One Piece: The Silver Sovereign

Today, the sun shone brightly, the weather was calm and pleasant, and conditions were excellent. All the crew members on the ship were going about their tasks in an orderly fashion.

Among them was Shirakawa, shirtless, holding a sword and diligently swinging it over and over again. To explain this scene, we have to go back two days.

"Vice-Captain, I want to learn swordsmanship."

Two nights ago, after dinner and a bit of drinking, Shirakawa, his face flushed with alcohol, walked up to Rayleigh and said this.

"Oh? Why do you want to learn swordsmanship?" Rayleigh asked in surprise.

Over time, he had come to know that Shirakawa was easily satisfied. Although he could endure tough training, whenever there was a chance to rest, he would absolutely take it, unlike Shanks.

Shanks was the type who, once he got serious, would go all the way. If he didn't train until he was completely exhausted, he wouldn't stop. But the problem was, Shanks rarely did get serious.

In the past three months of training, Shirakawa had never once requested Rayleigh. So this first request piqued Rayleigh's curiosity.

"Because I want to become a master swordsman."

In Shirakawa's memories, the most iconic images of sword masters were scenes like slicing a ship in half with one strike, cleaving an iceberg, or cutting a meteorite, and all of those feats were performed by a single man: Mihawk.

"Oh? You mean you want to become the world's greatest swordsman?"

"No way, not interested."

"Why not? Nearly every swordsman's goal is to claim that number one title. Why don't you want it?"

"Well then, Vice-Captain, when you started practicing swordsmanship, was it to become the world's greatest swordsman?"

"No. Back then, I just wanted to survive."

Rayleigh's glasses reflected the light as he spoke, somewhat wistfully.

He had always been someone who longed for freedom. If that weren't the case, he wouldn't have agreed, albeit reluctantly, when Roger dragged him aboard.

At the time, neither he nor Roger was very strong. They hadn't undergone any formal training. Their current strength came entirely from surviving countless life-or-death battles.

Most of Rayleigh's swordsmanship was self-taught. You could say that his current power was something he couldn't have even imagined before setting sail.

Before he knew it, he had become a sword master. But now, he had no interest in being the world's strongest. His only goal was to push Roger to the top.

"Well, there you go. I also just want to survive better. Besides, being the world's number one sounds exhausting, having to deal with challengers from all over the world every day. Wouldn't I rather spend that time getting some good rest?"

"Hahaha! Kid, this is the first time I've felt you understand me!"

Rayleigh burst out laughing, clapped Shirakawa on the shoulder, and filled his cup to the brim.

"But, kid, my swordsmanship is all about killing. You sure you still want to learn?"

"Swordsmanship not used for killing, what, is it for saving people? Anyway, whether a sword kills or not isn't up to the sword. It's up to the one who wields it. If I want it to kill, it will. If I don't, then it won't."

"Hahaha! Well said! Then from tomorrow on, you'll start learning swordsmanship with me!"

"Thank you, Vice-Captain!"

And so, for the past two days, Shirakawa had been practicing swordsmanship aboard the ship. The training was tedious, monotonous, and extremely physically demanding. He practiced each move thousands of times a day.

"Hehehe, Shanks, look at Shirakawa. Doesn't he look like someone who just crawled out of the sea? He's soaked through!"

Buggy, sitting nearby and watching the scene, said to Shanks.

These two were now basically the chaos duo of the ship; wherever trouble was, they were involved.

Unfortunately for Buggy, Shirakawa happened to hear that comment loud and clear.

"Buggy, what did you just say?"

"I said, doesn't Shirakawa look like someone who just crawled out of the sea?" Buggy replied, seemingly unaware of who had asked the question.

"Oh yeah? Then let me help you feel what that's like."

Buggy suddenly felt himself being lifted into the air. Only then did he realize it was Shirakawa holding him.

"Hey! Shirakawa, what are you doing?! Put me down right now!"

Despite Buggy's thrashing and shouting, Shirakawa remained unmoved, while Shanks chuckled off to the side.

"Buggy, why do you keep provoking Shirakawa when you can't even beat him?"

A crew member mocked Buggy upon seeing the scene.

"Mind your own business!" Buggy snapped back.

"Haha, fine, fine. I won't say anything."

The man waved dismissively, pretending he didn't care, though his sideways glances gave him away.

Shirakawa walked over to the edge of the ship and dangled Buggy over the side.

"What are you doing, Shirakawa?! Put me down!"

"Alright, I'll put you down."

And with that, Shirakawa let go.

SPLASH!

Buggy plunged straight into the sea.

"HAHAHAHA!"

The ship erupted in laughter. On the dull, uneventful sea, this sort of thing counted as prime entertainment.

"Hahaha! Buggy, now you look like someone who just crawled out of the sea!"

"You bastards! Hurry up and pull me up!"

Buggy shouted furiously from the water.

"Still cursing us? Fine, then stay in the water a little longer. Maybe we'll pull you up once we're in a better mood."

In the end, no one knows who pulled him out, but Buggy did make it back on board, dripping wet.

"Captain! I see an island ahead!"

"Really? That's great news!"

The navigator's shout energized everyone on board.

For the past three months, they had either been at sea or stuck on uninhabited islands. Some of the crew were on the verge of going stir-crazy.

"Finally, we get to see other people!"

The entire crew drifted off into their fantasies, imagining what they might do once ashore.

"Everyone, get ready to disembark. But remember, what's the rule of our ship?"

"Of course, Captain!"

The Roger Pirates' golden rule:

Pay for everything.

No matter what they do, no robbing, no looting. Always pay. Even if it's mutual consent, money must be exchanged.

In other words, the Roger Pirates lacked everything except money.

"You guys… are you pirates?"

When Shirakawa first heard this rule, he asked Shanks with deep suspicion. The Straw Hat crew from the original story barely qualified as pirates; he hadn't expected Roger's crew to be just as strange.

Maybe this was the true legacy passed down between Pirate Kings?

"Hahaha, don't sweat the details."

Everyone on the ship seemed used to these rules.

Though it was hard to say what they'd become once Roger was no longer around to restrain them.