The Black Heart Pirates

"Gilly!" Harding had not expected her to arrive so suddenly.

She stood in the entrance, her eyes locked on Harding with a piercing gaze. Her face was flushed red, and she gnashed her teeth so hard it was audible. Angry tears welled up in her eyes.

Alva stared at the young woman standing in the doorway to Harding's office. She had short pink hair and vibrant emerald eyes. A striking scar ran from above her eyebrow to below her eye. Additional scars covered her face, neck, and chest, visible just above her low-cut white top. These marks marred her otherwise flawless, tanned skin. The teal vest she wore exposed her shoulders, revealing a completely metal right arm, extending from her shoulder down to the slender fingertips.

Alva thought she was beautiful.

Gilly stepped further into the room, her gaze never leaving Harding. There was a defiance in her eyes—a challenge that contradicted the vulnerability of her scars. She carried herself with a confidence that seemed almost at odds with her rough appearance. Each step she took was deliberate, her metal fingers flexing slightly, a subtle reminder of the power and precision hidden beneath her delicate exterior.

She slammed her metal hand down on the desk, scattering everything on it.

"How could you sell my father's ship, his legacy? He trusted you; I trusted you, old man! We had a deal!" Gilly's voice was sharp with anger as she continued to vent her rage at Harding. "I won't let you. The misty is mine!"

Harding slammed his own hand on the desk, cutting her off.

"The Misty belonged to the company, just like every unsold ship built here," he replied, his voice gruff and level.

"I know how much it means to you, so I said you could buy it someday—but not so you could go chasing some wild delusions!" Harding rose to his feet, towering over Gilly, matching her fierce gaze with his own.

"You want to sail all around the world with your brother, just the two of you? Forget it! Last time you took off, you're lucky a fisherman was nearby. Yeah, your brother made it out with a few broken bones and a scar or two. But you, Gilly—your arm!"

Harding was breathing heavily as he continued.

"One ship, his legacy? Look around you! His legacy is here: one hundred fifty men depend on this shipyard to feed their wives and children. Oberon left them all to me—to protect you and your brother too. And I will; I'd chew nails if I had to." Harding's resolve was like a mountain pressing down on her, a force Gilly couldn't overcome.

Gilly slumped her head and shoulders, silent. Tears fell to the floor.

Alva stood quietly in the room, having missed his chance to say anything or leave. He was caught in an awkward situation, unsure of how to react. His eyes focused on Gilly's metal arm; he had never seen such an advanced prosthetic before. It was fascinating—he wanted to know how it all worked.

Gilly looked up, finally noticing that they were not alone in the room. Embarrassment and surprise joined the turbulent emotions she felt. She noticed Alva staring at her arm.

"Got something to say? I've heard it all before: robot girl, patch face, ugly! What's your problem, huh?"

Caught off guard by Gilly's direct outburst, Alva blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I think you're cool and very beautiful," Alva said, smiling brightly.

Gilly's eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed red. It was too much.

"Actually, I wanted to—" Alva started to say.

But the emotional overload was too much for Gilly. She bolted out of the office at full speed. "Weirdo!" was all she could manage to say as she fled.

At the same time, Revy and Brody sat eating lunch in a busy bar near the shipyard.

"This is my go-to place; the food is the best," Brody said.

"It's good!" Revy replied, stuffing his face.

"Man, those were some moves back there! Boom, pow, they didn't know what hit them. Where did you learn to fight like that?" Brody asked, waving his fist in the air.

"Aha ha, my old man taught me. But I'm a once-in-a-generation talent—no one can move like me!" Revy puffed out his chest.

"Ha ha ha, that's a good one! My brother is strong," Brody said, slapping the table. His voice was roaring. "Hey waiter, four more drinks over here. It's a celebration!"

"Oh my, Brody, I don't see you drinking happily so often. What's the occasion?" A woman brought over the drinks and slid into the seat next to Revy.

"Oh, Gizelle, I didn't know you were working today. Get this, I won a lot of money!" Brody grinned wide.

"Oh, you're always chasing money. Who did you scam this time?" Gizelle giggled.

"Won it fair and square this time, honest!" Brody smiled, holding out a victory sign with his hand.

"Mm-hmm, sure," she replied with a doubtful look.

"Bwah ha ha ha," Revy laughed at the exchange.

