Dizzying.

It was as though the world around him was spinning uncontrollably as he stumbled out of the mansion and walked back to the harbour.

The crowds, the noise, and the thieves running wild in the streets were all ignored by him as he thought about the events that just occured, trying to make sense of it all.

Even the sight of the moonlight reflected in the ocean did not help him think. Not this time. In fact, he hadn't realised he was on the deck of the Ivory until one of Whitebeard's men called out to him, laughing at his expression of bewilderment.

"Ya alright there lad?" He yelled across the deck with a couple of his buddies, guffawing at his bewildered expression.

Jackie simply waved back and walked into the lower decks to his room.

It's late. Everybody is probably asleep by now. It was a shame. He had been hoping to clear his head by talking to Elma and the others, but now he'd have to endure another sleepless night, with nightmares of his crew being killed by a colossal wave in the shape of Blackbeard interrupting what small amount of sleep he could get.

But to his surprise, when he opened the door to his room, he saw all three of his crewmates still awake, playing Genny, a card game Rosa had made up. Someone had hung a hammock on the wall too, where Elma was stretched out with a bone sticking out between her lips.

"Jackie!" Rosa exclaimed, and lept into his arms.

With a relieved laugh, Eddie got up from his seat on Jackie's bed and guided him in. "We've been worried. You've been gone since the fight at the bar, and Elma was too righteous to follow you. Are you alright?"

He took a few deep breaths, and shook his head. "Actually, I'm not sure. A lot of shit happened when I was with that bartender. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it."

When he paused, Elma threw her cards at him in mild annoyance.

"Go on then, keep going. We love long stories. Not like there's much else to do tonight anyway." She certainly wasn't wrong. It was just a bit past midnight now, and they hadn't had a proper time at the bar either.

So without further ado, Jackie began to narrate his experiences of the night.

How the bartender was actually a crewmate of his parents.

His name being Jackie Blackheart.

The death of his parents and what had led to it.

The existence of the Continent of Gold.

The mystical cities Barke had mentioned.

Guildmaster Frost's abrupt arrival.

Barke's arrest, and possible execution.

His former identity as a Master at the Hunters Guild.

It all spilled out of Jackie with ease as he described the events in exceptional detail, making the others feel as though they were living through his eyes.

When he was done, the others looked at him with concern on their faces. "Are you sure you're alright, Jackie?" Rosa asked nervously.

He simply shrugged. "I just... don't know what to make of it. I'm glad Barke talked me out of my anger. But even then, I still can't decide what to prioritize. The continent? Saving Barke? Frost? I-"

"What the hell are you saying?"

Elma was the first to respond. "I've never seen you like this. It's not like you to be so indecisive, you know? Based on everything you told us, Barke chose his fate. It's none of our business, is it?"

Eddie nodded in agreement. "Jackie. You've always wanted to find El Dorado. Wouldn't you say that whatever he said about this continent was much more significant than going to save someone who's been captured by a monster we can't do anything about?"

It wasn't an easy choice. After all, they still had Whitebeard to help them, and he certainly seemed kind enough to do so. And not to mention the other members of the Whitebeard Pirates. But they were already in their debt. It certainly didn't seem worth risking an Ascendant's anger to save someone who gave up his life for Jackie's.

You talked about sacrifices, Barke. About how mom and dad abandoned everything for my sake. Their dreams, their lives. All of it. I want to save you but...wouldn't that just be disrespectful to your own sacrifice?

"It's your call, Captain." Elma murmured, and hopped out of the hammock. As she left, Rosa followed her with a final glance at Jackie.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do? He needs support right now, Elma." Rosa asked, clearly desperate to comfort him. But she simply looked ahead with apathetic eyes. "Captains make hard choices. There's only so much a vice-captain can say."

Her tone made it clear that the conversation was over. It startled Rosa to hear the coldness in her response. She never spoke to her that way. Never.

She watched on as Elma took her shirt off and collapsed on the bed. "Just go to sleep, Rosa. And by next morning, let's see if he's made his decision or not."

