Chapter 54: Captain Suzaku!
The vast, boundless expanse of the Blue Sea stretched out in every direction, a deep sapphire mirror reflecting the blazing sun of the Grand Line.
The Vermillion Wing had finally finished its descent from the high-altitude cloud layer where they had been hiding. Gravity reclaimed the ship with a heavy, comforting embrace as the hull kissed the ocean waves once more.
The air here was different. Gone was the thin, ozone-scented crispness of the high altitude. In its place was the thick, humid embrace of the ocean—heavy with the smell of salt, seaweed, and the promise of adventure.
The ship cut steadily through the waves, its figurehead parting the foam with a rhythmic hiss. A relaxed, almost lazy atmosphere permeated the deck, a stark contrast to the tension of escaping the Admirals at the Twin Capes just days ago.
Towards the bow, Ulquiorra Cifer stood alone. He leaned against the polished wooden railing, his bone-white skin stark against the dark sea. His hands were buried deep in the pockets of his white hakama, and his hollow emerald eyes stared silently into the distance.
He wasn't looking at the horizon; he was looking through it, contemplating the "meaning" that this New World held for a being of Nothingness.
The sky... the sea... Ulquiorra mused internally, his face an unreadable mask. They are merely different concentrations of matter. Yet, these humans assign different emotions to them. Fear for the sky, comfort for the sea. Illogical.
Inside the navigation cockpit, Nami was the picture of focused professionalism. She gripped the rudder, her eyes darting between the Log Pose strapped to her wrist—which was finally catching a magnetic field—and the sea chart spread out before her.
Every few minutes, however, her gaze would drift out the window toward the commotion in the center of the deck, a small smile betraying her exasperation.
"Honestly," she muttered to herself. "We're in the most dangerous sea in the world, and he's treating it like a holiday resort."
In the open area at the center of the ship, a crowd had gathered.
These were the civilians rescued from the Celestial Dragon's ship, including the young girl named Kiyo. They formed a semicircle, watching with bated breath, their eyes wide with a mixture of reverence and curiosity. Even the children stopped playing tag to watch.
At the center of this attention sat Captain Suzaku.
He was sitting on a small wooden stool, a high-quality carbon-fiber fishing rod gripped firmly in his hands. The sun glinted off his sunglasses, making him look the part of a leisurely expert, though the sweat beading on his forehead told a different story.
Flanking him were his most loyal—and terrifying—supporters.
To his left sat the twin demon maids. Rem was perched on her knees, her hands clasped tightly to her chest in prayer, her blue eyes sparkling with absolute faith. Ram sat with perfect posture, her legs swept to the side, her red eyes observing the water with critical analysis.
To his right sat Albedo. The Overseer of the Guardians had forgone a chair and was kneeling gracefully, her black wings spread slightly to cast a cooling shadow over Suzaku. She watched his profile with an intensity that suggested she wanted to eat him rather than any fish.
"The current is changing," Ram noted softly, her voice cool and professional. "The underwater pressure suggests a predator. It is cautious. It smells the desperation in the air."
"Shh! Elder Sister!" Rem whispered, puffing her cheeks in a pout. "Don't jinx it! Lord Suzaku is concentrating! He's using his... um... spiritual pressure to lure the fish!"
"That is not spiritual pressure, Rem. That is bait," Ram corrected dryly.
Suddenly, the red fishing float bobbing on the surface of the water jerked.
Bob. Bob.
The crowd gasped collectively.
"It's a fish! Elder Sister, the fish is here!" Rem cried out excitedly in a whisper, clutching Ram's arm. Her knuckles turned white. "Lord Suzaku, fight!"
Ram calmly analyzed the movement of the line. "It's only a tentative bite, Rem. A test. Stay calm, and do not interfere with Lord Suzaku's judgment. If you shout, the vibration will scare it away."
Immediately afterward, without any warning, the float didn't just sink—it vanished. It was violently dragged underwater as if a submarine had snagged the hook!
Whoosh—!
The fishing line was instantly pulled taut by an immense, unseen force. It let out a sharp, high-pitched shriek that tore through the lazy afternoon air like a bullet.
SCREEECH!
The fishing rod in Suzaku's hand instantly bent into a perilous capital "C," emitting a grating, teeth-aching creak that sounded like the carbon fibers were screaming in agony.
"Lord Suzaku! You can do it! Don't let the big fish get away!" Rem immediately went into full cheerleader mode. Her small face flushed red with tension, and she pumped her fist in the air. "Pull! Pull! Show it the power of the Suzaku Pirates!"
