The Rocks Pirates sailed through the New World like a storm given flesh. Villages, kingdoms, and even Marines fell in their wake. Yet within the ship itself, another storm brewed.
Vice-Captain Ada Wong—Nyx D. Ada—found herself caught between titans.
On the training deck, Kaido slammed his mace into the floorboards, splintering the wood. "Fight me, little wolf!" he roared, scars already decorating his young but monstrous frame.
Ada stood ten paces away, her rifle resting lightly against her shoulder. Her voice was calm, cold.
"I don't fight toys, Kaido. I kill targets."
That only made him laugh. "Then kill me if you can!"
With a beast's grin, he charged, footsteps shaking the ship. Ada exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing. At the last second, her haki glazed bullet cracked through the air, grazing his temple.
Kaido's charge halted. He touched the blood dripping down his cheek—exactly where she'd marked him months ago.
"Still aiming at the same spot…" he muttered, then grinned. "One day, I'll see if you can finally finish it."
Ada lowered her rifle, unfazed. "And one day, you'll realize monsters fall just like men."
Later, as dusk settled, Ada found Newgate watching the horizon from the bow. The massive man leaned on his naginata, his broad back facing the sea.
"You don't waste energy on brawls," he said, his deep voice rumbling like distant thunder. "That's rare in this crew."
Ada approached quietly, her cloak whispering against the deck. "Brawls are noise. Assassins like me thrive in silence."
Newgate turned, his eyes calm but sharp. "You fight like someone who carries more than vengeance. Something heavier."
Ada's crimson gaze met his. For a long time, she said nothing. Then.
"Monsters don't live forever. But shadows do."
Newgate studied her, then let out a low chuckle. "You're strange, girl. But I respect you." He turned back toward the horizon. "Still… I wonder how long your shadows will last in a crew full of beasts."
That night, Rocks called the core members of the crew into his cabin. Ada was already there, leaning against the map table, eyes cold and calculating.
The great hall of Hachinosu reeked of salt, smoke, and ambition.
Lanterns burned low along the stone walls, casting long shadows that danced like ghosts of men who'd already died under the Rocks Pirates' flag. At the head of the massive table sat Rocks D. Xebec, grinning like he owned the world—and maybe, in his mind, he already did.
Around him gathered the strongest and most dangerous pirates of the era.
Edward Newgate, quiet but unyielding, polishing his bisento in the corner.
Charlotte Linlin, feasting on an entire roasted boar with childlike joy.
Shiki the Golden Lion, twirling his sabers between his fingers.
Kaido, young and feral, drinking straight from the barrel.
Captain John, already half-drunk, and Gloriosa, watching the chaos with weary eyes.
And sitting just to Rocks' right, cloak draped over one shoulder, crimson eyes sharp as her twin pistols — Ada Wong.
"All of you gathered here," Rocks said, slamming his hand down on the chart. "You are the fangs of my crew. Each of you has the hunger to devour this world. But hunger without unity? That's nothing but wasted teeth."
Shiki merely shrugged it off. Linlin just laughed. Kaido growled. Whitebeard frowned. Ada said nothing, though her eyes flicked between the crew memebers. The rest stayed silent.
Rocks leaned closer, his grin manic. "You'll clash, you'll bleed, but in the end—you will obey my will. Because the Will of D. isn't just a name. It's destiny."
Ada's lips tightened. She remembered her parents, their ship aflame, their voices lost to the sea. Destiny. Such a cruel word.
Rocks slammed his mug down. "Now enough noise! We've got a new storm to chase."
The bickering died down. Only the crackle of the torches remained. Rocks unfurled a tattered map across the table. The name inked at the top was Godfall Kingdom.
Ada leaned forward slightly, scanning the parchment. "A World Government ally," she said. "Trading hub. Rich. Guarded."
Rocks grinned. "And corrupt as hell. The nobles there think their gold can buy them peace. We'll show them how wrong they are."
Shiki smirked. "So we're robbing kings now?"
"We're not robbing," Rocks said. "We're making a point. Every noble that hides behind the Celestial Dragons needs to see what happens when the Rocks Pirates come knocking."
