Chapter 76 : Drake!!

After entering the North Sea, the most noticeable change was the stability of both the climate and the sea currents. 

The sky no longer shifted from clear skies one moment to torrential rain the next, only to suddenly turn into a blizzard. 

The sea no longer changed unpredictably. Even if the ship had been sailing straight ahead, a moment of inattention could cause the direction to suddenly shift.

The sailing conditions could be described as going from hell to heaven.

Of course, there were still some inconveniences.

While sailing in the New World, a single Log Pose was enough, and the ship could simply follow the direction indicated by it. 

However, in the Four Seas, the magnetic field had returned to normal. Both the Log Pose and the Record Pose were useless, so the only way to navigate was with a proper compass and a sea chart. 

In a sense, this might test the ability of the navigator even more. 

Of course, the navigator aboard the Winged Dragon was top-tier. While they might not be as skilled as Nami, they were certainly among the best you could find on the market. 

Even though it had been years since they had sailed in the Four Seas, navigating in the peaceful North Sea was still not a difficult task.

The only troublesome thing was that the port city of Spider Miles, where the Donquixote family was located, was still some distance from the calm belt, meaning it would take at least half a month to sail there. 

The problem wasn't the time it would take to sail, but rather the length of time involved—someone was starting to get cranky.

"So boring!!"

Yamato sat unhappily on the edge of the ship, her scream even scaring off seagulls flying overhead.

Ian was not surprised. In fact, after sailing for almost half a month, it was only now that Yamato started complaining about boredom. Ian felt like she was making progress.

"Ian! Do something!"

In the next moment, the white-haired girl rushed over, grabbing Ian's hand with a pleading look. "I'm going to die of boredom!"

Sitting in the shadow of the ship's cabin, flipping through a book, Ian raised his hand and pinched her face.

The face of the growing girl no longer had as much baby fat, and it wasn't as soft as before, but probably due to her Devil Fruit ability, it felt cool to the touch. Despite being frequently beaten up by Kaido, her skin remained smooth, as delicate as a baby's.

All in all, it was still quite pleasant to pinch.

"If you can't even endure the loneliness of the sea, maybe being a pirate isn't for you."

Yamato didn't mind having her face pinched. Instead, she reached out to pinch Ian's face, grabbing his nose and pulling it up to stop him from breathing through his nostrils. She mumbled, "But it's so boring!"

"Well, Miss Yamato..."

At this moment, Babanuki suddenly interjected, "A pirate ship has been spotted in the waters ahead."

"Oh!"

Yamato immediately sprang to her feet, her face lighting up with excitement as she looked toward the waters ahead.

Ian also stood up.

There really was a ship.

Although it was still far away and hard to make out, the flag hanging from the mast definitely seemed to be a pirate flag.

There really was one.

To be honest, encountering a pirate ship on the sea isn't much more likely than finding money just lying around, even though there are countless rogue pirates scattered across the ocean.

"Haha! Finally, a chance to have some fun!"

Yamato cheered loudly and without hesitation, jumped off the deck.

As a person with Devil Fruit powers, her jumping into the sea would likely make anyone wonder if something was wrong with her mind.

Of course, Yamato's mind might not be the sharpest, but she wasn't an idiot either.

Before she even fell to the sea, Yamato had already used her air-walking ability to launch herself back into the air, elegantly gliding toward the pirate ship in the distance.

"Yamato really loves to have fun, doesn't she?" 

Black Maria smiled as she watched Yamato eagerly leap away.

I don't think she's just going off to have fun, though. Well, the purpose is indeed to have fun, but still.

"I'll go check it out. You guys can take your time getting here."

Ian said.

Though the North Sea doesn't have many powerful figures, that doesn't mean Yamato is invincible in this area.

What if...?

Ian sprang into the air, using his moonwalk technique to chase after Yamato's retreating figure.

...

Drake is a pirate.

But he never wanted to be one.

His original name should have been Diez Drake.

But he never liked that surname.

At seventeen, he was already a man, yet still small, like a child barely over ten years old.

It was as if a mountain had been pressing down on him, stunting his growth and preventing him from maturing.

"Hey! Drake! What are you standing around for? Can't you see the deck is dirty? Clean it up!"

On the pirate ship's deck, a man sitting in a large chair shouted at Drake, who was huddling in a corner.

Drake remained silent. He simply stood up, grabbed the mop beside him, and began diligently cleaning the deck.

"Is this really your son, Captain?"

