Author's Note:-
Hey guys, sorry for the late update. I had actually planned to post this chapter around 10 days ago, but my laptop ran into some issues. After that, a few things happened that kept me busy, so I couldn't finish and upload it on time.
Thank you for being patient and continuing to support the story. I really appreciate it.
I hope you all enjoy the next chapter, because we are finally entering the canon storyline. Things are about to get exciting.
As always, thank you for reading!
[Note:
" * " : Indicates abilities that can be upgraded with practice, experience, or unique opportunities.]
> System inner voice ["speaking"] <
> Ash inner speech "speaking" <
{}
Ash walked few steps behind while Lucy, Uta, Selina, and Ace jogged ahead, laughing softly as the path opened into the clearing.
Dadan's hide out came into view — the same crooked walls, same smoke rising from the chimney, but the loud voices inside seemed silent.
Ash could guess why, he smiled faintly, remembering this scene from his past life's memories of the canon.
Lucy and Ace stopped at the doorway, peeking in. "Hey! You guys not even gonna see us off?" Lucy called out.
Dadan's back was turned. She didn't move. Didn't even look over her shoulder.
Ash just stood there quietly, watching. He already knew what was coming.
When no one answered, Lucy grinned and said, "Well, thanks for everything!"
She waved cheerfully, turning to leave… then stopped mid-step.
She looked back inside. "Hey, Dadan… you know, I hate mountain bandits."
That made the whole room freeze. A few of Dadan's men looked over, wide-eyed.
Then came the roar.
"SHUT UP AND LEAVE ALREADY, YOU BRAT!" Dadan barked, still facing away from them, shoulders tense.
Lucy just laughed, her grin never fading. "Shi shi shi… but I like you guys."
Dadan tried to hide her face; voice cracking slightly tears flowing from her eyes which she tried to not show while quickly wiping it away with hand kerchief. "Don't say dumb stuff like that, brat. Get lost already, damn you!"
Her crew smiled quietly, watching their boss fail miserably at hiding how soft she'd gotten.
Dadan hiccupped, muttering under her breath, "Tch… you damn brats… just leave before I change my mind…"
Lucy nodded, her voice warm. "Bye, Dadan."
Uta, Ace, and Selina each waved and followed after her down the path.
Ash stayed behind.
He stepped closer, then — before anyone could react — wrapped his arms around Dadan from behind.
Her whole body went stiff. The bandits froze.
"I don't know how having a mother feels like," Ash said softly, resting his forehead against her shoulder. "But to me and even to the girls… you're no less important than having one."
Dadan's eyes widened. Her hands trembled, and for a second, she didn't know what to do. Then she slowly turned and hugged him back, tears falling freely.
"Just… stay safe, you brats," she muttered, voice rough.
Ash laughed quietly. "Look out for us, Dadan. The world has no idea what it's about to deal with. And don't worry — I won't let anything happen to the girls."
Dadan sniffed, laughing softly as she nodded without speaking. Her crew came closer, shaking Ash's hand one by one wishing him luck and safe journey.
He hugged her one last time before stepping back. "Goodbye, Dadan."
"Yeah, yeah, now scram already!" she barked, though her voice was thick with emotion.
Ash smiled and ran after the girls, the sound of Dadan and her crew yelling after them fading behind him.
By the time Ash reached the docks, nearly half of Foosha had already gathered around the girls. Even Mayor Woopslap and Makino were there among the crowd.
Makino stood near the edge with a small basket and handed it to the group. "A little something for the trip," she said with a warm smile.
Lucy immediately grabbed one, unwrapping it before Makino even finished speaking. "Thanks, Makino!"
Before she could take a bite, Ace bonked her and tried to take it from her. "Oi, at least pretend to have manners, you glutton! And it's for all of us."
"Hey! That hurt!" Lucy puffed her cheeks, turning away while clutching the snack like a dragon guarding treasure.
Ash arrived just in time to see the exchange, laughing as he caught his breath.
The villagers gathered closer, cheering and calling out to them.
"Good luck, brats!"
"Stay safe out there!"
"We wanna see your names out there!"
"Bring back stories, alright?"
Ash stepped out of the crowd with a smile and walked up to Makino. She hugged him without hesitation, and he returned it just as warmly.
"So, you're all really setting sail, huh?" she said softly. "I'm going to miss you guys."
Mayor Woopslap came forward, grumbling, "You brats, going off to become pirates! You'll bring shame to the village! And that old bastard isn't even here when he's needed."
Ash laughed. "We love you too, old man Woopslap."
The mayor frowned deeper at that, though Ash could tell the old man was just caring for them in his own way.
