Chapter 2: Mysterious Abilities

If we were to speak of that man in the future…

As a pirate, he suffered seven crushing defeats—and was captured by the Navy or enemy ships a total of eighteen times.

"Worororororo!!"

A man who endured torture after torture, living as a condemned criminal—

"…………"

Sentenced to death forty times—hanged, beheaded (though the blade shattered), impaled (yet the spear broke)—ultimately sinking nine massive prison ships.

In other words… no one could kill him.

But in the present, that legendary future version of him was still just a young boy. And right now…

"Worororo...! Listen to me, waaaaaah...!!"

...he was nothing more than a drunken mess.

This was an island somewhere along the Grand Line, in the era of the Great Pirates.

In a rowdy bar packed with cutthroats and criminals, their table was littered with empty liquor bottles.

"The hell’s up with those brats...?"

"One of ‘em’s got a weird face, ain’t he? Kid’s built like a damn giant..."

"The other one’s tiny, but she’s drinkin’ like it’s water. That even legal?"

"Don’t give a damn. Long as they got cash and can hold their liquor, I’ll serve anyone—brats or half-dead geezers."

The men in the bar murmured among themselves, watching from a distance.

But that wasn’t why the girl sitting across from him—me—spoke up.

My small hands cradled a glass of alcohol as I idly swayed my feet, too short to reach the floor from the oversized chair.

"...What is it, Kaido?"

My voice was calm. Not quite cold, but definitely deadpan. My crimson eyes, dulled slightly by the drink, fixed on him.

Across from me, Kaido clutched a liquor bottle in one massive hand.

Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes—no, huge droplets spilled over as he wailed:

"WOOOOOOOOHHHH!! Why’re you so damn COLD?! You said you’d be a pirate with me, didn’t ya?! WOOOOOOOHHH!!"

"I did say that, but..."

Sobbing uncontrollably, Kaido bawled right in my face.

It was almost childish—but that wasn’t quite the right word. No, this was purely the behavior of a drunken fool. And worse—a maudlin one.

The stares from the crowd were getting unbearable.

Not that I usually cared what people thought, but this was getting annoying. (Though, admittedly, there was something slightly amusing about it. Right now, though, I was more bewildered than anything.)

I understood what he was saying—and why he was crying.

We were traveling together, after all.

"...But nobody’s letting us on their ship..."

"WHY NOT?! I WANNA BE A PIRATE SO BAD... WOOOOOHHH!! They sayin’ we can’t ‘cause we’re KIDS?! WOOOOOOOHHH!!"

That was it.

The reason Kaido was drunkenly crying?

Exactly that.

▪ ▪ ▪

To recap briefly...

After escaping prison and reaching another town, Kaido and I had gone straight to the docks, asking pirate crews—to their faces—if they’d take us aboard.

We were rejected.

The reason was simple.

["Let us on your ship!!!"]

["You two...? Hah... How old are ya?"]

["Ten... ish!!"]

["Same for me..."]

["The hell?! You’re just brats!! Scram! We ain’t runnin’ a damn daycare!!"]

In short, every crew said the same thing.

They all turned us down with the usual pirate-brand humor—"This ain’t a kindergarten, brats!"—in that rough, mocking way pirates do.

After getting rejected by five different crews, we ended up in a bar—well, Kaido dragged us in, shouting "I WANNA DRINK!!"—and now here we were.

I got it.

Being denied at the very first step was frustrating.

Enough to make you wanna cry.

Seriously, what the hell were we supposed to do...?

"So we can’t be pirates ‘cause we’re kids?!"

"...Seems that way."

"WOOOOOHHH!! THAT’S BULLSHIT!! I mean, sure, you look like a kid, so they’d say no... but ME?! WOOOOOHHH!!"

"—Hey."

Knock it off.

So that’s what he was thinking? That’s just mean.

...But honestly, I’d thought the same thing.

You’d think Kaido’s size alone would’ve been enough for someone to take him seriously.

