The morning breeze swept across the quiet harbor of Windmill Village. A small sailboat rocked gently against the wooden dock, its hull newly polished and stacked with supplies. Ritter stood at the bow, his arms crossed as the faint mist of his Blood Fog ability lifted the last crates onto the deck.
Behind him, three small figures darted around the ship like excited puppies Ace swinging his long blade through the air, Sabo checking the edge of his sword, and Anne strapping her greatsword to her back with careful precision.
"All set?" Ritter asked, turning to face them with a grin.
"Ready!" Ace shouted, raising his weapon high so high, in fact, that it nearly clipped Sabo's head.
"Hey! Watch where you're swinging that thing!" Sabo snapped, baring his shark-like teeth in annoyance.
"Ah, sorry, sorry!" Ace scratched the back of his head with an awkward laugh.
Anne ignored them both, tugging at the bindings on her sword to make sure everything was secure.
Sabo, less boisterous than the other two, touched the hilt at his waist nervously. "Uncle Ritter, are we really going after pirates?"
"Of course." Ritter smirked, the morning light catching the scar at the corner of his mouth. "But don't worry. With your uncle here, all you have to do is "
" make a cool entrance!" Ace interrupted proudly.
"No," Ritter said flatly. "You're supposed to save money. Sure, I could buy each of you your own ship, but you three didn't seem too thrilled about that idea."
"Obviously!" Ace and Sabo protested in unison. "Our first ship has to be earned through our own strength!"
Ritter chuckled. Ah, the spirit of youth. Then his thoughts wandered off in that strange way they often did.
Roger: Rayleigh, I burned down your house.
Rayleigh: That's fine. I stole your ship.
Roger: You're not mad?
Rayleigh: That's why I didn't save your kid.
Ritter shook his head. Where do these ridiculous thoughts come from?
Roger's first ship had been borrowed from Rayleigh. Luffy's was basically a barrel. Seems like every sea legend started broke. I built one sword, and it cost me a whole warship's worth of Berries… what happened to charm points, huh?
He cleared his throat. "Alright, pop quiz before we head out. Anne, what do you do if you run into danger?"
Anne held up her little finger and linked it with his. "Call for Uncle Ritter!"
"Good. Sabo?"
"If we can't win run."
"Excellent. Ace?"
Ace grinned mischievously. "When fighting, don't play fair! Throw sand, hit low, poke eyes whatever it takes to win!"
"Perfect." Ritter nodded approvingly.
Ace hesitated, then tugged at Ritter's sleeve, whispering, "Uncle Ritter, should we keep it secret that we're the Pirate King's kids? In the stories, that's always supposed to be a huge secret."
Ritter paused, amused by how thoughtful the boy could be. "Hmm… I don't think it really matters if people find out. It'd just make things awkward for Grandpa Garp. Poor guy might feel like he's roasting over a fire pit."
He leaned against the railing, gazing toward the horizon. "Back in Roger's time, no one dared touch Tom, the shipwright. But after Roger's execution, everything changed. Now? I'm not exactly any weaker than Roger was. If Ace shouted 'Roger's my dad' on every street corner, most people would just pretend they didn't hear it."
He sighed. "The truth is, the Navy went after Whitebeard not because of Ace's lineage, but because they wanted to plant their flag in the New World. Whitebeard's territories weren't governed just protected by his name. Once he fell, everything he built would crumble. But if it were me standing behind Ace, the Navy would've bent over backward to prove he wasn't Roger's son."
He smirked. "Politics. That's why I prefer the sea."
Ritter clapped his hands, breaking the moment. "Alright, first destination Shells Town!"
At the harbor tavern, the wall was plastered with wanted posters. Ritter pointed at them one by one. "See these? Bounties under 400,000. Fresh pirates perfect for practice."
Ace tiptoed to reach the wall and pointed at a scar-faced brute with a crooked grin. "That one! He looks super weak!"
Sabo squinted. "From where exactly?"
Ritter gave an approving nod. "Actually, good pick. That guy 'Scarhead' Buzz robbed a fishing village yesterday. Should still be nearby."
The Blood Fog around Ritter rippled faintly, spreading outward like smoke. Within seconds, it located the target: a hulking man boasting loudly in the tavern, claiming he once "beat a Navy vice admiral."
"Go on," Ritter said, nudging them toward the door. "Remember the plan."
Outside, the wide courtyard in front of the tavern was littered with broken barrels and empty bottles. Buzz stood there, one boot on a cask, his voice booming. "Back in the day, I almost killed a vice admiral, you hear me? These scars? Proof of battle!"
Ritter crouched on the rooftop above, grinning. "Now."
Anne moved first. Her small figure shot out from the alley, the massive greatsword in her hands gleaming under the sun. Each of her steps landed with a heavy thud that made the ground tremble.
Buzz barely had time to blink before her blade came crashing down.
CRACK!
The barrel he'd been standing on exploded into splinters. Wood chips flew everywhere as Buzz staggered backward, wide awake now. "Where the hell did this brat come from?!"
"Over here!" Ace shouted from the rooftop. He leapt into the air, spun mid-fall, drew his pistol, and fired. The shot whistled through the wind
BANG!
cleanly knocking Buzz's hat off his head.
Before the man could recover, Ace landed in a crouch and drew his sword. The blade flashed, slicing toward Buzz's ribs.
"Too slow!" Buzz roared, swinging his cleaver to block.
But then he froze. A cold pressure brushed against the back of his neck.
Sabo had circled behind him without a sound, the tip of his silver blade pressing lightly against the man's throat. "Don't move," he said quietly. "Or you die."
Buzz's face turned pale. His men hesitated, looking between the three kids and the calm, smiling man watching from above. Ritter sipped from a small bottle of rum, eyes half-lidded with satisfaction.
Yeah, he thought, these three are shaping up nicely.
Their first hunt at sea was a complete success and for Ritter, that was only the beginning.