"Where are the Sea Kings?" Kirk asked Ash Thalos as he stepped onto the shore, arms crossed, watching him return without what they'd expected.
Ash scratched the back of his head and offered a sheepish grin, "They're quite a long way from the Calm Belt here. And it wasn't just little Sea Kings — nothing close like nearer to our route."
"Alright," Kirk said, narrowing his eyes as he glanced toward the three young men lagging behind Ash, all with large, painful-looking bumps on their heads.
Well, he hadn't returned empty‑handed after all — at least these three were still breathing.
"So why do we have these three now?" Kirk grumbled. "I am not cooking human flesh to make a meal."
The three men blinked nervously … "Hey, that isn't funny!" Ash's face darkened.
Saff couldn't help but snicker quietly.
"Anyway," Ash said, pushing his bangs out of his eyes, "we'll have to make do for now. If Water Seven really isn't far, then we can save our appetites for the famous Water Seven seafood — or water meat, as everyone calls it."
"Ah — I completely forgot about water meat until you said it!" Ash slapped his forehead in embarrassment.
Then he looked at the three young men once more, clearly displeased. "Now we have three extra burdens. It looks like we'll be stuck here on this tiny island a little longer while we wait for another pirate crew to show up."
"That's exactly what I was asking about," Kirk said with irritation. "Why do we have these three?"
"I'm asking you guys," Ash said, glaring at them.
He snatched up a plate from the shore camp and grumbled, "I'll go keep watch by the sea."
With that, Ash disappeared again, leaving Kirk and the others staring at the three bewildered young men.
"…Please begin your performance," the four said awkwardly.
Water Seven
Ash and his group of eight limped into the Water Seven docks on their battered pirate ship. It looked like it had seen more storms than favorable seas.
"This hunk of junk is totally beyond repair," Youki said after speaking with dockworkers who examined the hull.
On the deserted island before, Ash had stood guard for a long time — day after day — waiting for a ship to appear. But no pirate crew ever came.
Only after hearing the three young men's tale did Youki fully understand their situation. Unable to wait any longer, he had used his water‑element ability to raise the sunken pirate ship and pull it back to the surface.
At first, it had just been a big hole in the hull, but after being submerged, leaking water, and Ash breaking out from the inside, it had suffered brutal damage.
After hours of repairs by the three young men, and with Ash and Youki supporting the ship's structure, it was barely seaworthy.
Still, sailing to Water Seven at all was a miracle. The dockworkers shook their heads just looking at it — and that was before mentioning the Dangerous Zone of the Devil's Triangle.
That place was infamous: storms, fogs so thick you couldn't see your own hand, and currents that would drag even the strongest sailor to the bottom if they weren't lucky.
Even if their stamina held up, it certainly wouldn't be comfortable.
Ash had endured hardships before — back when he was younger, back before he reached any success. Especially after transmigrating into this pirate world with powerful abilities, he refused to put himself or his companions through needless suffering if he didn't have to.
"If we can't fix it, we'll just buy a new ship," Ash said confidently, pulling out the stack of Berries they'd taken earlier. "We still have some funds."
…but apparently not nearly enough.
"Are you kidding? Two hundred million Berries for a new ship? And they don't even have stock right now?" Ash's eyes bulged, almost popping out of his head.
Youki pursed his lips, an uneasy look crossing his face. "We thought we were rich, but who knew a ship would cost that much? Two hundred million Berries is insane."
Kirk folded his arms, as calm as ever. "This is Water Seven — the world's greatest shipbuilding city. Of course it's expensive. But no one's forcing you to buy a ship today, so don't look so grim."
He glanced at the golden tiles Ash had taken earlier. "Besides, didn't you take more than a dozen golden floor tiles from that pirate ship? That gold alone should be worth well over a billion Berries."
Ash blinked. "…Oh right. I do have gold."
Kirk nodded. "Still doesn't mean there are ships in stock right now."
Ash went silent.
Saff covered her mouth, trying and failing not to laugh. She gave Kirk a gentle tap on the back, signaling him to stop teasing.
Youki, always the big brother type, draped an arm across Ash's shoulder. "Hey, don't sweat it. If we can't buy a ship, we'll just borrow one from a pirate. We're all very familiar with that method."
"…Yeah, think of it as saving money!" Youki said with a grin. "Here's the plan: you two — take Wyper and explore the city. Go find the water meat stall you've been dreaming about. I'll scout the surrounding seas. If I find a ship we can borrow, I'll call you on the den den mushi."
Ash's resistance crumbled instantly — water meat was too tempting.
The group separated at the docks.
Youki shot up into the sky, heading toward the near‑shore area in search of helpful pirates.
The three young men — grateful beyond belief — ran off to join a shipyard as apprentices, hoping to learn a trade.
The Kirk siblings said they needed to restock supplies and left on their own, leaving only Ash and Wyper.
"Bro Ash," Wyper bounced beside him, "let's go eat water meat!"
"Ah... alright!" Ash said. "But first, let's convert this gold into Berries. Then water meat!"
They rented a small Bull Fish for a thousand Berries at a rental stand — a creature used to pull small carts and boats.
Wyper kept staring curiously at the fish as though it might explode at any moment.
Before reaching Central Street, they finally found a vendor selling water meat. They helped the owner close up early — everything was sold out before noon.
But the gold exchanges were another issue.
When they stopped by a small exchange stand at the edge of town, just one piece of gold was enough to terrify the clerk — worth hundreds of millions of Berries — so the stand refused to process it.
Reluctantly, they took the clerk's advice and headed straight to the exchange office on Central Street.
It happened to be the perfect time too — they would need seven full days before their next destination could be recorded on a Log Pose. Ash had zero patience to wait around, so buying a pre‑recorded Log Pose right then made sense.
As the small Bull Fish boat crept along the Central Street canal, Ash's eyes suddenly trailed over a familiar figure sprinting past them.
"Hey! Pauly! Don't run! Pay back your debt!" A group of rough‑looking men in black suits was chasing after him.
"…That must be Pauly," Ash muttered, slapping his forehead. He finally remembered his name.
Back in the original timeline, Pauly had been one of the shipwrights from the Galley‑La Company, though at this point in the story he was just a gambling addict running from debts.
Ash leaned back in the Bull Fish boat, watching Pauly disappear into a side alley.
So Franky should still be on Scrap Island right now, Ash thought, doing his modifications, still not calling himself a shipwright yet. Iceburg hasn't given anyone the Pluton blueprints. And Galley‑La hasn't risen to power yet.
He tapped his chin and smirked.
But what does that matter to me? I'm not recruiting a pervert for shipwright duties. That is definitely up to Monkey D. Luffy — if he's even out there blocking the Twin Capes right now.
"Bro Ash, look!" Wyper interrupted his thoughts, pointing excitedly. "An exchange office!"
Ash turned to see a grand building with the merchant sign glinting in the sunlight.
"That exchange office looks huge!" Ash said. "Let's convert a billion Berries first!"
"Huh? But aren't we just not buying a ship right now?" Wyper asked.
Ash smiled knowingly. "You don't understand — money in your pocket is peace in your heart."
===
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