Maybe we just had bad luck—ran into crews that hated kids.

Or maybe they had some weird moral code. (Doubtful, since they were pirates.)

"...Well, we’ll figure it out. Probably..."

"PROBABLY AIN’T GOOD ENOUGH, DAMMIT!! WOOOOOHHH!! What the hell do we do...?! At this rate, I’ll never be a pirate...!!"

"Hmm... Well then—"

"WAAAAAAAAAAHHH!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!"

"SHUT UP!! And what’s with that "WAAAAAHHH!!" crying noise?! STOP IT!!"

Hearing Kaido—deep-voiced, gruff, practically a walking disaster—let out a "WAAAAAHHH!!" was... something else.

Weirdly, it didn’t feel completely out of place, though...

"...Anyway, we’ve just gotta keep trying, right?"

"That’s really our only option...?"

"Yep. Now come on, let’s get moving."

...Wait.

Why was I the one encouraging him?

Wasn’t I just supposed to follow his lead?

My head was starting to hurt a little, but... whatever. The booze was good, at least.

"...Hey, Kaido. Pay up so we can leave. Give me the money, I’ll handle it."

"Huh...? Nue, what’re you talkin’ about...?"

Whether his hearing was bad or he was just too drunk, Kaido swayed unsteadily as he responded.

Ugh... This is why I hate dealing with drunks...

"The money. You were the one who dragged us in here, so you’ve got some, right?"

A perfectly reasonable question—but when Kaido finally turned to face me, he dropped a bombshell.

"—Like hell I do."

"…………Huh?"

As if it were the most obvious thing in the world, Kaido said it so casually.

I was speechless.

And as if on cue—

The bartender started walking toward us.

▪ ▪ ▪

"Hey, brats. You payin’ or what?"

"Uh, ah… umm… well…"

The bartender—a burly man with a face full of scars, fitting for a bar packed with roughnecks—loomed over us. His voice was calm, but his presence was heavy.

To him, it was just a normal question. But to me? It felt downright intimidating. I was just a girl, after all...

Scrambling for a way out, I averted my gaze, stalling with an innocent smile. Maybe if I played dumb—tapped my toes on the floor like some clueless little kid—he’d let us off?

But before I could come up with a proper excuse—

"...Ain’t got no money—"

"Huh?"

"Oh."

Before I could react, Kaido grabbed his kanabō from where it leaned against the wall—

"THE HELL YOU MEAN, NO MONEY?!?!"

"WH—?!"

—SWING!!!

With a single brutal motion, he sent the bartender flying straight through the wall and out into the street.

Then, without even considering payment, Kaido chugged the rest of his liquor straight from the bottle, wiped his mouth, and bellowed:

"YOU KNOW WHO THE HELL I AM?!?"

(...No. You’re not even a rookie pirate yet. You’re just some punk.)

I wisely kept that thought to myself.

CRASH!

The bar erupted into chaos.

"The hell?!"

"That kid just launched the bartender?!"

"They startin’ a fight?!"

(Nope. Just a temper tantrum. Dine-and-dash edition.)

I should’ve seen this coming.

Did I really think Kaido would politely pay for his drinks?

Maybe if he were older, sober, and in a good mood. But right now? He was a fearless, reckless, broke-ass kid who wanted to drink but had no cash.

And instead of not drinking, he chose violence.

...Unbelievably stupid.

But as I watched the chaos unfold, a thought crossed my mind—

—This is kinda fun.

"...Kaido, let’s go before this gets worse."

"WHAT?! WHERE THE HELL WE GOIN’?!"

"...Oh no. He’s a rage-drunk now."

If I said "run," he’d just get angrier. But before I could phrase it better, Kaido was already shouting. At least he wasn’t swinging his club at me.

Still, if we just bolted, they’d remember our faces. So… time for a trick.

"...Haven’t done this in a while, but..."

I raised my hands—

"—DARK CLOUD!!"

"?!?"

"The hell’s this?!"

