Noon
Cocoyasi Village's main road buzzed with life, throngs of people filling the streets.
Villagers once oppressed by the Arlong Pirates in Arlong Park flocked to Cocoyasi upon hearing of the crew's annihilation. The tyrant who'd loomed over them for six years was gone.
They brought what little they had—grains, fruits, meats—to throw the grandest feast, honoring their heroes and proclaiming a farewell to the past, a welcome to rebirth.
After crushing Arlong, Sora and Kuina returned to the Pseudo-Merry, rallied Ahua, Alo, and Ata, and scoured Arlong Park, unearthing billions of Belly. The two marines who'd accompanied Colonel Mouse? Sora gave them no chance, sending them to hell painlessly.
He didn't buy that Mouse would bring unrelated grunts to a deal with Arlong. Those marines were likely his trusted accomplices.
The navy ship offshore, however, he left alone. Most low-ranking sailors were clueless about their superiors' crimes. Even if they knew, they were powerless, with no means to expose corruption. Whistleblowers faced ruin, their families too, as countless examples proved.
Sora wouldn't hassle the rank-and-file just trying to feed their families.
As for Arlong Park, he'd torched it.
In the fifth-floor room, stacked with maps and a desk stained with blood-tipped pens, he pictured a frail figure toiling in that cage-like space, forced to do work she once loved but now loathed. Dreams shouldn't be trapped in cramped rooms—they belonged on the boundless sea.
His fire burned that prison, freeing the girl to chase her childhood dream.
---
On the village road, inside a small police station, Ahua, Alo, and Ata distributed money to the villagers. For once, they shed their usual clownish antics, adopting a serious air.
Their eyes and faces brimmed with uncontainable smiles, reveling in the moment. They basked in the villagers' hero-worshipping gazes, despite doing nothing in the fight. But that didn't stop them from savoring the victory's spoils—they were part of the crew, after all!
The villagers lined up orderly, thrilled to enter the station and claim their share. The money wasn't much, but something was better than nothing.
The Arlong Pirates had plundered far more over the years, but their lavish banquets and debauchery burned through most of it. Billions of Belly remaining was a miracle.
Under the eaves of a house behind the station, Sora lounged in a chair, lost in thought.
He was mulling over whether to raise a flag. They'd killed a navy officer, after all. Even without a flag, the navy would brand them pirates and issue bounties.
Mouse and Arlong's collusion? Sora didn't need to guess—the World Government and navy would bury it to save face, maybe even spin Mouse as a martyr who died in duty.
Flag or no flag, they'd be labeled pirates, their infamy spread worldwide.
Shaking his head, he unhooked his wine gourd, took a swig, and pushed the thoughts aside. Glancing at Kuina, bustling among the crowd with Nojiko, he smiled.
"Kuina hasn't been this happy in ages."
Her flushed face, unable to hide its joy, warmed his heart, a tender glint in his eyes. "She's really soaking up the hero treatment."
Then heroes they'd be.
He had no grand purpose in this world. Joining a revolution? Not his style. The world was cyclical—overthrowing the World Government and Celestial Dragons wouldn't change human nature. The Revolutionary Army, victorious, would likely become the evil they toppled.
Unless the masses were truly liberated, it was an endless loop. No one could break it.
He could be a hero, but not a savior. Saviors bore too heavy a burden, one he couldn't carry. His heroism wasn't for the world or its people, but for himself—the hero of his own heart.
Deep down, he was lazy, uninterested in greatness. In his past life, he'd been a shut-in for a reason. In this world, he craved freedom—to live as he pleased, unburdened, letting those around him revel in the world's beauty.
His freedom wasn't the lawless chaos of pirates. They were partners of justice, after all.
"What're you thinking, Sora?" Genzo approached, windmill hat spinning, face beaming with unspent excitement.
He chuckled, "Everyone's busy with the feast, but our hero's daydreaming. That's not how we treat guests!"
Genzo had been butchering meat until the villagers, annoyed at his clumsiness, sent him to keep Sora company. One look at Sora, and he knew their intent—they were too grateful to neglect any hero.
Sora glanced at Genzo's windmill, pausing. That hat was for Nami's amusement, worn for over a decade. What a gentle guy.
Raising his gourd for another sip, Sora frowned slightly. "Nothing much, just pondering what our ship's flag should look like."
"You're planning to raise a pirate flag?" Genzo asked, surprised, then nodded knowingly. "Makes sense. With Colonel Mouse dead in Arlong Park, the navy'll need a scapegoat."
He paused, then said gravely, "You're the perfect excuse. Even if you don't go pirate, they'll label you as such and issue bounties."
Sora had already figured this out. Shrugging nonchalantly, he grinned at Genzo. "Easy, Uncle Genzo, no need to overthink. I'm not raising a flag to be a pirate."
"We're an adventure crew."
"Adventure crew?"
"Yup!" Sora nodded. "A team that roams the world, exploring and having fun."
"That's a thing? Isn't that just a pirate crew?" In Genzo's mind, anyone sailing with a flag was either pirate or navy. Adventure crews were unheard of.
"Uh…" Sora fell silent, stumped.
Slumping back in his chair, he sighed, "Fine, call it a pirate crew then."
The concept of an adventure crew didn't exist here. He couldn't shift deep-rooted perceptions.
"Knew it, it's a pirate crew!" Genzo, sensing Sora's dip in mood, patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Sora. We only hate pirates like Arlong. Even with a pirate flag, you're our heroes."
Sora stared at Genzo's smug I-get-it face, chugging from his gourd in exasperation. If Genzo didn't get the adventure crew idea, Ahua and the others wouldn't either.
"Whatever, pirate crew it is."
In the pirate world, sailing without a flag? Unthinkable.
(End of Chapter)