One of the pirates on the deck couldn't help but mock Drake, who remained silent. "Timid, overly merciful, not a trace of your good qualities in him!"

Good qualities?

Drake sneered inwardly.

"If it weren't for the fact that he looked exactly like me when I was a kid, I'd wonder if this stupid son of mine is even mine!"

The captain, Diez Barrels, wore a disappointed expression, "He used to say he wanted to follow my example when he was little. Now look at him. This sorry state... I almost wish I had thrown him against the wall back then!"

The deck erupted into laughter.

But Drake just pursed his lips.

He still looked up to his father.

Only, he looked up to the version of his father who had been a Navy Officer.

Drake had never imagined that one day his most respected Navy father would betray the Navy and become a pirate, committing every kind of evil.

Since that day, Drake had never grown taller; he remained stuck in that moment, forever.

"Hahaha, don't mind that annoying little brat!" 

A pirate laughed loudly.

"Captain, let's find a city to raid next! It's been so long since we let off some steam!" 

"Of course!" 

Barrels didn't care at all. "I've been holding back for too long!"

"Oh! Long live the captain!" 

Cheers erupted from the deck.

Drake remained silent, his grip tightening on the mop handle in his hands.

But at this moment—

"Haha! How lively!" 

A girl's voice suddenly echoed from the sky. "Hello there!"

The pirates looked up in shock.

Where did she come from?

Weren't they in the middle of the ocean?

The carefree pirates hadn't noticed the giant ship approaching from behind.

"She's floating in the air!!"

One pirate suddenly screamed.

In the sky, a white-haired girl casually bounced around, stepping on the air with a series of *bang bang bang* sounds.

"..." 

Barrels, the captain, suddenly froze. His expression shifted drastically, his pupils nearly shrinking to needle-point size. "Moon Walk! Rokushiki!"

As a former Marine Officer, he wasn't proficient in Rokushiki, but he recognized it immediately.

"Are you a Marine or CP?!"

Marine?

Drake immediately looked up.

"Me?" 

Yamato gently landed on the ship's railing, grinning. "I'm Yamato, and I'm here to take you down."

CP?

Barrels immediately jumped to conclusions.

Was a small-time Marine Officer like him really a target that warranted this level of response?

But no matter what, there was only one thing he could do now.

"Fight!!"

Barrels roared. "Take her down!"

He did not look down on Yamato just because of her young age.

After all, anyone who could master the Six Powers could be considered a superhuman.

The pirates immediately drew their weapons, aiming their blades and guns directly at Yamato. Those holding guns already had their fingers on the triggers, ready to fire at any moment.

"Heh heh!" 

Yamato grinned, showing her small white teeth, looking a bit silly.

However, the pirates couldn't bring themselves to laugh at her foolish appearance.

Because at that moment, a violent aura erupted from the girl, roaring out like a beast. In the blink of an eye, it overwhelmed most of the pirates on the deck.

The rest, even those who hadn't fallen to the ground frothing at the mouth, staggered and couldn't stay on their feet. Even Barrels himself was forced to stumble backward, feeling his body weaken.

Drake was also shaken by Yamato's overwhelming presence, collapsing onto the ground. But his face showed nothing but pure astonishment.

So powerful, so brave! 

No wonder she's from the Navy!

"Conqueror's Haki!!"

Barrels's face immediately turned pale.

Not only had she mastered the Six Powers at this age, but she also possessed Conqueror's Haki, and so skillfully too. Whether in the Navy or the CP, she would surely be regarded as a monster!

This is bad! 

We're doomed!

At this moment...

"Please, let me join you!" 

Drake, disregarding his aching body, scrambled forward, desperately looking up at Yamato. His face showed an almost fanatical expression, "I'm Drake! X. Drake! Please take me with you!"

"Eh?" 

Yamato blinked, looking down at Drake, who was crawling toward her.

"You said your name is Drake?"

Ian suddenly dropped from the sky, landing beside Yamato. He looked at Drake, intrigued.

What a coincidence?

"Ian," Yamato said in surprise, "Did you hear what he said?"

Drake froze when he saw Ian, "I... Ian?"

That name... 

That person...

Barrels turned as pale as a ghost, his body trembling like a leaf in the wind. He collapsed to the ground with a thud, "The... the Ian the Skyfire"

Ian looked down at Drake, smiling, "You want to join us, join the Beasts Pirates?"

**********

Support me on my patreon and read upto 15 early chapters.

patreon.com/PirateKing24