East Blue journeys..

Two month later...

In the East Blue...

The Lethal Shark, the submarine ship of the Gold hair Pirates, emerged from beneath the seas.

[AN: "Gold Hair Pirates" translated to Japanese would be "Kinpatsu Kaizoku-dan." It does have a cool ring to it, don't you think?]

The metal door to the upper deck opened, and out came a young man in his early twenties.

He had golden hair, striking yellow eyes, and tan skin. Walking toward the edge of the deck, he placed both hands on the railing and leaned over the edge, gazing into the distance.

"A month of nonstop training and now back to recruiting crewmembers," he muttered to himself as he looked over his shoulder and saw a young man in his early twenties with black hair walking toward him.

The slim young man had tan skin and a very tall stature. With faint shadows under his gray eyes and a calm expression, he stood next to him.

"So, what are we doing here? You told me you'd explain when we arrived," Law said, looking at the man next to him, who had become one of his close friends.

"Well, I heard a bird crying about someone shooting down seagulls with lethal precision, from quite a distance away," Vance said with a smirk as they neared Shells Town, an island covered with power plant-shaped towers that fired cannons.

"So, a sniper then," Law said. Vance smiled and nodded in response.

"A sniper indeed." As they watched the island draw closer, they looked at each other and nodded. Walking back inside, they saw Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin at the controls.

"You guys, wait here. Also, if anything happens, call us immediately. We're going on a little sightseeing," he said with a smile, nodding at his crew.

"But I wanted to sightsee too..." Bepo whined in disappointment as his captain walked up the stairs to the upper deck with his friend.

Arriving at the upper deck, Vance felt a vibration through the air. Without hesitation, he caught the object that caused it.

"Looks like he knows we're here." Noting that Vance had intercepted a bullet aimed at his head, Law nodded in agreement.

"He must have some impressive eyesight." Law's voice was grim, recognizing that if Vance hadn't caught the bullet, it could have killed him.

"Come on, let's go." Law nodded and used his Devil Fruit power, creating a transparent room that extended as far as he could manage.

In an instant, he teleported them to an alley, switching their positions with two small pebbles.

Walking out of the alley, they were confronted by a crowd of terrified people, who now gazed at the two of them as if they were witnessing a natural disaster.

"Th-that's Gold haired Vance! Run!" People began to recognize them with just a glance.

"A-and the guy next to him! It's T-Trafalgar Law! The Surgeon of Death!"

Their reaction was understandable. After all, the two of them combined had racked up a bounty exceeding one hundred million, making their reputation a cause for alarm.

And normally, pirates with such high bounties weren't seen in the East Blue, as it was considered the weakest of the seas.

Vance sighed, and the people who saw it grew even more terrified, thinking they had offended him. They quickly ran away in tears.

"This is quite good, peaceful," he muttered, noticing Law snicker beside him. "Now, let's go and get our sniper."

Walking into a bar, he and Law sat down on the stools and placed some berries on the table. "Two bottles of wine, please."

"O-of course, coming right up," the lady said with a nervous sweatdrop, quickly rushing off to get their wine.

A man walked into the bar and sat down next to Vance and Law, casually leaning a large rifle against his table. He had an air of confidence as he glanced at them.

"It must be fate that brought you here," he said, his voice calm as if he were merely stating a fact.

Vance glanced to the side and saw a rather thin man, towering at around 11 feet tall. The man had light brown hair that hung down to his lower neck, and he wore glasses with a peculiar design: the left lens was a normal, rectangular eyepiece, while the right side was circular, resembling a crosshair.

The man also sported a large black hat that protruded to both sides, its shape uncannily resembling the hull of an upturned boat.

"Edward Vance, or you might know me as Gold Hair Vance," Vance introduced himself with a nod, his gaze steady on the man.

"Trafalgar Law," Law added, giving a curt nod before turning his attention back to the wine that had just arrived.

"Van Augur," he introduced himself with a nod, as if confirming the inevitable. "So, when are we leaving?" He asked, clearly aware that they had come for him and having already made up his mind to join them.

"So the little show earlier, that was a test, huh?" Edward asked, taking a sip of his wine.

Van Augur's calm expression remained unchanged. "I needed to see if you were worthy of being my captain. You passed."

"I see. Though I don't like how that came off, I'll forgive you this time," Edward replied, standing up with the wine bottle in hand.

"Take us back to the ship," he instructed. Law nodded, and in an instant, the three of them vanished from the bar as if they had never been there.

Van Augur looked at the ship in astonishment. Even though he had seen it from afar, up close, it looked like something out of the future.

"You're our sniper from now on. Also, you probably won't have much to do since we're mostly underwater, so make friends and get to know how the ship works," Vance said as they walked inside.

"Bepo, we're going," Law signaled. As he closed the door to the upper deck, the ship began to sink. The engines roared to life, and the lights turned on, illuminating the cockpit and the ship. The external lights cast a glow on the sea around them.

"Augur, you joined me on a whim, but I'll tell you one thing," Vance said, locking eyes with him. "Be ready to face the government. If you're prepared, then you're welcome to stay. If not, I'll give you a ride to the Grand Line."

They were in the cafeteria, a small area where the crew could dine in peace.

"It looks like fate wants me to have fun. Government or not, you're my captain," Augur said, nodding at Vance. His eyes conveyed his seriousness, despite his calm, unchanging expression.

"Welcome to the crew, then." Vance stood up, patted Augur on the shoulder, and walked away toward the captain's quarters.

Augur thought about how Vance had caught his bullet between his two fingers as if plucking a flower.

'He's truly a worthy man to be my captain,' he reflected, a small, thin smile appearing on his otherwise impassive face.