In the damp, reeking lower deck of the Alvida Pirates’ ship, Koby — a pink-haired boy with round glasses — was huddled among the drunken, rowdy crew.

He was the most educated member of the crew… and also the weakest.

Forced into this role, he found himself spending stormy nights like this one entertaining bored pirates with eerie stories.

Shivering slightly, Koby adjusted his glasses and began:

“A long, time ago, there was a Fish-Man named Vander Decken, who by chance came into possession of a ship called the Flying Dutchman.

It’s said that the Dutchman carried the cursed power of the Dread Lord of the Deep, a power so great it could make its wielder a sovereign of the sea.”

“But that same power eventually drove Vander Decken mad. He slaughtered his own crew, offering their bodies to the sea in sacrifice, just to temporarily quell the ship’s influence on his mind.”

“From then on, Vander Decken used the Flying Dutchman to conquer the ocean floor, unmatched in battle. But in time, his greedy gaze turned toward the surface world — the land.”

“However, without mastering the full might of the Dread Lord, he failed to withstand the combined assault of the World Government, Navy, and various pirates. He was crushed in a failed invasion and forced to retreat into the depths.”

“Unable to defeat humanity, Vander Decken entrusted his hopes to future generations. The legacy continued — one generation to the next — until now, when Vander Decken IX still waits in the deep sea, biding his time to strike the surface.”

“Every generation of Vander Decken despises humans. They say the Dutchman will pierce every ship, dragging the sailors into the sea to drown! It’s rumored that the sea floor of the Grand Line is littered with the bones of those who perished by their hands…”

Koby trailed off, his story ending in silence.

A burly pirate scoffed and burst out laughing, clearly unimpressed.

“That worthless breed? They’re nothing but slaves! We even sold a Fish-Man once. Too bad it wasn’t a Mermaid — those go for a fortune!”

Other pirates laughed with him, clearly unconcerned with Vander Decken or the Dutchman — let alone any so-called “Dread Lord.”

“Exactly!” another pirate sneered, sporting a greased-back pompadour and tattooed arms. “Let ’em come! We’ll show that freak and his ship what the Alvida Pirates are made of!”

Koby gave a weak, forced smile, rubbing the back of his head nervously. He dared not speak further.

Suddenly, footsteps pounded across the deck above them. A lookout peered down from the hatch and shouted:

“Ship ahead! All hands on deck — move it!”

The pirates looked up in surprise, dropping their bottles and scrambling to their feet.

“Is it the Navy? Axe-Hand Morgan? Captain Nezumi?” someone asked.

The lookout shook his head.

“No, it’s not the Navy. But it’s not a merchant or passenger ship either. There’s no flag on the mast… and the hull’s in shambles — like it was just dredged up from the bottom of the sea. It’s heading straight for us.”

“Tch!” the burly pirate spat and climbed the ladder. “I don’t care what kind of ship it is — if it’s dumb enough to sail right at us, I’ll carve it to pieces!”

The rest of the crew, riled by the promise of loot, followed him up eagerly. Someone ran off to alert the captain.

Koby curled up in the corner, trembling. He had no desire to go topside — but one sharp-eyed pirate noticed and shouted:

“You little coward! Hiding in here again? Don’t forget — if you weren’t slightly useful as a navigator, Captain Alvida would’ve tossed you into the sea by now!”

Forced, Koby climbed the ladder as well, limbs shaking.

Above deck, the scene was chaos. Pirates rushed about in the downpour. One nearly slipped as he ran, while others grabbed weapons — blades, clubs, and rifles. Some checked the cannons to see if they’d fire in the storm, and a few had ropes ready with grappling hooks to latch onto the mysterious ship.

Soaked to the bone, Koby raised his hand over his eyes to see through the rain.

His heart stopped.

Standing at the bow, like a looming shadow, was Captain Alvida — massive, broad like a bear, her hulking frame unmistakable.

She was the very embodiment of Koby’s fear.

Years ago, he had wandered onto one of their rafts by accident, and the pirates had taken him aboard, forcing him to serve as their navigator. Since then, he had been drawing sea charts, helping them pick ideal routes for plunder, and avoiding naval patrols.

And Captain Alvida… she was never satisfied. She beat him for the smallest mistake, berated him endlessly, and wielded a spiked iron mace that Koby had felt too many times to count.

