"Kid, that's not how you hold a sword!" Roger crossed his arms, exasperated, looking at Rhett.
Rhett clutched a wide-bladed wooden sword nearly as tall as he was, its tip dragging along the ground with a grating scrape.
"But I think big swords are cool!" Rhett muttered, defiant. "One swing, and you can slice through enemies and their ships!"
Roger facepalmed. "You're only four years old. Are you trying to fling yourself across the deck with that thing?"
Rayleigh sipped his drink leisurely, adding, "Using heavy swords requires exceptional physical strength, kid. If you want to wield one, you'll need to double your training."
Roger sighed.
Gaban burst out laughing. "Let him try! If he falls, it's his own fault. Wait until he swings it and sends himself flying—ha!"
Rhett glared at Gaban. "Just you wait, Gaban! Once I master this, you'll be the first one I cut down!"
"Sure, I'll be waiting." Gaban grinned, patting the twin axes at his waist.
"First, you need a steady grip." Roger handed Rhett his own sword. "Try this."
Rhett took the sword and swung it a couple of times, frowning. "Too light. It doesn't feel right."
Roger sighed again. "You can't even perform a basic swing, and you're already dreaming of using a greatsword?"
Rhett pouted. "But greatswords are intimidating! Look at all the legendary swordsmen—they all wielded massive swords and swept through armies!"
Rayleigh adjusted his glasses. "Those 'legendary swordsmen' you're talking about—did you make most of them up? Every great swordsman has their own famous blade, and none of them are heavy swords."
Rhett fell silent.
Roger relented. "Fine, let's start with the basics—one thousand practice swings!"
Rhett: "???"
None of this mattered much, though. Two years passed like this.
What really mattered was that the Roger Pirates, despite being a crew of four, still didn't have their own ship.
Rhett spent months practicing his swings with the wooden sword.
The crew spent their days raiding pirates and Marines alike. They killed every pirate they encountered, dealt with Marines on a case-by-case basis, and left no treasure behind. Now, at six years old, Rhett was ready to join the fray.
"Captain, that ship looks like a perfect target." Rhett leaned against the railing, mist swirling around his fingertips. His crimson eyes calmly scanned the pirate ship in the distance, its Jolly Roger fluttering in the wind. "The Blood Axe Pirates—total bounty: forty-seven million berries."
Roger laughed heartily, slapping the helm. "Kuhahaha! Little Rhett's really getting the hang of being a pirate!"
Rayleigh adjusted his glasses. "Your calculations are spot on. This bounty should cover the cost of our ship. If we're buying our own, we might as well get the best—two billion should suffice."
Gaban grinned, the edges of his axes glinting. "Finally, some decent prey."
Rhett smoothed his sleeves, mist curling around him. "Shall I start setting the stage?"
"No!" The three of them answered in unison.
Rhett raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Why?"
Roger slung an arm around his shoulders. "Kid, today's all about testing your swordsmanship!"
Rayleigh added with a smile, "Let's see the 'Phantom of the Mist' in action without relying on his abilities. You've been consciously avoiding elementalization—let's see how you fare without your Devil Fruit powers."
Gaban twirled his axes. "If you perform poorly..."
"Understood. Five hundred push-ups." Rhett elegantly drew his wooden sword, Armament Haki swirling around the blade before dissipating. "Watch closely, everyone. The show's about to begin."
As their small boat approached, the Blood Axe Pirates' crew burst into laughter. "Four people trying to rob us? And there's a kid dressed like a noble!"
With his long black hair and white attire, Rhett looked like he belonged in a misty fantasy, surrounded by an ethereal aura. He loved it.
Rhett leapt gracefully onto the enemy ship, mist trailing behind him. He spun the wooden sword in his palm, executing a flawless flourish. "Gentlemen, allow me to correct two things—" The tip of his sword suddenly halted inches from a pirate's nose. "First, we're here to collect bounties; second..."
He sidestepped a slashing cutlass, his wooden sword striking the pirate's throat with precision. "...dressing well doesn't mean I can't send you all to hell."
The pirate's weapon clattered to the deck.
"Your Observation Haki has improved," Rayleigh commented amidst the chaos.
Rhett smirked, his mist-like steps gliding across the deck. Each swing of his sword carried a powerful gust of wind.
When three pirates charged at him simultaneously, Rhett suddenly crouched, his sword tracing a crescent arc—
"Misty Crescent: Triple Star."
The three pirates clutched their throats and collapsed.
"Impressive!" Gaban called out. "But your moves are too flashy!"
"You just don't get it—it's all about style." Rhett chuckled, then his expression hardened. His wooden sword snapped up to block—"Clang!"—a massive axe swung from behind.
The Blood Axe Captain's snarling face was inches away. "You brat..."
"Shh—" Rhett raised a finger to his lips, his crimson eyes flashing with a red glint. "You're too noisy."
Normally, mist would have already enveloped the captain, corroding him from within. But since his captain had forbidden it, Rhett relied purely on Armament Haki coating his wooden sword. The strike was simple—a raw display of brute force, a lesson in violent elegance. The captain's axe shattered, and the giant man collapsed, head separated from body. Rhett sheathed his sword and stepped back, brushing nonexistent dust off his sleeves.
Today, Rhett felt fantastic—mostly because he'd put on quite the show. Imagine having three of the future world's top pirates watching you strut your stuff. It couldn't get any better.
Gaban counted the berries and suddenly looked up. "We finally have enough! Hooray!"
Rhett was still posing dramatically at the bow when he heard the news. He hurried over—finally, they could have their own ship! The ones they'd been stealing either reeked or were falling apart. Rhett couldn't stand it anymore.
At the South Blue Marine base, Colonel Grus stared at the latest bounty posters, veins bulging on his forehead.
"'Straw Hat Roger,' bounty: two hundred million berries..."
"'Dark King Rayleigh,' bounty: one hundred and fifty million berries..."
"'Axe Emperor Gaban,' bounty: ninety-eight million berries..."
"These lunatics!" Grus slammed the posters on the table. "Their bounties have increased three times in just three months! How many pirate crews and Marine ships have they robbed?!"
A trembling adjutant answered, "R-report, Colonel, we've confirmed seventeen..."
"It doesn't matter. Headquarters has sent a Commodore. They won't last much longer—keep a close eye on them! Don't lose them!"
At the world's largest newspaper, Morgans & Co., home to the Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Seagull (a personal creation—Morgans' father)...
"Big news! Big news! Is the sea about to crown its own king?"