The wind pushed the sails of the Black Pearl as it advanced through the sea. Under the same conditions, compared to other ships of equal size, it could travel anywhere from 30% to 60% faster, making it the ideal ship for escaping dangerous situations.
At this moment, the crew of the Black Pearl was not on deck. Instead, everyone had gathered in the kitchen.
Nojiko was cutting vegetables for a stew.
Kaya was reading a book while sitting at the table.
Nami was sitting in a chair while writing something in a notebook.
Uta was leaning on the table with her elbows while curiously watching what Allen was doing as he held the Magic Chest's scroll.
Uta was fascinated by the incredibly magical force of being able to exist, so she paid close attention. Of course, despite doing different things, the other girls were also listening carefully.
"So, we need at least five cabins," Allen said with a serious look.
The Black Pearl measured 15 meters (49 ft). It was a relatively small caravel. It was still a bit larger than Luffy's Going Merry, but it was still small for all of them.
Of course, with that size, carrying ten people wasn't a problem. However, they would have to share rooms. On the Merry, the men usually slept together in hammocks.
With a budget of 62 million and the ability to do it, Allen had no intention of making the girls go through that, so it was time to upgrade the ship.
The ship's next upgrade would also cost ten million, so Lenalee suggested that he carefully think about how he wanted the new version of the Black Pearl to look.
For that, Lenalee showed Allen the ship section once again.
— Ship:
Black Pearl Level 5: Caravel
— Upgrade
— Edit
— Skill Slots
— Shop
"Hey, hey, Captain." Uta stood up and walked behind Allen. "Tell me what Lenalee is saying~"
"I want to know too," said Nojiko, pausing her cooking for a moment.
Kaya and Nami are also interested as well. They already knew about the chest's existence, but only Allen could hear its voice.
"Well, she's showing me how I can improve the ship according to my personal taste."
"Seriously?!" Nami exclaimed before putting on a serious expression. "In that case, don't forget to make a vault to safely store the loot we don't use. There are a lot of thieves in these seas."
"That's ironic coming from a thief," Nojiko said with a laugh before smiling toward Allen. "I'd like a refrigerator. I heard they're used in the Grand Line to keep food frozen."
"Allen-san, if possible, I'd like a medical office." Kaya became embarrassed. "I'm still learning, but I'd like to have a place to treat everyone."
Even Kaya, who normally never asks for anything, made a request this time, albeit for everyone's sake. Allen was touched.
"Of course there'll be a clinic, a freezer, and a vault... Uta, don't you have any requests? Maybe a music room?"
Uta smiled but shook her head. "Don't worry. I'd rather sing on deck where everyone can hear me, as long as nobody minds.~"
The girls looked at Uta curiously. Allen had said she was their musician, but they still hadn't heard her sing.
Allen chuckled. "No one in the world could be bothered by the sound of your beautiful voice."
Uta blushed slightly and moved away from Allen. "I see."
Nami frowned while Kaya became nervous. Was Uta another rival?
"Then let's see what we can do to improve the ship," Allen said, ignoring the awkward atmosphere he himself had created.
He looked through the options once again. The first one was easy to understand. "Upgrade" improved the ship overall, especially its size, which was a huge increase.
[I'll summarize the rest. The shop lets you directly create all kinds of furniture, weapons, tools, devices, and additions for the ship, like landing boats and such.]
Allen repeated Lenalee's words, leaving the girls stunned. They wouldn't even need to buy furniture in a city. They could create it directly.
[The Slots allow you to give the ship special abilities, as you can see.]
Slot 1: Speed "The speed is greater than that of ships with the same characteristics."
Slot 2: Stealth "It's difficult to detect at night and produces less noise while sailing."
Slot 3: Remote Control "Allows enchanted parts of the ship to obey the captain, first mate, and navigator."
Slot 4: Empty
Slot 5: Empty
The first two characteristics belonged to the original Black Pearl from Jack Sparrow, while the third had been created by Lenalee at Allen's request and belonged to Queen Anne's Revenge. Of course, Allen didn't remember this at the moment.
"One slot per level... and that explains why the Black Pearl is so fast," Allen murmured to himself before repeating Lenalee's explanation to the girls.
