East Blue, Golem Islands
At a simple dock outside Cocoyasi Village, a ship with a goat-shaped figurehead bobbed gently. Atop its mast fluttered a red flag adorned with a yellow windmill, its design spinning in the distance, radiating warmth and joy.
No longer the Pseudo-Merry, it was now the Freedom.
Sora, Kuina, Ahua, Alo, and Ata woke early, standing at the ship's edge, gazing at Cocoyasi. The villagers, drunk on last night's revelry, lay passed out, unlikely to stir before noon.
Though the crew had indulged too, their rigorous training kept them from the villagers' deep stupor, rousing them at dawn.
"No goodbyes?" Kuina asked, her eyes lingering on the village with a trace of fondness.
Here, she'd felt a joy unlike the thrill of growing stronger—a soul-deep satisfaction.
Sora ruffled her hair, smiling at the village. "No need for goodbyes. This is just a cherished memory in our journey."
"Our adventure's only beginning, heading toward the unknown, toward more thrills." His eyes gleamed. "Trust me, we'll find even greater joy on the road ahead."
A flicker of regret crossed his face. If he had any, it was not meeting Nami. She was probably out there, clashing with pirates on some ship, living her daring life.
"I've always trusted you," Kuina said, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Ahua, Alo, and Ata nodded eagerly, convinced that more wonders awaited.
Sora turned to the sea, voice brimming with excitement. "Alright, crew, the Freedom sets sail! Our adventure starts now!"
---
A day after leaving the Golem Islands, their fervor settled back to normal.
Sora resumed his sunbathing on the bow, training abandoned. Standard equipment was useless for him now.
His only practice was burning through Armament Haki, hoping to refine its quality and elevate his God Slash.
Kuina spent most of her time training, much like Zoro on the Going Merry. Otherwise, she sipped tea, read newspapers, chatted with Sora, or joined him in sunbathing.
Ahua, Alo, and Ata either toiled in the kitchen or lounged on the deck, trading idle boasts. The sea was monotonous, its spark reignited only by mysterious islands.
Suddenly, Alo, perched in the crow's nest with binoculars, shouted, "Ship! Twelve o'clock, straight ahead—pirate ship!"
The crew snapped to attention. On the dull sea, nothing beat encountering another pirate crew.
Both small sloops, the ships closed quickly, meeting on the open water.
Ahua, eyeing the enemy's flag, flipped through a stack of bounty posters, stopping at an unremarkable one. He glanced at the flag again, adjusted his glasses, and said coolly, "Mad Bull Pirates. Captain: Cubi Rad. Bounty: 15 million Belly."
He pulled a newspaper from another stack, adding, "A few months ago, Cubi Rad was a rookie pirate, fresh to the sea."
"Rookie?" Sora stroked his chin. "A first bounty of 15 million? Either he's strong or brutally cruel."
His eyes flashed coldly, leaning toward the latter. In East Blue, where average bounties rarely topped 10 million, a rookie hitting 15 million meant one of two things. Even Krieg's bounty was only 17 million. What atrocities had this guy committed?
Sora nodded at Ahua to continue.
Ahua scanned the paper. "Despite only a few months at sea, he's raided six towns."
His eyes widened, voice quickening. "After each raid, he transforms into a massive, long-haired bull-headed monster, rampaging through the towns."
"That's why the navy calls him Mad Bull."
"Bull-headed monster?" Alo and Ata, previously uninterested, perked up, eyes gleaming with excitement. "A Devil Fruit user?"
They didn't know they'd already met two: Emporio Ivankov, the "Okama King," and Inazuma, "Lightning."
Ivankov, wielder of the Horm-Horm Fruit, could manipulate body temperature, pigmentation, growth, and emotions, reshaping humans internally—even altering gender, creating "new humans" like okama. Had he used his powers against Sora, the fight might've ended faster.
Inazuma, transformed by Ivankov, was a Scissor Human via the Snip-Snip Fruit. He could turn any body part into scissors, cutting anything.
Sliced objects could be manipulated like cloth for a time. Whether he could cut living beings like he did the ground was unclear. If so, his power would be near invincible.
Unlike the Op-Op Fruit, which allowed reversible cuts with no harm, the Snip-Snip Fruit was purely destructive. If it worked on humans, it could kill effortlessly. Such an overpowered ability likely couldn't affect living things—too game-breaking.
(End of Chapter)