On the East Blue Sea.
Setting sail for adventure sounded exciting in theory, but in reality, life at sea was often dull.
At first, the endless stretch of blue water felt vast and awe inspiring.
However, after staring at it for days without change, even that beauty became monotonous.
The East Blue was especially stable, with calm waters and well established trade routes.
Merchant ships rarely encountered storms or danger.
Under the strict oversight of Smoker, Marine discipline in the East Blue had improved significantly.
Pirate activity had been suppressed to the point where encounters were rare.
On top of that, Monkey D.
Garp occasionally lingered in these waters, further discouraging any reckless pirates.
Because of this, Light and Zoro’s journey had been uneventful so far.
On the deck of a merchant ship, Roronoa Zoro leaned lazily against the mast, holding a flask as he took occasional sips.
Not far from him, Light was doing something far less ordinary.
Instead of standing on deck, he had lowered the anchor chain and positioned himself just above the sea.
One hand gripped the chain firmly while the other was submerged in the water.
If someone observed closely, they would notice a faint, ominous force gathering around his submerged hand, a dark power that seemed to draw everything inward.
Zoro watched for a while before walking to the railing.
Looking down, he frowned.
“Why are you acting like a child, playing with water again?”
Light glanced up at him with clear disdain.
“Playing with water?
You really understand nothing.
This is my trump card.”
So far, Light had not developed any overwhelming attack techniques with the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
The darkness itself did not feel naturally destructive in his hands.
The real issue was his own current strength.
There were ideas he had in mind, but without time and proper development, they remained incomplete.
With the possibility of encountering Portgas D.
Ace or Marshall D.
Teach, Light knew he could not afford to be careless.
Instead of chasing flashy attacks, he focused on mastering the devouring aspect of his ability.
That ability was simple and reliable.
The darkness could swallow anything it touched, storing it within a void, then releasing it all at once when needed.
Light had already used it to carry supplies, eliminating the need for luggage during their travels.
But recently, a new idea had taken shape.
If the darkness could devour objects, then why not devour the sea itself?
Since that realization, Light had spent his spare time testing the concept.
He continuously drew seawater into his dark space, storing it in massive quantities.
At the right moment, he could release it all in an instant.
The result would be overwhelming, a sudden surge of seawater powerful enough to drown opponents or disrupt entire battlefields.
Against a Devil Fruit user like Ace, who possessed the Flame-Flame Fruit, such a move could be devastating if used at the right time. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
It would also be effective against someone like Crocodile, whose sand abilities were vulnerable to water.
As Light considered these possibilities, his expression grew more focused.
Seeing him distracted, Zoro spoke again.
“Stay focused.
If you fall into the sea, I am not jumping in to save you.
Devil Fruit users are useless in water, right?”
Light snapped out of his thoughts and smirked.
“Relax.
I am not like the others.”
His situation was unique.
Unlike normal Devil Fruit users, Light did not suffer from the ocean’s curse.
He had already tested this multiple times.
Whether it was seawater or even contact with Seastone, there had been no weakening effect on him.
It was as if the rules of this world did not fully apply to him.
Because of that, his plan carried no risk to himself.
In fact, this made his ability even more dangerous.
What was a fatal weakness for others had become a weapon in his hands.
Light let out a quiet chuckle.
In a way, it felt like he had formed a contract with the sea itself.
Zoro, seeing his confidence, dropped the topic and asked something else.
“By the way, what did Master tell you before we left?”
At the mention of that moment, Light’s expression stiffened.
He remembered how emotional he had been, how sincere he had acted.
It only made the memory more irritating.
Grinding his teeth slightly, Light replied, “Master said he has connections.
If we ever cause trouble we cannot handle, we should say we are his disciples and let him deal with it.”
Zoro blinked, surprised.
“I did not expect that from him.
He always seemed so gentle, but he is reliable when it matters.”
“Exactly,” Light said without hesitation.
“So feel free to cause trouble.”
Zoro nodded seriously, clearly taking those words to heart.
After a brief silence, he asked another question.
“When are we heading to the Grand Line?
I want to meet the world’s greatest swordsman.”
Light shook his head.
“You really do not think things through.
Do you plan to reach the Grand Line on a merchant ship?
“Of course not,” Zoro replied immediately.
“That would be too slow.
We need our own ship.”
Light looked at him and asked, “Can you sail?
Do you know navigation?
Do you even have a ship?”
Zoro fell silent for a moment before answering honestly.
“No.
What about you?”
Light coughed lightly.
“That was luck before.
We cannot rely on that again.
Right now, we need two things, a ship and a skilled navigator.”
Zoro crossed his arms.
“So what is the plan?”
Light pulled his hand from the sea and climbed back onto the deck with Zoro’s help.
“As far as I know, there is a place along this route called Cocoyasi Village.
It produces excellent oranges that are popular across the East Blue.
More importantly, it is controlled by the Arlong Pirates, currently the most notorious pirate crew in these waters.”
Zoro raised an eyebrow.
“And?”
“Their ship,” Light said calmly, “should be more than suitable for our needs.
They came from the Grand Line, so their vessel has already proven its worth.
I plan to take it.”
Zoro stared at him.
“So you are just robbing pirates?”
Light shook his head, his tone firm.
“Wrong.
I am removing a threat to the East Blue and maintaining order.
That is a justified action.”
Then he added, “Besides, there is also a highly capable navigator in that village.
I intend to recruit her.”
Zoro narrowed his eyes.
“You seem to know a lot.”
Light simply patted his shoulder with a faint smile.
“I have my own sources.
You should not worry about such things.”