Brody would come to this bar every time something good happened. Whether he got new clothes, a haircut, or had a lot of money, he tried to get Gizelle to notice him.

"Who's your friend?" Gizelle asked, eyeing Revy.

"This is my big brother, Revy! He's the other reason to celebrate today."

Revy ignored her, too busy drinking and eating.

"I've got to get back to work. You let me know if you need anything," Gizelle said. Resting her hand on Revy's shoulder, she gave him a wink as she walked away.

"Mhm, sure," Revy replied with his mouth full, not even glancing in her direction.

Brody's mouth hung open for a moment before he slammed his head on the table. He had never seen Gizelle act that way before. "Man, I wish I was as strong and cool as you! Handsome guys should all die!"

"What's the matter with you, drink too much?" Revy looked at Brody curiously.

"Bro, you're an idiot," Brody sneered at Revy.

"What did I do?" Revy shrugged it off without much thought.

"So, why are you trying so hard to get money?" Revy asked.

"I need it to help my sister." Brody's expression turned serious.

"Why not get a job? It's got to be better than risking your life gambling."

"I have one at the shipyard, but it doesn't pay enough. We need a lot of money to buy a ship from the boss."

Revy's ears perked up at the mention of a ship; he was looking for a way off the island.

"Why buy a ship? Are you trying to become pirates?"

"Nothing like that. You see, she's a genius, like a genuine prodigy. Ever since we were little, she's talked about wanting to make this thing called a globe." Brody made shapes with his hands.

"Globe? What's that?"

"She said it's like a map of the whole world you can hold in your hands!"

"That's awesome!" Revy was amazed.

"Right? So, we need a ship to sail the whole world, so she can make it. We work at the shipyard together and work on the ship we're going to buy in our free time to get it ready. Man, she's got it all figured out. She made a deal with the boss and everything."

"Man, that's a pretty crazy dream. But why are you working so hard for it?"

Brody closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about the question.

"My sister has been through a lot, but she never once gave up trying to make her dreams come true. One time we almost died trying to sail around this island to start her map here. But that didn't even stop her. When I saw how hard she was working, I knew I had to do everything I could to make her dream come true."

"She sounds so cool," Revy said.

"She's the coolest, bro!" Brody gleefully went on and on with praise for his sister. Revy leaned against the table, listening for some time.

"Don't you have a dream, Brody?"

"Hmm, I've never really thought about it, you know? I guess my dream is to make her dreams come true. That would be good enough for an idiot like me." He smiled.

"Brody."

Revy slammed his beer mug down on the table.

"That's not a dream! Hoping for your sister's happiness is good and all, but a dream is something a man has for himself. A real man knows what he wants and puts everything he's got into making it happen."

Revy scolded him with a serious look in his deep purple eyes.

"Then, do you have a dream, Revy?"

"Of course I do," Revy held out his katana. "My name is Revy Heart, the man who will discover all the secrets of the world with his blade!" He proclaimed loudly, puffing up his chest.

Revy was so loud he drew the attention of everyone in the bar. Brody clenched both of his fists as he looked at Revy.

"Then, me too!" Brody shot up and placed his leg on his chair. "My name is Brody Davis; I'll become the coolest man in the world, and all the women of the world will know my name!" Striking a pose, he hoisted his mug in the air. Revy stood and held up his own mug. "To dreams!" Revy called a toast.

"TO DREAMS!" Brody and everyone else drinking in the bar joined the toast.

Noticing the time, Brody shot out of his seat.

"Oh no, I was supposed to help my sister with the ship today! Bro, I've got to go." Brody started to rush towards the door. "You should come with me and my sister. I'll ask her about it. Come to the shipyard later."

Brody shot out of the bar and stumbled as he tried to run down the street.

Revy walked down the street, thinking about Brody's offer. He liked Brody a lot and wouldn't really mind joining them. It sounded better than stowing away, but he didn't want to wait too long to continue his travels. Conflicted about what to do, he paced back and forth.

"Hey, handsome, what's wrong? How about a free reading?" A woman sat behind a bench covered in purple cloth, her stand nestled at the entrance to an alleyway, and called out to Revy.

"Who, me?" Revy pointed at himself. He looked to his left and right; there was no one else on the street.

"Who else?" the woman said, patting the table.

Curious, Revy sat down. He was an avid believer in superstitions and mystics. That's why he wanted to uncover the secrets of the world. For Revy, the best part was that she offered it for free.

