The setting sun painted the sea in molten gold. Ritter stood lazily on the deck, stretching his arms with a satisfied sigh.
This ship, after all, wasn't just any vessel it was one arranged by Boss Tai's men after Ritter called in a favor using his Den Den Mushi. Naturally, a voyage like this demanded a proper ship. The vessel even came with zombie crew members surprisingly normal-looking ones. They moved efficiently, didn't talk, and didn't eat. Ritter considered that a blessing.
The three kids Ace, Sabo, and Anne were huddled beneath the mast, sorting through their newly acquired loot from both marines and pirates. Ace gleefully tossed a handful of Berries into the air, the coins clinking like music. Sabo polished a new dagger he'd won in a duel, while Anne fiddled curiously with a delicate, gold-inlaid compass.
"Uncle Ritter!" Ace suddenly called out, his eyes shining with excitement. "When do we get to fight the next batch of pirates?"
Ritter chuckled, shaking his head. "Soon enough, kiddo. But not before you finish your training for today."
It wasn't hard to understand their impatience. The moment pirates appeared, Ritter never joined the fight. He wanted them to learn, to get a taste of real combat. Every child wanted to prove they could stand tall without being protected.
He narrowed his eyes toward the horizon, a grin curling his lips. "Well, speak of the devil…"
Far in the distance, a three-masted pirate ship surged across the waves, its black flag snapping in the wind.
All four of them turned their gaze toward Rouge, who was drying her hands on a towel by the cabin door. Their eyes gleamed with anticipation. Rouge sighed, shaking her head with mock helplessness.
"Alright, everyone " she said, drawing out her words teasingly, " take everything they've got."
"Yes, Captain Rouge!" the four chorused, saluting in exaggerated unison.
The three kids leapt into action. Ace loaded his flintlock pistol with practiced speed, Sabo adjusted the strap on his sword scabbard, and Anne silently drew her massive greatsword from her back.
Rouge retreated into the galley, muttering under her breath about "boys and their chaos." A moment later, she poked her head out. "Kids, how long is this going to take this time?"
"Dinner in twenty minutes!" Ace called confidently, flashing a grin.
As the two ships closed the distance, a booming voice echoed across the waves. "Hey, you merchant ship up ahead! We're the Iron Barrel Pirates! Hand over your cargo, and maybe "
"Too noisy," Ace interrupted flatly.
Bang!
He fired a single shot, blasting the pirate captain's megaphone to splinters. The man froze for a heartbeat, staring dumbfounded at the wreckage, then roared in fury. "You little brat! You're dead meat "
Before he could finish, Sabo's grappling hook whistled through the air and latched onto the enemy ship's rail. He vaulted effortlessly over the waves, golden hair streaming behind him as his silver blade flashed free of its sheath.
"Anne!" he called.
Thud!
Anne's greatsword slammed into the side of the pirate ship, splintering the hull with a thunderous crack. Her small frame contrasted sharply with the colossal weapon, yet her movements were graceful and fluid. Using the recoil, she vaulted onto the deck and swept her sword in a wide arc. Three pirates who'd rushed her were launched screaming into the sea before they could even draw breath.
"Damn brats!" the remaining pirates howled, charging forward.
Ace grinned, holstering his gun and grabbing a rope. With a powerful kick, he swung across the gap between ships. Midair, he twisted his body, drew his pistol again, and fired a perfect shot through the hat of a pirate sneaking up behind Sabo.
"Thanks!" Sabo shouted without looking back. His sword clashed against two cutlasses with a shower of sparks. A twist of his wrist disarmed one opponent, then he spun gracefully, using the back of his blade to crack another's wrist.
Anne was a juggernaut. Each swing of her sword carried the weight of thunder. One pirate twice her size lunged at her with a sneer, but she sidestepped and brought her blade down with a dull crack. Two of his ribs gave way, and he collapsed, wheezing.
"Monster! They're monsters!"
"Stop! We surrender! We'll never fight again!"
"My pants! My pants are gone!"
Ritter burst out laughing, the faint shimmer of crimson mist curling around his fingers ready to intervene if things went wrong, though it was clear the kids had everything under control.
Within minutes, the enemy ship was a scene of comic defeat. Pirates knelt on the deck, battered, bruised, and humiliated. Some clutched broken bones, others their dignity or what was left of it. Their captain, a burly brute with an iron barrel tattooed across his chest, was reduced to desperate groveling.
"Mercy! Please, mercy! Great young heroes, we were wrong!" He kowtowed so hard his forehead thudded against the planks. "We'll never attack anyone again, I swear!"
Ace squatted in front of him, grinning. "Wrong about what, exactly?"
"W-we shouldn't have robbed anyone! We'll go straight, I promise!"
"Oh?" Sabo tapped the man's shoulder lightly with the flat of his blade. "Then what about the loot you've already taken?"
The captain's face paled. "Return it! We'll return everything!" He whipped around, shouting at his men, "Bring the treasure out! Now!"
The pirates scrambled to obey. A few moments later, several chests were dragged onto the deck and thrown open, spilling over with gold, jewels, and antiques that glimmered in the sunlight.
Anne tilted her head, planting her sword into the deck. "That's it?"
The captain blinked. "E-excuse me?"
"You're hiding alcohol in the lower hold," she said calmly. "I smelled it when I broke through your hull."
The pirates froze mid-motion. Then, realizing it was only booze she was after, they all let out a shaky laugh of relief.
Ritter couldn't hold it anymore he laughed so hard tears nearly came out. He ruffled the three kids' hair with a proud smile.
"Not bad, not bad at all," he said. "But before you celebrate, always check their flag."
The trio darted to the ship's rail.
Ace squinted. "What's that under the skull? Looks like... a toilet brush?"
"That's a scepter," Sabo corrected, exasperated. Then his eyes widened. "Wait... I've seen that emblem before!" He rummaged through his pack and pulled out a tattered bounty book. "The Eastern Seas' slave traders!"
Ritter's smile vanished. Blood mist poured from his fingertips, spreading across the waves and sealing off the enemy ship like a crimson shroud. Not a sound escaped.
"So," Ritter said coldly, "no survivors."
The children's expressions hardened instantly.
"W-wait! Please, we can talk " the captain stammered.
Bang!
Ace's bullet shattered his kneecap before he could finish.
Outside the mist, the sea remained calm. Inside, however, hell had descended though only for the slavers who had doomed themselves by crossing paths with Ritter's family.
Anne turned to him after the chaos subsided. "Uncle Ritter, what about the people they captured?"
He smiled gently. "Hidden in the third deck behind a false wall. They're safe now. We'll take their treasure to the nearest Marine base and turn it in for a reward." He winked. "Once you become pirates yourselves, it won't be that easy anymore."
He said it lightly, but the unspoken meaning was clear justice wasn't about sides. It was about choice.
Afterward, as the sun dipped below the sea, the waves swallowed the last traces of the Iron Barrel Pirates. On Ritter's ship, laughter returned, mingling with the scent of dinner from the galley.
Ritter leaned against the mast, watching Rouge and the children. "Yeah," he murmured to himself, smiling faintly, "the seas are safer with them around."