The second deck of the Eternal Life was quiet, the hall lit by a low lamp.
Jin sprawled lazily across the biggest sofa, stripped down to nothing but loose beach shorts, his tanned skin still carrying the warmth of the sun. His purple eyes half-lidded, he looked more like a bored vagabond than the mercenary king he once was.
"We need to settle something," he muttered, raising a finger as if he were in a council of war, though his voice carried no real weight. "Do we push straight into the Grand Line… or do we linger in the East Blue a while longer?"
The three women seated with him exchanged glances. None spoke immediately.
Jin grinned. "What, suddenly all of you turned mute? Come on. We're not chasing the so-called One Piece. We're chasing our own damn dreams. So—let's hear it. Kik—" He caught himself. "Makino. You first."
Makino had just finished her bath. Her long dark green hair, still damp, spilled loosely across the oversized white robe she wore, its sleeves too big for her wrists. She looked impossibly gentle, the kind of warmth that could dissolve steel. A small smile touched her lips.
"…Honestly? I'd like to see more of the East Blue," she said softly. "It's where I was born. My home sea. If we leave too quickly, I'll feel like I'm running away."
Jin nodded slowly, eyes flicking to the others.
Tina lounged at the end of the sofa, her long legs draped across the armrest, her posture the very picture of lazy arrogance. When she noticed Jin's gaze, she stretched like a cat and spoke without lifting her head.
"I don't care either way," she admitted. "But… you were right before. My body still isn't fully reforged. I'm not ready to take my revenge. The Grand Line will chew me up if I rush in. Staying here buys me time. And East Blue's calm, for the most part. The sea of training wheels."
"And you, Kuina?"
The blue-haired swordswoman sat cross-legged, blood-red blade balanced casually across her knees. Her pale eyes didn't waver. "Doesn't matter. My sword has no bottleneck right now. Whether East Blue or the Grand Line, I'll keep cutting. That's enough."
Jin laughed under his breath. "Alright then. We stay. Until Tina's body finishes its transformation, until Makino's comfortable… then we aim for the Grand Line." He sat forward, purple eyes flicking to each of them. "Makino, your internal strength's swelling—you're close to breaking through. Tina, keep eating like a beast and soak in the baths; it'll speed the process. Kuina—well, you're fine as you are."
He stretched, jaw cracking as he yawned. "That's enough strategy for one night. Three beauties, go get some rest. Beauty's built in bed, after all." He winked as he sauntered toward his own chamber, the largest on the right side of the hall.
But before he could leave, Tina's voice cut the air, sweet and venomous.
"Makino, I haven't been sleeping well lately. Without you next to me, I toss and turn. Let me stay in your room tonight." She stood, tugging at Makino's hand, her expression a picture of wounded innocence—but her sidelong glare at Jin was sharp enough to draw blood.
Makino understood the game immediately. She cast Jin a small, teasing smile before nodding. "Alright. Come with me, Tina."
Together, the two women disappeared down the hall, leaving Jin frozen in place, dumbfounded.
He dragged a hand down his face. "…Unbelievable."
His gaze slid to Kuina, who was still seated in the hall, sipping her juice. "Hey, little swordswoman. You've raked in quite the bounty lately. How about you lend your poor captain a little coin? I need to buy more cannon shells. You've been scooping up all the wanted men before I even stretch my legs—I can't make money that way."
There was a sharp metallic click. Kuina's thumb popped the guard of her blood-red sword. For once, a rare smile flickered across her lips.
"Borrow one. Repay two."
Jin's jaw dropped. "You what? That's loan-shark rates!" He flailed dramatically, then threw up his hands. "You know what? Forget I said anything. I'll figure it out myself. Goodnight!"
He bolted toward his room, not daring to linger.
Kuina watched him retreat, murmuring under her breath, "…Stingy bastard. You think we don't know how much you've blown on all those herbs and barrels?"
Time rolled on.
Every island they passed became routine. Jin and Makino would disembark together—he to scour for herbs, she to hunt strange fruits and flavors for her brewing experiments. Kuina and Tina, on the other hand, became a two-woman storm. They couldn't resist bounty boards, couldn't resist dragging out wanted men and sending them to justice. Efficient, merciless. People whispered their names across villages.
Jin warned them more than once: "Cut down the guilty, but don't drown in blood." They listened… mostly.
And then, a day of dual fortune arrived.
Makino finally broke through her barrier, her breath steady even as her body trembled from the strain. She hadn't fainted, hadn't collapsed. Jin respected her for that—he'd nearly blacked out during his own breakthrough years ago.
At the same time, Tina's transformation completed. Her body had been reforged from the inside out, numbers rewritten, every sinew rebuilt. She no longer carried the faint weakness of flesh—her frame had hardened, sharpened, balanced.
Four months at sea. Four months of struggle and waiting. Now, the Eternal Life was ready to face the Grand Line.
"Makino," Jin said that night, handing her a small vial of shimmering liquid, "rest. You've earned it. Tina—bath time. I've brewed something new for you. It won't burn as bad as the old stuff. Probably."
The two women obeyed. Kuina supported Makino back to her room, while Tina slipped into the steaming bath chamber, already stripping out of her clothes with a muttered curse.
Jin lingered outside on the deck, climbing the mast with lazy ease until he reached the top of the crow's nest. The sea stretched endlessly around him, black and silver beneath the moon. He raised a spyglass.
A shadow moved on the horizon.
He froze.
"…What the hell are you doing here?" he murmured.
It was unmistakable: the shape of a massive warship, sails painted with the mark of the World Government. Not a Marine vessel. Government. They almost never wandered this far into East Blue—too far, too quiet, too meaningless.
The purple glow in his eyes sharpened. For a long moment, he just watched, silent.
Then he lowered the glass, exhaled, and leaned back against the wooden railing.
"Not tonight," he muttered. "This is supposed to be a day for celebration. Whatever game you're playing… you can wait until we reach the Grand Line."
He took a bite out of the apple in his hand, crunching loudly.
Below him, the Eternal Life drifted onward, its black dragon prow cutting the waves.
The warship held its distance, watching.
And Jin smiled into the dark.
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T/N :
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