The ship sliced through the misty morning seas. The sun hung low, a dull ember smothered by clouds, and the smell of gunpowder and salt clung to the deck.
Ada stood at the rail, her hair whipping in the wind, crimson cloak fluttering like a banner of war. She'd spent the night awake, memorizing the ship — every deck, every escape route, every weapon cache. Old habits die hard.
By sunrise, the Rocks Pirates had gathered on the main deck.
There were more of them than she expected — and each one was a monster in their own right.
Edward Newgate, the towering brute with a laugh that could shake the ship.
Charlotte Linlin, all fangs and hunger, devouring meat by the bone.
Shiki, the golden-maned madman, already half-drunk, twin swords swaying from his hips.
Captain John, silent, eyes hidden beneath a ragged hat.
Stussy, smiling sweetly as she filed her nails, her gaze razor-sharp.
Silver Axe, polishing his weapon with obsessive care.
Gloriosa, regal and calm, her long hair braided with flowers.
Ochoku, sneering, his hand on his blade.
And a dozen others, each with blood on their hands and bounty posters worth kingdoms.
At the center, Rocks D. Xebec stood with his arms crossed, grinning like a man about to start a storm.
"Crew," he said, voice echoing over the sea, "we've got a new addition."
All eyes turned to Ada.
Some stared with curiosity. Others, with hostility.
"She's a kid," Silver Axe muttered.
"She's too small to hold a sword," Ochoku scoffed.
"She's cute," Shiki said, laughing. "Can we keep her as a mascot?"
Ada's pistol was in her hand before anyone blinked. The bullet grazed Shiki's hat, cutting it clean in half.
The deck went silent.
Shiki froze, then let out a low whistle. "Well… she's got aim, I'll give her that."
Linlin howled with laughter. "MAMA MAMA! She's got spirit! I like her already!"
Ada holstered her pistol calmly. "Say that again, and the next one goes through your teeth."
Even Newgate grinned. "She's got guts, Rocks. But still — a Vice Captain? She looks like she hasn't even seen a sea king yet."
Rocks' grin widened. "You think rank comes from age, Newgate?"
"Comes from strength," Newgate replied simply.
"Then watch."
Rocks turned to Ada. "Show them."
Ada tilted her head. "Show them what?"
"Whatever makes you worth standing next to me."
For a moment, the sea itself seemed to pause. Then Ada closed her eyes and breathed in.
When she opened them again, her pupils burned with a faint red hue.
The air shimmered.
A pulse of Conqueror's Haki exploded from her, unseen but undeniable. The weaker crew members fell to one knee. The stronger ones — Newgate, Linlin, Shiki — stood their ground but felt it: the sharp, suffocating pressure of killing intent refined to precision.
Even Rocks' grin faltered for half a second before returning in full force.
"Ha!" he barked. "That's what I'm talking about!"
The wind whipped through the sails as Ada's aura faded.
"Since when," Silver Axe said, voice low, "does a child have a king's will?"
Ada brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Since the world killed the last person who treated her like one."
Shiki leaned back, laughing. "She's terrifying. I like terrifying."
Linlin nodded, her grin wide. "MAMA MAMA! She might even make a good snack one day!"
Rocks slammed his boot on the deck, silencing the laughter.
"Enough."
His voice cut through the noise like thunder.
"You see her age. I see her resolve. You see a child. I see someone who looks the world in the eye and doesn't blink."
He turned to Ada, his gaze sharp. "You want a place here? You get one. Not as a cabin girl. Not as a recruit. But as my right hand."
The crew erupted in disbelief.
"Vice Captain?!" Shiki barked.
"That's insane!" Silver Axe shouted.
"She hasn't even sailed a week!" Ochoku snarled.
Rocks' eyes flared. "You got a problem with that? Step forward."
No one moved.
Ada looked around — calm, poised, her hand resting on her holster.
Ochoku spat on the deck. "She's gonna get us killed one day."
Rocks' grin returned. "Maybe. Or maybe she's gonna keep you alive."
He turned back to Ada. "From this day on — you are my Vice Captain. The Crimson Shadow of the Rocks Pirates."
The crew fell into murmurs, but Rocks raised a hand. "Any of you got a problem with that — you fight her. If you win, she steps down. If you lose, you shut your damn mouths."
For a long moment, no one moved.
Then, to everyone's surprise, Gloriosa stepped forward.
Not with hostility, but curiosity.
"I don't doubt her strength," the older woman said, her voice calm and wise. "But strength alone isn't what this crew needs. Can you hold your own when the sea itself turns against us?"
Ada met her gaze. "If the sea turns against me, I'll shoot the horizon until it bleeds."
Gloriosa smiled faintly. "Good answer."
Linlin snorted. "MAMA MAMA! She talks like Rocks!"
Rocks burst into laughter. "Of course she does! That's why I like her!"
Ada crossed her arms, unimpressed. "You talk too much."
He grinned. "And you'll learn to talk just as loud."
The day stretched long. The Rocks Pirates feasted in Ada's honor — though half the crew refused to call it that. They ate, drank, and argued.
Linlin challenged Shiki to a drinking contest. Shiki cheated by flying above the table and pouring half his rum overboard.
