Gojo and Vane reunited with the other members of the crew, who were drenched in perspiration after the relentless onslaught from the marines in the vicinity.
"Yo!"
Their captain waved at them, diverting the duo's attention toward the enigmatic figure standing behind their captain.
"And? Who's that?" Ryuken rested his sword on his shoulder, his expression calm and unwavering.
"Calm down, guys." Gojo released an exasperated sigh. "He's the new member of the crew."
Sudden realization dawned on the duo as they jolted with excitement. Vane remained deadpan for a brief moment, fascinated by how indulgently the crew operated in such a dire situation.
"H-Hey." Vane cleared his throat. "Vane. Pleased to meet you." He shook hands with the duo, who embraced and welcomed him to the crew once again.
"Captain, we'll have to join the pirates and set sail," Jake murmured. "We'll be doomed if a navy admiral were to appear right now."
"That's absolutely correct," Vane shrugged. "Everything we are doing right now must be precise. It'll be troublesome if Smoker and a navy admiral were to magnet themselves here."
Gojo sighed. "We have no choice anymore. Jake, let's join the pirates and escape."
"Roger that, captain!"
The crew followed behind Jake as they located their vessel docked elsewhere from the island's shore. They immediately boarded the ship, hoisting the anchor from the depths of the sea, Ryuken lifted the sails.
"Steer the ship at full speed. I have a plan," Vane muttered, discarding his trench coat.
Gojo smirked, realizing they could break free from the marines' grip using Vane's devil fruit abilities.
"Jake, don't hesitate. Keep advancing," Gojo uttered, folding both hands behind his neck.
Vane gulped once, then twice. "There's no harm in attempting this since I haven't tried it before." Vane extended and placed his hands on the ship's deck as he exhaled deeply.
He activated his devil fruit, reducing the ship's weight to zero, propelling the vessel forward in a furious motion as Jake steered the ship, rendering the marines' assault completely futile.
Gojo burst into laughter while Ryuken leaned against the ship's mast, and Jake seized a firm grip on the helm. The marines' jaws dropped, witnessing the inexplicable scene unfolding before them. How could a ship move so swiftly in a matter of seconds?
"W-What's happening?" The wind howled violently as the ship raced away from the marines' view.
The ship's deck was drenched with sweat as Vane deactivated his devil fruit powers, his heart pounding violently as if about to combust. Unfortunately, he couldn't steady his breathing as he exhaled deeply.
Gojo could no longer contain his laughter. He knew it had been the right decision to recruit Vane into his pirate crew despite him being a former pirate who had sailed into the New World and also a human trafficker. Now, he couldn't care less, for Vane was now a transformed soul.
Gojo erupted in laughter again, glancing at his first and second mate, who couldn't comprehend what had just transpired in that instant.
"Excellent work, Vane. Without you, we wouldn't have evaded the marines so easily." Gojo applauded, extending his hand to help his companion to his feet.
"Th-Thank you." Vane coughed, not realizing how exhausting it would be for him to nullify the ship's weight with his gravitational devil fruit.
Jake retrieved a cigarette from his pocket and ignited it with a lighter, sliding it between his lips. "Vane, could you just explain what you did?" He exhaled a cloud of smoke. "For a second, I felt my body was incredibly light as hell."
Gojo laughed. "Impressive, right?"
Vane let out an exasperated sigh before collapsing onto the floor. "I haven't attempted this before now, as you can see. What I just demonstrated was the power of my devil fruit. I can manipulate gravity. I could erase the weight on myself as well as inanimate objects."
"That's incredible," Ryuken said, intrigued.
Vane continued. "First, I think I should reintroduce myself to the crew. I'm Vane. I was once a pirate captain who navigated the Grand Line as well as the New World!"
Tension permeated the atmosphere.
"A pirate captain?!"
The crew exclaimed in perfect unison as Vane revealed his secrets.
Gojo's curiosity deepened as he leaned in further. "What kind of pirate were you in your prime?"