More than once, he’d believed he was going to die from her punishments. Somehow, he’d always survived — barely.

So now, even at a glance, he instinctively shrank back — trying to make himself invisible.

But Alvida had already seen him. She slung her mace onto her shoulder and shouted:

“Koby!”

Her voice cut through the storm like thunder.

There was no pretending he didn’t hear. Koby rushed over, bowing his soaked body in front of her and forcing a sycophantic smile.

She looked him up and down, sneering with contempt, then asked:

“Tell me, Koby. What’s the most beautiful thing on the sea?”

Koby rubbed the back of his head, staring at her pockmarked, bloated face and body, and forced a trembling laugh.

“O-of course, it’s you, Miss Alvida! Heh… heh…”

Alvida grinned in satisfaction.

“That’s right! A beauty like me deserves everything this ocean has to offer — including that ship up ahead!”

She turned to the crew, swinging her mace and yelling:

“Bring the ship in close! Take everything on board — treasure, supplies — and kill anyone who resists!”

The pirates roared in response, thrilled for the chance to plunder.

Their ship drew closer to the decaying vessel, the scent of rot drifting from it like a death shroud. In the storm and darkness, they thought they saw a tall figure standing at the other ship’s bow — indistinct and shifting in the gloom.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning split the sky — illuminating the eerie figure.

What the pirates saw made their blood run cold.

That thing standing at the bow — was not human.

A writhing mass of tentacles beneath an octopus-like head. Cold, gray-blue eyes. A tricorne hat and long coat covered in barnacles. Boots planted firmly at the ship’s prow.

It was a monster.

Then the light vanished. The sea fell into darkness again, leaving only a vague silhouette behind.

No one spoke.

Someone swallowed hard. Another pirate stammered:

“Wh-what… what was that?”

No one could answer.

A ship like this, appearing suddenly in a storm, with such a creature aboard… it was more than suspicious. It was unnatural.

The more they imagined it, the more their skin crawled.

Alvida narrowed her eyes and barked:

“What’s the panic for? It’s just a Fish-Man!”

Realization dawned on the pirates.

Of course! An octopus head — that must be one of the many Fish-Man species. Alvida was so wise!

They breathed sighs of relief. If it was just a Fish-Man… they could kill it. They had sold one before. Nothing to fear.

Still… what was a Fish-Man doing, sailing alone on such a ship?

Suddenly, Koby’s eyes widened in horror. He pointed a trembling finger at the ghost ship.

“M-Miss Alvida…”

Alvida, annoyed, snapped:

“What now?”

Koby’s teeth chattered.

“He… he disappeared… he was there just a second ago and now he’s gone!”

The pirates turned back to the ghost ship.

Sure enough — the figure was gone.

Gone without a trace.

“Maybe he dove into the sea,” one pirate guessed with a smirk. “Probably too scared to face us.”

The others laughed, mocking Koby as a coward jumping at shadows.

Even Alvida chuckled.

“If he’s underwater, we can’t chase him anyway. Forget it — just see if there’s anything valuable on his ship. Mermaids, maybe.”

The pirates roared with laughter and tossed ropes with hooks toward the ghost ship, latching onto its railing.

Koby watched in panic.

No. No, this isn’t right.

Even if the ship was dark again, he could still see the figure’s outline. He hadn’t jumped — he had vanished from the spot. Like he’d never been there.

That wasn’t normal.

Something deep in Koby’s instincts screamed danger.

That Fish-Man — or whatever it was — hadn’t fled.

It was still here.

But no one would listen.

The pirates were already crossing the ropes, eager to raid the ghost ship.

Then — a voice rang out behind them. Deep, cold, and thunderous.

“What are you looking for… on my ship?”

The pirates froze.

They spun around — and their blood turned to ice.

There, standing on their own ship, soaked and silent — was the octopus-headed stranger.

Impossible.

When?

How had he gotten aboard — without a sound, without being seen?

Koby stared, horror-struck. His nightmare had come true.

Davy Jones had teleported aboard.

He looked over the pirate ship calmly, eyes flicking to the black-and-white skull flag, furled because of the rain.

A pirate crew, he thought. How familiar.

He opened his mouth to ask about the sea — this new world.

And then — Bang!

A gunshot echoed. A chunk of Davy Jones’s head exploded, revealing a grotesque hole.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep