Chapter 32: Failed First Voyage

The restoration of our island—no, our territory, Kies Island—progressed faster than expected.

Apparently, pirate raids were common here, so the locals were used to rebuilding and repairing. Though, they admitted, never on this scale.

In the meantime, Kaido and I spent our days drinking, eating, and fighting—living exactly as we pleased.

We collected taxes bit by bit, oversaw ship construction, and trained while watching the town rebuild. Then, one day—

"Mmmnnn… Ah! There’s more!! Hey, Kaido, look! More UFOs!!"

"I can see that. …Tch. Fightin’ nothin’ but you every day’s pissin’ me off… Ship ain’t ready yet?"

"Dunno… Might be faster to just steal one, but ships ain’t exactly lining up to visit… If one shows up, we’ll take it immediately—till then, guess we’ll just train—"

"—Lord Kaido!! Lady Nue!! Pirates off the coast!!"

"—Finally!!"

"—WORORORO!! Let’s move!!"

Kaido and I, who’d been lounging in the island’s fanciest hotel to stave off boredom, bolted upright at the panicked report. Grinning like madmen, we stormed out.

—One hour later, at the harbor:

"Aaaand that’s a wrap!! The Ichaku Pirates are annihilated, and their ship now belongs to us—the Beasts Pirates!!"

"OOOOOOOHHH!!"

"We did it… We’re finally free…!!"

"No more farming… No more brewing…!!"

"…Though I wouldn’t mind checkin’ on the harvest…"

"…And tastin’ the latest batch of booze…"

The moment the ship docked, we slaughtered, plundered, and claimed it—along with dozens of new crewmates—in seconds. The crew, ecstatic after days of menial labor (like growing our food and brewing our alcohol), cheered. (…Though a few seemed weirdly attached to farming and craftsmanship.)

But no matter. Finally, we could move. Kaido and I smirked from the deck.

"WORORORO!! Now we can pillage to our hearts’ content!! We’ll conquer every island and sea in these waters!! —MOVE OUT, YOU SCUM!!"

"Yeeeah!! Let’s expand our turf and kill and steal all we want!!"

"HYAHHA!! Lootin’ time!!"

"Follow the invincible Kaido and Nue!!"

"ALL ABOARD!!"

"OOOOOHHH!!"

At Captain Kaido’s command, the Beasts Pirates’ rabble roared and scrambled onto the ship. These lowlifes—all former pirates—were clearly itching for chaos. (Though I’m a bit concerned that the only ones hyped are guys licking knives or swinging weapons like amateurs… Eh, whatever. Enthusiasm’s fun! Feels nostalgic. HYAHHA!)

We set sail immediately. We had the island’s Eternal Pose, so returning would be easy. Once we recorded its magnetic field, we could make more. For now, we’d just ravage nearby waters. No need for Log Poses yet—we’d load up on loot first.

—Then, almost instantly:

"Captain!! Pirate ship spotted!! What’s the order!?"

"DUMBASS!! WE FIGHT, OBVIOUSLY!!"

"Take their cargo!! Slaughter ’em all!!"

"HYAHHA!!!"

Almost immediately, we spotted another pirate ship. Of course, Kaido’s order was simple: "Fight."

Our bloodthirsty crew fired cannons, closed in, and swarmed the enemy ship in a frenzy. Naturally, Kaido and I joined in. Sure, our grunts might’ve been evenly matched alone—but with us leading?

"OOOOOHHH!! WE WIN!!""Damn, we’re strong!! These scrub pirates ain’t shit!!""LONG LIVE CAPTAIN KAIDO!! LONG LIVE LADY NUE!! LONG LIVE THE BEASTS PIRATES!!"

Total annihilation. Honestly, they were too weak. The first half of the Grand Line really is full of small fries. Sure, there might be a few strong ones, but most pirates here? Cannon fodder.

Not that I’m complaining! This is the pirate life—looting, fighting, winning. I’m starting to love it. Grinning, I turned to the crew.

"Alright, listen up! We’re heading straight for the nearest island using our Eternal Pose! NAVIGATOR! Front and center!"

