The Phoenix Pirates anchored near a small port town shrouded in mist, the kind where even daylight felt nervous. As the gangplank hit the dock, everyone split into their tasks.
Paul adjusted his coat. "Nezuka, with me. Supplies won't gather themselves."
Nezuka cracked her knuckles. "Try not to get into trouble while we're gone," she said to me with a pointed smirk.
Ayesha stayed on deck, busy checking ropes and cargo. Kami and Rinnegan, however, moved straight toward me like wolves assigned to guard a runaway sheep.
Paul didn't even hide it. "Kami, Rinnegan—go with him. Keep him close."
I forced a polite smile. "Really? Bodyguards?"
"No," Rinnegan replied without blinking. "Surveillance."
Kami added, "Captain doesn't trust you yet. Neither do I."
Fantastic.
We stepped into the crowded town. Hawkers shouted, sailors yelled, children ran barefoot—normal chaos. But I felt suffocated. Every step I took, Kami's eyes burned into my back, and Rinnegan's sword kept brushing the edge of my vision.
Rinnegan finally spoke. "Where's this one million berries coming from?"
"Relax," I muttered. "I'll figure something out."
Kami scoffed. "You talk big for someone broke."
I clenched my jaw. Their suspicion wasn't the problem—their presence was. They stuck to me like shadows that refused to blink. There was no way I could move freely, no chance of getting what I needed with them breathing down my neck.
I needed space.
And I had a way.
We turned a corner into a narrow alley packed with crates and shadows. Perfect.
Before Kami even realized I had stopped, I whispered under my breath, "Enough."
Space folded. Sound vanished. Their shocked expressions froze mid-breath.
In an instant, I vanished.
Teleportation. Quick, silent, unseen.
I reappeared near the center of town, hidden behind the tall stone walls of the local bank. A fortress of money… but not for long.
Inside, guards patrolled lazily. The vault was sealed, but not sealed enough for someone who could shift through space like smoke. One breath… one focus…
I stepped through the locked door like stepping through fog.
Inside the vault, cold metal glimmered. Bags and crates stacked to the ceiling.
Two million berries. Easy.
I grabbed what I needed—only enough to keep suspicion manageable—then teleported out into a silent alley far from the town.
Ten seconds later, I stood at the ship's deck again.
Ayesha gasped. "W–what? How did you… you left with them!"
I dropped the heavy bag gently on the crate beside her.
"I came back alone."
Her eyes widened. "But Kami and Rinnegan—?"
"Probably panicking by now."
As if on cue, distant shouting echoed from the docks. Kami yelling. Rinnegan swearing. Boots slamming on wood. They thought I'd escaped. Fled. Disappeared forever.
Ayesha stared at me, breath uneven. "Phoenix… who are you?"
I offered her a calm smile. "Someone who keeps his promises."
She looked at the bag of money. "Did you… steal this?"
"Borrowed," I corrected lightly. "The world will survive."
Minutes later, Kami and Rinnegan burst onto the ship—breathless, furious, shouting to Paul and Nezuka that I'd vanished into thin air.
Meanwhile, I leaned against a barrel beside Ayesha, perfectly relaxed.
They searched everywhere.
Everywhere except right behind them.
The game had officially begun.