"Boss, Lucien is here."
Early the next morning, Lucien was woken and summoned to the deck.
Today, he would accompany Hilt to the Uncertainty Terminal to "collect goods" — which, in pirate terms, ant either collecting protection fees or outright robbery.
Normally, this task was handled by Porchemy — the sa brute who had once captured Luffy, hung him up, and nearly beaten him to death in an attempt to make him reveal the whereabouts of Ace and Sabo. But Boersham's arrogance had been his downfall; after his failure, Captain Bulsam personally shot him in the head.
Now, Hilt was in charge.
The man was a mountain of muscle, towering over three ters tall, his massive fra wrapped in scars. In his hand rested a saber nearly a ter long, gleaming faintly even in the early light. His sharp, cruel eyes made it clear he was not soone to be trifled with.
"You'll follow from now on," Hilt said, his deep voice carrying over the wind.
Lucien nodded. Though his height barely reached half of Hilt's, he stood straight, his face calm but his heart beating fast.
"Yes."
After breakfast, Lucien joined the small group of five pirates and disembarked for the Uncertainty Terminal. Before they set off, one of the pirates tossed him a battered saber about half a ter long. The blade had several nicks and scratches — a poor weapon by any standard, but still better than nothing.
When they arrived, Hilt and his n imdiately began their grim work.
They stord through the maze of makeshift shelters and ruined streets, demanding Berries from terrified residents. Those who couldn't pay were beaten or worse.
Lucien watched silently as a man was cleaved in half before his eyes. The tallic scent of blood mixed with the stench of rot from the piles of garbage nearby. The dead man's glassy eyes stared upward, frozen in terror.
Lucien's stomach twisted, his face pale. He had seen brawls before — but killing? That was different.
"Hah! Scared?"
Hilt flicked the blood from his saber and smirked, his tone cruel.
Lucien didn't answer. He forced himself to breathe evenly, and after a mont, the nausea subsided. Beneath the disgust, sothing darker stirred — a faint, guilty thrill.
"Let's go."
Hilt didn't bother to look back as he led the group deeper into the Terminal.
Throughout the day, they moved from district to district. People fled at the sight of them. Even the thugs who ruled the backstreets kept their distance. Fear followed Hilt like a shadow.
Then, shouts broke out nearby.
"Stop right there!"
Three small figures darted between the ruins, clutching stolen goods, with a few furious n chasing after them.
"Catch us if you can!"
Luffy turned around and pulled down his eyelid, taunting them.
"Idiot, hurry up!" Ace smacked him on the head, grabbed him by the collar, and disappeared into the wreckage.
Hilt's eyes darkened. "It's those three brats — Ace, Sabo, and Luffy."
"Catch them."
The pirates imdiately gave chase, with Lucien following behind.
He knew this story well. There was bad blood between Bluejam's n and those three. They had stolen treasure from the Bluejam Pirates before, and the captain had ordered them killed.
Lucien wasn't confident. He knew they wouldn't catch them — not those three. But this was an opportunity, one he couldn't afford to ignore.
He glanced at the small pistol shown on his system's light screen and sighed inwardly. The odds weren't in his favor, but he had to play along.
The chase stretched all the way to Mount Colubo, but by the ti they arrived, Ace and the others were long gone.
"Damn it, they got away!"
The pirates collapsed in frustration, gasping for breath. After resting for a bit, they gave up and returned to their grim routine at the Uncertainty Terminal.
The next two days passed uneventfully. Lucien didn't encounter the three brothers again, but his place within the crew grew more stable.
That stability shattered when Hilt pointed to a trembling man kneeling on the ground.
"Kill him."
The man was just another resident who couldn't pay protection fees.
Lucien hesitated, his saber shaking slightly in his hands.
"Cowards don't belong on the Bluejam ship," Hilt growled. He rested his massive blade on his shoulder, eyes narrowing. "If you won't kill him, I will — and then I'll deal with you."
The world seed to dim. Lucien tightened his grip on the saber, his heartbeat echoing in his ears.
Then, he swung.
The blade cut deep, a wet sound filling the air. Blood splattered across his hands and face. The man gasped once, eyes wide, then fell still.
Lucien stood frozen for a mont, his breath unsteady. A strange mix of fear and exhilaration pulsed through him — a primal rush.
Hilt smirked and patted his shoulder. "Not bad."
That day, Lucien learned the price of survival among pirates.
By nightfall, they returned to the ship. While they ate, a visitor arrived — a nobleman in fine clothes, flanked by guards.
Lucien recognized him instantly: Sabo's father.
So it was happening already. The arc was beginning.
Bluejam accepted the noble's commission — to capture Sabo and bring him back. That ant within a day or two, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy would be hunted down.
Lucien's pulse quickened. This was his chance. The event he'd been waiting for.
It had co faster than expected, leaving him no ti to prepare an escape route — but he couldn't let the opportunity slip away.
He would adapt, just as always.
The next morning, Bluejam gathered over thirty pirates and led them to the Uncertainty Terminal. Lucien quietly followed at the rear of the group, blending in.
They waited in ambush. Around mid-morning, their targets appeared.
Ace, Sabo, and Luffy walked out of the forest, chatting casually.
"It'd be great if we could find a telescope," Luffy said eagerly.
"What do you even need that for?" Ace sighed. "Just find materials. Our base still needs repairs."
Sabo laughed and pointed toward a pile of debris. "Then I'll look over there."
He moved quickly, scanning the ruins — until sothing caught his eye.
"A telescope, huh? Luffy's gonna love this."
He picked up the old, cracked object, smiling faintly.
Then ca the voice.
"Hello, young master."
Pirates erged from the shadows, surrounding him. Bluejam walked forward, hands in his pockets, arrogance radiating from every step.
Until last night, he hadn't known Sabo's true identity — a noble's son.
Lucien's grip on his saber tightened, his expression unreadable.
"Bluejam-sama, how did you know?" Sabo asked coldly, pipe clenched in hand, eyes darting for an escape route.
"Don't hurt him," Bluejam ordered with a smirk.
But the mont one of his n lunged, Sabo moved.
He sidestepped fluidly, spun, and kicked the pirate square in the jaw. Blood and teeth flew as the man — who was easily over two hundred pounds — was launched three ters back.
Lucien's eyes widened slightly.
A ten-year-old child, moving with that kind of strength and precision…
This world really couldn't be asured by common sense.
______
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