Chapter 12: Shame and Revelation

The Sans-cœur galleon began making noise as it proudly paraded before I quickly stored it in my shadow, along with its entire crew. Mission accomplished, I quickly dove into the water, using the waves to discreetly make my way back to the Excalibur. Once on board, I silently pulled myself onto the deck, checking to make sure no one had seen me. I needed to change quickly before anyone caught me in my "Shadow Spirit" dark outfit.

I hastily stripped off my black clothes, awkwardly hiding them behind my back, when suddenly I heard a noise behind me.

"What are you doing?" asked a voice in disbelief.

I froze. It was Nami.

I slowly turned around, desperately trying to hide my crumpled dark clothes behind me, but it was too late. Nami, arms crossed, was staring at me with a suspicious look, her eyes moving from my face to the dark outfit I was trying so hard to conceal.

"You know, usually people hide their, um, parts... not their clothes," she said with a mocking smile, her gaze dropping to my soaked boxer shorts, which were pretty much on full display.

I blushed instantly, heat rushing to my cheeks. I had no idea where to look or what to do with my hands. "Uh..." I stammered, hesitating between covering my boxer shorts or continuing to hide my dark clothes.

Nami stepped closer, her expression even more perplexed. "So, what were you doing, exactly?"

I nervously clutched my black clothes, awkwardly trying to hide them behind my back, even though I knew it was pointless. "Nothing special... just, you know... a little midnight swim?" I replied, attempting an innocent smile despite the situation.

Nami narrowed her eyes, clearly unconvinced. "Really? In such... discreet attire?" she replied, raising an eyebrow. "And you take a bath fully dressed in black?"

I scratched my head, trying to think of an excuse. "Well... it was... cold, so I thought... you know..."

She kept staring at me, more and more skeptical, while I fumbled between hiding my dark clothes or covering my boxer shorts. The embarrassment was rising, and I could feel my face growing redder and redder. I tried desperately to maintain my composure, but the situation was only getting worse.

And that's when Luffy, true to himself, decided to intervene.

"Hey, Jordan!" he called out cheerfully, strolling toward us with a carefree step. "So, did you manage to clean up some pirates tonight?" Then, he stopped and looked at me, his grin widening. "And why are you in your underwear?"

My stomach instantly tightened. I slowly turned to Luffy, my eyes wide with panic. "Luffy!" I hissed through clenched teeth. He had just blown my excuse wide open, and of course, he had no clue.

Nami, who had been looking perplexed until now, furrowed her brows and crossed her arms, her gaze shifting between me and Luffy. "Cleaning up pirates?" she repeated, clearly intrigued.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, realizing I was trapped. "Thanks, captain," I muttered in a weary tone, while Luffy kept looking at me with that beaming smile, completely unaware of the chaos he'd just caused.

Nami, now more curious than ever, stepped closer. "Alright, spill it. What exactly did you do?" she asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

I sighed deeply, straightening up a bit but still trying to awkwardly keep my dark clothes hidden behind me, as if it still mattered. Before mentally cursing myself and storing them in my inventory, though Nami had briefly seen them.

"Alright, alright..." I finally said, giving in a little. "I spent the night tracking and... let's say, 'neutralizing' some pirates."

Nami's eyes widened, clearly surprised. "Neutralizing?"

"Yeah, well... I made them... disappear," I said, hesitating to reveal too many details, especially since she hadn't officially joined the crew yet. "And... I also rescued three women who were being held captive by a particularly nasty captain. I healed them and helped them escape on a boat so they could get home."

Nami blinked, her expression shifting from skepticism to surprise. She seemed to process the information for a moment, and then a sincere smile appeared on her lips.

"You saved three women?" she asked softly, her eyes glimmering slightly.

I nodded, feeling the situation become a bit less awkward. "Yes. They were in pretty bad shape, but I healed them, and... they're safe now."

Nami stayed quiet for a moment, then smiled. "Are you sure you're a pirate?" she asked, laughing softly, her eyes filled with gratitude.

I blushed even more, trying to regain some dignity. "I... I do my best," I replied, attempting modesty, though still embarrassed by my outfit—or lack thereof.

Luffy, of course, noticed none of my discomfort and burst out laughing. "Jordan, you're really weird sometimes!"

I could only sigh at that, but at least Nami seemed more amused than annoyed.

I rushed to the cabin to put on normal clothes, my heart still racing from the embarrassment I had just experienced with Nami and Luffy. But as soon as I grabbed a shirt, I began to hear shouts of panic coming from the harbor. I frowned, pulling the shirt over my head before hurrying to the door to listen to what was happening outside.

The harbor, usually so calm at this hour of the night, was in chaos. Shouts echoed from all directions, and I could hear hurried footsteps on the docks, boots clattering against the wood of the piers.