"OOOOH!! More pillaging!!""Who’s the navigator?! Speak up!!""HYAHHA!!"

The crew cheered, and I waited for the navigator to step forward.

...And waited.

...And waited.

"……? Navigator? Hello? Get over here."

"Oi, Lady Nue’s callin’ you. Where’s the navigator?"

"Ain’t it you?"

"Nah, I’m just a fighter."

"Me too. What about you?"

"I always let the crew handle it… I just fight."

……Huh?

As murmurs spread, I tilted my head, smile frozen. A very bad feeling crept in.

No way. No freaking way.

In the suddenly silent deck, I asked the question I dreaded:

"……Do we have a navigator?"

"……Doesn’t seem like it."

"…………Okay. Got it. What about a cook?"

I swallowed hard, bracing for the answer. The crew exchanged glances before—

"……Doesn’t seem like it."

"…………Ship’s doctor? Or a shipwright?"

I listed off every critical role for a functioning crew. Yet—

"……Seems like we don’t have those either—"

"—THEN WHAT THE HELL CAN YOU GUYS DO?!"

"Eek!? W-Well, we’re all just… fighters…"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! WHY DIDN’T ANYONE CHECK BEFORE SETTING SAIL?!"

"W-Well… we just kinda… went with the flow…"

"YOU CAN’T NAVIGATE BY ‘GOING WITH THE FLOW’!!"

I facepalmed as the crew scratched their heads sheepishly. Damn it… I should’ve checked too. I assumed they’d have basics covered. This was our fault as much as theirs.

But no time for blame. What now?

"—Quit your whinin’."

"! Kaido…!"

While the rest of us panicked, Kaido sat cross-legged, utterly unfazed. The picture of a reliable captain. That’s my Kaido! So dependable! He must have a plan. When he’s sober, he’s sharp. He’s got experience, just like me. Surely he’s got a solut—

"Nue can do all that shit. Just make her handle it."

"…………Huh?"

I stared. The sheer audacity left me speechless. Slowly, deadpan, I asked:

"……Say that again?"

"You heard me. You can do it. You’re kinda competent."

"…………Seriously?"

"Ain’t got another choice."

"…………Goddammit."

I slumped to my knees, head hanging. My brain short-circuited. Me? Doing everything? Since when does the first mate double as navigator, cook, doctor, and shipwright?!

Sure, I can kinda navigate and cook, but the other two? No way. My medical knowledge stops at bandaging cuts, and my carpentry begins and ends with grade-school crafts. But if I don’t do it, we’re doomed…

"……UGH, FINE!! Then we’re beelining to the next island to recruit proper crew!! Or turning back to grab some!! Which’ll it be?!"

"Pillage the island first, then go back."

"Yeah, yeah!! YOU LOT—START PULLING YOUR WEIGHT!! You’re handling everything else!! And if you screw up? Straight to the brig as emergency rations!!"

"Eek!? Y-Yes!!"

I gave a half-hearted nod to Kaido’s orders before barking instructions at my crew and setting off on our first solo voyage.…But honestly, it’s hard to say that voyage went well.

---

Well, to put it simply—let me explain how that first voyage went, or rather, the problems we realized after going independent, one by one…

---

"Oi, Nue! Where’s the damn food!?"

"Hold on a second!! One more hour!! Uhh… If I start stewing it now, maybe it’ll work out…? Do I even need to peel the skins…?"

First, the issue of meals… I thought I had the basics down.

I’m not bad at cooking, and I knew we needed vegetables, fruits, and rice to avoid vitamin deficiencies—scurvy and all that. So I figured I’d be fine. But I was dead wrong. The hardest part? The sheer quantity.

Right now, our ship has about a hundred crewmates. And feeding all of them is a nightmare. Cooking for two is nothing compared to this.

And we have to do it twice a day. I immediately gave up on planning regular meals. Instead, it was all curry, stew—stuff I could just dump in a pot and boil. Or preserved food, raw veggies, fruit—anything that could be eaten as-is or with minimal cooking. It was enough, but the effort was brutal.

