... Bye, don't come back until you behave." Nami grabbed Yue by the ear, pulling her away from the table and into the kitchen.
"I'VE HEARD YOU FART! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?" Her screams echoed from the second floor.
"Cruel..."
"That was harsh, taking her away like that."
"She was being disgusting."
"She was just making us uncomfortable." Momo said, playing with her fork, unable to continue after the disgusting topic.
"She didn't seem like she was going to eat anyway..." Nami said, returning to her seat.
"But Nami-swan, she hasn't eaten!"
"Didn't you notice?... She brought it up just to distract us from the fact that she's not eating... If she's really hungry, let her find something in the kitchen..."
"Shishishi, more for me."
Luffy took advantage of the situation and stole her plate, followed by the girls who hadn't touched their food.
He began speaking with his mouth full to the distracted students, who couldn't understand a word he was saying.
Zoro watched the group and his captain, trying to question them, but failing as he choked on the meat.
"Well... Speak. What's going on?" The swordsman asked annoyed with his arms crossed.
"We were wondering... hum..." Uraraka nervously fiddled with her fingers.
"Luffy-san... Why did you become a pirate?" Deku asked, seeing how difficult it was for his friend to ask the question.