Suzaku turned back, intending to give her a confident, reassuring smile. He wanted to look cool. He wanted to look like the Emperor of the Sea he claimed to be.
However, the immense force transmitted through the rod nearly caused him to stumble off his stool. His boots skidded on the deck planks, and his smile instantly froze into a rigid grimace.
Holy crap!
Suzaku gritted his teeth, his arms shaking. This isn't a fish; this is a monster! If I lose this... if the line snaps now...
Panic set in.
I absolutely cannot lose face in front of Ram, who just joined! I can't look weak in front of the rescued villagers!
Memories of his past life flashed before his eyes. The countless weekends spent by the river, sitting for hours only to catch a cold. The mocking title of "Air Force Commander" (he who returns with an empty bucket).
No! Never again! If I repeat the tragedy of 'snapped line and lost fish' here, in this world of pirates where I possess the System, where will I put my pride? I will be the laughingstock of the Grand Line!
The fish pulled harder. The reel was smoking.
"It seems I can only resort to unconventional methods!" Suzaku's eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses as he made a silent, shameless decision.
Screw technique. I'm a pirate. I cheat.
He channeled his energy. The muscles in his arms bulged, veins popping against the skin.
[Armament Haki: Hardening!]
A deep, pitch-black color, like living ink, rapidly spread from his palm. It engulfed the handle of the rod, rushed up the shaft, and then—defying the laws of physics—it flowed down the thin nylon fishing line.
The flimsy string instantly turned into a black steel cable. Indestructible. Rigid.
"Give... it... HERE!"
Suzaku discarded all pretense of angling technique. He planted his feet firmly on the deck, cracking the wood beneath his boots, and unleashed terrifying power from his arms. He yanked the rod sharply backward!
It was the pure, brute-force aesthetic of overwhelming power!
SPLASH—!!!
Accompanied by a sound of water breaking comparable to a cannonball exiting a barrel, a massive dark silhouette was forcibly ripped from the sea. It arced through the air, blocking out the sun for a brief moment, creating a rainbow of water droplets.
BOOM!
With a deafening crash, the creature landed on the center of the deck. It hit the wood like a sack of cement dropped from a skyscraper.
It was a monstrous fish, easily half the size of the ship's bow. Its scales shimmered with dazzling, multi-colored light—red, blue, green, gold, and silver. It was a kaleidoscope of muscle and rage.
Currently, it was thrashing wildly on the deck. Its massive tail slapped the planks with loud PAT-PAT-PAT sounds, shaking the entire ship and sending seawater splashing over the onlookers. Its fish eyes emitted a strange, glowing luminescence!
"Wow!!!"
The onlookers gasped in unison. The rescued civilians stared with their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
"Oh my goodness! Look at the size of that thing!"
"Lord Suzaku is too incredible!"
"My heavens! Is that a Five-Color Giant-Toothed Fish? I've been fishing for forty years back in my hometown and have never seen one this big!"
An old man among the rescued civilians trembled with excitement, grabbing the shoulder of the person next to him. "A Five-Color Giant-Toothed Fish of this size has incredible strength in the sea! It can drag a small boat underwater! Even when we used the strongest iron-mesh nets, nine out of ten times the net would break and the fish would escape. Lord Suzaku actually pulled it out with a single rod... and he didn't even use a winch! That arm strength is god-like!"
Suzaku stood there, chest heaving slightly, listening to the deafening gasps of astonishment and the praise. He felt as refreshed as if he had just chugged an ice-cold cola on a scorching summer day. Every pore in his body cheered. The shame of his past life was washed away.
Looking at the 'trophy' still struggling in its death throes on the deck, a sense of satisfied accomplishment welled up within him.
"Hahahaha!"
He couldn't help but put his hands on his hips and laugh heartily, his pose radiating arrogance.
Awesome! In my previous life, I was a joke. Who would have thought that coming to this world of One Piece, I could cheat at fishing using Haki! This is the correct way to use superpowers!
Albedo clapped politely, her golden eyes gleaming with admiration. "Magnificent, Suzaku-sama. Your dominance over the creatures of the deep is absolute."
Meanwhile, Ulquiorra, without turning his head from the railing, continued to stare blankly ahead. He muttered softly to himself, his voice barely audible over the wind.
"Using power capable of crushing steel... for a fish. Humans are truly difficult to comprehend. Is this what they call 'entertainment'? It seems inefficient."
Just then, Nami's clear and joyful voice rang out from the cockpit, instantly drawing everyone's attention away from the fish.