"Black… fog?!"

Thick, inky darkness spilled across the bar, swallowing the vision of every thug inside.

As they flailed in confusion, I shoved Kaido from behind.

"Come on! Let’s go while they’re blind!"

"Huh…? The hell is this…? You do this, Nue?"

"Yeah! Not much, but it’s something!"

That’s right—this was my ability.

After eating the Zoan-type Mythical Beast Devil Fruit, Model: Nue, I gained the powers of the "Sealed Beast Nue."

In other words—the ability to obscure the truth.

But it wasn’t like I could use it freely. This wasn’t some conceptual power—it was a Devil Fruit ability.

Like all Zoans, I had three forms—human, beast, and hybrid. And like all Devil Fruit users, I was cursed by the sea.

My human form was just… me. My hybrid form boosted my strength a little. And my full beast form?

...Let’s just say it’s not pretty.

But more importantly—Devil Fruit powers don’t grow on their own. You have to train them.

Right now, all I could do was transform, create weak disguises, and summon this Dark Cloud.

No lasers. No UFO illusions. Nothing like the true Nue’s "Heian Dark Cloud."

I was weak.

Nothing compared to the legendary beast I was modeled after.

All I could do was run away.

"…Pathetic, huh—"

I let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

But then—

"WORORORORO!! NOT BAD AT ALL!!!"

"...Huh?"

Through the darkness, Kaido’s laughter boomed.

Before I could react, his thick left arm wrapped around my neck—more like a headlock than a hug—

"Ghk?!"

"WORORORORO!! WE’RE GONNA BE THE STRONGEST PIRATE CREW EVER!!!"

"W-Wait, this isn’t even that impressive—"

"LET’S GO, NUE!! TIME TO START THE GREATEST WAR!!!"

"You're not even listening—"

What the hell?

Was this… happy-drunk Kaido now?!

One second, he was raging—the next, he was laughing, arm slung around my shoulder like we were best buds.

...And somehow, it was kinda infectious.

Maybe it was stupid, but watching him go all out without a care in the world made my own worries feel… small.

"...Alright, fine—"

"HELL YEAH—"

We spoke in unison—

"Let’s run—"

"LET’S FIGHT!!!"

"...Wait, what?"

My voice cracked.

...Did we just not sync up at all?!

But before I could react—

"HERE WE GO!!!"

Kaido hurled me straight into the crowd.

"WHY ARE YOU THROWING MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!!?"

"WORORORORORO!!! THAT’S THE SPIRIT!!! LET’S HAVE SOME FUN!!!"

Instead of escaping under the cover of darkness—Kaido had decided to beat the hell out of everyone.

"GYAAAAAAAAAH!!"

"WHAT THE—AGH?!"

"WHO’S HITTING WHO?!"

With my clear vision inside the Dark Cloud, I saw it all—Kaido swinging his club, mowing down every thug in sight.

...Classic Kaido.

Normal people would run.

But Kaido didn’t do normal.

"...Well, if he’s gonna clean up anyway, might as well let him—"

"—NUE!! YOU FIGHT TOO!!!"

"HUH?!"

Kaido suddenly reared back his left arm.

And before I could protest—

"DON’T FUCKING THROW MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!"

"WORORORORORORO!!! HELL YEAH!!! LET’S GET WILD!!!"

---

—Result.

The nameless, now-defunct bar lay in ruins.

Rest in peace.

Meanwhile, in a deserted back alley, two nobodies slumped against a wall.

A girl with black, bobbed hair and peculiar wings.A horned, black-haired giant with a club.

For now, just Nue and Kaido.

"Ughhhh… Aghhh… Drank too much…"

"‘Drank too much’?! That’s the least of our problems right now!!"

"Shut the hell up… We had fun, so who cares…?"

"Tch… Well… I mean, that’s not the point—"

…Crap. I almost agreed with him.

Sure, it was fun. But if I started thinking like Kaido, I’d be on the fast track to disaster.

