Chapter 385: Higuma's Awakening
Second half of the Grand Line, New World, Somewhere in the Open Sea.
In the turbulent waters of the New World, two pirate ships sailed side by side, their hulls cutting through the waves with purpose. The wind whipped at their sails, unfurling the unmistakable flag of the Beasts Pirates, a snarling beast that struck fear into the hearts of all who saw it.
One ship was under the command of Higuma, a formidable member of the Beasts Pirates' Tobiroppo, his name synonymous with ruthless precision. The other ship belonged to the Andre Pirates, a crew led by two supernovas of the Worst Generation, their reputation was as wild and dangerous as the seas they roamed.
Aboard Higuma's ship, the horizon revealed the faint outline of an island, its shape grow clearer with each passing moment. Higuma, known as "Power Sword" for his deadly accuracy, stood at the helm, his sharp eyes locked on the distant land. His presence was commanding, his posture exuded the confidence of a man who knew his strength.
Beside him stood Hughes, a supernova from the Andre Pirates, his golden hair catching the sunlight like a beacon. Nearby, Kanika loomed, a towering, muscular woman with an eerie, demonic aura, flanked by two of Higuma's loyal real fighters, their devotion to him absolute.
"The island's coming into view," Higuma said, his voice calm but carrying the weight of authority, like an older brother addressing his crew. He turned slightly, his gaze settled on Hughes with a measured intensity. "Golden Toad Hughes, I'll ask you one last time: will you leave the Andre Pirates and join the Beasts Pirates?"
Hughes met his stare with a polite smile, though a shadow of apology flickered in his eyes. "Higuma-san, you're joking, right? My answer's the same, let's not talk about this again."
His refusal sparked a scowl from Kanika and her temper flared.
"You're clueless," She snapped, her tone was sharp with contempt. "Higuma saved your entire crew back then. Don't you know how to repay a favor?"
"Kanika, enough," Higuma said coldly, cutting her off. His tone was final, and he didn't flinch under her puzzled glare.
Higuma had changed. He wasn't avoiding Kanika's grating presence because she'd grown more tolerable, she hadn't. Instead, he'd undergone a profound shift, an awakening that reshaped his priorities.
Day after day, surrounded by her endless chatter and the grueling training of his crew, he'd cast aside distractions. Women, fleeting passions, those were relics of a weaker self. His heart now burned with a singular ambition: to conquer the New World, to rise as a true power among pirates. What he needed were warriors, loyal and capable, to fuel his ascent.
This clarity had transformed his approach. Higuma trained with relentless discipline, his sweat and effort forged a path to greatness. Kanika's talk of "love" was irrelevant, a buzzing insect he brushed aside. "If that's his choice, so be it," he said, dismissing the matter.
Hughes nodded and his expression was neutral, he walked to the ship's edge. With a swift leap, he vaulted back to the Andre Pirates' vessel, leaving Higuma's crew behind. Higuma watched him go, a spark of determination appeared in his eyes. His talent is rare. There's still time to sway him.
"He's throwing away a golden opportunity," one of Higuma's real fighters muttered after Hughes departed. "His captain's half-mad and blind. The Andre Pirates should just merge with Boss Higuma's crew."
The two fighters were fiercely loyal to Higuma, their trust rooted in more than his status as a supernova or his raw strength. Higuma possessed Conqueror's Haki, a rare gift he'd awakened in their presence, a force that marked him as a born leader. That, combined with his tireless work ethic, convinced them he was destined to become a cornerstone of the Beasts Pirates, perhaps even Kaido's top commander.
Reaching Kaido's level? That was beyond imagination. Despite the Beasts Pirates' many defeats, Kaido's monstrous presence, the overwhelming terror of his Azure Dragon form, loomed large. His losses weren't a sign of weakness; they were proof of the godlike enemies he faced.
"Hah, maybe his captain can be fixed," the other fighter said with a sly chuckle, his tone dripped with mockery.
