As the Wicked Wench entered the calm waters of the East Blue, the ship began to sail once again, its hull cutting through the gentle waves with steady rhythm.
It was another beginning for Jack and his crew—another journey entrusted to the hands of fate, as it had always been.
Every time they departed a sea, their hearts carried the same belief: that fate would show them the path they were meant to take.
Jack had long been a firm believer in fate, something that shaped many of his decisions. It was a belief he shared deeply with Laffitte, who also viewed fate not as mere coincidence, but as an invisible compass that guided them toward the right course.
However, this time, fate seemed more tangible than usual. Despite East Blue's reputation as the calmest of the seas, dark clouds began forming without warning.
The wind picked up, and multiple storms appeared ahead of them—each forming one after another, as though intentionally guiding the Wicked Wench toward a specific direction.
Jack stood by the railing, his eyes narrowing as he watched the turbulent horizon. "Have you seen anything like this before?" he asked, glancing at Laffitte, who stood beside him with his navigation tools in hand. "This kind of phenomenon shouldn't exist outside the Grand Line."
Laffitte's brows furrowed as he studied the sky and the rolling waves. "No," he replied after a moment of silence. "I've never seen anything close to this, not even in the journals or sea charts I've read. This should be impossible."
"Yet here it is," Jack replied simply, his tone calm but thoughtful. His gaze stayed fixed on the growing storm, and Laffitte fell silent, sensing that Jack was already forming a decision.
After a few seconds, Laffitte turned toward him and asked, "What's our next move, Captain?"
Jack smiled faintly. "We follow it. It looks interesting enough. Maybe fate is calling us toward something."
That answer made Laffitte chuckle quietly, already expecting such a response. "Understood, Captain." He gave a small nod before descending from the upper deck to relay the command.
He soon found Aramaki, who was overseeing the ship's steering mechanism, adjusting the reinforced roots and wood that acted as a natural stabilizer. "Captain's orders," Laffitte said plainly. "We're following the storm."
Aramaki didn't seem surprised at all. He gave a short laugh and replied, "Yeah, I figured he'd say that. It's just like him." He then adjusted the wheel, changing the ship's heading toward the heart of the storm.
The Wicked Wench's propellers began to hum as the crew prepared for the rough waters ahead.
Meanwhile, inside the main cabin, Cricket sat by the window, watching as the sky darkened and the sea turned restless.
He could feel the ship shifting direction toward the storm, which stirred a faint uneasiness inside him.
Around the table sat Issho, Club, and B, who were all playing cards to pass the time, having already finished their daily training routines.
"Cricket, it's your turn," B said, snapping him out of his thoughts. Cricket blinked, then looked down at the cards scattered across the table.
"Are we sure we're going to be safe?" he finally asked, his voice carrying a note of genuine concern.
He had been sailing with the crew for nearly a year now, but this would be the first time they willingly entered a storm. Normally, Laffitte would guide them around such dangers, not directly into them.
B leaned back with a grin, resting his hands behind his head. "Relax. The Wicked Wench is built from one of the toughest materials in the world. It might not be pure Adam Wood, but it's close enough. Plus, Aramaki strengthened it with his ability. And if things really go bad, we still have Jack."
"Yeah," Club added, nodding in agreement. "And Laffitte's the one steering our path. He knows what he's doing better than anyone."
Cricket frowned slightly, still uneasy. "Maybe, but this is a natural calamity. No man could ever win against nature."
That earned him a laugh from both B and Club, while Issho let out a quiet smirk as if amused by the conversation.
"Natural calamity or not," B said, waving his hand dismissively, "Logias are literal manifestations of nature. And Jack already beat a Logia user before, one of the strongest kinds at that. So if nature decides to challenge us, I'd say it doesn't stand much of a chance."
Cricket couldn't help but smile a little at that. Somehow, the confidence in B's words, along with the calm demeanor of Issho and Club, helped ease his tension.
The atmosphere around the table slowly returned to normal, and they resumed their game, the faint sound of shuffling cards mixing with the creaking of the ship.
Above them, Jack, Laffitte, and Aramaki were gathered in the upper cabin, sipping freshly brewed coffee while watching the wall of clouds ahead.
