"…Yes, my little one," Edward murmured softly, his voice tired but gentle. "And one day Daddy will teach you how to fight. First you just need to learn how to stand on those tiny legs. Marco will teach you how to fly, and Vista will make you the greatest swordsman in the world so no one will ever hurt you."
Lerena, finally fed and changed, rested comfortably in his arms.
Both of them deserved sleep after the exhausting day.
The captain had decided to stop at the Isle of Wooden Hands, which lay along the route to Tourmaline, though he had not told anyone the true reason for the detour.
The four divisions rescued from the Junior were now sailing aboard the flagship, while the ship called the Emperor followed close behind.
Ed had no intention of dealing with more pirates on the way, he preferred calm seas.
Lerena, however, had no intention of sleeping yet.
First she insisted on sitting in Marco's lap for a while.
Then she teased Thatch.
Then she demanded the attention of the rest of the crew.
Her bright blue eyes drew admiration from everyone on deck, and cheers erupted whenever she graciously took a few unsteady steps—something she only did when the captain encouraged her.
"Pops," said Vista, the Flower Blade—one of the greatest swordsmen in the world. His magnificent moustache had become a fascinating object of study for the child.
He sat at Edward's left and watched with amazement as Lerena reacted instantly to the captain's voice.
Every time Edward shifted in his chair, the girl immediately turned her attention back to him.
"Why not keep her?" Vista suggested. "Sure, a baby on a pirate ship might be complicated… but she seems to be getting used to it." He smiled. "And so are you."
Below deck, in the mess hall, the sons of Whitebeard relaxed and laughed while recounting the events of the day.
The captain had already heard the stories at least a dozen times.
In his mind there was only one explanation.
Kaido's foolishness.
But deep down Edward knew the truth.
Kaido would not be the last man to come for his head.
Or for the heads of his sons.
"She's been with us for seven days," Edward said quietly. "And she already rules the entire crew."
He smiled faintly.
"But the greatest thing she's done so far was with Namur."
"What are you talking about, old man?" someone asked.
"She took charge of his recovery," Edward replied calmly. "You'll understand when you see them together. It's quite a sight."
He looked up as Marco emerged from the mess hall.
"Marco… take Lerena Saphira. It's time for her to sleep."
"And give the rest of us a little peace too, yoi," Marco added with a tired grin. "I'm honestly surprised her screaming earlier didn't distract you while you were fighting Kaido. She wasn't pleased about your absence."
"I told you," Edward said proudly to Vista, "she's a little tyrant."
The Isle of Wooden Hands lay near the Calm Belt—a dangerous region for any sailors unable to navigate its treacherous waters.
The island was famous for two things:
Its wooden crafts and its master carpenters.
Marco assumed the captain intended to commission a new ship to replace the destroyed Junior. By the time they reached the port of Hanamachi he was already prepared to visit the craftsmen's guild with roughly four million berries.
When he announced this plan to his father, however, Edward burst out laughing.
"Send Thatch, Sevilla, and Raban into town with the ladies," he ordered. "Lerena Saphira needs new clothes and toys. Thatch will handle it."
Then he stepped down the gangway and gestured for Marco to follow him.
The crew received shore leave with one condition: everyone had to return by evening.
The captain had an announcement to make.
Rida and Lerena happily wandered through the shops.
Rida was fascinated by the craftsmanship—Bethesda had nothing like it.
Lerena, meanwhile, was delighted simply because every one of her wishes was granted immediately.
Thatch soon noticed that passing girls were looking at him with admiration whenever he entertained the child.
Naturally, he immediately declared that no one else was allowed to carry her.
For the sake of this noble duty, he even sacrificed his priceless yellow scarf.
By the time everyone returned for the captain's call that evening, the Moby Dick was practically overflowing with people.
Only a miracle kept the ship from sinking under the weight.
Edward sat comfortably in his chair, drinking beer gifted by the locals during the crew's time ashore.
The pirates seemed to be celebrating.
No one was entirely sure what.
Perhaps Kaido's defeat.
Perhaps reaching port safely.
Or perhaps the fact that Fossa had just defeated Vista, Izou, and Namur in a game of Scythe.
The captain greeted Rida and Lerena warmly and asked about their errands, pretending not to notice the escort struggling to carry armfuls of shopping bags into the cabin.
At last Edward straightened in his chair.
"I'm afraid our journey to Tourmaline will be delayed."
The deck fell silent.
"The Kaido incident must never happen again," he continued. "As captain, I made the decision to divide our crew across three ships." His voice grew heavier. "The consequences of that decision will follow me for the rest of my life. We lost many men."
No one interrupted him, though the entire crew clearly wanted to protest.
"To prevent that from ever happening again," Edward declared, "starting tomorrow we will begin building a single ship—large enough to carry our entire family."
A murmur of stunned excitement spread across the deck.
Such a vessel would take months to build.
"Where will we stay in the meantime?" someone asked.
"Here," Edward replied simply.
Then he raised his mug.
"Tonight we celebrate the Moby Dick and the Emperor."
Which effectively meant an all-night drinking party.
Rida decided Lerena had experienced enough excitement for one day.
She planned to carry the sleepy child back to the cabin before the celebration became too wild.
But first came the nightly ritual.
The Emperor took Lerena gently into his arms.
And froze.
"Daddy," the girl murmured softly, kicking her little legs in delight.
That night Edward Newgate got very, very drunk.