One Piece: The Rise of Bellamy

— Captain! — Sabo shouted from the bow of the ship, his voice slicing through the tense silence.

— The Black Cat has been boarded! The marines took it back and are heading our way — full speed!

I turned around, nearly dropping the oars.

— What?! But how... — I squinted at the horizon. — Their ship is heavy. Without wind, they shouldn't be moving that fast… That's not oars. It's something else.

Sabo was already at the helm, pressed against the side, peering through a spyglass. His face darkened.

— They're being towed! A patrol galley's pulling them! — he said. — And they're not just coming... they're aiming!

— Bellamy! — Karina shouted, but didn't finish.

BOOM! — a dull, prolonged shot rang out. The water next to the boat exploded in a tall fountain, soaking us with spray.

— They're just trying to blow us up! — Karina screamed, ducking.

— Calm down! — I barked, pushing off the oar sharply. — Get the cannonballs! Now!

— What cannonballs? We don't have any cannons! — Karina's eyes widened, but she was already digging through the bags, rummaging among the spoils.

I stepped up, grabbed one cannonball — heavy and rough with rust — and lifted it with both hands.

— But we have me, — I said with a grin.

Turning my arm into a tight metal spring, I took the cannonball with my other hand and gently placed it into the coiled "launcher."

My fingers curled, like compressing a spiral. The tension built with every second — the arm wound up, ready to fire a real shot.

— Bane Bane no Mi: Spring Cannon! — I exhaled, feeling energy accumulate in every loop of the spring.

My muscles tensed to their limit, the skin of my metal arm gleaming under the strain. In that moment, time seemed to slow — only the creaking of taut steel and the enemy ship approaching.

I snapped my arm forward, releasing the cannonball with inhuman force and speed. The shot screamed through the air and struck the enemy hull, triggering a powerful explosion that threw up a spray of water and shattered wood.

— Hit confirmed! — Sabo shouted, steering the boat to avoid return fire.

Karina wasted no time, pulling out several more cannonballs and handing them to me.

— Another one! — she urged, readying for the next shot.

The wind was still dead, and we had to rely only on the oars and the power of the spring cannon.

Gin rowed hard, trying to get us out of the firing line. The water frothed around us from more incoming blasts, and more patrol ships were appearing on the horizon.

But the next sound was aimed directly at us — a whistling bullet tore through the air and slammed into the boat's hull with a dull crack that sent chills down my spine.

Water churned from the impact, and the boat rocked for a moment, throwing off my balance. Karina ducked sharply, and Gin gripped the oars even tighter, trying to keep our speed and avoid losing control in the chaos.

A moment later, another explosion thundered just above us — the shockwave shook the air and made the boat lurch violently.

— The mast, Captain! — Gin yelled, pointing upward.

I looked up and saw our mast bending in half, slowly and steadily leaning over with groans and cracks. Broken spars and torn sails drooped down, touching the waves, and the mast itself, half-submerged, was dragging the boat back, slowing it down.

— It's going to fall soon, — I muttered. — That thing's definitely dragging us — if we want to break away, we need to get it out of the way.

I stood up quickly, trying to keep balance on the rocking boat, and grabbed a long knife — the only thing that might help.

Gin and Karina instantly understood what to do and started rowing harder to keep the boat afloat and maintain speed.

I reached for the ropes holding the mast, trying to sever them as quickly as I could. My heart pounded wildly, arms pulling at the cords while the creaking wood and flapping canvas grew louder.

Finally, the ropes snapped, and the mast crashed into the sea with a loud splash, leaving behind a trail of wreckage and spray.

The boat immediately picked up speed, freed from the heavy weight.

— Perfect! — I shouted, grabbing another cannonball, readying for the next counterattack.

Karina was already handing me another round, and Gin tensed, trying to hold the course and stop the boat from pitching too much.

I quickly turned my arm into a tight metal spring again, loaded the cannonball into the "coil," and began compressing it, channeling all my strength into one powerful shot.

— Bane Bane no Mi: Spring Cannon! — I breathed out, feeling the energy charge inside me.

Just as the boat skimmed over the water, I launched the cannonball — it shot out at blistering speed, cutting through the air straight toward the enemy's mast.

— Direct hit! — I heard Sabo shout as the shot smashed into the target, splintering wood and snapping rigging.

The marines slowed down, their crew scrambling to regain control.

— Don't let them recover! — I ordered, readying for another shot.

I fired again — this time the round flew with a shriek and struck the enemy sail dead-on. The ship rocked violently, and several men fell overboard.

Phew, I thought, watching the rising sun slowly climb over the horizon. The chase was nearly over after that last hit, but we had to keep rowing nonstop to keep the boat moving.

— Bellamy, we really need to buy a new ship already! — Karina groaned, slumping weakly over the oars, exhausted.

— Yeah, no mast, and the boat's way too small now, — Sabo muttered, crouching down as Gin gently wrapped his arm.

— What about you, Gin? — I asked, turning my eyes from the setting sun.

— I want my own room! — he replied with a faint smile, making us all ease up and smile a little in that hard moment.

— Well, Gin, if we're gonna dream — dream big, — I said, looking at his tired but determined face.

— A new ship, strong masts, spacious cabins. Enough room for all of us — and most importantly, fast.

Karina propped her head on her hand and sighed softly:

— I wish that were tomorrow already… Rowing nonstop is really not fun.

Sabo looked at us with a faint smirk:

— Just make sure we don't get caught by the marines again. With cargo like ours, we won't make it far.

— What's the nearest island where we can buy a ship? — I asked, studying the map Sabo handed me.

He spread it out on his knees, the compass needle spinning slowly, with route lines crisscrossing in all directions.

— The nearest large port is Rattaru Island, — Sabo replied, pointing to the chart.

— There are a few shipyards there, and I've heard merchants usually have decent ships for sale — Karina added.

— Rattaru, huh… — I traced my finger along the island's coastline. — We better hurry. The marines might stick around longer than we'd like.

— Yeah, — Sabo agreed, — and it's a good starting point for heading to Loguetown from there!

Then that's where we're heading!