The Next Day – Heduka Island Shore
"What a wild night!" Ling beamed, stretching his arms wide as the sea breeze washed over him.
The villagers had thrown a massive celebration after Ganzack's defeat.
'It's actually my request..." Ling thought.
Ling stood on the deck of his 'ship', now docked near the shore. He leaned against the railing, gazing out at the island below.
"Good thing they let me keep the ship," Ling muttered.
"It was this ship that cause them suffering, after all."
Standing beside him was Golass, silent as always.
"We're heading to your hometown next, right?" Ling asked.
"Yes, captain." Golass replied stiffly.
Ling chuckled.
"I've noticed, you're never sure what to call me. Just go with Ling."
Golass shook his head.
"No. We would never be equals. And right now, I don't even deserve to call you captain."
He stared out at the sea.
"I'll need to earn the right to stand beside you."
Ling stayed quiet.
"I had a friend," Golass began.
"No... a rival. We swore to one day reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship together."
"We were the top students at our dojo… but we could never beat the swordsmens from Shimotsuki Village."
Ling's eyes widened.
'Zoro's island…? That's where we going?'
"When we turned eighteen, we left our village and sailed the seas together."
"We roamed from island to island, challenging every swordsman we could find. Fought day and night. The two of us rose quickly in reputation in this part of the East Blue."
"But then… I started losing. Again and again. Just small things at first, but it piled up. My confidence was crumbling."
"And then… I bit off more than I could chew. Challenged someone way out of my league."
Golass's voice dropped.
"I didn't know that my opponent was merciless that he cuts evryones arm he fought against with. Saga pushed me out of the way when the man went for my arm. He took the blow himself."
He looked down at his hands.
"His arm was cut off instead of mine."
Ling remained silent, letting the weight of the words settle.
"I was overwhelmed with guilt and shame, and fled like a coward. I never saw Saga again. That day marked the death of my pride as a swordsman."
"And with what little reputation I had left, I said to myself, 'Why not become a mercenary?' It was easier than facing who I used to be."
The sea wind blew gently between them.
Ling finally spoke, voice soft.
"You're stronger than you think, Golass."
Golass didn't reply.
But for the first time, the burden on his shoulders looked just a little lighter.
"If he's still alive out there somewhere then I need to make sure the sacrifice he made wasn't in vain," Golass said.
"I'll regain my pride as a swordsman and strive to become one of the most renowned swordsmen in the world."
He looked at Ling with conviction burning in his eyes.
"I won't waste the opportunity you've given me."
An Hour Later...
It was finally time to leave Heduka Island.
A small crowd had gathered on the shore to see them off, the Hyena Brothers, Medaka and her father, Herring, and most of the village.
You know why the Hyena Brothers didn't join the raid?
Because when Ling showed up at their place after the battle, they were… drinking tea.
(To be honest, I forgot about them...)
And you know what they said?
"We trusted you to keep everyone safe."
And then they just went back to sipping tea like nothing had happened.
Ling chuckled to himself at the memory.
"Branso! Branzo! Branxo!" Ling called out from the ship.
"You coming?"
Branxo shook his head.
"We want to… but there's still a lot to fix around here," he said.
"We need to help out the village," Branzo added.
"Take care, Ling!" Branso waved.
Ling hopped off the boat for a second, leaned in, and whispered something to them.
The brothers' jaws dropped in unison.
Back on deck.
"I told them to keep punching a boulder until they can break it in one hit," Ling said to Golass.
The brothers, still stunned by the earlier reveal that Ling had sent Ganzack one year into the future, cracked their knuckles.
"Bring it on!" they shouted in unison.
Meanwhile, Herring stepped forward, head slightly bowed.
"We're sorry… all we could offer in return was some food and not even much at that." He looked disappointed.
"No worries! We had a party last night, so it's natural." Ling shook his head.
Everyone knew by now that Ling was a pirate. But instead of judging and getting wary of him, they accepted him.
Even more, they learned how the three brothers had saved money to hire someone strong enough to defeat Ganzack… and how Ling had refused to take a single berry.
"I had more money as a kid than all of you combined," he'd laughed. "Just let me party with you all night, and we're even."
"What a weird kid…" Branso chuckled, remembering the moment fondly.
"Ling!" Medaka called, running up to the edge of the dock.
"I hate pirates…" she said, looking down at her feet.
"But I like you. And Golass too! Thank you!" she grinned up at them.
Ling smirked. "What a cheeky little runt."
"I'm not a runt! I'm Medaka!" she pouted.
Everyone laughed at her antics.
Ling turned to face the horizon, stepping to the bow of the ship.
"Let's go, Plesiosaur! To Golass home Island!"
That's right.
Plesiosaur had been given its original job, towing the ship.
Somewhere at sea in the East Blue…
"The Navy again, huh..." a man muttered, slouched in his chair.
"This is the third time this week."
He wore a typical pirate's attire,a black coat draped over his shoulders, round eyeglass resting on his nose, and a green hair.
"It can't be helped," the man across from him replied.
"We are doing things that tend to attract attention. Plus, you've made quite a name for yourself."
"Yes," the first man said, eyes closed.
"That name is what draws them to us."
He slowly stood up.
"That's why I'm giving up being Captain Kuro."
The Black Cat Pirates.
The man speaking to him was Jango, his right-hand man.
"Hah, that's a good one. But it's no use," Jango said, leaning back casually.
"I think the Navy will keep chasing you until you're dead."
BOOM.
Cannon fire echoed in the distance, followed by the hiss of waves and splashes.
Kuro opened his eyes.
"I'm going to die," he stated.
He walked toward the door.
"It would seem that piracy just isn't for me."
"B-But you're the captain of this ship!" Jango called after him.
"You can be the captain now," Kuro said without looking back.
"I'm tired of this tumultuous lifestyle. I think I'll go kill myself for everyone to see."
On the deck of the ship, his crew stood tense. The approaching Navy vessel continued to fire, cannonballs at them.
"Captain!" several shouted as Kuro emerged.
"How many vessels?" he asked calmly.
"Just one!"
"What do we do, Captain? Should we fire back?"
Kuro walked past them, straight to the railing.
"Get me a small boat," he ordered.
A pirate rushed over to Jango, breathless.
"Vice-Captain! Captain Kuro's heading out alone to attack the Navy battleship!"
"Yes, I know," Jango said, eyes on the sea.
The sky is already dark. The only light was from both ships and the sporadic bursts of cannon fire.
The pirate beside him frowned.
"Huh?"
"It's way too reckless for him to go alone!" another chimed in.
"Don't tell me he's turning himself in!"
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Explosions ripped through the air.
And then...
Silence.
The Black Cat Pirates stared across the water. The Navy ship had gone quiet. The cannon fire had stopped.
"…Huh? They're not firing anymore…" one of them murmured.
"Dock with their ship," Jango commanded.
He watched the sea, brows furrowed in realization.
'I see… so that's why…'
Then, he turned, eyes scanning the crowd of his crewmates until they landed on a particular pirate.
"You."
"Y-Yes? What is it?" the man asked.
Jango gave a wistful smile.
"…It was nice knowing you for this short time."