"Got your drinks?" Rogers glanced at Aiqi and Yaro sitting beside him, shaking the liquor in his own cup.
"Mhm!" Both nodded, raising their brimming glasses.
"Then it's settled! From this moment on, the Dark Pirates are officially founded! Our next destination—Buro Island! Zehahahaha!" Rogers drained his drink in one gulp, and the other two followed suit.
"…So, Aiqi, is it true? Do all girls know how to play the flute?" Yaro finally blurted out the question that had been gnawing at him.
"Eh? How would I know? I don't!" Aiqi blinked, puzzled, then caught sight of Rogers doubled over in laughter. Realizing the meaning, her little face turned crimson.
"What? But Captain said—" Yaro looked even more confused.
"Don't listen to his nonsense!" Aiqi snapped back, cheeks still red.
"Ah, that's a relief! For a moment I thought all that practice was pointless. Hahaha! Took me forever to learn, no way every girl just picks it up!" Yaro chuckled in relief.
"Zehahahaha! Don't worry, Yaro, someone will want to hear you someday!" Rogers clutched his stomach, laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
"Then… Aiqi, would you like to hear it? I really am good…" Yaro asked, dead serious.
"Uh… how about… no?" Aiqi froze, face stiff. Knowing what the flute joke implied made it way too awkward.
"Again? Even Captain wouldn't listen…" Yaro drooped, utterly dejected.
Life at sea quickly proved dull. Rogers and Yaro slept outside while the cramped cabin was, of course, reserved for Aiqi. One day at sea had already sapped most of Rogers's excitement.
On a ship this small, even training was risky—flip it once and they'd be done. So instead, he focused on experimenting with his Devil Fruit.
Darkness means gravity, Rogers mused.
But darkness can't just be gravity. Physics 101—gravity comes from mass. In space, it's the massive celestial bodies that pull the small ones. The ultimate example: black holes. So dense, even light can't escape. That must be the true essence of this fruit. If darkness embodies infinity, then its mass is terrifying. I've only scratched the surface. What if I could compress it, solidify it, give it real weight? Fluid darkness is worthless—solid darkness could crush anything.
"Hey Aiqi, how much longer till we reach Buro Island?" Rogers groaned, sprawled on deck, eyes glazed.
"Half a day, if we keep this speed," she answered, poking her mushroom-cut head out of the cabin.
"A whole day already gone…" Rogers pulled a long face, still struggling with his limited control over the fruit.
"Captain, shut up," Yaro scolded without looking up. He sat cross-legged, sword Chasing Wind laid across his lap, eyes closed in meditation. "I'm communing with the wind. Don't disturb me."
"Tch, I'm training too!" Rogers muttered. If only Aiqi were beside me, I wouldn't feel this bored.
He raised his palm, a surge of dense darkness erupting skyward—two meters high before dispersing.
"That's… your Devil Fruit power?" Aiqi stared at the swirling black mass, a chill prickling her skin. Something about it felt dangerous.
"You're a Devil Fruit user?!" Yaro's eyes went wide.
"Of course! Natural type—Dark-Dark Fruit!" Rogers grinned smugly.
"Natural?!" Aiqi gasped, hand covering her mouth.
"Then let me test it!" Yaro jumped up, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. With a mischievous laugh, he thrust his blade at Rogers. "I've always wanted to see Logia intangibility up close!"
"Oi! Stop!" Rogers scrambled back, face darkening. "You trying to kill me?!"
"Huh? But if you're Logia, I shouldn't be able to hit you…" Yaro frowned, confused.
"…This fruit's… different. It can't turn intangible." Rogers admitted bitterly.
"Pfft—hahaha! Rogers, you're as weird as your fruit!" Aiqi giggled, finally letting loose.
"What a shame… I really wanted to see what slicing through an intangible body felt like." Yaro sighed, disappointed. He didn't notice the way Aiqi stiffened at his words, her eyes narrowing with a sudden flash of hostility.
"Anyway, I'm a Devil Fruit user. If I fall in the sea, you two better save me!" Rogers grumbled. Losing his beloved baths to seawater weakness was torment enough.
"Uh… I can't. I'm a Devil Fruit user too…" Aiqi said sheepishly.
"No worries, Captain! I'll save you!" Yaro sheathed his sword and thumped his chest proudly.
"What? Aiqi, you too?!" Rogers's eyes shot wide, curiosity blazing. "What's your power?!"
"Secret." She winked playfully.
"Oi, don't do that! You can't just bait my curiosity and leave it hanging!" Rogers groaned.
"You'll find out someday." Aiqi blushed, then sniffed the air. Her nose twitched, sensing the shift. She glanced at the horizon—dark clouds gathering fast. Her voice sharpened. "Turn left, now! A storm's coming!"
"Eh? Really?" Rogers frowned. "You're not just trying to change the subject, are you?"
"Now!" Aiqi smacked him with a flick to the forehead.
"Yes ma'am!" Rogers yelped, grabbing the oar to steer. "Yaro, help out!"
"…Me too?"
"Of course! Even the captain's rowing!"
"…Fine, fine." Yaro sighed, picking up another oar.
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T/N:
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