"My name is Cleo Castello; what's yours, hun?"

"Revy Heart," he replied.

"Revy, some believe uncertainty is an evil that should be dispelled through divination." Cleo shuffled cards in her hands as she spoke. "Others claim it is change that is evil. But that isn't true either. As time passes every minute of every day, we each become someone new." Cleo had a glint in her eyes, barely visible under her hood. "We should not fear change itself, but only who we might change into. Knowing one's path is most important."

"Uh, okay," Revy said nervously as Cleo gave off a mysterious aura.

"I devised this layout specifically for you. Are you ready to begin?"

"Sure."

Cleo placed down the first card. "The Fool. The Fool symbolizes the start of a journey, the announcement of something new. It is the inner child—curious about the world, but also naive and reckless."

"Makes sense." Revy could relate.

She placed the second card. "The Wheel of Fortune. The danger is greater than you think. It will come suddenly, without warning. Conflict is unavoidable."

"That doesn't sound too good," Revy said.

She placed the third card. "The Reversed Chariot. This reveals that such danger comes from your love of risk. A warning for those aiming too high."

Revy started to feel uneasy. He couldn't tell if he had too much to drink or if the woman was unnerving him.

She placed the fourth card. "The Tower. The Tower represents danger and crisis, an unforeseen change."

"Oh, you poor thing, your fate is not an easy one," Cleo said sadly.

"I mean, they could be wrong, right?" Revy felt nervous and uncomfortable.

"My dear, it's all in the cards."

Cleo looked up into Revy's eyes for the first time. Her eyes were nothing but empty sockets.

Revy jumped back, scared.

When Revy opened his eyes, he was lying on the ground in the alleyway.

"What the hell, was that a dream? I need to quit drinking so much," he mumbled to himself.

Feeling a sense of urgency, Revy took off towards the shipyard.

Gilly sat on the deck of The Misty, holding her knees.

"I figured I'd find you here," Alva said, walking up behind her.

"What do you want, weirdo? Leave me alone," she replied in a hoarse voice.

"Ah ha ha... weirdo, huh?" Alva walked past Gilly, sliding his hand down the railing.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Alva D. Drake. What's yours?"

"Gilly Davis," she said to Alva, his back facing her.

Alva stopped, still admiring the ship. "When I saw this beautiful ship, I knew I had to have it. It was the one. I purchased The Misty right away." Alva turned to face her.

"So, Gilly," Alva started to say.

"You bastard! You're the one who took it from me!" Gilly flexed her metal arm.

Vrrrrr clink.

Before Alva finished his sentence, a punch from her metal arm was aimed right at his face.

Alva tilted his head to dodge the blow, and as it passed, it sent out a shockwave.

"Whoa, that's dangerous!" Alva said, holding his hands up.

Gilly threw a follow-up punch.

"You ruined everything," she spat out, venting all of her pent-up emotions.

Alva could see how she was feeling, so he decided to let her get it all out. He dodged, parried, and blocked all of her blows for a few minutes. Finally, Alva grabbed her wrist and locked her arm behind her back, restraining her.

"Calm down, okay? I just want to talk." Alva spoke softly into her ear.

Gilly started to cry tears of frustration; she felt powerless.

"Mhm." She nodded.

Whack! A strong punch hit Alva.

"LET MY SISTER GO!" When Brody climbed onto the ship and saw a man holding his sister, he lost it and rushed at him.

Alva saw the punch in slow motion but let it hit him anyway. He wanted to know how strong both of them were.

Alva locked eyes with the young man. He had short pink spiky hair, a scar, and bandages on his face. One of his eyes was green, the same color as Gilly's, but his left eye was brown. He had goggles sitting on his head and wore a green coat with a leather strap slung over his shoulder. His hair and skin were the same color as Gilly's.

When Brody rushed again, this time Alva tossed him with a judo throw, making him land hard on the deck.

"Brody!" Gilly rushed to him, kneeling at his side.

Alva looked down at them.

"Will you hotheads shut up and listen to what I have to say? I'm not trying to crush anyone's dreams. I know how much this means to you, so I won't take it away. Join my crew, both of you." Alva extended his hand toward them.

"Huh!"

"What?"

Gilly and Brody's eyes widened, surprised by his offer.

"Two Sword Style: Silent Song."

