The two of them rowed with all their might, pushing the little boat toward the left.
Sure enough, not long after, the sky to their right darkened, clouds gathering thick and heavy, the sea rolling in violent waves—a clear sign of an oncoming storm.
Rogers's face twisted in shock. As expected, the weather in One Piece really makes no sense!
"Our navigator is amazing!" Yaro said, not sparing an ounce of praise.
"I thought only the Grand Line had such unpredictable weather… didn't think the West Blue could be like this too…" Rogers muttered, lips twitching.
"Rogers-nii, you've been to the Grand Line?" Aiqi asked curiously. Her eyes lit up, and she happily accepted their disguised compliments.
"Nope… just heard about it." Rogers's gaze burned into her. This confirmed it again—navigators were indispensable.
Feeling his eyes on her, Aiqi blushed, twirling her hair with her finger. "The Grand Line's weather… Grandpa John told me about it before. I believe I can handle it…"
"Mhm. I believe in you," Rogers replied with a reassuring smile.
"Mm…" Aiqi nodded shyly, her face even redder.
"You two are so amazing, then I'll just have to work even harder!" Yaro clenched his fists, fired up. Completely unaware, he'd just been fed another mouthful of dog food.
With the storm safely avoided, their little boat pressed on. Rogers spent the time fiddling with his darkness, shaping it again and again. At first, it was just for fun, but he soon realized his control was improving—he could summon more and sustain it longer.
The price, of course, was his stamina. He had to keep eating just to keep up…
When his darkness touched objects, nothing much happened.
But the moment he activated its gravitational pull, things were sucked inside. The strength of the pull is the problem. If I could compress it, make it solid, its density and hardness would be terrifying… He itched to test it but didn't dare—one hole in this boat, and the three of them were finished.
Still, he was convinced this path was right. Devil Fruits were all about development. Some users made them seem weak; others turned them into monsters.
So, with one hand shoveling food, one hand shaping darkness, and his brain whirring with theories, Rogers pushed onward.
By dawn the next day, as the first sunlight touched the waves, he spotted a small black dot on the horizon slowly growing larger. He'd already taken his turn at night watch, swapping shifts with Yaro, who'd guarded the first half.
"It's land!" Rogers shouted, excitement bursting out. He shook Yaro awake, then banged on the cabin door until Aiqi stumbled out.
"Rogers-nii… waking a girl like this? Don't you know lack of sleep makes us age faster?" Aiqi grumbled, rubbing her eyes.
"Forget that—Aiqi, quick, is that Buro Island?" Rogers pointed ahead eagerly.
Aiqi reached between her soft chest and pulled out a folded map, holding it up to compare.
Rogers nearly drooled on the spot. Truly… a valley of hidden treasures…
"No mistake. That island is Buro Island—the West Blue's most famous shipbuilding hub!" Aiqi said with confidence.
"Ah, we're already there?" Yaro yawned, still half-asleep.
"Finally! Get ready to land! Time to build a new ship!" Rogers's eyes gleamed. Just last night during his watch, he'd tried compressing his darkness—it actually worked. Not fully solid yet, but definitely denser. With a bigger ship, he could train properly.
If he could master this, close combat wouldn't be such a pain anymore. He thought of Cracker's biscuit armor—if that coward could tank hits with hardened biscuits, what could Rogers do with compressed darkness?
In the original story, Blackbeard never developed such techniques.
But Rogers was sure darkness wasn't so simple. Gravity and mass were inseparable. When Blackbeard pulled enemies into darkness, they were crushed inside. That wasn't just suction—it was infinite mass and density crushing down!
For now, though, he had only two real moves: Dark Water to drag Devil Fruits out of their users, and Dark Vortex to consume everything around him. Both useful, but the pull was weak against strong opponents—too slow, too clumsy.
"Why so rushed? The island isn't going anywhere. Besides, it's my money we'll be using to build that ship!" Aiqi teased, tucking the map back into her valley, then casually pulled out a monocular scope to check the coastline.
Rogers almost choked. Seriously… using that as a storage pouch?
"There. A good docking spot. Head toward that pirate ship, but keep some distance," Aiqi instructed after a quick scan.
As they drew closer, the island's vastness became clear. Compared to Cronus Island, it was massive. Two-thirds of it was lush forest; only a third was urban. Gigantic cranes and pulleys stretched into the sky, ferrying workers as they assembled enormous ships.
The harbor bustled with vessels of all sizes.
Then Rogers froze. Among them—dozens of Marine warships, and a full naval base right on the shore.
"Oi, Aiqi! What the hell—why are the Marines here?!" Rogers panicked instantly.
"What's so strange? Marines need ships too. You think this island builds only for pirates?" Aiqi said calmly, lowering the scope and sliding it back into her valley. "Relax. None of us have a bounty. Who's gonna know we're pirates?"
Rogers swallowed hard, still not entirely reassured.
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