One Piece: Pirate Code

Aboard the Redbeard Pirates' ship, in the kitchen, William sat at the table, idly chatting with the new crew member, Nadal, who worked there. Before leaving, William casually took a few fresh vegetable leaves—precious commodities on long voyages.

Nadal glanced at him briefly but paid no mind, continuing his work.

Currently, Captain Barbarossa was growing increasingly brutal, First Mate Felton was a scoundrel who schemed with others to swindle new crew members, and Second Mate Harden was impulsive and reckless.

Among them, only William frequently took care of the newcomers, earning him the highest respect among the ship's rookie crew. Furthermore, Nadal felt especially grateful to William, who once covered his debt. Such small matters as taking a few leaves were naturally overlooked.

Finding a secluded, unoccupied corner of the ship, William retrieved a small box from his pocket. Inside was Watson, a Den Den Mushi (transponder snail) he always carried. The little creature had been confined in the box for too long. Since William couldn't let anyone see it, he hadn't been feeding it regularly, leaving the snail listless and weak.

Concerned about his only communication tool's health, William fed Watson the vegetable leaves he had just taken. Watching the snail devour the food ravenously, William fell into deep thought.

For Colonel Roy to use Barbarossa's head to atone for his crimes, the Tequila Wolf attack incident needed to be defined as his doing, proving Barbarossa's guilt as the mastermind. This truth couldn't be hidden from Arlong, who was increasingly becoming a trusted confidant of Second Lieutenant Mouse. Moreover, Roy hadn't intended to keep it a secret in the first place.

Through periodic communications, Arlong had already informed William of this development via Den Den Mushi.

For William, everything was falling into place. He could eliminate Barbarossa anytime and, through Kuro's connections, use Barbarossa's head to strike a deal with Arcadio and Roy, forming a new maritime alliance.

After all, compared to finding entirely new partners, the Redbeard Pirates were more familiar to Roy and Arcadio. It wouldn't be easy to find another crew on par with their strength.

Moreover, taking down Barbarossa would showcase William's personal capabilities to Roy and Arcadio—a critical bargaining chip for collaboration.

Before the Karlmar City incident, William had found it challenging to deal with Barbarossa. However, when Barbarossa revealed a weakness under Zeff's Red Leg attacks, William formulated a counter-strategy.

Barbarossa's Devil Fruit ability allowed him to alter his hair's hardness and density, making it as tough as steel. Without mastering the "Iron Cutting" level of swordsmanship, William found it nearly impossible to harm him.

However, after noticing the burn scar on Barbarossa's chest, William conducted an experiment. He had secretly collected some of Barbarossa's shed hair during previous battles and burned it. Surprisingly, the otherwise steel-hard hair curled and ignited like ordinary hair when exposed to fire.

Thus, William now carried two flasks of highly flammable alcohol and a lighter, specifically to counter Barbarossa's ability.

He hadn't acted against Barbarossa yet because he wanted the increasingly unhinged captain to continue alienating the crew. This way, once Barbarossa was eliminated, William could immediately gain their support.

With Barbarossa's head, control of the pirate crew, Kuro's connections, and the recent meeting with Arcadio, William had the utmost confidence he could replace Barbarossa and become the new ally of Arcadio and Roy.

Meanwhile, the battered ship of the Swordfish Pirates slowly approached the shore of a small island, drawing cheers from the crew.

Crossing the Calm Belt was a notable accomplishment for many pirates on the Grand Line.

However, the celebration didn't last long. Their top priority was to find supplies, rest, and, most critically, fresh water.

After docking, First Mate and Navigator Crusoe discussed with Captain Selkirk, suggesting they send teams to explore the island for freshwater.

Selkirk readily agreed, leaving one trusted subordinate on the ship while leading his men inland. Before leaving, he failed to notice the silent exchanges between Crusoe and some allied officers.

It wasn't until Selkirk reached the island's center that a close subordinate rushed over in panic. Selkirk hurried back to the shore, only to find the Swordfish Pirates' damaged ship setting sail.

Furious, Selkirk dove into the sea, desperately swimming toward the ship. Unfortunately, despite its damage, the ship's wind-powered movement easily outpaced human effort. Exhausted from crossing the Calm Belt, Selkirk could only watch as the gap widened.

In the end, Selkirk could only stare helplessly as Crusoe and his cohorts sailed away. He could already imagine their smug expressions on the ship.

And indeed, Crusoe was feeling quite pleased. Below deck, an old pirate who had just killed Selkirk's remaining loyalist wiped the blood from his curved blade and eagerly approached Crusoe.

"Captain... I mean, Captain, how much do you think this Devil Fruit will sell for in the East Blue?"

Crusoe gently caressed the solid iron box containing the Devil Fruit. The box had been specially crafted at Selkirk's request—sturdy and difficult to open without a key. But this didn't bother Crusoe; finding a locksmith in a nearby village was a simple matter. Now that Selkirk was no longer an obstacle, Crusoe had plenty of time to execute his plans.

"Doubling the price would be easy," Crusoe said absentmindedly. "After all, this is the weakest sea. Even a less impressive Devil Fruit ability can make someone a big shot out here."

Two days later, Selkirk and his few remaining loyalists were utterly desperate. Not only had they been abandoned by their crewmates, but their plight was worsened by their inability to find drinkable water on the island.

Without a miracle, they were doomed.

Selkirk couldn't help but laugh bitterly. He hadn't died in the Grand Line—the so-called "Pirates' Graveyard"—but now faced dying of thirst in the weakest sea, the East Blue.

Staring blankly at the horizon, Selkirk suddenly spotted a three-masted ship. He rubbed his eyes, doubting it was real. His crewmates also noticed the vessel, their lifeless expressions lighting up with hope as they shouted and waved to attract its attention.

Though worried, Selkirk figured nothing could be worse than dying hungry and thirsty on an isolated island.

A few hours later, Selkirk lay battered, parched, and injured on the pirate ship's deck, realizing just how wrong he had been.

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