Chapter 32

One night. Though it was such a short span of time, it was long enough for Deathmetal town to be laid in destruction.

The town full of spirit as Bartolomeo once quoted was now full of the aftermaths of the war between two pirate crews.

"Bartolomeo! You alright buddy?!"

Gambia, who managed to sneak his way in, was currently untying Bartolomeo. However, Bartolomeo's attention lied elsewhere, staring at Rowan, the lone standing man.

At start, Barto Club was nothing but a group that he, Gambia and Desire established together. Their goal was to spread the spirit of death metal, but upon visiting from one island to another, they got themselves in many troubles.

<Hah? Why are you punching that gramps?!>

Bartolomeo, beating down the street thugs and gangs that harmed weaker ones, simply did what he wanted to do. As the result, people, be it those gang members who changed for the good or the innocent ones, they joined the Barto Club. The size of the gang grew and spread to an extent where the members at the bottom of the ladder had no information about Bartolomeo, their leader.

Naturally, Barto Club served as vigilante corps that protected people from the pirates. People, feeling thankful, began making payments out of their will, or so Bartolomeo believed at the very least.

<Where do we even use this money?> Bartolomeo asked before, and his grandmother said back then,

Gambia suggested,

<Look! There is this thing called Gouma's... whatever gem may be, everyone wants it! So we buy it, and resell it more expensively!>

Bartolomeo and his friends didn't know back then what kind of trouble this would've brought.

<Oops. >

<AHHH!!! What have you done, Bartolomeo!!>

<Ah? >

Even when it broke, Bartolomeo didn't think seriously. The money that was spent to purchase the item and the trouble that can follow along—Bartolomeo was someone who always went with the flow. Plan? Whatever, everything worked out in the end anyway.

And just tonight, he experienced the worst day he could have experienced. The concert that he built in the past with his friends broke down. The town was destroyed. The townsfolks were forced to shut their doors and hope that nobody would come in. Desire was kidnapped and beaten—just as he was.

'What Cannibal?'

He placed his people in danger. He failed to protect them. He was weak, compared to pirates who invaded the town today.

"Oi, Bartolomeo! Are you alright? You hurt anywhere?" Gambia, placing Bartolomeo's arm around his shoulder and lifting up the latter, hurriedly started moving, "Anyway, let's go into hiding before that madman starts attacking us too!"

"...It's fine, Gambia."

Bartolomeo said dryly, placing Gambia in confusion. Bartolomeo's eyes met Rowan's, which were staring right back at him.

"He's not an enemy."

__________

"...So you're saying," Gulping in disbelief, Deuce pointed his finger at two large ships ahead of them, "All those are ours?"

Rowan nodded, "I guess so."

One was the ship of Buggy Pirates, one that they've already stole in secret. Another was the ship of Black Cat Pirates. Both ships were now left without their masters, and the rights to those ships naturally went to the victor: Rowan.

Deuce scratched the back of his head. He looked at one much smaller ship next to those two ships, Shooting Star.

"There is only three of us, and no way can we bring all of them. It's simply impossible!"

"...Impossible?"

Deuce found Nami glaring at him.

"Uh..."

"If it's impossible, make it possible!!!"

Rowan then intercepted,

"But Deuce is correct."

Nami looked at Rowan as if she's been betrayed. Rowan shrugged. Deuce, lifting up his hand, spoke up,

"Let's assume that we're bringing all of that with us. Since there's no need for us to take three ships, we'll probably selling those ships off the store somewhere. Problem is, we won't have the time to relax in Logue Town, so in order to profit out of those, we have to change our destination."

"That's why you bargain with Barto Club!"

Suddenly, Carina who was listening by side joined in.

"Most of wealth piled up in those ships are golds and heavy-weighted objects. You want to convert them into cash, right? Barto Club probably will take those in! They're rich, after all!"

"...Oh."

Deuce opened his mouth in O-shape, finding Carina's words plausible.

"Hah?" However, Nami refuted right away, "Buggy Pirates and Black Cat Pirates raided and plundered here, Barto Club's base! Where do you think all their money is at right now?!"

"In those ships," Said Rowan, to which Nami nodded.

"Exactly! So your suggestion means nothing, witch!"

Carina growled, "Who are you calling witch, witch?!"

"You, duh! Who else?!"

"Don't you have any pride as the so-called Weather Witch?!"

"T-That's..."

"Exactly!!"

Sighing, Rowan and Deuce took a step back, not wanting to get themselves involved in a feud. Turning around, they found Bartolomeo with dark bag under their eyes standing right behind them, which caused Rowan to jump in surprise.

"Gahh! What are you even doing there?!"

Deuce cried while holding his heart, "UAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

"..."

Ignoring Deuce's cry, Bartolomeo stared at Rowan. And that's when Rowan realized, that the members of Barto Club were standing some distance away from them.

"I came here to... just say thank you."

Bartolomeo had his head lowered.

"I thought and thought more, of where everything went wrong. And it was just as you said. I foolishly and thoughtlessly acted when I didn't have any strength to back it up, and placed my people in danger."

Seeing Bartolomeo, the memories of the past flashed in Rowan's mind. Though the consequences in Cocoyasi wasn't something that he brought, the feeling of helplessness—he knew very well how it felt like.

However, what happened next wasn't something that Rowan expected to see.