"Maybe," the first replied, smirking. "But with the Red Hair Pirates involved? I doubt it."
---
On the Andre Pirates' Ship.
Aboard the Andre Pirates' ship, the air was heavy with unease. Hughes' smile vanished the moment he stepped onto the deck. Under the wary gazes of his crew, he moved with quiet purpose, his steps measured. Without a word, he entered the captain's cabin, where a grim sight awaited: a massive iron cage, its bars cold and unyielding.
Inside sat Andre, the captain, his wrists and ankles bound by seastone shackles crafted in Wano, their purity adjusted to sap his strength without killing him. His slumped figure was a ghost of the commanding leader he'd once been, his presence heavy with despair.
"Hughes, you're here," Andre rasped, his voice hoarse and strained, like a blade scraping stone.
"Andre, we've found the red hair," Hughes said in a steady tone but laced it concern. "When the time comes… we should be able to resolve your condition."
Andre's head snapped up, and a wild, manic laugh erupted from the cage. "Found him? That's perfect! I'm ready to tear into him, 300 rounds, no less!" His voice crackled with frenzied excitement, but his eyes, dark, unseeing voids, betrayed his broken state. A cold, unhinged aura clung to him, chilling the air.
Hughes watched with a heavy heart. Current Andre was a shadow of the captain who'd once led with charisma and ferocity.
Months ago, the Andre Pirates had clashed with the Demons of the Dark Night at the edge of the Sea of Demonic Mist. The battle had been a massacre. The demons, for reasons unknown, spared their lives, but left them shattered. Hughes, one of the few to emerge relatively unscathed, had taken charge, navigating the ship through the treacherous Magic Cloud Sea. With a dying Den Den Mushi he made a desperate call for help to Higuma.
They'd survived, but the cost was steep. Many crew members were dead or driven mad, though new recruits could fill those gaps. The true wound was Andre. His affliction was twofold: his eyes were gone, leaving him blind, and his mind was fracturing, prone to fits of madness that turned him into a mindless killer.
A blind captain was a death sentence for morale, whispers of mutiny already simmered among the crew. His unpredictable rampages only deepened the fear and sowed discord. The Andre Pirates thrived on preying on the weak, but with Andre in this state, they were a ship adrift. Without Hughes' steady leadership, they would have torn themselves apart by now.
"Don't worry, Hughes," Andre growled, his voice brimed with defiance. "I, Andre, won't break so easily. So what if I am Blind? That blind swordsman's a walking calamity, I won't be outdone. And the madness? That cursed demon did this, but I feel a power growing inside me. If I can harness it, I'll be unstoppable!"
His face twisted with crazed excitement, his words spilled out in a fevered rush. Hughes forced a smile and nodded. "I know you can do it, Andre."
But his eyes betrayed his doubt. Andre's gaunt frame and wild demeanor told a grim tale. Without the seastone shackles, he might already be rampaging, slaughtering indiscriminately. The demon who had cursed him lingered in Hughes' thoughts, that demonic figure that sent a chill through his heart.
---
A Distant Island in the New World
Far from Higuma's ship and the Andre Pirates, another island stood cloaked in the New World's shadows, its dense forests hid untold secrets. At its shore, a lone pirate ship rested, its flag was bold and unmistakable: the red-nosed skull of the Red Hair Pirates, a crew whose name was spreading like wildfire across the seas.
Not long ago, they had crossed blades with Gekko Moria, a former Warlord of the Sea. The battle had been fierce, but the outcome was clear, Moria, broken and humiliated, had fled into the night. The victory thrust the Red Hair Pirates back into the spotlight and their legend grew with every whispered tale.
Moria was no small foe. With a bounty of 920 million berries, he had faced down giants in the New World and lived to tell the tale. To force him into retreat was a feat that shook the seas. It's proof that the Red Hair Pirates, born of the Worst Generation, were a force to be reckoned with. Few crews could challenge such a foe and emerge unscathed, their triumph is a blazing signal of their unstoppable rise.
(End of this Chapter)