It made me realize just how incredible the cooks were—people like Streusen, who managed to feed nearly a thousand crewmates. Yeah… we definitely need to recruit some proper chefs.

And next—the fighting.

"Alright, total victory for us!! This island’s ours now~♡ …Wait, huh? Did we lose people?"

"Tch, they ran?"

After just a few days at sea, we reached some random island and immediately raided it, crushing the local militia. They had numbers, but no matter how many weaklings there were, they stood no chance against us. So we were busy celebrating our victory… when we noticed something.

Our crew had gotten smaller.

When we asked what happened, one of the men casually said:

"Man, as expected of Lord Kaido and Lady Nue! Even against an army that big, we only lost about twenty guys! You two are insane!"

"…………Wait, they died?"

"Huh? …Oh, yeah. It was a pretty rough fight! But still a huge win for us!"

"…………Oh… right… Yeah, that makes sense…"

"…Tch… Weaklings…"

"…? Uh… y-yes… Sorry…?"

When Kaido and I first heard that report, we were a little thrown off—because it hadn’t even crossed our minds.

But it was obvious, really.

People die in battle.

Whether it’s pirates fighting each other or not, battles always mean casualties. But for us, it was hard to believe that just raiding some no-name island and fighting a bunch of nobodies would actually cost us a decent chunk of our crew.

Not that we were sad about it or didn’t understand death—it was just… simple.

In the Rocks Pirates, nobody died from something this small.

Even against enemy pirates or the Marines, casualties were rare. Getting shot by cannons, stabbed a few times, even severe injuries—after the fight, you’d just get patched up and recover like normal. People didn’t die easily. The only times they did die were usually from infighting.

So the idea that a few gunshots or cuts could just… kill some of them never occurred to me. They’re pirates too—shouldn’t they be tougher?

Total blind spot.

A little disappointing, but whatever. Weaklings die easily in battle. Noted.

Fighting means weaklings die.

…Ahh, I get it now. No wonder people want strong fighters. If your weaklings keep getting wiped out every battle, then yeah, you’d want some reliable powerhouses who won’t die so easily.

I always assumed pirates were just naturally hard to kill, but… nah. Weaklings drop like flies. Gotta keep that in mind.

"We could use some Devil Fruit users, huh?"

"Yeah. If we find any, we’ll recruit ’em."

Kaido and I had that kind of conversation too.

…Also, now that we’re on our own, I’ve realized—Devil Fruit users really are pretty rare, huh? Haven’t seen any yet.

"Oh yeah, don’t go accidentally eating a Devil Fruit or some shit."

"Nah, don’t worry. I can tell if something’s a Devil Fruit before eating it. I’m careful. …Besides, it’s not like I’m eating weird crap that often."

"Worororo, good."

...Yeah, I got scolded like that, but seriously, how rude. I don’t eat raw stuff much, and even when I do eat, it’s only when I feel like it. At most, maybe once a month. And even then, I make sure to pick something that won’t cause problems—nice and well-cooked. Plus, I never eat that one part since it’s risky. I know gnawing on arms or legs is fine, but accidentally eating a Devil Fruit user and kicking the bucket? That’d just be embarrassing.

---

So, after raiding the island with Kaido and the Beast Pirates, we returned to our base on Kise Island… but the real shock came when we got back.

"——!? T-the island’s been trashed!? Why!?"

"The hell kinda shit is this… I’ll kill ‘em…!! Who did this!? Who the hell wrecked my turf!? Look! Even the damn bar’s smashed to bits!!"

Wait, no, that bar was the one Kaido wrecked last time—it hadn’t even been rebuilt yet. But still, the island was clearly in worse shape than when we’d left. Who the hell would do something like this…? Well, it wasn’t the destruction itself that shocked me—more like the fact that our territory had been violated. But thinking about it, it made sense. According to the locals:

"After you all left… another group of pirates showed up… and wrecked the place again… Haha…"

A hollow-eyed young man explained it like that. Hmm… yeah, that’s kinda sad. And pisses me off!! Attacking the island while we were gone!?

This was another lesson—or problem, rather. Obvious in hindsight. Territory needs to be defended.