Charging in, wrecking the place, getting captured and tortured again? No thanks.

…Then again.

Compared to the actual torture we’d already endured, what could these lowlifes even do to us? Honestly… raising a little hell didn’t seem so bad.

"Ugh… Ahhh… Uuuuuuuu—"

"The hell’s with the groaning?"

"Just… wrestling with how much of this nonsense I should tolerate…"

"Quit overthinkin’ shit. More importantly—how the hell do we become pirates?"

"It’s not ‘overthinking,’ but… yeah. Right. How do we become pirates…?"

The only thing that came to mind was asking nicely.

Maybe we’d just had bad luck—surely some pirate crew somewhere would take in a couple of capable kids, right?

The problem was when and how.

"What was it called again… that island…?"

"Hah? This one? Think it’s ‘Hachinosu.’"

"No, not this one. I mean the one they call ‘Pirate Island’… Hmm, but still, this place is called Hachinosu—"

……Wait.

"…This island is called Hachinosu?"

"That’s what I said."

"…………"

I turned, glancing up—

And there it was.

A massive, skull-shaped fortress looming in the distance.

"……WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

"The hell’s got you so shocked…?"

Kaido looked genuinely confused for once, but I was too stunned to care.

This island—Hachinosu, the Pirate Island.

The place where Kaido’s legend… and many others… would begin.

The Grand Line – Pirate Island, Hachinosu

The usual rowdy, lawless atmosphere of the island had shifted.

Instead of the roar of brawls and drunken bickering, the murmur of unease filled the streets.

Pirates, mercenaries, and outlaws alike whispered among themselves—

"Hey, you hear? Anyone interested’s gotta gather at the center of the island…"

"Yeah… Rocks. That bastard… Struttin’ around like he owns the place…!"

"Shut it, man… Pick a fight, and you’re dead…"

"I know! Damn it…!"

"Gather at the center… Some big money scheme, they say…"

"Yeah, I got the invite too… Rocks’ deal. Might as well check it out…"

The name "Rocks" spread through the island like wildfire.

Some cursed it. Others rushed toward it.

And among the gathering crowd… a few stood out.

"—Oi, Newgate. What’re you plannin’?"

"…Got the invite. Might as well hear ‘em out."

A towering man with a white mustache, gripping a massive naginata. His crew loomed behind him.

"H-Hey, Linlin! Wait! You ain’t ready for Rocks yet—!"

"SHUT UP, STREUSEN!! HAHAHAHAHA!!"

A voluptuous woman with pink hair, clad in a wide-brimmed hat, roared with laughter.

"Perfect timing… The kingpin of this island… Kill him, and we’re one step closer to my dream country!!"

"What’s the plan, Captain?"

"Jihahahaha! Rocks, huh? Been wantin’ to meet that bastard… Perfect chance."

A golden-haired, lion-like man with sharp brows grinned, his crew flanking him.

"A money-making scheme? Can’t pass that up."

"Treasure?! Hehehe… Ain’t lettin’ ‘em hog it all…!"

"…Smells like gold to me…"

More figures emerged from the shadows—

A raven-haired woman with alluring lips.A young man with an obsession for riches.A sunglasses-wearing woman who could sniff out wealth.

One by one, they all converged toward the island’s center.

And among them—

"Put the booze down, Kaido! We’re going! This is our chance to become pirates!!"

"Wororororo…! A money scheme, huh…? Sounds fun…!!"

A horned teenage brute dragging a massive kanabō.

A small, black-haired girl with peculiar wings.

Still just a duo.

Their destination?

A massive, open-air tavern at the island’s heart.

And at its center—

A man whose infamy preceded him.

"——GYAHAHAHAHA!! That’s right… A money-making scheme… Let’s get right to it, shall we…?"

A grinning demon.

A face like hell itself.

His name—

ROCKS. ROCKS D. XEBEC.

And at this moment—

With this single ambition-laden scheme…

A legend was about to be born.