Chapter 18
Unknowingly, the two had already left the Kingdom of Rommel far behind.
The journey had taken nearly two months.
During those two months, Vilin and Annie naturally encountered many pirate crews.
Without exception, every one of them became fuel for Vilin's growth.
Along the way, Vilin also rescued several female slaves.
Seeing they had nowhere to go, he invited them to join his pirate crew.
After observing them for a month,
Vilin noticed one in particular—Jessica—was utterly obsessed with medicine.
So, whenever he wiped out pirate crews, he spared their doctors and navigators,
ordering them to teach Jessica everything they knew.
Once Jessica mastered their knowledge, Vilin promised to release them as agreed.
One day, Vilin was lounging on a deck chair, resting.
One of the rescued women approached him.
"Captain Vilin, my name is Sophia."
"My dream is to sail around the entire world!"
"My navigation skills are exceptional."
"I'm confident even the Grand Line's weather won't stump me."
"Please let me join your crew."
"I will prove my worth!"
Seeing the earnest determination in her eyes,
Vilin felt genuinely moved.
Using his advanced Observation Haki, he sensed no deception from the capable, blonde woman.
"Alright. Like Jessica, you'll start as an apprentice crew member."
Upon receiving his approval,
the blonde woman's face lit up with joy.
She quickly took over steering duties.
With a skilled navigator at the helm,
the Flying Bird finally revealed its true potential.
Vilin watched in amazement as Sophia expertly used wind currents to boost speed.
She looked truly captivating at the wheel.
In the end, Vilin fully acknowledged Sophia as a true crew member.
The Aitrias Pirates finally had their navigator.
After accepting her,
Vilin treated Sophia like family.
He also began including her in daily combat training.
This made Sophia incredibly happy.
With the entire Aitrias crew training rigorously every day,
everyone's strength steadily improved.
Every morning, Vilin watched Annie practice her dance.
Her graceful figure moved like poetry.
The sight was pure enjoyment for him.
Another sweat-soaked morning.
Vilin wiped his face with a towel and collapsed onto the soft deck chair to rest.
He glanced at Sophia, who was diligently studying navigation charts.
Curious, he asked,
"Sophia, what's the name of our next island?"
Without looking up, Sophia answered casually.
"Baterilla Island."
"Hm?"
Isn't that the island where Portgas D. Rouge lives?
Thinking of the tragic woman who would become Roger's lover,
Vilin felt a pang of pity.
He found it unfair that Rouge had to suffer for Roger.
Roger knew he would die—and that the World Government would never let his bloodline live.
Yet he still let Rouge bear his child,
forcing her to carry the burden of his legacy alone.
This left Vilin with little respect for Roger.
If Ace weren't Roger's son, would the Marines have risked angering Whitebeard to hunt him down?
Right now, Roger had only just set sail—he hadn't yet met Rouge.
The Aitrias family still lacked a proper lady of the house.
And a gentle, devoted woman like Rouge—who would endure endless pain for her child—was exactly Vilin's ideal type.
Who could resist such a beautiful, kind-hearted woman?
Knowing their next stop was Baterilla Island,
excitement stirred in Vilin's chest.
After confirming the route,
he threw himself back into frenzied training.
His physical strength surged rapidly under the relentless regimen.
One month later,
Vilin finally stopped the insane pace.
The life energy he had stored was completely depleted.
Without it, he could no longer temper his body at that intensity.
Looking at his now much more muscular frame,
Vilin gave a wry smile.
The constant pain of tearing and rebuilding muscle wasn't something just anyone could endure.
He clenched his fist.
A powerful force seemed ready to burst forth from within.
He focused it into his palm.
To his astonishment, his hand turned pitch black.
"Is this… Armament Haki?"
Vilin swung the black-coated fist at a sandbag filled with iron sand.
Bang!
The bag exploded on impact.
"With this… I should have the strength of a Headquarters Rear Admiral—maybe even a Vice Admiral."
Vilin stared at his darkened hand, exhilarated.
He finally had real self-defense power.
Still, he felt a twinge of disappointment.
No sign of Conqueror's Haki…
"When will my Conqueror's awaken?"
"Hmph! So what if I don't have it?"
"Even without Conqueror's Haki, I won't lose to anyone!"
Vilin's conviction hardened.
Unnoticed by him,
a faint green aura flickered around him for a split second, as if something was stirring.
Whatever.
Time to celebrate with the crew—his Armament Haki awakening deserved a feast!
After cleaning up the scattered iron sand,
Vilin stretched and headed toward Annie's dance room.
Inside,
he saw her petite figure twirling gracefully to the music—like a white butterfly fluttering through the space.
Spotting Vilin,
Annie decided to tease him.
She darted over and pulled him into the dance.
Vilin had no choice but to follow her steps clumsily.
Watching his awkward, stiff movements,
Annie burst into giggles, barely able to contain herself.
She took his hands and patiently guided him.
After her instruction,
Vilin slowly found the rhythm.
Though still clumsy, he managed not to step on her toes.
An hour later, they finally stopped.
Annie leaned against Vilin's chest, exhausted.
He carried her to the lounge chair to rest.
After a short break,
Annie headed to the bath.
Vilin went to the deck and gathered everyone.
"Tonight—we feast! I've awakened Armament Haki!"
The crew erupted in cheers.
The Flying Bird was filled with joy and celebration.
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