Early morning. Sunlight flooded the deck, mingling with the cries of seagulls and the rhythmic slap of waves against the hull.
Reith lay sprawled on the deck like a starfish, arms and legs spread wide. He rolled over and muttered drowsily,
"…Just five more minutes…"
Bam!
A merciless foot landed squarely on his stomach.
"Get up and train, kid," Rayleigh said calmly, adjusting his glasses.
Reith clutched his stomach and wailed,
"Old man Rayleigh! I'm only four! I need proper sleep to grow!"
"Oh?" Rayleigh raised an eyebrow. "Want me to help you grow up?"
He clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking ominously.
Reith shot upright instantly.
"I'm up! I'm up! I'm training! See? No slacking at all!"
After training, Reith collapsed on the deck like a sun-dried fish.
Roger strolled over, plopped down beside him, and grinned.
"So? How was it? Tired?"
Reith rolled his eyes.
"Captain, what do you think? You two take turns torturing me. I'm starting to suspect you just have nothing better to do."
Roger burst into laughter.
"What are you talking about? We're raising a future great pirate! Only the strong can sail the seas freely!"
"Raising?" Reith's mouth twitched. "You're playing Tamagotchi with me."
"Tama… what?" Roger tilted his head. "What's that?"
"…Never mind," Reith sighed. "You wouldn't understand."
He knew he was being cranky, but the truth was that the physical strain was piling up. Mentally he was fine—but this body was still very much four years old.
It's fine, he thought. This is a shonen world. I have time.
He didn't have some tragic clan extermination waiting for him, nor a melodramatic plot involving stolen wives and revenge arcs.
Shaking off those thoughts, Reith quickly found a new source of entertainment.
"Hey, Brother Gaban," he called out. "Let's fight!"
Reith stood at the stern, hands tucked into his pockets. The sea breeze ruffled his black hair, and a fiery glint danced in his scarlet eyes.
Uncle Gaban, he thought smugly. Hand over the left-hand man seat! Today it's me, tomorrow Pirate King! Ha-ha-ha!
Gaban, polishing his axes, raised his head and grinned.
"You sure, kid? That's a big ambition for someone your age. I won't go easy on you just because you're small."
"That's exactly what I want!" Reith smirked.
"Perfect timing to test my new moves!"
Roger, sitting cross-legged on the mast, shouted excitedly,
"Ku-ha-ha-ha! Rayleigh, wanna bet? Who do you think wins?"
Rayleigh adjusted his glasses.
"Three minutes. Reith gets sent flying seven times."
"Then I'm betting on Gaban!" Roger grinned, popping a nut into his mouth.
"Hey!" Reith bristled. "I'm your student! If I lose, aren't you embarrassed?"
"Not at all," Roger replied cheerfully. "You're weak—that's your problem. Why would I be ashamed?"
Gaban stepped forward.
"Ready, kid?"
The fight began.
Reith moved first, swinging his arms wide.
"Fog Barrier: Silent Cage!"
Thick mist instantly engulfed the ship, dropping visibility to zero. Gaban's figure dissolved into the white haze, and even the sound of footsteps vanished. A suffocating silence followed.
"Blinding vision and sound, huh?" Gaban muttered. "Not bad—but useless against someone experienced."
He suddenly bent forward and crossed his arms.
Clang!
Reith's wooden sword—coated in Armament Haki—was perfectly parried.
"What?!" Reith's pupils shrank as he leapt backward. "How did you—?!"
"Intuition," Gaban replied with a grin.
"Tsk! Observation Haki?" Reith hissed. "No—you barely used it!"
"Ha-ha-ha! You can't rely on Haki alone after enough years at sea!"
Gaban lunged forward, axes whistling through the air.
Reith dissolved into mist, reforming just in time to dodge.
"Don't run!" Gaban pressed the attack, his axes falling like a storm.
"Hiding in the Fog: Mirage!"
Seven identical Reiths burst from the mist, charging Gaban from all directions.
"Illusions?" Gaban paused briefly.
"Pick the real one!" all seven voices echoed.
Gaban closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly.
"…Third from the left."
Bam!
The blunt end of an axe slammed into Reith's shoulder. He flew backward, illusions shattering instantly
"Damn it!" Reith groaned, staggering up.
"How did you know?! You're cheating!"
Gaban flexed his hand.
"Fog hides sight, not breathing. Your heartbeat gave you away. Learn to control that, and this gets harder."
Reith clenched his teeth.
"…Then try this!"
"Misty Corrosion: Acid Field!"
The fog burned slightly upon contact with Gaban's skin.
"Corrosion?" Gaban frowned and coated his hands with Armament Haki. "That's a dirty trick."
"No one cares about fair fights!" Reith grinned. "Fog Blast: High-Pressure Cutting Stream!"
The mist compressed into countless razor-thin blades, surging toward Gaban.
Gaban roared.
"Crazy Axes: Tornado!"
A violent whirlwind exploded outward, shredding the fog apart.
Sunlight flooded the deck once more.
Reith dropped to one knee, panting.
"…It almost worked."
Gaban slung an axe over his shoulder and ruffled Reith's hair.
"Not bad. You nearly got me."
Reith collapsed flat.
"…Still lost. I wanted at least one more hit."
"Ku-ha-ha-ha!" Roger laughed, jumping down. "Gaban can fight Rayleigh evenly! Making him draw his weapons is impressive!"
Reith wasn't discouraged. Losing was fine.
The fight showed his biggest flaw—a lack of decisive, single-target killing power.
He excelled at area control, but against superior Haki users, he struggled.
At lunch, Gaban cleaned and grilled several fish.
Reith hovered nearby, staring longingly.
"Brother Gaban, you're amazing," he said seriously. "These two barely know how to cook without burning things."
Gaban laughed. "If you can't cook at sea, you starve."
Roger reached out eagerly.
"Ku-ha-ha-ha! Let me try!"
Smack!
Gaban slapped his hand away.
"Not done yet."
"…You've changed, Gaban," Roger muttered.
"We met two days ago," Gaban deadpanned.
Reith giggled—until Roger grabbed him.
"Kid! Go get the booze!"
"I'm four!" Reith protested. "You're supposed to protect children!"
Rayleigh added calmly,
"There's no law among pirates."
At night, the four sat beneath a sky full of stars.
"To freedom! To adventure!" Roger shouted, raising his bottle.
"Bottoms up!" Gaban and Rayleigh laughed.
Reith sipped juice and muttered,
"…Alcoholics."
Roger pulled him close.
"Kid," he asked softly, "what's your dream?"
Reith thought for a moment, then grinned.
"I want to go anywhere in this world—and be respected everywhere."
Roger froze.
Then he laughed loudly and ruffled Reith's hair.
"Good! Chase it!"