The crew of the Jellyfish Pirates fell into deep contemplation.
Yes… as pirates, what did they truly want?
Money? Power? Women? Fame?
These were the most common pursuits in the pirate world—but now each person had to give their own answer.
The question weighed not only on the ordinary sailors but also on the officers.
Even they found themselves silently examining the paths they had chosen.
Strictly speaking, following Captain Sami meant they were not short of money.
And as pirates, they had little use for luxuries or property.
After all, most of the people still sailing with them were drifters with nothing tying them to land—people who had long since made the ship their home.
Wealth was necessary.
But it clearly wasn't the meaning of life.
"I want to become stronger!"
Aldo suddenly leapt to his feet.
His fists clenched tightly, fire burning in his eyes.
"I want to become stronger! As strong as the boss—no! Even stronger than him!"
"I want my bounty to reach 100 million Berries!"
"100 million?"
Sami raised an eyebrow.
"Ambitious. With effort, it's not impossible."
"But surpassing me?"
"Aldo… forget it. That will never happen."
"Don't underestimate me, boss!"
Aldo puffed out his chest stubbornly.
"This is my conviction!"
"I'll become stronger than everyone!"
"I… I want to become the best shipwright in the West Blue!"
No—
"In the Grand Line!"
A quiet sailor from the navigation crew spoke up nervously.
At first his voice trembled.
But gradually his eyes hardened with determination.
"Yes. I want to become the best shipwright in the Grand Line!"
"I'll build a ship capable of reaching anywhere in the world!"
"I want to become a great pirate!"
"My name will echo across the seas!"
"I want to write a book about our adventures."
"So future generations will know we existed—like Mont Blanc Noland!"
"My hometown in the West Blue was taken over by the mafia."
"So… I want to build my own town."
"A town without crime."
"A place where everyone can live peacefully."
"I want to visit every island in the Grand Line!"
"I—I want to become a captain!"
"HAHAHAHA!"
Someone punched the speaker's shoulder.
"You're drunk already!"
"Our captain can only be Captain Sami!"
"Right, Captain?"
All eyes turned toward Sami.
"…Me?"
Sami froze.
His gaze dropped to the rum glass in his hand.
Amber liquid rippled gently inside it.
Right…
What was my dream again?
Wealth?
Strength?
Fame?
He remembered the boy he used to be.
An ordinary high school student who suddenly arrived in this magnificent world.
Back then, his dream had been simple—
To become famous across the seas.
To leave behind a legend of his own.
But…
When had he started fearing fame?
Was it after realizing what era he had entered?
After learning monsters like the Rocks Pirates were still roaming the seas?
Was he afraid just because he knew fragments of the future?
Even if the Rocks Pirates would eventually fall at God Valley Incident, the sea would still be filled with monsters.
Monkey D. Garp.
Gol D. Roger.
Edward Newgate.
Shiki.
Each of them a child of the era.
Was he really going to keep hiding forever?
Why was he afraid?
Just because he had eaten a so-called useless Devil Fruit?
Just because those people were overwhelmingly strong in the story?
The manga wasn't even finished yet.
Who truly knew how history would unfold?
Even Kaidou once said—
Haki is everything.
Physical strength is king.
As long as he was still alive—
Who could say he couldn't become the dark horse of this era?
Sami suddenly drained the rest of his drink.
Under everyone's gaze, he slowly stood.
He felt something long suppressed surging through his chest.
It was the adventurous passion of the boy named Li Wei.
And the conquering ambition of the pirate Riberra Sami.
"I…"
The campfire flickered across his face, revealing a completely different expression than usual.
"I want to become stronger."
"Strong enough to never feel fear again."
He paused.
His gaze swept across every familiar face.
Then lifted toward the endless night sky.
"I want to become so strong…"
"That if I decide to do something—"
"No one in the world can stop me."
He suddenly spread his arms wide.
WHOOOM—!
An invisible pressure exploded outward from him.
The air itself seemed to tremble.
"I will become—"
"KING OF THE WORLD!!!"
The flames of the campfire seemed to bow under an invisible weight.
The light flickered violently.
Many crew members felt their chests tighten.
Th-this feeling…?!
"GAHAHAHAHA—!!!"
After a brief moment of shock, Dorry burst into roaring laughter.
"What an incredible declaration!"
"Little one—no… Sami!"
"GAHAHAHAHA!"
He raised his drink.
"To dreams!"
"To dreams!!!" ×N
After that…
What exactly happened at the feast…
No one remembered very clearly.
(Except the two giants.)
Whenever someone asked Dorry or Brogy, they simply laughed at each other and refused to say anything.
Hopefully… we didn't do anything too embarrassing.
Sami rubbed his throbbing temples uncertainly.
"By the way, Chief Dorry…"
Hans raised the Log Pose nervously.
"I have a question."
"How long does it take for the magnetism on this island to fully charge?"
"Oh, the Log Pose?"
Dorry chewed his meat casually.
"One year."
"…What?"
"ONE YEAR?!"
"Captain! This is bad!"
Hans was the first to panic.
He stumbled toward Sami holding the Log Pose high.
"We have to stay on this island for an entire year!"
"What?! A year?!"
This time Sami was genuinely shocked.
To be honest, the details from the manga were blurry in his memory.
He remembered that Little Garden required a long time to record.
But he never expected it to be an entire year.
"A year?! Are you kidding me?!"
"Staying on a dinosaur island for a year?!"
"We'll die here like those skeletons!"
"Quiet!"
Sami's shout suppressed the chaos.
"I'll ask them for details first."
"Maybe there's another way."
"…So that's the situation."
Sami looked up at the giants.
"Dorry, Brogy… does the Log Pose really take a year here?"
"GAHAHAHAHA!"
"Yes, little one."
Dorry laughed loudly.
"One year is the rule of the Grand Line."
"No shortcuts."
Then he pointed toward the jungle edges and rock crevices nearby.
"Look over there."
Everyone followed his finger.
Beneath the ferns and in the shadows of rocks—
Human skeletons were scattered everywhere.
"All of those are little humans who died before their Log Poses finished recording."
"Some were eaten by hungry dinosaurs."
"Some couldn't survive the heat and disease."
"For small humans like you…"
"One year on this island is simply too long."
"…I see."
Sami rubbed his chin.
Then suddenly—
A flash of inspiration struck him.
"Hans!"
"Take a team and search those skeletons and their belongings carefully!"
"Look especially for places that seem like camps or shelters!"
"Aldo! Isaac!"
"You lead the combat teams!"
"Secure the surrounding area and clear any dangerous creatures!"
"Protect the search team!"
"Everyone else!"
"Split into groups and search!"
"Check rock cracks, tree hollows, abandoned camps—anything suspicious!"
"This island has killed many pirates!"
"Their Log Poses might still be lying beside their bones!"
"We don't need to wait a year."
"We just need to find the ones left behind by those who died!"
Of course.
How had they not thought of it?
When the previous generation dies—
The next generation picks up the spoils.
"Why are you still standing around?!"
"Move!"
"Yes, Captain!!!"
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 60 chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/Luna023