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After many hours of sailing through the rough weather, Laffitte finally spotted something unusual in the distance — a faint outline of an island resting beneath the retreating clouds.
It seemed that the very storm which had been guiding them across the East Blue had been leading straight to that location.
Intrigued by the sight, Laffitte immediately turned away from the lookout post and went to inform Jack, who was inside the cabin reviewing some of their navigation notes.
Aramaki, on the other hand, had gone below deck and was currently joining the others in their never-ending card game.
"Jack, there's an island ahead," Laffitte announced as he entered the cabin, his eyes still fixed on the horizon.
Jack looked out through the window and saw the island himself — a stretch of dark green forest surrounded by cliffs and white shorelines. "Yeah, I see it," he said, nodding thoughtfully. "Inform the others. We'll explore it as soon as we anchor."
Without hesitation, Laffitte left the cabin and descended to the lower deck, where he found the rest of the crew still engaged in their card game.
Cricket and Club were clearly having a good run, both with small stacks of gold coins piled in front of them, while the rest had noticeably fewer, and Issho, as usual, had none.
"Get ready," Laffitte said with a faint grin. "There's an island nearby, and Captain wants us to explore it."
"Really?" Issho immediately perked up, standing from his seat. "Finally. It's been too quiet lately, and I was getting tired of losing."
The others laughed as B casually pointed at the pile of coins on Cricket's side. "You sure you can still afford to go outside, Issho? You might want to win one game before celebrating."
Laffitte chuckled. "It seems you got emptied again," he said teasingly, while Issho made an exaggerated expression of disbelief, pretending to defend himself even though everyone knew the truth.
Leaving their coins behind without concern, the crew quickly gathered their gear and headed out to the deck.
None of them worried about theft — they had long established that every coin won or lost in their games stayed within the family of their crew.
By the time they reached the deck, Jack was already there. He had stepped out onto the terrace above and leapt gracefully down to meet them, his coat fluttering lightly as he landed.
His eyes were locked on the island ahead, which was now clearly visible through the thinning mist.
"Alright," Jack said, his tone steady but carrying authority. "You know the drill. Spread out and explore the island. We'll regroup here when the sun starts to set and make camp before nightfall."
"Understood, Captain!" they all replied in unison, their voices full of energy as they disembarked.
The crew split into groups and began their exploration. The island was thick with vegetation — towering trees, vines, and bushes surrounded by scattered ruins of what might have been old structures.
Wild animals roamed freely across the island, most of them aggressive. The crew dealt with them swiftly, their teamwork showing how far they had come since their first days together.
Laffitte, however, chose to go off on his own path. He had always been curious and preferred to investigate the quieter parts of the terrain.
His calm steps took him through dense undergrowth and along uneven rock formations until he began climbing up the side of a small mountain.
There, hidden behind a curtain of vines, he noticed a narrow crevice just large enough for a man to pass through.
Curiosity sparked, Laffitte entered without hesitation. The air inside was cooler and heavy with the scent of old stone.
Following the narrow passage, he eventually reached a wider chamber that opened into a small cave system.
As he stepped further inside, the flicker of his lantern revealed a grim sight — piles of human bones scattered across the floor.
Some skeletons were positioned as though they had died in combat, knives and blades still embedded in their ribcages. It was clear they had fought each other to the very end.
Beside the remains were several old chests, half-buried under dust and rock fragments. Laffitte crouched and brushed off one of them before carefully opening the lid. Inside, instead of gold or jewels, he found something entirely unexpected — a fruit.
It was purple and shaped almost like a small tomato, covered in swirling patterns that seemed to move slightly under the dim light.
The top bore a curly green stem resembling a tail, and the bottom faded into a dark red color, almost like the hue of dried blood pooling on stone.
Laffitte examined it closely, his eyes narrowing with fascination. "A Devil Fruit," he muttered softly to himself. He carefully picked it up, turning it in his hand. "Interesting… I've never seen this one before."
Knowing the importance of such discoveries, he decided to take it back to the ship. He planned to check it later against the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia they kept on board.
As he made his way back through the cave, he couldn't help but wonder just what kind of power this strange fruit might hold — and why it had been hidden among the bones of those who seemed to have died protecting or fighting for it.