Meaning, even when we’re not around, we need people strong enough to hold it down. That means capable fighters who can lead, plus enough manpower.

Sure, once the Beast Pirates’ name becomes more feared, maybe nobody would dare attack a place under our flag. But right now, aside from us, our crew’s basically a bunch of no-name rookies. Nobody’s gonna tremble at the sight of our jolly roger yet.

"Those damn bastards…!! Who the hell was it…!?"

"This is bad… At this rate, the locals’ll starve. Guess we’ve got no choice but to hand out the food we looted…"

So, reluctantly, we ended up distributing the massive haul of food we’d stolen from another island to the residents. Really reluctantly. I hadn’t expected things to turn out like this, so my mood took a hit, but I shook it off and started giving orders. Then I got moving myself.

"Alright, listen up! Beast Pirates’ charity food service, comin’ at ya! No cutting in line or causing trouble, got it~?"

"Thank you… This is a lifesaver…!"

"Yep. Eat up, then get back to work, alright~?"

"Thank you, big sis…!!"

"Ohh, what a cute little thing. Heheh, no need to thank me~! Here, I’ll give you an extra big serving—so make sure you grow up strong, ‘kay?"

"Okay!"

I handed out bowls of pork stew to the islanders… and, unexpectedly, ended up getting thanked by them. Way off-script. Not that I mind, but getting caught off guard this much is exhausting. Might as well roll with it and have fun. Not like I hate being thanked for helping people. Some pirates might say charity’s not our style, but outside of Kaido’s rules, I do what I want. Maybe I’m a good person, maybe I’m a bad one—who knows? That mysterious vibe suits me just fine.

So I played nice with the kids, then beat the crap out of some grown-ass adult who tried cutting in line. I said no cutting in line, dumbass. Perfect stress relief for the crew. Had ‘em drag the guy off for later…

But for now, we had to fix our problems. I regrouped with Kaido and got right to discussing things, gathering some of the crew along the way.

"Hey, Kaido~. Been thinking—we gotta recruit more people, so next time pirates show up, maybe we capture ‘em and—"

"WAAAAAHHHH!! MY PRECIOUS TURF…!! MY BEAUTIFUL ISLAND…!!"

"Wait, since when are you a crying drunk!?"

"Uh… He started drinking, and, well… this happened…"

"Ugh… whatever."

I sighed, rubbing my temples as I watched Kaido bawl his eyes out while the crew looked on awkwardly. Sure, he was drunk—but not too drunk to talk. And honestly? I kinda got why he was crying. Hell, I wanted to get wasted too. Not that it’d hit me as fast—I hold my liquor way better than him.

Grabbing a bottle from one of the crew, I plopped onto a wooden crate and tried to reason with him.

"Our first real turf… WAAAAHHH!! What did we even DO wrong, Nueeee?!"

"We just didn’t have enough muscle to hold it down, I guess. Who’d have thought pirates would trash a chill place like this? Then again, most of the usual thugs and pirates cleared out—maybe they thought it was easy pickings?"

"SOOOOB!!! Sure, the pirates here were weak as hell, but this is TOO MUCH…!! We were this close to squeezing some real cash outta this place…!!"

"Tell me about it. So damn close… Well, when we find those bastards, we’ll make ‘em regret more than just dying. But for now, we need bodies. Next time pirates show up, we capture ‘em alive and—"

"—LORD KAIDO!! Pirate ships on the horizon!! Three of ‘em—headed straight for us!!"

"—Hah?"

"—Oh. Would ya look at that."

Mid-conversation, one of the crew pointed frantically at the sea. We all turned—and sure enough, three ships flying the same flag were closing in. My lips curled into a grin. Perfect timing. If we could take them all alive…

I glanced back at Kaido.

"Talk about luck. Alright, Kaido, let’s capture those guys and—"

"PIRATES…?! THESE MAGGOTS DARE…!!! WHO THE HELL DO THEY THINK OWNS THIS ISLAND?!!"

"Three ships, though… Might be a hassle to take ‘em alive. Even for you two, subduing without killing—"

"—The FUCK did you just say?!"