Newgate sat with Ada, cracking open barrels of sake while explaining the "real rules of pirate life."
"Don't trust anyone too much," he said. "Not even me."
Ada smirked. "Good. I wasn't planning to."
From across the table, Stussy smiled slyly. "You've got charm, darling. Maybe I'll teach you a few tricks."
"Like seducing people before stabbing them?" Ada shot back.
Stussy laughed softly. "Exactly that."
Even Shiki cackled. "She fits right in!"
By the time night fell, the ship was alive with chaos and song.
Rocks stood at the prow, watching the stars. Ada joined him quietly, her pistol holstered, her eyes reflecting the starlight.
"Why me?" she asked finally. "You've got monsters who could crush islands. Why make me your right hand?"
Rocks didn't look at her. "Because monsters follow orders. But you? You think. You watch. You wait for the perfect shot."
He turned, meeting her gaze. "And because one day, you'll have to decide if you want to pull the trigger on me."
Ada frowned. "What makes you think I won't?"
Rocks smiled — a real, dangerous smile. "Because you're like me. You don't destroy for fun. You destroy because the world deserves it."
The sea was calm for a rare moment. Ada watched the horizon, her mind racing with possibilities — with ambition.
Maybe this crew wasn't a prison. Maybe it was the weapon she needed.
Finally, she nodded. "Fine. I'll follow you — for now."
Rocks chuckled. "That's all I ask."
He raised his drink toward the stars. "To the Rocks Pirates — and the Vice Captain who'll help me tear this world apart!"
The crew roared in unison, a chorus of laughter, cheers, and madness that shook the night sky.
Ada stood among them, silent, her crimson eyes glinting with determination. She wasn't just an assassin anymore. She was part of something bigger — a storm that would one day drown the world.
And for the first time in years, she felt something she hadn't since her parents died.
Purpose.
Ten months later…
The seas around Hachinosu were thick with mist and the reek of gunpowder. Ships came and went, carrying pirates, smugglers, and killers drawn to the rising storm of a single name—Rocks D. Xebec.
And on the flagship, a girl barely sixteen stood at the rail, cloak whipping in the salt wind. Ada Wong. Once whispered as an assassin in the North Blue, now spoken with awe and caution as the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates.
It hadn't been easy. The crew was a nest of monsters, each too proud to bow to anyone but Rocks himself.
Kaido, a towering beast even in his youth, had tested her first—charging at her with a mace in hand, laughter booming. Ada hadn't flinched. She didn't need to. A single bullet grazed his cheek before his strike landed, leaving a burning line of blood.
"Next time, I'll aim for your eye," she'd told him calmly.
Kaido had only laughed harder, calling her "little wolf" ever since.
Charlotte Linlin had sized her up with a wicked grin, offering her sweets laced with poison just to see if the girl would notice. Ada had sniffed the cup, then calmly poured it over the rail without blinking. "Try harder," she'd said. Even Linlin had chuckled at that.
And Newgate… he had simply watched, arms crossed, as the girl commanded men twice her size with a sharp word or a sharper stare. He said little, but in his silence was respect.
They weren't friends. They weren't family. But they knew one thing—Ada Wong was no weakling hiding behind Rocks' shadow. She had earned her place.
That night, in the captain's quarters, the sea raged outside as Rocks poured himself rum. Ada sat opposite him, eyes narrowed at the map sprawled across the table, littered with marks of kingdoms, treasures, and targets.
"You've been quiet lately," Rocks rumbled, watching her.
Ada sipped her tea, ignoring the rum he'd pushed her way. "Quiet wolves bite hardest."
Rocks chuckled, leaning forward. "Tell me, girl… what do you think of the name I carry? The D." His grin widened. "The world calls it dangerous. They call us devils born to destroy."
Ada's crimson eyes flickered. For a long time, she said nothing. Then…
"…You're not the only one."
Rocks' grin faltered. "What?"
Ada set her teacup down gently, the porcelain clicking against the wood. "My parents hid it from me… but before they died, they told me my full name. Nyx D. Ada."
The room darkened as thunder rolled outside, as if the sea itself acknowledged the words.
"Nyx," Rocks repeated, tasting the name. "Goddess of the night." His grin split wide again, fierce and wild. "Hah! No wonder you walk like shadow and strike like death itself. Another D., and one clever enough to hide it from the world."
Ada's expression hardened. "That name is not for everyone's ears. The D. invites chaos. And chaos is a double-edged blade."
Rocks slammed his cup down, rum spilling across the map. "Chaos is freedom! That's the will of D., girl. To tear down the order that chains this world and build something greater!"
Ada met his fire with her calm steel. "…Or it's the will to burn, whether we choose to or not."
For a moment, silence reigned. Captain and vice-captain. Fire and shadow.
Then Rocks laughed again, so loud the ship itself seemed to tremble. "You're more dangerous than all these monsters combined, Nyx D. Ada! Together, we'll crush the world under our feet!"
Ada allowed the faintest smile. Not of joy, but of acknowledgment.
The world had yet to know it, but the Rocks Pirates had not one, but two bearers of the D. at their helm.
And that secret alone could shatter everything