Lucy couldn't hold it in anymore. She raised her hand high and shouted, "Alright, everyone! Time to go! Next time you see us, we'll be famous!"
"More like infamous," Ace muttered with a smirk.
Ash chuckled, stepping onto the small ship after the girls. "Alright, everyone, get ready. Raise the sails," he said, taking hold of the wheel and giving it a twirl.
The ropes were loosened, the sails lifted, and with one gentle push from the tide, the boat began to drift forward.
Makino waved from the dock, her voice carrying over the waves. "Take care, all of you!"
Uta turned and waved back. "We will!" she called out — joined by Lucy, Ace, and Selina, who waved excitedly at the villagers, with Makino and Woopslap smiling and waving from the dock.
Uta, Lucy, Ace, and Selina kept waving as they drifted farther from the docks while Ash steered them off the island.
Just a few minutes out, every one of their expressions shifted. Their Observation Haki flared for a second.
Five pairs of eyes turned toward the waters in front of their ship, each with the same mischievous smirk.
Selina's lips curved knowingly. "Well, well… look who else is coming to send us off."
The sea rumbled as bubbles rose.
Then, with a massive splash, the Lord of the Coast burst out of the water right in front of their ship.
The villagers gasped in horror. Some screamed at them to steer away. But Makino only smiled faintly, arms crossed, knowing they could handle themselves.
The giant Sea King roared — a deep, guttural sound that shook the air—only to choke halfway through as a massive burst of seawater shaped like a hand clamped over its mouth.
The roar stopped instantly.
It froze, blinking, trembling. Slowly, it turned its massive head…
—and its eyes met them.
Ash, looking calmly from the helm, tilting his head with a grin.
Lucy cracking her knuckles.
Ace tipping her hat, that usual confident smirk on her lips.
Selina twirling her staff lazily as it materialized in her hand.
And Uta, unimpressed, tightening the water chains swirling around it with gesture from her wrist.
A bead of sweat rolled down the Sea King's cheek. Its body visibly shook.
Recognition dawned — these weren't random humans. These were the monsters who had beaten it. Not once, but —
TWICE.
It whimpered, trying to paddle backward slowly.
Ace leaned slightly over the railing, voice amused. "Well, well… look who decided to visit. Don't tell me you missed us already?"
Lucy grinned, cracking her fist into her palm. "Heh. Looks like it wants round three."
The Sea King froze mid-turn — deadpan expression, pupils shrinking — as if it knew what was coming next.
[Scene Skip]
Moments later, the ship drifted forward peacefully again, laughter echoing across the waves.
Ash sat at the wheel, holding a glass injector tube filled with thick crimson liquid — Sea King blood glowing faintly inside — before tossing it back into his inventory.
Behind them, the once-terrifying Lord of the Coast floated belly-up, a huge lump swelling on its head, tongue out, half-sunk into the sea.
On the docks, the villagers stood in stunned silence.
Makino pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh. "Honestly…"
And as if nothing happened, Lucy turned back, waving both arms. "I'm going to become the Queen of Pirates!" she yelled.
Ash joined in, grinning wide. "And me — the King of Pirates! Hahaha!"
Uta, Ace, and Selina burst into laughter beside them, the sound carrying over the waves as Foosha Village grew smaller in the distance.
They'd been away from the village for barely thirty minutes.
Ash steadied the helm, letting the sails fill naturally. The boat eased into rhythm, the water whispering beneath the hull.
After a quiet moment, he turned toward the girls. "Alright, listen up." His gaze swept across them before he reached into his inventory.
Seeing their curious looks, he smiled faintly. "You remember last night, after celebrating Lucy's birthday—and she took both the Gene Lock and the Essence of Gaia, right?"
Uta crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. "Yeah? Out with it already, idiot. Don't keep us in suspense."
Ash chuckled. "Heh. Fine….fine. Well, after everyone went to bed, Celeste gave me something while I was in my room."
His mind flickered briefly to that moment—the rainbow-hued wheel spinning before him, colors blurring as he grinned at the result.
Snapping back to the present, he held up a small object between his fingers—a metallic seal that seemed to breathe faintly, the symbol etched into it glowing with shifting, living colors.
"This," he said, voice steady but tinged with excitement, "is what I got."
He let them crowd closer before explaining.
{}
📜 Name:Living Emblem Stamp
Grade: Mythical
Type: Artifact
Description:
A mystical stamp that, when pressed onto the skin, creates a soul-bound living tattoo.
The first design is set by the initial user and becomes the permanent core symbol shared by all future bearers.
Once the first imprint is made, the stamp vanishes forever.
Each bearer can freely customize the surrounding design, colors, and personal details while retaining the shared core emblem.