"But where's Igor gone?" yelled a pirate, his voice distorted by panic. "He was here just a while ago, and now... he's vanished!"

"Same for Jack and Victor! They were on watch, and I haven't seen them for hours!" another shouted, running frantically between the boats.

"I'm telling you, Igor's boat!" cried a pale pirate, his hands trembling. "It started producing... dark things... things I've never seen before!"

"Yeah, and there were red lanterns moving by themselves on the deck!" added another pirate, his eyes wide. "They were spinning around like they had a life of their own!"

The first pirate nodded frantically. "Exactly! It wasn't natural. Like the whole ship was... possessed or something! And then..." He paused, swallowing hard. "Then it all vanished. The ship just... disappeared."

The pirates exchanged worried glances, clearly terrified by what they had seen before I stored the galley in my shadow.

"What does that mean?" one of them asked, his voice trembling. "What is this crap?"

But the panic didn't stop there. Another group of pirates came running from the docks, visibly even more shaken.

"Marlo's ship!" shouted a man drenched in sweat. "Marlo's ship is completely empty! There's no one left on board!"

The gathered pirates exchanged confused looks, some moving closer to listen.

"What do you mean, empty?" one asked, his voice uncertain.

"I'm telling you, everyone's gone!" the pirate replied, his eyes wide with terror. "Marlo, his crew... they've all vanished. It's like they evaporated into thin air! Not a single man on board."

A terrified murmur spread among the sailors, the panic growing in their ranks.

"Men disappearing without a trace..." one pirate whispered. "That's not natural. It's gotta be the work of something supernatural."

Another nodded gravely. "I've always said Igor was asking for trouble with the way he acted. That guy killed, stole, tortured... it was bound to catch up to him eventually."

"We're all in the same boat when it comes to that, what are you talking about?" a still-skeptical pirate asked.

"Ghosts!" the man responded firmly. "It's gotta be vengeful ghosts! There's no other explanation! Did you see how the shadows moved on Igor's ship? And now Marlo and his crew are gone, and Igor's ship has disappeared... it's obvious. They came for Marlo and his men for all the bad things they've done."

"Vengeful ghosts..." another pirate murmured, shaking his head in disbelief.

But the rumors quickly took root. The mention of vengeful ghosts spread from mouth to mouth, and more and more eyes turned toward the dock where the galley had been seen. Even though I had already stored it in my shadow, the sailors were convinced they had witnessed something inexplicable.

"We need to get out of here!" one pirate yelled, his voice shaking. "If vengeful ghosts can wipe out an entire crew, who knows what they'll do to all of us?!"

"Yeah! We should set sail before they come for us!" shouted another, sprinting toward his own ship.

Within minutes, the rumor had infected the entire harbor. Some pirates were already rushing to their ships to flee, while others remained frozen, their legs paralyzed with fear. But all of them were now convinced that something strange and terrifying was happening that night.

From my discreet position aboard the Excalibur, I watched the panic spread like wildfire. I couldn't help but smile slightly as I overheard their speculation about vengeful ghosts.

The pirates, panicked by the rumors of vengeful ghosts and the strange events of the night, began to leave the island in droves, their ships speeding away from the harbor. Chaos had taken hold of them, but two ships remained, their crews unshaken, seemingly confident in their strength. These two crews belonged to captains who proudly bore bounties of 8 and 10 million berries on their heads, and they seemed determined not to give in to fear.

I turned to Luffy, a sly grin on my face. "Captain, wanna help me finish up the cleanup?"

Luffy burst out laughing, clearly excited by the prospect of another fight. "No problem, this is gonna be fun!" he shouted joyfully before charging toward the two remaining captains.

I leaped off the Excalibur's deck and landed gracefully on the dock, facing about twenty pirates still there, ready to defend their leaders. They brandished their weapons, but I could see in their eyes that they weren't as confident as they wanted to appear.

I moved into the fray smoothly, dodging their attacks with ease. One pirate, armed with a rusty saber, tried to strike me, but I disarmed him with a simple chop to the hand, sending him sprawling to the ground. Another rushed at me with a club, but I ducked just in time, striking him in the throat with my fingers, knocking him out instantly. I weaved through them with agility, striking here, dodging there, and within minutes, most of the crew lay unconscious on the dock.

Meanwhile, Luffy was facing off against the two captains with his usual energy. The captain with the 8 million bounty, a large, scruffy man, charged at him with a loud, arrogant laugh, his sword raised above his head. "I'm gonna crush you, brat!" he roared, confident.

But Luffy, always unfazed, just smiled. "Gum-Gum... PISTOL!" His arms stretched in a flash, and before the captain could even react, Luffy had slammed him square in the face with devastating force. The captain was sent flying backward, crashing through a stack of crates before landing heavily on the ground, completely knocked out.