Linlin slammed her fist into the table, shaking the mugs. "MAMA MAMA! I like this plan already. Their sweets are said to be divine."
Kaido grinned. "I just want a fight."
Newgate sighed but nodded. "If it's Rocks call, I'll stand with it."
The hall hummed with energy again — loud, raw, untamed. But even among these monsters, a quiet unease rippled. They all knew what this kind of job meant. Death, chaos, and the attention of the Marines.
Ada, calm amid the noise, traced a line on the map with her gloved finger. "If we strike here—" she tapped a trade port on the eastern side—"we can block their escape route and cut off Marine reinforcements from the west."
Rocks chuckled. "Always thinking three steps ahead, aren't you?"
"Someone has to," Ada said evenly.
That drew a few looks. Not all friendly ones.
Linlin snorted. "Listen to her giving orders already. You sure this little assassin deserves to sit up there, Rocks? Some of us earned our place with blood."
Kaido smirked. "Yeah. I want to see what makes her so special."
The tension was instant, sharp enough to cut the air.
Ada met Linlin's glare with an unimpressed look. "You want my seat, Linlin? Take it."
Her hands didn't move, but everyone in the room felt the subtle shift of killing intent — her Haki leaking out like a chill in the air.
Linlin's grin faltered, then turned into a rough laugh. "MAMA MAMA! I like her. She's got a mouth."
Rocks slammed his hand down, silencing the table. "Enough. You all think power is just how loud you scream or how hard you hit. Ada's got something most of you lack — control."
He jabbed a finger at her. "That's why she's my Vice-Captain. Young or not, she's got the eyes of a killer and the mind of a strategist. Question my choice again, and I'll show you how wrong you are."
The room went quiet. Even Kaido looked away.
Ada didn't thank him. She just studied the faces around her — the chaos, the hunger, the madness that bound them all.
"Then this matter is settled," she said, her voice cutting clean through the silence. "We set sail at dawn."
Rocks nodded. "At dawn, the world remembers our name."
He leaned back in his chair, eyes wild with vision. "The World Government wants to pretend they're gods. So we'll show them what devils look like when they climb to heaven."
The crew roared — Linlin's laughter shaking the rafters, Shiki's sabers clanging against the table, Kaido smashing his mug and drinking straight from the keg. Even Whitebeard allowed himself a grin.
Only Ada stayed silent, her gaze on the map.
She traced the ink-stained borders of the kingdom again, memorizing every inch. She'd learned long ago that strength without purpose was just noise. Rocks had a purpose — twisted, burning, impossible. But it was a purpose nonetheless.
And she would see it through, no matter the cost.
When the chaos finally died down and the crew drifted out — drunk, loud, and ready for war — Ada remained behind, staring out through the open window toward the endless dark sea.
The wind tugged at her cloak, carrying the distant songs of pirates and the faint creak of ships being prepared for battle.
Newgate lingered behind her. "You handled Linlin well," he said.
Ada glanced back at him, her expression neutral. "She's too loud to think clearly. But she listens when someone stronger speaks."
He chuckled softly. "You remind me of Rocks when I first joined the crew."
She raised an eyebrow. "That supposed to be a compliment?"
"Maybe," Newgate said. "Just don't let his dream drag you down with him."
Ada turned back to the sea. "Dreams don't drag people down, Newgate. Weak wills do."
He stared at her for a moment, then laughed — a deep, booming laugh that made the walls tremble. "You really are something else, Ada."
She didn't reply. She didn't need to. The horizon ahead glowed faintly with the promise of dawn — or blood.
By morning, the Rocks Pirates would set sail. The Raid on Godfall Kingdom would become the first whisper of the storm that would one day shake the entire world.
And as the night wind carried the scent of salt and smoke through Hachinosu, Ada closed her eyes and whispered to herself, almost too softly to hear:
"Nothing lasts forever. But some names… will never die."
Ada had carved her place among beasts. But the question remained—would her shadow survive the fire of their ambition… or would it consume even them?