The jungle thinned into a rocky beach, and there it was: a massive Baroque Works ship, bobbing gently in the shallow water near the shore. Its black-and-gold hull gleamed in the sun, practically daring us to climb aboard.
Emma wiped the sweat from her brow, glancing at me. "Well… looks like our ride is ready and waiting."
I squinted. "…Wait, it's really that easy? Just… take it?"
She shrugged. "We just did most of the hard work. The rest of the crew isn't here anymore. The ship's basically… abandoned."
I stepped closer, still eyeing the huge vessel nervously. "Right. Abandoned… except it's huge and complicated and probably full of traps."
Emma grinned. "Then we figure it out as we go. You, Captain, get the honor of steering us to Alabasta."
I swallowed, staring at the helm like it was a bomb. "…Steering a massive pirate ship. Me. Awesome."
We climbed aboard, the deck creaking under our weight. I flinched at every squeak and wobble, my mind flashing back to the boat we sank at Little Garden.
Emma moved across the deck confidently, securing the ropes and checking the sails. "Not bad for our first real ship, huh?"
I instinctively flicked my hand toward a loose rope. It jerked sharply, lashing away from the mast like I'd pulled it with invisible hands.
Emma glanced at me, nodding knowingly. "Yep. That's your Devil Fruit power. Just… don't get carried away."
I gulped, flexing my fingers. "Vector manipulation.
The sails caught the wind, and the ship began to glide through the water.
"…Alright," I muttered, gripping the wheel, "let's hope the Grand Line doesn't immediately try to eat us."
Emma smirked, checking the horizon. "No promises, Captain. But at least now, we have a proper vessel to get us in trouble with."
"…Next stop," I whispered, "Alabasta."
By the next morning, the sea was calm. Too calm.
Emma sat cross-legged on the deck, sharpening her blades. I was at the wheel again, pretending I knew what I was doing. The salty wind hit my face, and for once, I wasn't miserable. That should've been my first warning.
"So," I said, squinting at the horizon. "How far is Alabasta?"
Emma shrugged. "Few days if the wind stays good."
"Few days," I repeated. "Right. Totally not long enough for us to die of boredom or starvation."
She smirked. "You could try fishing."
I gave her a look. "Emma, the last time I tried fishing, a Sea King tried to eat the rod."
"Then don't fish with meat next time."
"I WAS BAITING IT!"
Before I could argue more, something thunked against the side of the ship. I leaned over the railing. Floating in the water was a wooden chest.
Emma looked up. "Treasure?"
I grinned. "Treasure."
We pulled it aboard together. The lock was rusted, and the whole thing smelled like wet socks, but I wasn't picky. I kicked it open dramatically—because that's what real pirates do.
Inside was… a bunch of old food cans. And one weirdly shaped shell.
"That's it?" I groaned. "No gold? No jewels? Not even a cursed sword?"
Emma tilted her head. "That shell's a Den Den Mushi piece."
I blinked. "A what now?"
"It's for communication. Like a snail phone."
I picked up the shell, frowning. "You mean this creepy thing talks?"
Before she could answer, the shell moved and started making a weird "bururururu!" noise.
I screamed and nearly threw it overboard. "IT'S ALIVE!"
Emma snatched it from my hand. "It's supposed to do that, idiot!"
A small snail popped out, blinking sleepily. Then, in a deep voice, it said, "Testing… testing.
"Testing… testing… can anyone hear me?"
Emma and I froze.
The Den Den Mushi blinked again, its little snail eyes swiveling around. Then, in a gruff, serious voice, it said, "This is Mr. 5, checking in. Report your status, agents."
My jaw dropped. Mr. 5?!
Oh no. Ohhh no. I remembered that guy — the walking bomb from Whiskey Peak.
Emma's eyes widened. "Baroque Works again."
I panicked. "Hang up! Hang up before they find out we're not agents!"
She hissed, "You can't hang up a snail, genius!"
"Then throw it overboard!"
Before either of us could act, the snail continued, "Hello? This is Mr. 5! Report your location immediately before—wait… who is this?"
I grabbed the snail, trying to disguise my voice. "Uh… pizza delivery!"
There was a pause. "Pizza… delivery?"
"Yeah! Large pepperoni! For… uh… Miss Valentine?"
Emma buried her face in her hands. "Captain, please stop talking."