"Oh, dumbass."

—Shit. Should’ve shut that guy up faster. And Kaido’s mood just took a nosedive… Too late now.

The guy didn’t mean it like that. He was just saying non-lethal captures would be tough—obviously slaughtering them would be easier. But that wasn’t the point.

Kaido’s face twisted at the insinuation—that he might struggle.

"A hassle…?! You saying WE’D have trouble with these fucks?!!"

"W-wait, no, that’s not what I—"

"Then WHAT—"

Kaido’s kanabo was already swinging. Welp. Too late. I gestured for the others to back off, and they scrambled away just as—

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU MEAN THEN, YOU SHITSTAIN?!!!!"

"Ghk—!!?"

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH—!!!"

…Oops. A little too slow. That kanabo swing was monstrous—the shockwave alone sent nearby crewmates flying. The guy who took it head-on? Launched horizontally into the ocean like a cannonball. Silence.

Yep. Insta-death.

One less crewmate, I guess.

But Kaido wasn’t done. Blaming the dead guy and the incoming pirates, he was already transforming. I lunged to stop him—

"Like I’d break a SWEAT over TRASH LIKE THEM!!!! WATCH ME!!! I’LL SLAUGHTER ‘EM ALL MYSELF!!!"

"WAIT, KAIDO—!! LISTEN!! We need those guys ali—"

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!!"

"DON’T JUST CHARGE IN—!! GODDAMMIT…!!!"

Kaido shifted into his dragon form and blitzed toward the ships. I shot after him—dammit! I’m slightly faster in flight, but could I catch up before—?!

"—BOLO BREATH!!!!"

"DON’T SNIPE THEM FROM HERE, YOU—!! UGGGGHHH!!!"

"HAHAHA!! Alright, boys! We’re almost at the island! Get ready to—GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH—?!"

It was over in an instant.

A single, obliterating sweep of Kaido’s breath attack reduced the pirates—and their dreams—to ash and splinters. Their ships erupted in flames, their screams swallowed by the inferno.

Kaido, finally calming down after his rampage, exhaled heavily.

"Haaah… That’s more like it… NOBODY wrecks my turf and gets away with it…!!"

"—WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?"

"HYUEB!?"

I smashed the flat of my spear into Kaido’s face—hard. Armament Haki, of course. Hell, I even layered it with Internal Destruction to make sure it stung. Only way to sober his drunk ass up.

He staggered, finally turning to me, and I loomed over him.

"WE JUST AGREED WE NEEDED MORE CREWMATES!! SO WHY’D YOU KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!? There’s barely anyone left alive out there—maybe TEN, if we’re lucky!!"

"…Crewmates? Ohhh, right. We do need more… Hey, I just had an idea—next time pirates show up, let’s recruit ‘em!"

"THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN SAYING THIS WHOLE TIME!!!"

"GBH!? Oi, NUE!! The hell’s with the beatdown!? You wanna go!? HUH!?"

"BRING IT ON!! I’LL POUND YOU SO HARD YOU WON’T TOUCH BOOZE FOR A MONTH!!"

Now he was pissed from getting smacked around, and I was pissed enough to square up. Kaido roared, cracking his neck, and I flipped my spear into a ready stance.

Our first real fight since coming to this island. Not that we hadn’t tried killing each other in sparring before, but this? This was personal.

"COME ON THEN!! LET’S GO, NUE!!!"

"TRY NOT TO CRY TOO MUCH, KAIDO!!!"

"W-WAIT, CAPTAIN!! PLEASE DON’T—!!"

"Oh shit—! That’s a Conqueror’s Haki clash!! MOVE, EVERYONE!!"

"STOP THEM!! SOMEONE STOP THEM—!!"

"TOO LATE!! EVACUATE THE ISLANDERS NOW!!"

---

And so, after a day of failures and hard-learned lessons as rookie pirates…Kaido and I capped it all off with the most destructive brawl the island had ever seen.

Later, we made a promise—one that’d shape the Beast Pirates’ future:

"Next time… we’ll take our time. Build our turf. Our forces. Our empire."