"No, don't kill me!"
Weapons clattered to the ground one after another as the Ghost Face Pirates dropped to their knees, eyes wide with terror. Their captain—the man they'd sworn was invincible had been felled in an instant.
What chance did the rest of them have?
"I want to join you! I'll do anything, just don't kill me!"
Wallace gave them nothing but a cold sneer. "Our Nightfall Pirates don't take in trash."
A few minutes later, not a single member of the Ghost Face Pirates was left standing.
Three ships coasted into the bay as the massacre ended, their black sails casting long shadows over the smoking beach. Teach stood at the bow, coat snapping in the wind, and gave a single order. "Strip the supplies from their ships."
His men obeyed without question.
At the foot of the ruined mountain temple, two bald-headed boys watched, stunned. They had come here for vengeance, but what they saw instead was slaughter—a crew so powerful they'd annihilated an entire band of pirates in the blink of an eye.
Clemons' blood raced. "They're… so strong. What kind of pirate crew is that?"
Even after eating Devil Fruits, the power he and Bonnis had gained now felt laughably small. Their earlier pride evaporated under the sheer pressure radiating from these men.
Bonnis—Daz Bonez, as his name was properly known, watched the crews disembark. He recognized the emblem flying on their sails; three skulls, each turned a different direction, with sharp eyes painted above. His breath caught. "That's the Nightfall Pirates… the rulers of the East Blue. What are they doing here in the West?"
Clemons' eyes lit up. "Then let's join them!"
"What? They're pirates!" Bonnis' tone was uncertain, but Clemons was already grinning ear to ear.
"So what if they're pirates? Our master's revenge is done, and we've got nowhere else to go. We're going out to sea one way or another, why not join the strongest crew we can find?"
Bonnie hesitated. Their late master had once been a pirate himself. He understood better than anyone that strength ruled the sea. What held him back wasn't morality, it was doubt.
"Do you really think they'd take us?" he muttered.
Clemons laughed. "We're Devil Fruit users! Of course they will."
That reminder reignited Bonnie's confidence. Yes, they weren't helpless children anymore. They had power worth showing.
Up ahead, one of Teach's officers, Van Augur, turned his head. "Captain, two little ones are hiding over there."
"I know," Teach replied with a grin. "They're coming."
His Observation Haki had already marked them the moment they peeked from the shadows.
The two monks stepped into the open, walking toward the Nightfall Pirates' camp on shaky legs. The crew stopped what they were doing, eyes tracking the boys with mild curiosity. Monks were a rare sight on the Grand Line, rarer still in the West Blue.
A few of the rowdier pirates tried making scary faces, baring their teeth or cracking their knuckles just to watch the kids flinch—but the boys kept walking. Not once did they look away.
That alone made Teach's eyes glimmer with amusement.
"What do you want, little monks?" Wallace asked, folding his arms.
Clemons swallowed hard. His voice came out steady despite his racing pulse. "We want to join you and become pirates!"
The beach fell dead silent. Then came a burst of laughter loud enough to shake the palms.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Listen to the kid—he's serious!"
"You think we're running a daycare?"
"Our crew doesn't take in orphans looking for free food," another jeered.
Clemons' face burned red, but he didn't back down. "I'm ready! Test me!"
Teach, seated on a barrel with a half-empty bottle in hand, chuckled. Liquor dripped down his chin as he spoke. "Quiet."
The laughter died instantly.
When Teach spoke, even the rowdiest drunk fell silent. His word was law.
He fixed the boys with a calm, unreadable gaze. "This ship doesn't need the weak. Pick one of my men. If you win, you join as crew. If you lose, we'll see if you've got enough spark to stay as trainees. Earn your place from there."
He gestured lazily toward the gathered pirates.
The deck erupted again but this time with volunteers.
"Hah, let me take the kid!"
"No way, I've been itching for a warm-up!"
"You'll crush him. I'll keep it fair!"
Their taunts rolled across the dock, but Clemons and Bonnis both scanned the crowd carefully. Clemons avoided the obvious elites, officers like Pito or Kaguya, whose strength he could practically feel radiating from them. He finally picked a middle-ranked pirate wearing brass knuckles.
Bonnis chose another, one holding a long, curved sword, his aura lighter but still dangerous.
The first man grinned, slipping off his knuckles. "Don't worry, kid. I'll keep my punches soft."
He was half amused, half sincere. These were children, after all—barely ten years old. He'd show them a lesson, not a death.
The swordsman facing Bonnis chuckled. "Should I put my weapon away too?"
Bonnis shook his head. His hands gleamed metallic silver as his arms reshaped into blades under the sun. "No need. A sword can't cut me. I ate the Dice-Dice Fruit. I'm a Blade Human, my body's as hard as steel."
The crowd broke into surprised murmurs. Even Wallace's eyebrows rose.
"Steel, huh?" Teach said with a low laugh. "Wallace, he's yours."
Wallace crossed his arms again, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Alright, Captain. Let's make sure he learns, steel isn't invincible."
The truth behind his words was one he knew well; even the hardest steel could be shattered. A true swordsman could cleave it like silk. And Wallace's own steel body had long since evolved beyond that basic level—harder, denser, tempered by heat that could melt other metals.
Still, the boy's potential was real.
On the other side, Clemons cracked his neck and flexed. His muscles rippled, expanding slightly with each breath.
The pirate opposite him frowned. "Wait. You didn't eat a Devil Fruit too, did you?"
Clemons grinned. "That's right. I ate the Muscle-Muscle Fruit. My strength's multiplied, and my body's tougher than iron. You'd better take this seriously."
A chorus of gasps rose. Two Devil Fruit users, both kids?
Jealousy flickered across several faces. Devil Fruits were rare, valuable, and even among the Nightfall Pirates, only a handful of members possessed them.
Teach watched from his seat, eyes glinting with interest. He already knew exactly who these two were. Their abilities, their timing, their monk robes, it all fit. But even so, he wanted to see their will.
The two pirates facing them squared up, still relaxed, but no longer underestimating their opponents.
"Let's see what you've got," the brass-knuckled man said, settling into a fighting stance.
Clemons' muscles swelled like coiled ropes. "Gladly."
Bonnie's blades shimmered as the sunlight flashed along their edges.
The sea breeze stilled for a heartbeat. The crew circled in, grinning, ready to watch a show.
Two young monks, two Devil Fruits, and a test to decide if they'd earn a place aboard the ship that ruled the East Blue.
For the first time, their new journey was about to begin.