The tattoo is alive—it wiggles, shifts, pulses, occasionally winks, and subtly moves on its own. It can also be made fully invisible at will.
✨ Effects:
✔️ Stamp Activation: Imprints the first living tattoo onto the user and disappears permanently after first use.
✔️ Manual Transfer: Transferable through touch and focused will.
✔️ Living Behaviour: The tattoo moves subtly and can be made invisible.
✔️ Soul-Bound Protection: Fused to the bearer's soul; cannot be tracked, removed, or copied.
✔️ Soul-Based Communication (Dynamic Range): Enables soul-resonance, mind-to-mind communication between all tattoo bearers within the same island or surrounding waters. The range expands naturally as each bearer's soul strength, crew bond, and reputation grow. Supports both private and group links.
✔️ Crew Teleportation (Once per Day): Each bearer can teleport to another bearer's location once per day.
✔️ Stat/Skill Tap (Once per Day, 1 Hour): Allows temporary borrowing of another bearer's stats or skills for one hour. Full mastery isn't copied, but borrowed skills work effectively.
{}
The girls stared at the item in Ash's hand, their expressions shifting from surprise to wonder after hearing his explanation.
Selina whistled softly. "Ash, you really do get some of the best stuff from Celeste."
Ash smirked. "I know, right? And since we already talked about how our flag should look…" He lifted the stamp slightly, eyes gleaming. "Well, what do you girls say — ready to make it official?"
Everyone nodded eagerly.
Ash closed his eyes and focused. The metal grew warm in his palm, a faint hum rising as light traced across its surface. Slowly, the mark he imagined began to take shape — the skull with the hat, crossed blades behind it, blue flame in the right eye, red in the left, and a faint reddish-orange aura wrapping around the whole thing like living fire.
Lucy, Uta, Selina and Ace pressed around Ash as the pirate emblem glowed on the stamp exactly like they'd talked about. For a few seconds they just stared at it in awe.
Lucy finally couldn't hold it in. "Ash, come on — stamp it already!"
Ash didn't hesitate. He stamped his right arm first. A light bloomed on his skin and the stamp vanished. The emblem was now imprinted on his arm and it wiggled a couple of times before it settled into a slow, living motion.
"Do us quick, I want my own magic tattoo too!" Lucy shouted, already bouncing in place.
Ash laughed and held out his hand. Everyone immediately placed their own hands-on top of his.
He focused for a few seconds; the mark on his arm shimmered, then split like a ripple and flowed across his skin. The living emblem separated into equal pieces and travelled along Ash's hand, leaping to each of the girls and settled where they'd chosen.
Lucy's settled on the back of her hand. Uta's went on her right arm like Ash's. Selina's just above her chest, peeking at her neck. Ace took the biggest one across her back, nearly covering it.
As the last piece set, something clicked — an instant connection humming through them. They could feel it: deep in their soul linked to each other.
Without wasting time Ash, pulled out the Sovereign Pirate's Banner from his inventory, and repeated the process. The same emblem formed upon it, identical to their tattoos.
The moment he was done, Lucy snatched the and climbed up to hang it proudly at the top of the sail. She raised her fist high, shouting at the top of her lungs, "From now on — we're the Straw Hat Pirates!"
Ash, Uta, Selina, and Ace burst out laughing, grinning wide. Ash had secretly wanted to add his own twist to the name, but—thanks to a very questionable rock-paper-scissors loss—fate decided otherwise. Somehow, their pirate crew name still ended up exactly as in the canon.
And just then—
DING.
A loud gong rang out inside Ash's mind, so sharp and sudden that he jolted in surprise.
A faint golden light flickered across his vision, and for a second, his eyes flashed entirely gold.
He froze in shock with eyes widen.
"…What the—" he muttered out loud, shock slipping into his voice.
The girls snapped their heads toward him instantly, thrown off by his sudden change.
"Ash? What happened?" Lucy asked, jumping down from the top of the sails.
Ash blinked hard once… twice… still trying to process what he'd just seen.
"…That's… new."
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To be continued...
Thanks for reading this chapter!
I'd love to hear your thoughts — not just on the plot, but the journey itself. Is the pacing feeling right to you so far? Too fast, too slow, or just, right? Are there any moments, themes, or dynamics you feel are missing or could be explored more — like deeper character bonds, world-building, emotional scenes, or even new twists? Anything.
Also, is there anything you'd love to see added that could make the story even more exciting or satisfying? Whether it's a kind of power, a dramatic reveal, or just a character moment — your feedback really helps shape this story into something better.
Let me know in the comments! I read every one. 💬
And as always, if you're enjoying the ride, feel free to drop a Power Stone — it means a lot. 😊