The little ship had been cutting across the endless sea for days.
Kael Grylls' young body healed at a startling pace. After a few solid meals his rib wound closed completely, and he felt more alive than ever.
Every day he saw Roger at the prow laughing into the wind, or arm wrestling with Rayleigh, which usually ended in Roger cheating, or humming some off-key ditty. That larger-than-life energy spilled across the deck and lit a spark in Kael's chest.
This afternoon the sun was kind, the breeze soft.
Roger had just polished off a massive roasted sea-beast leg and was picking his teeth, the picture of contentment.
Rayleigh leaned against the mast and polished his seemingly ordinary, secretly razor-keen rapier.
Kael stretched his limbs, feeling power surge through him. He could not hold it in any longer. Eyes burning, he stepped straight toward Roger.
"Captain!"
Roger lifted his eyes lazily. "Hm? What is it, little Kael, hungry already?"
"Duel me, Captain." Kael did not raise his voice, but it carried the restless edge of a calf charging a tiger. He needed to know the gap between himself and Roger.
Roger's toothpick paused, then his trademark laugh burst out. "Kuahahaha. Interesting."
At the sound, Rayleigh stopped polishing. Behind his spectacles, a faint smile flickered. He was curious too.
They quickly cleared a space on deck.
Kael drew a long breath and set his stance.
He knew the gulf between them was vast. That only stoked his fighting spirit. If he went all out, how many exchanges could he last against the future Pirate King?
"Ikuso, Captain."
Even as he spoke, his form wavered.
"Light Illusion Mirage."
Light twisted like ripples over water. A heartbeat later three identical Kaels stood on the deck.
They felt the same, wore the same expression. No easy way to tell the real from the false.
The trio formed a triangle and swept in on Roger from three angles, wind hissing past.
The left Kael chopped at Roger's neck. The right Kael's kick scythed toward his lower body. The center Kael drew both fists back, ready to drive home a shattering punch.
It was his best blend of deception and offense, the strongest version of Light Illusion Mirage he had. Even if only one was real, the other two would split an opponent's focus and open a window for the true strike.
Roger, the sum of thirty years of physics, can you take this punch?
Roger stood there as if bored, digging his nose. His smile hardly changed. Only his eyes held a glint of approval.
"Wow. Sugoi."
Just as the three attacks were about to land, Roger moved.
The motion was not fast. It was almost absurdly simple.
He did not dodge. He did not block.
He just lifted his right hand and, with casual indifference, looped a short hook toward the center Kael who was closest.
Thump.
A dull, heavy sound.
"Pff—"
The images blew apart. A mountain of force detonated in Kael's gut. The world flipped. His mind went blank.
Did I win the lottery again?
One "Sugoi" after another, one "karamie" after another, Roger you…
His body arched like a boiled shrimp, feet lifting off the deck. Then he flopped down lightly, eyes rolling white, and passed out cold.
It happened so fast there was no time to react.
One second there were three Kaels in a ferocious assault. The next, only a single Kael lay on the planks, sleeping like a child.
Silence settled over the deck, broken only by the hush of wind in the canvas.
Roger drew back his fist and flexed his hand, as if flicking off a speck of dust.
He glanced down at the unconscious boy and grinned. "Kuahahaha. Youth is a gift. Sleep."
Rayleigh walked over and took in the curled-up, motionless Kael. The corner of his mouth quirked. "Looks like he will not be awake before dinner. Roger, you never pull your punches."
"Hahahaha. Little Kael is sturdy." Roger chuckled, bent, scooped Kael up like a chick, and slung him over his shoulder.
"Come on, Rayleigh. Let's see if we can catch something big for supper."
…
The rich smell of roasting meat dragged Kael back from the fog like a hooked line.
He opened his eyes. Sunset spilled through the porthole, tinting the swaying cabin in warm orange.
His stomach was hollow and growling. A dull ache lingered along his ribs and belly, a reminder of the terrifying "duel" that afternoon.
"Ugh." He groaned, clutching his forehead as he sat up. At least he had not transmigrated again.
"Yo, awake?" Roger's bright voice floated in from outside, full of laughing mischief.
Kael leaned on the wall and staggered out.
On deck a bonfire crackled. Above it turned a golden, glossy, unknown sea bird that smelled like a promise. Roger sliced off a slab with a knife and crammed it into his mouth, grease dripping from his chin.
Rayleigh sat nearby, cutting neat bites onto a plate with delicate precision, the perfect counterpoint to Roger's barbaric enthusiasm.
"Hahahaha. Perfect timing, little Kael. Tonight's dinner is special." Roger waved him over to an empty crate by the fire.
Kael's stomach roared louder. He did not stand on ceremony. He sat, accepted a knife and fork from Rayleigh, then tossed them aside, tore a thigh free with his hands like Roger, and took a massive bite.
"Mmm… mmm." Tender meat with a kiss of smoke. The best thing he had tasted since crossing worlds.
He tore through half the bird like a whirlwind. The hunger eased. He let out a contented burp, then remembered the humiliation of that single punch.
He dropped a gleaming clean bone and looked at Roger, who was contentedly picking his teeth.
"Captain," Kael said, emotions tangled, respect and frustration braided together with raw curiosity, "that punch this afternoon… what was it? I used Light Illusion Mirage, closed from three sides…"
He still could not fathom how Roger had locked onto the real body in an instant and dropped him with one lazy swing.
Roger stopped the toothpick, glanced over, and grinned. "Oh, that." He waggled the fist he had used right in front of Kael's eyes and said in a tone that meant isn't it obvious, "It went 'boom' and you went to sleep. Hahahaha."
Kael's mouth twitched. "I am asking how you did it."
"Hmm." Roger rubbed his chin as if thinking hard, then slapped his thigh. "Maybe your weak point is too obvious. Those three shadows made my eyes go blurry, so I just picked the prettiest one and punched it. Hit the real one by chance. Luck. Pure luck. Hahahaha."
Luck? Kael almost spat blood. That Versailles answer hurt worse than an honest insult.
Rayleigh set down his knife and dabbed his mouth with a napkin. Behind the lenses a small smile appeared. "Roger simply refused to waste energy distinguishing illusions. For him, hitting any of them is the same."
"…"
A critical hit, Mr. Rayleigh.
Roger beamed. "Rayleigh understands me best. Little Kael, your Devil Fruit is good, and your idea is not bad, but it is nowhere near enough."
Heat climbed Kael's cheeks. It was the truth, but hearing it so bluntly from the future Pirate King still landed like a hammer.
He had thought the Wave-Wave Fruit made him a standout among his peers. In front of Roger, he had not lasted a single step.
Frustration surged, and with it a fiercer resolve.
"Captain." Kael shot to his feet, eyes steady. "Please teach me how to become stronger."
Roger and Rayleigh both looked up, a little surprised.
Roger studied him with interest. A strange light kindled in those deep eyes. He dropped the toothpick and smiled, playful and approving at once.
"Hahahaha. That is the spirit." Roger stood and came to stand before him.
"Do you want strength?" He clapped a hand the size of a fan onto Kael's shoulder. The blow made Kael stagger. "Good."
He drew his hand back, set both fists on his hips, and declared in a voice like a bell, "Since you have the fire for it, starting tomorrow Rayleigh and I will personally train you."
"Kuahahaha. Little Kael, do not beg for mercy. And do not die on me either."
Kael swallowed. He looked at Roger, who seemed excited for the world to end, then at Rayleigh, whose calm expression read, good luck. A chill raced up his spine.
"Y-yes, Captain." He could already feel the road ahead would be brutal, but he clenched his teeth and answered loud and clear.