* * * * *

Eddie had only been asleep for an hour before Jackie woke him up. It was no good morning kiss, it was an extremely painful tug on his long hair that jolted him out of his blissful dream about women.

"What the fuck, Jackie? It's been, what? An hour? Couldn't be more than that since you decided to go to sleep!" He was expecting a witty response, but it didn't come.

Instead, Jackie simply asked a question. "Eddie. Am I...fit to be captain?"

With his back to Eddie, he sat up on the edge of the bed and lowered his eyes to the floor.

"Ever since the shipwreck, everything's been going downhill. We lost our ship, almost everyone in our crew, and even Morgan. And we've got next to no money left. While we're in such a mess, I'm here thinking about saving Barke. A guy I'd barely known when I was a kid." He balled his hands into fists.

"I wanted to do everything I can for this crew. For you guys. But to be this conflicted for a selfish reason just feels...wrong. I don't blame Elma for being frustrated with me."

Eddie sighed and put his hand on Jackie's head. He's still just 23. Easy to forget I'm way older than him sometimes.

"Oi, Jackie. Listen. None of us would be this dedicated to you if you weren't a great captain. And absolutely not Elma. She would never follow the orders of anyone aside from you. If Whitebeard himself were to tell her what to do, she'd look at you first. Or she'd make her own decision."

"We're all together because of you, Jackie. You saved me from rotting in that rundown house for the rest of my life, back when you were just a kid. You helped Elma abandon the people who kept abusing her. Who treated her like dogshit. You took in Rosa when she was just a helpless nobody who had no memory of who she was. We didn't even know her at all. She was just a girl we found lying in the middle of that weird star-shape in a shed. You made her braver to some extent in the time she spent with us."

"If you were a bad captain, none of us would be obliged to remain with you. We wouldn't have become brave if you weren't a good leader, Jackie. Trust yourself. As you've done from the start of our journey.

It was rare for Jackie to show his true emotions to anybody. And rarer still for Eddie to call him a great captain. Partly, I just want to cheer him up, but...partly, I mean it.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Apparently ignoring this speech, Jackie simply walked across the room and leaped into his bed.

Eddie turned around and closed his eyes with a smile. Jackie only ever really went to bed when his mind was clear. That simple action spoke louder than any words could have.

The next morning, he was back to his usual energetic self. As though nothing had happened, he leaped out of bed and ran off to find Whitebeard to beg him for a training session.

After a quick shower in one of the ship's four bathrooms, Eddie was tasked with accompanying Elma to the city to buy her a new weapon.

Previously, she had used a short dagger with a hole in the hilt to which a long rope had been tied. It was a versatile weapon, which she used both for short range and long range combat. But in the shipwreck, she had lost her weapon.

"We barely have enough money of our own for a weapon. If it's over 2000 gold, I'm not getting you anything." He told her, and she only laughed.

"If I want it, I'm getting it if I have to tear the money out of your hands!" Even though Eddie knew she was just acting tough, it still pissed him off.

"I've got a pretty good idea of what I want this time too. Borris offered me a good, strong chain that they didn't need anymore. This time, I'm gonna use a chain whip. All I need is the weapon for the job." Eddie could see the eagerness in her eyes as she talked.

Well. I'm not getting out of this without spending a ton of money.

After last night, the contrast of pedestrians during the day and night was obvious. Those during the day looked quite worse for wear, and had to make do with rags. Those during nighttime seemed far more wealthier, with actual clothing and money for drinks.

CLANK. CLANK. CLANK.

There was no need for a sign to find the blacksmith. Nearly every major city in the world had one, and their shops were always noisy and attracted seedy customers.

The stall was fairly large, with a stone counter carved into the wall where a few other men stood. Behind it, the blacksmith was working on what appeared to be a sword on an anvil. Each hit with the hammer shook the stone table underneath.

"That's a fine sword you're working on there." Eddie said politely as he watched the musclebound man wearing a black shirt and grey overalls.