"Everyone! Look ahead! Eleven o'clock!"
She ran out of the cockpit, pointing frantically toward the horizon. "There's an island! We've finally found land again!"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked in the direction she was pointing. Through the lingering sea mist at the edge of the horizon, a dark silhouette was rising from the water.
It wasn't just a rock; it was a massive landmass.
Nami hurried to the bow, standing on her tiptoes. She pulled out a telescope, carefully surveying the area, trying to identify the island's shape and find a suitable landing spot.
"This is great! We can finally dock for supplies," Nami said, lowering the telescope. Her face was flushed with the excitement of navigation. "And more importantly, the Log Pose has finally caught the magnetic field! It's locking onto it perfectly."
Looking at the distant island silhouette, a sense of anticipation also rose in Suzaku's heart.
Previously, in order to escape from the Admirals at the Twin Capes, he had Rem directly pilot the Vermillion Wing into the high-altitude clouds using her wind magic. They had spent the last few days drifting through the White Sea, dodging currents and picking up supplies where they could, but they had lost all sea reference points.
Encountering an island now—especially one on the Grand Line—was the perfect opportunity to reorient themselves.
"Is it finally time to start a new adventure?" Suzaku gazed intently at the island emerging in the distance.
He knew well the wonders of the Grand Line; every island was a miracle of nature. Some were technologically advanced with sophisticated civilizations. Others seemed forgotten by time, preserving ancient traditions and customs. Still others possessed geographical environments and ecosystems that completely defied logic.
"I wonder what kind of island this is," Suzaku mused. "Judging by the heavy mist... it looks mysterious."
Just as everyone was excited about the discovery of the island and Nami was anxiously confirming the route, the scene in the center of the deck took a turn.
The pair of recently reunited maid sisters seemed less concerned about the upcoming new adventure and more focused on domestic duties. Rem and Ram were circling the enormous Five-Color Giant-Toothed Fish, which was still occasionally twitching on the deck.
The huge fish body nearly occupied a quarter of the open space, and its colorful scales reflected a dazzling light under the sun.
"What a big fish, Elder Sister," Rem said, blinking her large azure eyes. She poked the cold, hard scales with her fingertip. "It's so slimy!"
"Mhm, it is indeed very large. Enough to feed the crew for many days," Ram replied, her tone flat and professional. However, her red eyes held a hint of scrutiny, as if she were assessing the fish's muscle density and the best parts for cooking. "The dorsal fin is rich in collagen. The belly meat should be fatty. It is acceptable."
Suddenly, the fish seemed to recover a burst of adrenaline. Its huge tail began restlessly slapping the deck again.
WHAM! WHAM!
The dull sounds echoed loudly, interrupting the conversation.
"It's too noisy, Elder Sister," Rem said, subtly furrowing her delicate brows. Looking at the restive fish, her tone carried a hint of annoyance at being disturbed.
Ram immediately understood her sister's meaning. She didn't have any superfluous expression on her face.
"Understood."
She simply stepped forward. Her fair hand reached out and tapped a specific spot on the giant fish's head—right between the eyes. It looked like a gentle touch, but wind mana was concentrated at her fingertip.
Tap.
The next second, the Five-Color Giant-Toothed Fish, which had been full of vitality and desperately thrashing moments before, seemed to have all its strength instantly drained away. Its tail weakly slapped the deck one last time, and then the entire fish body went completely rigid.
Its eyes glazed over. It was dead instantly.
"There, Rem. It's not noisy anymore," Ram said, withdrawing her hand, her tone as calm as if she had just swatted a fly.
Rem immediately showed a sweet, angelic smile. "As expected of Elder Sister! Efficient as always!"
"Shall we grill it? Or perhaps sashimi?" Ram asked.
"Sashimi! Lord Suzaku loves sashimi!" Rem chirped.
The two sisters exchanged a smile and continued to examine the now-quiet "ingredient."
The surrounding rescued civilians who noticed this scene involuntarily swallowed hard. They looked at the petite, pink-haired maid with a newfound fear. That fish could have snapped a man in half, and she killed it with a poke.
"Monsters... everyone on this ship is a monster..." one man whispered, clutching his child.
"Alright, crew!" Suzaku shouted, breaking the trance. "Prep the ship for docking! Furl the sails!"
After Nami adjusted the direction, the Vermillion Wing slowly turned, catching the coastal current. The silhouette of the island grew larger, revealing towering trees that looked like they belonged in a history book.
They were approaching the mouth of a wide river that cut deep into the jungle, inviting them into the unknown.
[Akarin Note:
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