"What are you looking at? The War Nation? You interested in it?" Roger leaned in beside Valthior, craning his neck to look at the newspaper.
He had seen that article earlier too, but didn't care much about it.
Now that Valthior was staring at it in a daze, he couldn't help but feel a bit curious.
"I'm interested in this kid…" Valthior pointed at Bullet's photo in the paper.
"What kid? He looks older than you," Roger muttered, then took a closer look at the text—and froze.
"The hell? He's ten!?" Roger exclaimed. "What the hell did he eat growing up!?"
Earlier, he had only skimmed the paper, noticing things like "war merits" and "national hero," and with a glance at the photo, he had assumed Bullet was an adult soldier.
But now that he looked closely—the paper clearly said he was only ten!
Was that even reasonable?
"How would I know? Maybe he was raised on feed? I heard Galzburg, that war nation, has pretty scarce resources. Soldiers on the front lines often don't even get enough to eat," Valthior joked with a grin.
"So you're interested in him just because he looks too mature?" Roger asked again.
"No. I think this kid has a lot of potential. If there's a chance in the future, I'd like to have him as my underling," Valthior said bluntly.
"Your underling? You're talking like you're the captain. Shouldn't he be my underling instead?" Roger couldn't help but retort.
"You're just a pirate captain. I'm a noble Celestial Dragon. No matter how you look at it, following me has more prospects," Valthior laughed loudly.
The atmosphere within the Roger Pirates was relaxed. Except in critical moments, no one really treated each other with strict hierarchy, and their respect for Roger as captain was never superficial.
Roger was clearly used to this kind of dynamic. He cursed, "You should say I'm a legendary pirate captain who can even make a 'noble' Celestial Dragon serve as my crew, you bastard!"
"Alright, alright, you're right. Then when we get to the New World, we'll go find him and let him choose who he wants to follow," Valthior grinned, deliberately provoking him.
He really did want to find Bullet ahead of time and have him join the Roger Pirates earlier.
Mainly because he thought Bullet's ability was terrible—the Clank-Clank Fruit just didn't suit him at all.
If he remembered correctly, about three years later—when Bullet was thirteen—due to unfavorable war conditions and lack of supplies at the front, he ended up eating a Devil Fruit out of hunger and cold, becoming a Clank-Clank Fruit user.
But now, things had clearly changed. His fate had already been altered—becoming a so-called national hero at just ten years old. Whether he would even encounter the Clank-Clank Fruit anymore was uncertain.
Would be awkward if he just ended up starving to death instead.
Thinking of this, Valthior glanced up at the sky. This trip to the Sky Island might even allow them to obtain the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
If Bullet got paired with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, that would be insanely powerful.
"Deal! When we reach the New World, we'll go find this old-faced brat and see whose charm is greater—yours, the Celestial Dragon's, or mine, the legendary captain's!" Roger immediately accepted, unable to resist the "challenge."
....
One month later.
Jaya Island port.
The Oro Jackson, now modified with auxiliary wings and external paddle-wheel propulsion, remained quietly docked.
Valthior, holding a mop, was humming a tune as he scrubbed the deck like a lowly grunt.
This was part of the Roger Pirates' daily routine—whether captain or the most basic crew member, everyone took turns scrubbing the deck.
The reason?
Everyone had to wholeheartedly love this ship that carried their dreams of adventure.
Valthior had no complaints. If everyone had to do it, there was no reason for him not to.
While Valthior was scrubbing the deck, Roger was once again lounging on the beach, sunbathing like he was on vacation.
But just as Valthior dumped a bucket of dirty water into the sea, he suddenly sensed something off.
The ocean, which had been calm for nearly a month, seemed to be brewing something terrifying.
"Hey, Gaban! Come out and check the sea! Is it changing? I feel like something's up!" Valthior shouted after observing for a moment, unsure of his judgment.
Gaban was lying under the mast at the time. Hearing this, he lifted his sunglasses and glanced at the sky, frowning slightly.
"Not a cloud in sight, no change in wind direction… clear weather. Shouldn't be—"
Even as he muttered, he stood up and looked out at the sea. Moments later, excitement spread across his face as he shouted:
"The water is changing! Everyone get on the ship! Check the headcount! The legendary Knock Up Stream might be coming!!!"
Roger, who had been sunbathing, shot upright and looked toward the ocean.
Sure enough, a few hundred meters off the port, something unusual was happening.
The once-calm sea suddenly began to boil, bubbles surging upward. The surface bulged and dipped unevenly, and from time to time, large fish leapt out in panic, as if fleeing from something below.
The Roger Pirates quickly responded to the assembly whistle, rushing in from all directions, counting off as they boarded the ship.
Doringo carried Shanks aboard as the last one to step onto the deck—before he could even report "all present,"—
A massive plume of water suddenly exploded from the distant sea!
A thick column of ocean shot skyward—first rising dozens of meters, then seeming like it would fall back—
But before it could, the sea began to spiral.
A gigantic whirlpool formed at incredible speed, visibly swallowing seawater—and along with it, sea beasts, large fish, even a monstrous Sea King—all dragged into its maw.
"What are you idiots standing around for!? Raise the sails to full!!!" Gaban slapped Rayleigh on the shoulder and roared.
As the navigator, Gaban held absolute command at this moment!
Rayleigh immediately climbed the mast and unfurled all the sails.
Nozdon and Valthior rushed to the stern, working together to crank the winch, hauling up the heavy anchor from the sea.
Everyone else sprang into action. Even Roger, the captain, had no time to relax—he secured loose items across the deck, tying them to masts and railings to prevent them from being flung away.
Ganryu, Spencer, and others had already entered the lower cabin, frantically powering the paddle wheels, causing the external propulsion on both sides of the stern to churn violently, accelerating the Oro Jackson out of the harbor.
Meanwhile, Gaban directed Donquino to adjust the helm.
As a gust of sea wind swept in, the sails billowed to their fullest, and with unstoppable momentum, the Oro Jackson charged straight toward the massive whirlpool!
Just as the ship was about to be swallowed—
The true Knock Up Stream erupted!
A colossal column of seawater, countless times larger than before, blasted upward with terrifying force, instantly launching the Sea King caught in the whirlpool into the sky.
Moments later, the Oro Jackson was dragged into the whirlpool, spinning violently within the raging currents.
Crew members lacking strength tied ropes around their waists to avoid being flung off. Even items that had been carefully secured couldn't withstand the intense force and were ripped from the deck and hurled away.
After spinning who knew how many times—
The Oro Jackson was finally swept into the Knock Up Stream.
In an instant, everyone felt a sense of weightlessness.
Then—
The Oro Jackson tilted upward, riding the surging sea current as it soared into the sky!
"You bastards, celebrate! We're about to reach the Sky Island!!!" Roger roared excitedly, waving his straw hat.
...
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