Hearing this, Uta covered her ears with a look of realization. "So that's why this ship makes so little noise?~"
Uta had perfect hearing. She could distinguish sounds that most people couldn't even hear.
Finally, there was editing...
When he entered that section, the scroll grew larger and positioned itself on the table.
[You can write or draw a blueprint of how you want the ship to look, its new features, and even aesthetic details. Of course, everything has a cost that keeps adding up until it's applied.]
Allen took the quill and ink that appeared on the table and began drawing. He already had a clear idea of how he wanted to improve the ship.
It took him around ten minutes to finish, and when he did, the scroll floated again and disappeared. Then the entire ship trembled as the transformation began.
The walls, floor, and ceiling creaked.
The ship glowed as if covered in a layer of light. The girls closed their eyes because of the brightness while remaining astonished and fascinated by something so "magical," especially Nojiko and Uta, who hadn't yet experienced how incredible Lenalee truly was.
....
One minute later, the glow disappeared, and everyone was able to open their eyes again.
"Incredible..." Nojiko stood in the kitchen, which had doubled in size, and there was now a new door.
That door opened, and Kaya stepped out looking confused, unsure how she had gotten there.
"It's incredible, right?" Allen smiled before proceeding to explain the changes.
Now the stern of the Black Pearl had three levels. The lower level was the kitchen, whose ceiling was now aligned with the main deck, and to enter it, you had to go down a straight staircase located in the center of the deck.
The important part was that it had now been divided in half. The left half was the kitchen and dining area. The kitchen even had a modern stove that didn't fit the era at all.
"Made in Egghead Island..." Nojiko murmured while reading the label on the stove.
"Egghead?" Allen felt that the name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it before.
As for the right side, accessible through the kitchen itself, it had become a food storage room that contained a Vegapunk-brand refrigerator.
When they stepped onto the deck, the girls were shocked. The ship had doubled in size. It was no longer a caravel but a brigantine.
Black Pearl: Level 6
Ship Type: Brigantine
Size: 32 meters (104 ft)
The Black Pearl had three masts. The center mast was larger and now carried a much bigger black sail. The front mast had two smaller sails, and the rear mast above the captain's cabin had a medium-sized sail.
The cannons were now five on each side and three at the rear, and they were no longer on the deck but below it, since the ship now had a lower level separated from the kitchen and food storage.
The cabin that Nami and Kaya used beneath the front section of the ship had now become two separate cabins with individual doors.
Now that the kitchen was on the lower level, there were two more cabins at deck level, slightly larger than the ones at the front. These would belong to Kaya and Nami because they needed the space for their respective jobs, while the front cabins would go to Uta and Nojiko.
Finally, the upper level was the captain's cabin, which was the largest room. It not only had a bedroom but also a study with bookshelves and, of course, a reinforced safe for storing money they wouldn't use in the chest.
As for bathrooms, there was one large bathroom with a bathtub and shower near the kitchen. For now, the ship wasn't large enough to give everyone their own private bath.
"This is impossible..." Uta gasped. She knew powers beyond logic existed. She herself was a Devil Fruit user, but this was absurd. In a single minute, the ship had structurally transformed. If it hadn't retained the Black Pearl's iconic black color and pirate flag atop the mast, she would've believed they had been teleported onto another ship entirely.
"As expected of Lenalee-san," Kaya said with an incredulous look.
"Exactly," Nami nodded while looking over the railing. This could no longer be considered a caravel.
[Hehe, I'm amazing~]
"You are," Allen said sincerely. "Spending those ten million berries was worth it."
[Oh, I don't mind being praised more. Go ahead. Maybe it'll put me in a good mood and I'll give you a discount on your next purchase~]
Allen's eyes lit up.
"You're the most incredible chest in the world. You're the greatest treasure of all. The One Piece is trash compared to you, queen of the seas, goddess of fortune."
[>///< T-that's enough already!]
Allen knew that when a girl said it in that tone, it meant she wanted him to continue, so the shameless bastard kept praising and flattering her nonstop.
"If I didn't know about Lenalee's existence, I'd think he was crazy," Uta said while scratching her cheek.
Nami sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Tell me about it. This guy just found out he doesn't even need to talk to communicate with her. I just hope some weird rumor doesn't start spreading about our captain being insane or something."
Kaya smiled with her eyes closed. "Maybe it's already too late."
The three girls exchanged glances before laughing together.
After exploring and checking their rooms, the girls realized that with the ship's increased size, the cabins were practically empty, so they asked Allen for a few things—new beds, closets, a tea table, and several other items.
Allen trembled. Spending money to improve the ship was one thing, but once the girls started asking for dressing tables and decorative items for their rooms, it became an unnecessary expense. However, despite not having his memories, Allen instinctively felt that interfering with a girl decorating her room would only lead to suffering the consequences.
....
A few hours later, the Black Pearl, now larger after its upgrade, sailed toward Loguetown.
Allen sat on the head of the beautiful lady figurehead at the front of the Black Pearl, which he had named "Wicked Wench."
Allen sighed. He had used ten million to upgrade the ship and another five million on the things the girls requested. On top of that, he had also proceeded to level up Nojiko and Uta.
It had been a normal experience, since the first time only caused them a little pain and didn't turn into some lewd scene. Of course, judging by Nami's cold stare, Allen knew it would be more difficult to do it next week, especially considering his current mental state.
[Well, it's time to visit that town where the Pirate King died... are you excited?]
"Not really..."
Allen wasn't interested in the One Piece beyond the temptation of all the gold the Pirate King might have hidden away. I mean, there was a reason he was called Gold D. Roger.
"But I am definitely curious about something. I never understood how the Marines managed to capture Roger so easily when there are so many pirates they simply ignore because they're too strong to capture without losses."
[Maybe he turned himself in willingly.]
"Hey, don't joke around. The man who managed to obtain the title of king, surrendering himself just to be publicly executed? What kind of nonsense would that be?"
[True~]
"Hm~ hm~"
Allen heard a melodic hum and turned around. He could see Uta leaning against the railing while humming. He still remembered Uta's beautiful voice.
A song that made Allen think he was hallucinating when he found her singing in a ruined place without an audience.
"Uta"
The girl looked at Allen, her eyes blinking in his direction.
"What is it, Captain?"
"Can you sing for me?" Allen asked with a gentle smile.
Uta blinked, her eyes shining as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks before she smiled beautifully.
"Of course! That's what I'm here for!"
Nojiko came out of the storage room, Kaya stepped out of her cabin, and even Nami, who had been reading a book, turned her attention toward them.
Could Uta's voice really be beautiful enough to conquer the heart of Mr. "I am an absolute being and everyone should be grateful to stand in my presence"?
Uta walked to the center of the deck and closed her eyes while taking a deep breath. Uta's aura changed, and it began to feel as though she was drawing all the girls' attention toward herself.
"This song..." Uta said as she slowly opened her eyes and looked at Allen. "This song is called New Genesis..."
Allen appeared on the deck and smiled.
"Shinjidai wa kono mirai da"
(The new era is this future)
The moment Uta's voice began, the girls held their breath. They felt it. This wasn't the kind of music heard on a pirate ship, nor was Uta some bar singer. It felt as though her voice had been designed to be heard by the entire world.
"Sekaijuu zenbu kaete shimaeba"
(If we change the whole world)
"Kaete shimaebaa!/"
(If we change it!/)
Nami looked at Allen in disbelief. This son of a bitch had stolen a treasure from the world for his own crew.
[Allen, we have company!]
Allen's smile disappeared.
"Right now?"
[Yeah, there are like ten pirate ships on the horizon!]
"What?" Allen turned toward the sea. Ten pirate ships were lined up there, all positioned between him and Loguetown as if they had been waiting for him.
Nami, noticing Allen's behavior, also turned around and saw the ships.
"I knew it!"
Nami had a feeling that after Allen's recent actions, their journey had stopped being peaceful, but ten pirate ships?!
After pulling out a spyglass, she realized they were all pirates with bounties worth several million. It could be said that beneath Krieg, Arlong, Kuro, and Buggy, these were the most famous pirates around.