He ignored him, and continued hammering away on the iron blade. Again and again and again.

"Erm...isn't that a bit excessive?" Elma asked, to which there was no response.

Annoyed, she slammed her hand on the counter.

CLANK. CLANK.

He's got balls to ignore her, I'll give him that.

Without warning, he raised the hammer and hit the table with it, as though in response to her.

"Quick work on a sword done with little concentration leads to one crappy and cheap blade. And you're being a hell of a pain in the ass." He growled at her.

She grit her teeth. "What's your problem? I'm your customer aren't I? You've got plenty of time to work on that sword!"

Again he didn't reply. But this time he motioned at the other men standing at the counter.

The two looked at them. They were all staring at her with unhappy expressions.

"Ye don't know how good he is, do ye?" One of then asked.

"Damn young 'uns. This man isn't like them cheap blacksmiths ye see in the mainlands. He's a real blacksmith. Spends half a day on a single blade to ensure its perfection. Ye don't disturb him when he's workin."

Elma simply crossed her arms across her chest and sulked.

Though he clearly disliked her, the blacksmith still addressed her as he would address any other customer. "Wait till I'm done with this for a moment. I'll be with you in a second."

The men outside began praising him and seemed almost moved to tears by this.

"What a man! He still treats disturbing customers with such vigilance!"

"Such professionalism!"

"He's the height of peak masculinity!"

"If I were a woman, I'd have already married 'im!"

"The fuck, Waynold?!"

Eddie watched the excitement in the group of people at the simple act of being courteous to Elma. Heh. She hates being treated like that. 'Tis fun to watch.

It took a few more minutes before he gently placed the sword on a rack full of other apparently unfinished swords and allowed Elma to speak. "I'm sorry for being harsh earlier. I like to focus on my work whenever I can." He said.

"JOEL! WERE YOU TELLING OFF CUSTOMERS AGAIN?"

The noise screeched out from behind a door that lead to the house connecting to the stall. The blacksmith took a deep breath and yelled back, "NO I FUCKING DIDN'T, ARIEL!"

"LIKE HELL I BELIEVE THAT!"

The iron door swung open, and a tall thin woman about the height of the blacksmith walked outside. She had short black hair tied back in a short braid that barely reached her shoulder, and walked towards them with an exaggerated swagger that belonged to an extremely confident person. She was beautiful and looked to be in her mid-twenties, and wore a long, dull green blouse coupled with a pair of old pants, which barely reached her ankles.

"Who did he yell at? Huh?" Her voice, which was rough and scraggly, was a completele contrast between her and what her looks suggested.

All the people there, including Eddie, immediately pointed at Elma. Tch, some buddy you are, you damn quack doc!

But instead of screaming again, she gave her a charming smile. "I'm so sorry, dear! To think that a girl like you would be out shopping only for Joel here to start yelling at you... it's definitely not the appearance I want our business to have!"

Elma was too stunned to speak.

Ariel put her hands together and started blabbing away about weapons to her. With looks of nervousness and fear on their faces, everyone except Eddie walked away the counter and back to the street.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I've been talking to myself haven't I? What's a girl like you doing here?" She asked.

Elma murmured, "Well, I'm just here for a weapon, ma'am. You see, I work at a ship, and I need something to protect myself." It was a lame story that she spun almost every time she needed a weapon of any sort. In reality, she was the one who did the killing.

But as almost everyone did, Ariel believed it too. "Of course. After all, us girls need to have some form of protection on our hands. What kind of a weapon would you be looking for? A rapier? A dagger, perhaps?"

She wondered about that. The only weapon she had ever used was that dagger and rope. It had practically attached itself to her hands. Anything else wouldn't feel right.

Feeling a bit stupid, she explained the dagger she had used to Ariel and Jonas. When she was done, Ariel chuckled. "So you've got an oddly specific order, huh?"

Elma nodded sheepishly.