The snail twitched. "You fools! Do you have any idea who you're speaking to!?"
I gulped. "...An unhappy customer?"
The snail made a sound like a bomb about to explode.
Emma yanked it out of my hand and hurled it into the ocean.
SPLASH!
I slowly turned to her. "You think that worked?"
She sighed. "If we're lucky, they'll think the connection dropped."
"If we're unlucky?"
"They'll send people after us."
I blinked. "So… business as usual."
Emma groaned, rubbing her temple. "You're going to get us killed."
I grinned, steering the ship with my foot. "Hey, at least it won't be boring."
The sea breeze picked up, and the tension slowly melted into laughter.
"Captain," Emma said after a moment, "what is your plan when we get to Alabasta, anyway?"
I shrugged. "Simple. Avoid getting caught, avoid getting blown up, and avoid Luffy's crew at all costs."
Emma smiled. "You sure sound like a man with no plan."
"Exactly," I said proudly. "If I don't have a plan, it can't fail."
She laughed. "You're ridiculous."
"I prefer the term spontaneously strategic."
The sky began to glow orange as the sun dipped toward the horizon. For a rare moment, it felt peaceful — the kind of calm before the next inevitable disaster.
Emma leaned against the railing, watching the waves. "You know, Captain… for all the chaos, I'm starting to like this journey."
I smiled. "Yeah. Me too."
Then, of course, a cannonball whizzed past our ship.
"WHAT NOW?!" I screamed.
A ship with the Baroque Works flag appeared on the horizon, sails billowing as it closed in fast.
Emma drew her blades, grinning. "Guess they did trace the call."
I groaned, gripping the wheel. "Remind me never to answer strange snails again!"
The first cannonball missed us by a few meters — but it was close enough to spray my face with seawater.
I froze at the wheel. "They're shooting at us!"
Emma, already tying her hair back, didn't even flinch. "Then shoot back."
I stared at her. "With what cannon, Emma? Ours is decorative! It's for show! It doesn't even have ammo!"
She sighed. "You're hopeless."
The next shot roared past, clipping our sail. The canvas ripped like paper.
Emma turned toward me, calm as ever. "Alright, Captain, what's the plan?"
"Panic!" I yelled, yanking the wheel. "Panic and zigzag!"
The ship lurched, throwing us both off balance. Emma stumbled but caught herself, muttering something about "idiot captains."
Another cannonball splashed to our left. I was so busy steering that I didn't see Emma climb onto the railing.
"Emma! What are you doing!?"
"Getting us an opening!"
Before I could stop her, she leapt — straight across the gap between ships.
She landed on the enemy deck like a thunderclap, blades flashing. Shouts erupted immediately. Pirates scrambled, some trying to draw swords, others just trying not to get sliced in half.
I stood there, jaw open. "That's… actually kind of awesome."
But one of the Baroque Works goons spotted me and swung a grappling hook over. "Don't just stand there, boys! Board 'em!"
"Oh, no you don't!"
Without thinking, I stretched out a hand. The air around the hook bent, and suddenly, it reversed direction, slamming back into their own mast.
Wood shattered, ropes snapped, and their sail came crashing down.
"Nice shot, Captain!" Emma shouted from across the chaos.
"Yeah, totally intentional!"
The battle turned into complete madness. Emma darted between enemies like a blur, blades clashing in flashes of silver. I kept using my power without fully understanding it — knocking people back, deflecting bullets, even redirecting a cannonball that would've flattened us.
By the time the smoke cleared, the Baroque Works ship was half-wrecked, drifting sideways in the current.
Emma jumped back onto our deck, wiping sweat from her brow. "All clear."
I slumped to the floor. "All clear? Emma, we just fought a miniature war!"
She smirked. "And we won."
"Barely! I'm pretty sure the sea's filing complaints against me at this point."
She laughed and adjusted the sail ropes. "Then maybe it'll take a while before it tries to drown you again."
The wind caught our patched sail, and the ship slowly turned back on course. The sea shimmered gold under the sunset — quiet again, for now.
Emma leaned on the railing, looking ahead. "Alabasta's not far now."
I nodded, gripping the wheel. "Yeah. But something tells me the real trouble's just starting."
She smiled. "Wouldn't be an adventure otherwise."
I sighed, already regretting my life choices. "I miss boring."