Law was stunned.
His back and legs didn’t ache anymore — he was suddenly full of energy.
“Apprentice pirate?
Me?”
He shot up, pointing at himself in disbelief.
The three little ones also looked at Kane in confusion.
“That’s right.
You’re all too young.
You’re apprentice pirates.”
“Hey, hey, hey!
Forget about age!
We’re young, but we’re not weak!”
“Exactly!
The four of us plus Wolf fought those pirates from the Grand Line for half a day!”
“My dear Captain Kane — what kind of pirate crew does this?”
“The whole crew has only five people.
Aside from you, the captain, the other four are all apprentices.
That’s not right!”
“Shut up!” Kane barked, pointing his thumb at himself.
“My crew, my rules!”
“The little ones have to be apprentice pirates first.
You’ll become full members when you turn eighteen.”
What kind of rule was that?
In terms of independence, they could all work and support themselves.
The year of work experience in Happy Town was proof of that.
In terms of strength, they were no pushovers either.
Law — through Kane’s systematic training — had better physical conditioning than his counterpart at the same point in the original story, higher ability development, more ability uses, and solid swordsmanship.
Even without a bounty to his name, he could easily handle pirates worth over ten million, and could even take on those worth twenty to thirty million.
And with the Ope Ope no Mi’s special abilities — if he caught an opponent off guard — even pirates with higher bounties might fall before him.
Bepo and the others, in standard combat, could easily handle pirates worth a few million.
If they encountered enemies at sea, their naval combat skills gave them an even greater edge.
If it was a full moon?
Then Bepo’s enemies would be in for a world of pain.
The sumo wrestler on Swallow Island was a perfect example.
If Kane hadn’t arrived and finished him off in one shot, who knows how badly Bepo would have mauled him.
“We protest!”
“We demand full crew member benefits!”
“We should’ve never boarded this ship!
With my medical skills, I could go anywhere — or I could wait a few years and set sail as my own captain!”
THWACK!
Kane delivered a karate chop to the loudest protester — Law — silencing the three little ones with that one blow.
“Once you’re on the ship, don’t think you can just leave.
That’s an iron law of the sea — especially on my ship.”
“And what’s so bad about being an apprentice pirate?”
“You guys really don’t know anything.
All four shook their heads in unison.
“Then surely you’ve heard of Kaido.”
Bepo shook his head — then realized he was the only one who didn’t know, and immediately hung his head low, dark lines appearing across his forehead as he spiraled into self-doubt.
“Could it be…” Shachi was shocked, adjusting his slightly crooked sunglasses.
“Kaido of the Beasts…” Penguin’s eyelids twitched as he gently patted Bepo on the back.
Law broke out in a cold sweat, picking up the thread: “The legendary Emperor of the Sea.”
This was a figure far, far greater than Doflamingo.
“That’s right — the Kaido you’re thinking of.
He was also an apprentice pirate back in the day.”
Kane crossed his arms and declared loudly: “So, being an apprentice pirate isn’t something just anyone can do.”
“Your starting point is already higher than the vast majority of pirates on the sea.
It’s something they could only dream of.
Count yourselves lucky, brats!”
“This is my expectation for you.
Train hard — don’t disappoint me.”
“OHHHH!!” Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin cheered with fiery enthusiasm.
Only Law pursed his lips, turning his head away and glancing at Kane from the corner of his eye.
“If apprentice pirates are so great, why aren’t you one?”
“Because I’m the captain!”
“I have high expectations for you — and even higher ones for myself.”
Kane spread his arms high.
By coincidence, the clouds above shifted, letting a ray of sunlight fall directly on him.
“Whether it was Shanks or Kaido — the captains they served under as apprentices were stronger and more renowned than they were.”
“I want to learn from those captains — to become as powerful as them, and then surpass them!”
“The first thing to learn is the status.
So I’m the captain, and you’re all apprentice pirates.”
Law rolled his eyes and walked to the side, leaning on the railing and looking out at the sea, ignoring the self-congratulatory antics behind him.
The sea was still so blue.
The temperature was pleasant today, the sea breeze gentle.
A patch of green rose from the blue surface, followed by a large expanse of brown and yellow.
It was an island.
Land.
“Everyone — we’ve arrived!”
“Hohaha!
Here we go — the first stop of our adventure.”
Shachi and Penguin gripped their weapons tightly.
Bepo shook off his earlier gloom, full of spirit.
“Shachi, Penguin — take the bounty posters.
Check them carefully.
Law handles the recording.”
“If you spot any pirates with bounties, write them down immediately.
We need money!”
“Bepo — take the helm.
Bring the Polar Submarine in.”
“Aye, Captain!” They answered loudly, turning to prepare.
But they’d barely taken a step before stopping, looking a bit awkward.
“Captain… This story is hosted at novelping.com.
can we change the ship’s name?
It’s so…
corny.”
“Uh…” That was a fair point.
The name really wasn’t great.
It lacked presence.
But Wolf had named it.
It was his ship.
Changing it abruptly felt inappropriate.
Wait — no.
The ship had been given to him.
He would be the one to carry this vessel — which embodied the old man’s adventurous spirit — across the world.
Changing the name was reasonable enough.
“Alright.
Let’s change it.”
The moment he said that, Law’s voice immediately followed.
“How about Polar Submarine?”
Hah — looks like this kid had already planned it out.
He’d even come up with the name — just like in the original story.
“Awesome!”
“Amazing!”
“Cool!”
The three little ones nodded in approval, showering it with praise.
Law’s lips curled up, squinting as he secretly watched Kane.
Seeing this rare, adorable side of him made Kane chuckle.
He agreed.
Once they got ashore, he’d find a Den Den Mushi with a camera function.
He’d have to document these moments.
He had to make the most of this time — in a couple of years, the kids would be all grown up.
Amidst laughter and chatter, the Polar Submarine accelerated, drawing closer and closer to land.
North Blue — Dark Sail Island.
Under the clear sky, the harbor was in full swing.
Countless ships lined the shore, loading and unloading cargo without pause.
The sounds of vendors hawking, dockworkers’ chants, and drunkards’ laughter and curses intertwined.
The streets were packed with people, bustling with activity.
The brighter the sunlight, the sharper the shadows.
In the depths of the town, at a street corner, the sound of dragging chains echoed from time to time.
Lines of people with wooden expressions stood in long queues — each person staggering as if they might collapse at any moment.
Among them were some with severe injuries but fierce eyes — also shackled, their faces written with defiance.
Looking toward the front of the line, a bloodstained pirate flag was draped over the head of the person at the head of the queue.
Nearby merchants glanced coldly.
Passing pirates let out dismissive snickers, pointing and jeering at the bloodstained flag-bearing line.
A burly man in a coat, wearing a blue rabbit-ear hat, pushed through the crowd.
People scrambled to get out of his way — because on his coat was a highly recognizable emblem: the “No Smiling” pattern.
That was the pirate flag of the Donquixote Family.