Despite this, the couple remained cheerful. Well, half of the couple. "You'll probably be surprised, but I've got something that nobody wants to weild that would be perfect for you." Joel looked at his wife disapprovingly. "That thing? Nobody can use that. It's been nine or ten years since we got it, and nobody's willing to spend money for it."

The woman simply waved him away and moved towards an iron cabinet next to the door. From it, she took out a strange dagger with a blade shaped like a T, the tip curved rather than pointed, as most blades were. The main body of the weapon was narrower and extremely sharp, while the curved end was far wider and thicker. By the standards of a dagger, it was quite large and would be difficult to rely on. That is, if one's intention was to use it as a dagger.

Elma, on the other hand, was elated to see a hole in the hilt for a rope or chain to attach the dagger to. "It's perfect!" She cried in delight.

With a laugh, Ariel handed it over to Elma, who raised it to her face and hugged it as though it were her child.

"It's ridiculously big for a dagger, so we never could find a willing customer for it. 20 inches isn't exactly discreet or easy to draw." Ariel murmured sadly. "I always liked that blade."

"Oh I have a feeling I'm gonna love this baby." She replied with a smug glance at Eddie's pocket. She was getting this one if she had to kill him for the gold.

The blacksmith suddenly laughed, and slapped his hand on his forehead. "Of course we couldn't sell that thing to a customer. None of them were downright insane enough to buy it!" He cried.

"Tell you what, Miss. Don't use that as a dagger. Always think of it as a sword. Or perhaps even a mallet. It's blade was never made for stabbing. It was made to bash skulls inwards with that curved tip, and rip flesh from bones with the two ends of the curve."

Elma looked down at her newfound partner. "A sword or mallet? Then why would you call it a dagger?" She asked.

Joel smiled and pointed at the hilt. "The hilt is a dead giveaway. Many think it's only the length of the blade which tells the difference between a sword and a dagger, but the hilt is far more important. I'll spare you the details, but to put it simply a sword has a more comfortable hilt designed for a strong grip, while daggers have a far slimmer hilt in comparison to the rest of the blade, for the sake of improving speed and accuracy. Usually, they're much more difficult to handle against longer weapons because of the weaker grip, but-"

"Honey? Joel? Are you alright?" Ariel asked with her hand painfully gripping his arm. "Erm. Ah. Ahem. Yes." He stuttered.

Elma rubbed her head with a dumbfounded look on her face. "Head hurts. Owie."

Ariel sighed. "In any case, I'll let you off with a thousand gold for that. I'm just thankful to have somebody to sell it to." At this, Eddie almost burst out laughing in relief. A thousand? It was far better a deal than he had anticipated he'd be getting today.

When he handed over the gold, Joel waved at Elma. "Have fun with your new toy." He said. It was meant to be a friendly goodbye, but Elma shook her head.

"This isn't a toy. It's a part of me. It needs me to kill and I need it to kill. That's what the deal is."

Ariel kept a poker face, but she wasn't surprised. This girl did not have the personality of someone needing to protect herself. She seemed to be the danger.

Joel kept silent, and remained so until the two disappeared from sight into the crowd.

When he moved back to the anvil to work on his sword again, Ariel asked, "Honey, what's wrong?" He was slightly surprised. Perhaps he had let his displeasure show in his eyes. Ariel had a strange talent for that.

He heated up the furnace beside the table and adjusted the blade he was working on back on the hard surface of the anvil.

Finally, he spoke. "I...have heard that many, many times. People talking about how important their sword is. How it's a part of them or something like that, and that without them they'd be helpless. That it's a partner to them."

"And it's all bullshit."

He took his hammer and gazed at the reflection of himself on the blade.

"A blade is a toy, and only a toy. What do they think they're talking about? They are weapons used to take lives. To murder. Those who talk of swords and daggers and other weapons as though they're living creatures are fools who refuse to accept reality. Sure, those fools can accomplish great things with nothing more than sheer will, but they forget something important. Something almost everyone seems to forget nowadays."

"Someday, everyone who wields a sword will be forced to loosen their grip. And the day it happens on the battlefield...is the day they die."