One Piece: The True Codex

Inside the captain's quarters.

Barbarossa sat behind his desk, a newly purchased map spread out before him. Gathered across from him were nearly all the ship's officers.

Among them were the short and stocky first mate Felton, the bald and slightly chubby ship doctor Wood, and the navigator William, among others. There was also the newly appointed second mate, Harden. Harden was a tall and burly man in his mid-twenties, with a gruesome scar across his throat, a reminder of a near-fatal injury that had fortunately been treated in time. His voice was hoarse as a result. Harden was known for his fierce and fearless combat style, making him an ideal candidate for the role of second mate, a position that often required leading by example in battle. During the clash at Dampier's restaurant with the Cook Pirates and Zeff, Harden had stepped forward twice without hesitation.

"...We don't know how long we'll be lingering near the Calm Belt, so we must find a suitable place to stop," William said calmly. "Food, solid ground, and most importantly, fresh water."

Barbarossa rested his chin on one hand, his single eye narrowing slightly as he watched William speak with ease and confidence.

Barbarossa had been a pirate for nearly a decade. From being a hunted nobody to becoming a notorious rookie hunter, he had encountered countless types of pirates—reckless, cunning, ignorant, or shrewd. He had seen them all.

Since setting sail again, Barbarossa was well aware of William's increasingly active role. He also noticed how William, once a brash newcomer, had become a skilled manipulator, adept at building relationships across the ship.

If this had been before the Kalmar City incident, back when Reis and Hayreddin were still alive, Barbarossa wouldn't have been angry about William's behavior. In fact, he might have admired it, even attempting to win William over. After all, only the mediocre would be content to remain quietly on someone else's ship, especially someone like William, who possessed both navigation and swordsmanship skills.

William's growing prominence wasn't entirely unexpected to Barbarossa.

But now, with his two trusted brothers dead, Barbarossa found William's actions increasingly intolerable. If not for the current priority of finding the Devil Fruit, which required a navigator to guide their patrols and eventual return, Barbarossa might have already drawn his blade to deal with William—or at least taught him a harsh lesson. For now, however, he could only exercise caution in personnel arrangements to keep William in check.

The harsh environment of the Calm Belt made Barbarossa temporarily reliant on William. Suppressing the malice in his gaze, he turned his attention to the first mate, Felton.

"The crew is in high spirits, Captain! You can rest assured!" Felton declared, thumping his chest with confidence.

Not far away, Harden discreetly curled his lip. Felton was obviously lying. They were heading toward the Calm Belt, a place even more terrifying to ordinary people than the Grand Line. If not for desperation and Barbarossa's insistence, no one would willingly venture there. How could the crew possibly be in high spirits?

In Kalmar City, inside the residence of the Minister of Finance, Captain Roy ignored the butler Eaton, who bowed deeply in greeting. Striding forward, Roy pushed open the doors to the reception room, with Nezumi following closely behind.

Arcadio Buendía quickly rose to his feet to greet him, but Roy didn't bother with pleasantries. He got straight to the point: "Have you made up your mind?"

Arcadio frowned. "Are you sure this was Barbarossa's doing?"

"If not him, then who else?" Roy snapped, signaling Nezumi to close the door. Gritting his teeth, he continued, "I've already investigated. The Red-Beard Pirates were spotted landing on nearby islands around the time of the incident. They even recruited new members there. Didn't your informant on his ship tell you? His treasure was likely looted. He's desperate and taking risks."

During their last meeting, Kuro had informed Arcadio that the Red-Beard Pirates' warship had been looted, with Barbarossa's navigation logs, treasure maps, and other critical documents stolen. Both Arcadio and Roy understood that their ally, the infamous pirate Barbarossa, might soon find himself penniless.

This gave them reason to believe that Barbarossa, unable to sway them with wealth, might resort to dragging them into his schemes by force.

The Cook Pirates' enmity with Barbarossa, Kuro's report, Gin's intelligence, and testimonies from local residents—all evidence pointed to this possibility.

Roy took a deep drag from his cigar, the glowing ember reflecting his simmering anger. "That bastard is a mad dog. He's lost his mind. Does he really think framing the Cook Pirates will force us to help him seek revenge? Dream on!"

Arcadio closed his eyes briefly, his fingers tracing the gemstone on his ring. After a long silence, he asked, "Is it impossible to suppress this?"

"'Tequila Wolf' was ordered by the Celestial Dragons themselves. An attack on it draws direct attention from Marine Headquarters and the World Government. This is about the reputation of the World Nobles. We're not dealing with some low-level local merchants here. How could I possibly suppress it?" Roy retorted.

Arcadio hesitated but ultimately sighed, unwilling to defend the increasingly troublesome Barbarossa.

"What do you plan to do?" Arcadio asked directly.

Roy sneered. "The higher-ups demand an explanation, and so do I. Those small-time pirates can't fill the hole this incident has created. I need a head—a head with enough weight to erase my stain."

Roy might have been able to shift the blame onto another pirate crew, but why should he take such a huge risk for Barbarossa, that mad dog? Besides, that wouldn't restore his reputation for negligence. Only the head of a major pirate could save him from punishment—and perhaps even earn him commendation.

Arcadio sighed again, a rarity for him in recent years. "Barbarossa won't be easy to deal with. He's a monster."

Roy extinguished his cigar in the ashtray with a disdainful laugh. "A Devil Fruit user is nothing special. I've seen plenty of them in the Grand Line. The real 'monsters' are the pirates who dominate there and the elite of Marine Headquarters. Barbarossa? He's nothing."

Seeing Roy's confidence, Arcadio decided not to argue further. He knew Roy had been trained at Marine Headquarters. While Roy might not be one of the "monsters" he spoke of, he was far stronger than the average Marine from the East Blue. Moreover, Seastone, a natural counter to Devil Fruit users, was a resource the Marines never lacked.

"It seems I'll need to find a new partner," Arcadio remarked with resignation.

"I've told you before, they're just pirates. There's no shortage of them," Roy replied indifferently.

Arcadio nodded but couldn't help recalling his first meeting with William, who had seemed so unassuming at the time.

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