Vane sweatdropped. "Calm down, guys. Let's take it easy," he said. "I was the captain of the Blackpool pirates. I sailed the seas to become the Pirate King because Gold Roger was my mentor. I truly admired him, and that drew me into piracy as I fled to sea, gathering powerful subordinates to conquer the ocean."
"Blackpool pirates? Tell me, where are your crewmates now? Did you formally disband your crew?" Jake hummed, steering the ship on the correct course.
Vane massaged his temples. "Well, I didn't disband my crew. We were completely obliterated by a pirate—a subordinate of Kaidō, an Emperor of the sea."
"An emperor of the sea?" The trio swallowed hard, unable to fathom the devastation an Emperor's crew could inflict on them if they ever crossed paths.
"That's horrifying. A single subordinate of an Emperor annihilated your entire crew? That's truly insane!"
"That's how treacherous the sea is," Vane shrugged. "Jack—that's the name of the pirate who destroyed my crew. Every single one of my comrades was slaughtered mercilessly while I fought to survive." Vane gritted his teeth and clenched his fist in frustration, reminiscing about his beloved pirate crew from the past. "I swear… I will have my revenge."
Gojo laughed. "This is becoming thrilling. Kaidō, huh? I can't wait to challenge him."
Vane shot Gojo a glare. "Don't even think about it, fool. You'll be killed in an instant."
"I can't let that slide, Vane." Gojo jumped upward. "I will be the one to defeat Kaidō."
Vane swallowed. "Are you even listening to me? No matter how powerful you currently are, you would be a mouse wandering into a lion's den. I haven't seen him, but I assure you: the Four Emperors are not to be underestimated at all. They possess terrifying strength as well as mastery of all three types of haki at their peak."
Gojo frowned, realizing he still had an extremely long journey ahead to claim the title of Pirate King. "Haki, huh? If I recall, you said you possess Armament and Observation, correct?"
"Yes, I do. Without haki, you cannot survive in the New World."
"New World? You keep mentioning that. What actually is it?" Jake asked.
"Right now, we are in the first half of the Grand Line, while the second half is called the New World, where all Four Emperors of the Sea reside in their own territories."
"How powerful are they exactly?" Gojo murmured to himself.
"We have a very long voyage ahead. From this moment on, we will encounter far stronger marines than the ones sent to capture the pirates on Gravitas Island. And most of them are masters of haki."
"In other words, we need to acquire at least one of the three types of haki, right?" Ryuken whistled.
"Precisely. As of now, I will boldly say we are all far too weak to sail into the New World. As I said earlier, a subordinate of an Emperor annihilated me and my entire crew."
"This is difficult to accept," Jake said. "We have a long way to go, so I suggest we train harder."
"Exactly." Vane snapped his fingers. "The path ahead from now will not be easy."
Gojo clasped his hands together. "Thank you for the information, Vane. I suppose I will rest inside for a while."
"O-Okay." Vane nodded as the crew watched their captain disappear.
"Anyway, let's proceed," Jake muttered. "There is a small island nearby. We could stay there temporarily until the Log Pose fully resets."
"Okay."
…
{The Shore of Gravitas Island}
"Damn, they escaped!" Tashigi and her G-5 troops arrived at the shore.
She hissed as they watched the pirates' vessels scatter across the seas, unable to pursue all of them.
"Who would have thought the pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro, would be present here?" Tashigi gripped her sword firmly. "I will capture him and return his swords to their rightful owner."
Swoosh!
A cloud of smoke hovering across the atmosphere descended to the surface and materialized into Smoker. Smoker turned toward his loyal subordinate and ordered her, "Tashigi, I need you to contact Marineford immediately. Vane, the mastermind behind this chaos, has joined the Blue Eyed pirates."
Tashigi's sword slipped from her grasp. "W-What did you just say, Smoker-san?"
"We cannot allow a notorious pirate to wander freely any longer. It will become troublesome from now on, since Vane is now serving under him." Smoker said, "Return to headquarters and gather reinforcements. I will be away for a while. I have pirates to hunt…"
...
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