One Piece: The True Codex

Onboard the Red-Beard Pirates' ship, in the kitchen, William sat leisurely on a table, casually chatting with the new crew member Nadal. Before leaving, he took a handful of fresh greens—precious commodities for a vessel on a long voyage.

Nadal merely glanced at him before returning to his work, unconcerned.

With Barbarossa growing increasingly tyrannical, Felton, the first mate, was no better—a scoundrel who schemed with others to swindle newcomers out of their belongings. The second mate, Harden, was impulsive and reckless.

Only William, who often looked out for the newcomers, had earned their respect and gratitude. His reputation among the newer crew members was unmatched, especially after he had once covered Nadal's debts. Nadal, deeply appreciative, naturally didn't mind William taking a few greens.

Finding a secluded corner on the ship, William pulled out a small box from his coat. Inside was his personal Den Den Mushi, Watson. The little creature had been confined for too long in its hidden space, and because William couldn't reveal it to others, it hadn't been fed regularly. Now, it looked listless and weak.

William felt a pang of concern for his only means of communication. If Watson fell ill—or worse, died—he would be in serious trouble. Taking out the fresh greens he had just acquired, he fed them to Watson, watching as it devoured them ravenously. Meanwhile, William sank into deep thought.

For Captain Roy to use Barbarossa's head to atone for his own failures, he needed to solidify the narrative that Barbarossa was the mastermind behind the Tequila Wolf attack. This wasn't something Gin, who had become one of Nezumi's trusted subordinates, could conceal. Besides, Roy had no intention of keeping it a secret.

Through regular communications, Gin had already relayed this information to William via the Den Den Mushi.

For William, everything was now in place. He could eliminate Barbarossa at any time, then use Kuro as a bridge to connect with Arcadio and Roy, forming a new alliance.

After all, compared to seeking out new partners, the Red-Beard Pirates were already familiar to Roy and Arcadio. Finding another pirate crew of equivalent strength to replace them wouldn't be easy.

Taking out Barbarossa would also serve as a demonstration of William's personal strength to Roy and Arcadio, providing a bargaining chip for their cooperation.

Before the Kalmar City incident, William had found the prospect of dealing with Barbarossa somewhat daunting. But after Barbarossa exposed his weakness under Zeff's Devil Leg, William had devised a plan.

Barbarossa's Devil Fruit ability allowed him to alter the hardness and density of his hair, making it as tough as steel. Without having mastered the swordsmanship technique of "cutting steel," William had no way to harm him.

However, after noticing the burn scar on Barbarossa's chest, William conducted an experiment. He had secretly collected some of Barbarossa's shed hair during previous battles and burned it. To his surprise, the hair, once as hard as iron, curled and burned like ordinary hair when exposed to flames.

Since then, William had carried two flasks of highly flammable liquor and a lighter with him, specifically to counter Barbarossa's ability.

The main reason he hadn't made his move yet was that he wanted to let Barbarossa, who was becoming increasingly hysterical, continue his "performance." The more Barbarossa alienated the crew, the easier it would be for William to gain their support after killing him.

Barbarossa's head, control of the pirate crew, and Kuro's connections—along with his prior meeting with Arcadio—would give William the greatest leverage to replace Barbarossa as Arcadio and Roy's new ally.

The Swordfish Pirates' battered ship slowly approached the shore of a small island, prompting cheers from the crew.

Crossing the Calm Belt was no small feat and was considered a remarkable achievement by many pirates from the Grand Line.

However, the celebration didn't last long. Their immediate priorities were to find supplies, take a proper rest, and, most importantly, locate fresh water.

After docking, the first mate and navigator Caruso discussed with Captain Selkirk the need to send out teams to explore the unfamiliar island for fresh water.

Selkirk, not giving it much thought, agreed. Leaving only one trusted subordinate on the ship, he led the rest of the crew ashore. Before departing, he failed to notice the subtle glances exchanged between Caruso and a few allied officers.

As Selkirk neared the island's center, a close subordinate came running toward him in a panic. Rushing back to the shore, Selkirk and his group arrived just in time to see their battered warship sailing away.

Selkirk's eyes burned with rage. He sprinted forward and dove into the sea with a loud splash, desperately swimming after the ship. But no matter how strong he was, a damaged ship powered by wind was beyond human capability to catch. Exhausted from the ordeal in the Calm Belt, Selkirk found himself falling further and further behind.

In the end, he could only watch helplessly as Caruso and his traitorous crew sailed away with his ship. He could almost picture the smug grins on their faces.

His suspicions were correct. In the ship's cabin, Caruso was indeed feeling triumphant. An old pirate, who had just killed Selkirk's trusted subordinate left aboard, wiped the blood from his curved blade and eagerly asked, "Captain—uh, I mean, Captain Caruso—how much do you think this Devil Fruit will sell for in the East Blue?"

Caruso gently stroked the solid iron box containing the Devil Fruit. The box, specially crafted under Selkirk's orders, was incredibly sturdy and nearly impossible to open without the key. But that didn't bother Caruso—it was only a matter of finding a locksmith in a village or town. With Selkirk no longer around to oppose him, Caruso had all the time in the world to make arrangements.

"Doubling its value should be easy. After all, this is the weakest sea. Even a mediocre ability user could make a name for themselves here," Caruso replied absentmindedly.

Two days later, Selkirk and a handful of loyal subordinates were on the brink of despair. Not only had they been abandoned by their comrades, but to make matters worse, they had failed to find any drinkable water on the island.

Without a miracle, they were doomed.

Selkirk couldn't help but bitterly reflect on his fate. He hadn't perished in the so-called "Pirates' Graveyard" of the Grand Line, but now he was about to die of thirst in the weakest sea—the East Blue.

As he stared blankly at the horizon, a three-masted ship suddenly appeared in his line of sight. Rubbing his eyes in disbelief, he thought it might be a hallucination. But the excited shouts of his subordinates confirmed it was real. They rushed to the shore, waving and yelling to catch the ship's attention.

Selkirk had his doubts, but compared to dying of hunger and thirst on a deserted island, could there be anything worse?

A few hours later, Selkirk lay battered, starving, and parched on the deck of the pirate ship, realizing he had been wrong.

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