Bartolomeo suddenly knelt on his knees without any sense of shame. Even Nami and Carina, who were disputing against each other, stopped upon noticing the complete silence.

"What are you doing?" Rowan asked.

"I have a bounty on my head, which is 7 million! Furthermore, I am the head of Barto Club! Just because tonight's threats managed to pass by doesn't mean there won't be anymore threat in the nearby future!"

Bartolomeo grimly spoke.

"As long as I dwell here, my people won't be safe!"

Looking up, Bartolomeo looked at Rowan with a firm expression on him.

Bartolomeo could've left the island on his own. He could've tried to think of other possible solutions.

'Bartolomeo...' From afar, Gambia couldn't help but think, 'What is it that you saw in that man?'

"I..." Bartolomeo said, "In you, I saw someone who managed to overcome his weakness. I want to become someone like you, someone with willpower to protect what is yours. I want to learn from you. So please!"

He headbutted the ground.

"Let me in your crew!"

Rowan found himself cracking a light chuckle.

"I like you."

What Bartolomeo wished for was more than just being a part of Rowan's crew. Being a part of the crew meant becoming someone whom Rowan has to take care for, to treat as a part of family.

Bartolomeo becoming a part of Rowan's crew meant that Barto Club will now be placed under the Grimheart Pirates. In a sense, they will be protected under Rowan's name, and no pirate in the East Blue will dare to offend him. However, this was simply the underlying idea.

At surface, the world will come to learn this event as 'Grimheart Pirates having destroyed Barto Club.' This way, Deathmetal town will be protected. Marines may come to investigate the situation, but even this was something in plan, for marines' visits will decrease the chance of pirate invasion.

Having understood this, Rowan held his hand out to Bartolomeo.

"A man like you will be a valuable asset to my crew. But be aware, of what we aim to do."

Bartolomeo reached out for and grabbed onto Rowan's hand, as Rowan said,

"It will be a harsh journey. Our crew doesn't simply aim to enter the Grand Line and sail the wild sea. No, we aim for something much further."

Bartolomeo's eyes widened slightly as he found a cold sweat on him. However, he eventually formed a forced smile and said daringly,

"So my captain is the future King of the Pirates."

Rowan grinned as he helped Bartolomeo stand back up.

Grimheart Pirates now officially had four members—

"How can you..."

Then, a rage-filled voice was spoken from one woman at the back: Desire. She, glaring at Bartolomeo with her fists clenched tight, shouted,

"How can you do this, Bartolomeo?! Didn't we promise to reach the top together?!!"

"Desire..." Bartolomeo turned away from Desire with guilt written on him.

Desire stomped her foot and barked,

"BETRAYER!!"

she then left the scene, making the situation awkward.

...

"So back to the original topic! What do we do with those ships?"

Nami pointed at the ships while looking at Rowan. Rowan smiled,

"Take what you want inside. But the rest of them stay here. I'm not taking what I can't bring along."

"Whaaa?"

Nami, clearly disappointed, initially made puppy eyes to appeal to Rowan.

"Pleasseeee?"

"Nope."

However, upon seeing that Rowan wasn't going to change his mind, Nami pouted before rushing into the ships ahead of her.

"Can I..."

A voice was heard by the side. Rowan turned and found that Carina was asking him shyly,

"Can I take some also... hehe..."

Rowan turned to Bartolomeo and asked, "How much was she supposed to get paid for that concert?"

"Eeetto," Bartolomeo hummed, "100 thousand Beli, if I remember correctly!"

"Ah, I think I have that much."

Reaching into his pocket, Rowan took out some wrinkled-up bills, handed them to Carina and patted her on the back.

"You can have this."

Carina held onto the bills with a blank expression on her face, and Rowan simply let out a snicker.

"You grim-hearted man!!"

"Yeah yeah, that's me alright."

__________

"...They left."

Left in the beach, Gambia muttered to an elderly woman standing next to him: Bartolomeo's grandmother.

"Everything happened so sudden, grandma."

Gambia let out a dry remark.

"Just a day ago, we were still Barto Club. Funny how it takes a slight bit of time for all of us to change."

The elderly woman, making a soft smile, shook her head sideways.

"Life is unpredictable, Gambi, and look how much all of you grew up. That Barto, he reminds me of his mother every time I look at him... so passionate and so kind."

<Grandma, I... made my decision.>

The world is vast, and there is only so much that humans can live. What is life? How should a life be spent? The answer to this question was something that even she, someone who's been living for a long time, wasn't able to answer.

"Let's go back, Gambi. We have a dead fucking pile of scums to clean up, don't we?"

Therefore, the only thing that she could do is to cheer for her grandson, hoping that his choices will lead him to the goals that he seek for.

'Enjoy your adventure to the fullest, Barto.'

As if the chaos the night before was nothing but an illusion, the Deathmetal town continues its peaceful days. And a few days after, the news spreads across the East Blue,

*The Return of Grimheart Pirates!*

"Ho..."

Reading this news from the Logue Town was one white-haired man who smiled as he puffed out two cigars at once.

"So long, Grimheart."

__________

"Ah?"

Ace woke up in the middle of a roof.

"W-Wait, it's already the afternoon? What about the fight?! What happened?!"

Then, his stomach growled.

"...I need to eat something."

He checked his pocket, but to his surprise, nothing entered his grip.

"Huh...?"

Little did he know that while he was sleeping, he was pick-pocketed by a certain purple-haired girl.

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