The second captain, the one with the 10 million berry bounty, stood still for a moment, watching his comrade lying on the ground before gritting his teeth and charging at Luffy with a huge axe. "You're gonna pay for that!" he roared, bringing his axe down on Luffy.

But Luffy easily dodged the attack, his body stretching effortlessly. "Too slow!" he said with a laugh before preparing his next move. "Gum-Gum... BAZOOKA!"

Both of his arms shot forward, slamming into the captain's chest with such force that the man was sent flying backward, crashing into the hull of his own ship before slumping to the ground, unconscious.

Meanwhile, the remaining pirates were still trying to take me down, but their efforts were futile. I knocked them out one by one with precise, fluid movements. One pirate tried to attack me from behind, but I quickly spun around, landing a blow to his gut that made him double over before I knocked him out with a sharp elbow to the head. The last pirate standing raised his hands in surrender before falling to his knees.

I straightened up, calmly wiping the sweat from my forehead, then turned to Nami, who was watching the scene, clearly impressed. I gave her a sly smile. "Nami, don't you have a few ships to relieve of their treasure?"

Her eyes lit up instantly, practically sparkling with a berry symbol. "Oh, absolutely..." she murmured before darting toward the 10-million-berry captain's galley, already imagining the loot she was about to collect.

Meanwhile, Luffy, still full of energy, clapped his hands together joyfully. "That was easy! We should do this more often!" he said with a laugh, clearly proud of himself.

I stood up, wiping another bead of sweat from my brow as Luffy looked around, observing the pirates sprawled on the ground. "You can go check on Nami, captain, make sure there aren't any pirates left on the ship," I said, giving him a knowing look.

Luffy gave me a smile, but his expression became a bit more serious. "One day, you'll have to tell me your secret, Jordan," he said, curiosity tinged with a hint of trust in his voice.

I bit my lip slightly. Luffy had this gift of accepting things without asking too many questions, but he deserved an explanation. "Wait, you're right, Luffy..." I replied, my voice trembling slightly with the emotion of the moment. "Watch."

Luffy stood with his arms crossed, watching the scene without moving, but with a focused expression. His eyes showed no fear or rejection, only a curiosity mixed with acceptance. It was one of the qualities I respected most about him.

I straightened up and turned to him, my face more serious. "I prefer to gain my Sans-cœur in dungeons, where I can control them more easily... but there will come a day when the number of these creatures will be essential for what we want to accomplish. Don't you think so, Luffy?"

He took a moment, his eyes fixed on the transformed pirate, before turning his gaze back to me. Then, he smiled softly, his usual carefree expression slightly muted by a hint of gravity. "Do what you have to do, Jordan," he said calmly. "If it's for your dream, I get it. Everyone has their path. I'll support you, no matter what it involves."

His words hit me harder than I had expected. A weight I had been carrying for so long seemed to lift. I nodded, whispering a barely audible "Thank you," my voice breaking with emotion.

Luffy turned with a smile, his face relaxed again. "I'm gonna join Nami." Then he joyfully dashed toward the ship.

I watched him go, a quiet smile on my lips, before turning back to focus on my task. It was time to finish the job. I started transforming the rest of the pirates, one by one, the shadows multiplying under my command. I gained a few Rhapsodies Bleues by transforming the gunmen, as well as a Requiem Vert from converting a ship's doctor. But the majority of the pirates turned into simple Ombres, weak but useful in numbers.

I then approached the two unconscious captains. The first one, the 8-million bounty captain, lay near the edge of the dock, still unconscious after Luffy's devastating attack. I tightened my grip on the Keyblade, feeling the darkness within it respond to my call. I plunged the blade into his heart, and immediately, his body started to convulse.

Shadows escaped from his body, rising into the air before concentrating into a massive form. The captain began to grow, his shape transforming before my eyes into a gigantic black creature with glowing blue eyes: a Darkside that joined my shadow, followed by a Simili Assassin that fused with my Keyblade, adding a new design to the keychain.

I moved on to the 10-million bounty captain, who lay a few steps away, half-buried under debris. "Let's see what you'll become," I murmured, plunging my Keyblade into his heart. This time, the energy that flowed out was different, more structured, more menacing.

His body reconfigured into an Armure Gardienne, a massive creature completely covered in dark, sinister armor. Its blue eyes gleamed beneath its imposing helmet, and it stood tall before me, motionless but ready to obey. At the same time, two Similis Assassins emerged from the shadows around him, their movements quick and silent. They moved toward me, before transforming into two small orbs of light that attached themselves to my keychain, slightly altering the shape of my Keyblade.

Maybe I'll get to wield dual Keyblades one day, I thought with a smile.

(Author's note: I hope you're enjoying this type of fanfic. Thank you for your support^^)