"Alle—"
Interrupting Nami, Allen gave an order with a confident smile.
"Uta, don't stop singing. No one will interrupt your stage while I'm here!"
Uta opened her eyes before laughing and continuing to sing New Genesis.
....
Allen stretched out his hands, and all the sails of the Black Pearl unfurled.
The pirates who had come to hunt Allen were surprised. They thought the super rookie would flee and had already prepared to chase him, but instead, he accelerated straight toward them.
"Captain, isn't that ship bigger than they told us?"
"Not only that, look at it! It's really fast!"
Captain Scar, with a bounty of three million, smiled arrogantly. "What an idiot. If he ran away, we'd never catch him, but instead he decided to come to his death!"
"Prepare to destroy that ship! The loot will belong to us, the Cursed Treasure Pirates!" shouted another captain wearing a tricorne hat.
Another captain with a judge's wig and curled mustache exclaimed, "No, that bounty will belong to the True Nobility Pirates!"
"No, it'll belong to the Crow-Eyes!"
These pirates weren't allies. Once Allen's ship was destroyed, they would turn on each other to see who would claim the hundred million bounty, but until then...
The ships turned sideways, aiming their cannons at the Black Pearl.
"Fire!"
"Fire!"
"Fire, helmsman!"
"Sink that arrogant bastard! Fire!"
One ship after another opened fire. More than fifty cannonballs flew toward the Black Pearl in a sight that made Nami, Kaya, and Nojiko pale. However, Uta simply smiled while continuing to sing.
— Hey, poor fallen angel, I'm delighted. Won't you give me your voice? In return, I'll give you whatever you want... —
"They're really underestimating me..." Allen said before pointing his hands toward the sky like guns.
"Higan!"
Bullets of fire burst forth in rapid succession like a machine gun. With terrifying precision, they struck every cannonball, causing them to explode in midair.
This left the girls stunned, and even more so the pirates, whose jaws dropped in disbelief. But Allen was only getting started.
How dare these filler pirates try to take the head of the future King of the World?!
"Nami!"
As soon as Allen called her name, Nami turned the wheel to port. Due to the ship's speed, Kaya and Nojiko grabbed onto something to avoid falling. Uta also held onto the mast, but she never stopped singing.
Her vocal control was incredible. The sudden movement didn't affect her voice at all.
"My turn!" Allen pointed his hand forward.
Five wooden panels on the left side opened up, revealing the Black Pearl's new hidden cannons. Without any order, driven only by will, the cannons fired with a roar even louder than that of their attackers.
The cannonballs shot toward the enemy ships, causing them to pale. At first, they had never even considered the possibility that the Black Pearl would survive the first barrage. There were ten ships! Even a galleon would've been sunk!
"Leave it to me!" shouted a pirate captain with a metal arm. Without hesitation, he leaped ten meters into the air intending to destroy the incoming cannonballs.
The man clenched his fist and punched one of the cannonballs, expecting it to shatter and explode. With a bounty of eight million, this Iron-Hand pirate had no fear of cannon fire.
However, he made a mistake.
Allen sneered...
The moment the metallic fist touched the iron cannonball, it shattered. The man realized his mistake too late. The cannonball tore his arm off and continued its course until it struck his ship and exploded.
"Captain!"
The men watched in horror as a pirate with a bounty of eight million was defeated by a cannonball. What kind of logic was that?
The remaining four cannonballs struck different parts of the ship, tearing it apart. It was abnormal firepower for a brigantine, more comparable to a naval warship.
"Idiots, did you really think you could stand in the path of my Black Pearl and come out alive?!"
The Black Pearl's cannons shifted direction. Unlike the conventional cannons on other ships, which were fixed in place, these could aim at a forty-five-degree angle. It might not sound like much, but it was enough to attack immediately without waiting for the Black Pearl to fully align with another ship.
"This is bad!" another captain shouted as he tried to move out of the line of fire, but it was too late.
Slot 4: Auto Reload.
With this feature, the Black Pearl no longer needed to manually reload its cannons.
"Let's test the armor-piercing rounds..." Allen said mockingly.
The second volley of cannonballs fell like death upon the second ship. This time they weren't explosive rounds, but solid projectiles.
One struck the mast, destroying the main sail. Two crashed into the hull, penetrating the lower section and causing the ship to start sinking.
Two more landed on the deck, killing several pirates, including the captain, who could only stare in horror as he realized the Black Pearl wasn't just a unique and beautiful ship, but a vessel with terrifying firepower.
"Everyone retreat!"
"Get out of its firing line!"
"Full sails!"
The captains reacted, ordering their navigators—or steering the ships themselves—to move at once. The sails unfurled, and all of them desperately tried to escape the line of fire.
However, it was useless. If there was something even more terrifying than the Black Pearl's firepower, it was its speed and maneuverability.
"Nami, fifty degrees starboard!"
The girl turned the wheel in a hurry. With her enhanced strength, it was no longer as difficult for her to sharply steer the helm.
Once aligned, Allen made the Black Pearl fire. The five cannonballs struck with precision, but this time they didn't explode or destroy anything. Instead, they engulfed the third ship in flames, filling the remaining pirates with terror.
"Incendiary cannonballs..." Allen said.
How was it possible for one ship to have so many different types of ammunition?! And wasn't Allen Walker's crew supposed to be newly formed? Where had he gotten enough people to reload the cannons every ten seconds?! There should've been at least fifteen men handling those cannons for that to happen!
"Turn to port!"
Nami turned the wheel in the opposite direction. Against all logic, the Black Pearl changed course with incredible speed.
Everyone wanted to complain. Ships weren't supposed to move like that!
Allen fired again, sinking two more ships. Once their formation had been destroyed, the pirates realized they stood no chance. Two ships tried to flee while three more returned fire, but it was useless. Their cannonballs were destroyed by the power of Allen's Flame Logia.
It was a one-sided massacre.
The firepower of a naval battleship, an unreal speed for a ship of that size, maneuverability that defied logic—this wasn't a ship, it was a monster.
As for the captain, Allen Walker, the rumored fake pirate with a 100 million bounty, stood on the deck without a single scratch on him.
It was terrifying. They had been wrong. With that ship alone, Allen deserved the millions on his head.
The screams of pirates echoed everywhere. The remaining ships tried to escape, but Allen wasn't about to allow that. Not after this.
"Life at sea is simple. Rob, and prepare to be robbed. Kill, and prepare for someone to do the same to you. No complaints, no mercy. We pirates chose a life filled with danger in exchange for freedom, glory, or wealth!"
Allen walked across the deck and stood atop the head of the Wicked Wench, watching the ships flee.
The girls stared at him in shock. Was this really the same guy who once said he saw his own reflection in a window and felt jealous of himself?!
"I, Allen Walker, captain of the Black Pearl and Pirate Lord, declare that those present have violated the pirate code of non-aggression without cause!" Allen narrowed his eyes. "Therefore, I will now collect the debt..."
The girls swallowed nervously, and the Black Pearl, as if responding to its captain's judgment, moved to finish off its enemies.
The abdomen of the Wicked Wench opened, revealing the mouth of a cannon? No... it was larger than a cannon. It looked like a terrifying black hole.
Allen's tone softened as he spoke this time to his crew.
"I know it. Many pirates, Marines, and bounty hunters will come after us. But that's exactly why I wanted to send them a message... that they won't be able to lay a finger on us without losing a hand in return..."
Allen smiled, and the girls heard the metallic sound of something enormous reloading beneath the deck.
What the hell had Allen installed on the Black Pearl?!
For a moment, time itself seemed to stop. The remaining captains paled as they saw the enormous cannon muzzle aimed directly at them.
"Fire" Allen said.
An explosion like thunder echoed across the sky.
There was no time to react. In an instant, a massive explosion shook the sea in front of the ships.
Something had pierced through one of the ships so quickly that they couldn't even see it, with such force that it created a gigantic hole through the vessel, so powerful that it could be heard all the way in Loguetown twenty miles away.
In the future, the Black Pearl would evolve so much that the fear it inspired across the seas would only be surpassed by its captain.
====
A/N: Phew, a four-thousand-word chapter... and then people say I'm not generous🗿
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