Alva felt an attack aimed at his neck. This was different from Brody's earlier punch; he could sense serious killing intent coming from the man. Drawing his blade, Alva blocked both swords. As their swords made contact, an intense vibration shot through Alva's entire body; his ears rang from the impact.

"Bro!" Brody yelled.

"Wait, who?" Gilly said.

"I don't know if you're here for your money or just to harass the pretty lady, but no one messes with my friends' dreams," Revy said.

Alva could tell this guy was strong, but he didn't understand what had just happened in that attack.

After being interrupted for the third time today, his patience had reached its limit.

"Another hotheaded idiot!" Alva roared as he slipped from the locked blades.

Alva dodged the next sword strike from Revy; this one sent out a shockwave that destroyed some of the ship's railing.

"My ship!" Alva and Gilly yelled in unison.

"Not the ship!" Brody yelled, his hands on his cheeks.

Alva and Gilly looked at each other. "Huh?" Alva said. "What?" Gilly said.

"Oh, um, sorry," Revy said, looking apologetically at Brody.

"Take your bullshit off my ship!" Alva yelled.

Alva slid under Revy at a speed hard to follow with the eyes and kicked him from below with all his strength. Revy blocked the kick but was sent flying through the air, performing three backflips. Revy landed on the dock some distance away.

"Sword Dance: Waterfall Basin." Alva gave Revy no time to breathe, striking down at him from above.

Revy dodged the vertical slash, moving to Alva's right. With his sword in his right hand, Alva drew his pistol with his left and fired. Revy dove below the shotline.

(Bang!)

"Guns are a bad match with me," Revy said, grinning like a madman.

"Two Sword Style: Tiger's Roar." Revy condensed the sound from the gunshot in front of his mouth and roared, slashing his swords in an X at the same time.

Alva blocked one sword with his pistol and the other with his sword. The shockwaves of sound and pressure hit his body dead on, trapping him in a cone blastwave. Alva felt like his body was being vibrated apart before he was shot into a storehouse on the dock like a cannonball.

Revy watched the cloud of dust rising from the hole in the wall. Two red eyes flashed inbetween the smoke. A harpoon shot out of the smoke screen at Revy's chest; he deflected the harpoon with his swords.

Alva closed the distance between them and landed a side kick into Revy's ribs, sending him tumbling across the ground. When Revy recovered, he saw the crazed smile on Alva's face, and he returned it with his own.

"Bring it," Revy said.

"Get some," Alva replied.

The two had never had so much fun in a fight before.

They engaged in a close-range melee for a long time. By the time the sun began to set, Revy fell onto his back.

"Looks like it's my win," Alva said before he fell onto his own back next to Revy. Both of them were covered in cuts and bruises, hardly maintaining consciousness.

"A draw," Revy said.

"I guess," Alva grunted.

"Alva, are you okay?" Gilly said, running to his side and lifting his head.

"Big bro, you're alive, right?" Brody said, running to Revy.

"I'll be okay," Alva said, smiling at her.

"No sweat," Revy said before he passed out.

When Revy woke up, he was lying on a bed, all of his wounds covered in bandages.

"You're awake," Alva said, sitting shirtless in a nearby chair, similarly covered head to toe in bandages.

"Man, you're strong," Revy said. "What's your name?"

"Alva D. Drake. You're strong too. What's your name?"

"Revy Heart. I'm the man who will uncover all of the world's secrets!" he said, sitting up in the bed.

"That's interesting, Revy. I want you to join my crew. I need a right-hand man." Alva looked him in the eye.

Revy thought for a moment. "What is your dream?" Revy asked.

Alva leaned forward with a wild glint in his eye.

"It's chaos out there, Revy, and I'm going to put a stop to it. I'm going to take on the corrupt world government and bring all the wild pirates rampaging around in line too. I'm going to stop all of it. I'm going to change the whole world." Alva's tone was dead serious.

"Bwah ha ha, you're crazy! You'd have to at least be the Pirate King to do all that."

"I'll become the Pirate King then, and whatever else I need to be."

Revy felt shivers to his core; this guy was serious. For some reason, it made Revy feel like he could actually pull it off. "I'm sure we'll uncover more than a secret or two about the world. Don't you want to find the One Piece, the biggest secret of them all? Revy, let's shake up the whole world!"

"Alright, you crazy bastard, I'm in!" Revy felt like his whole life had been leading him to this moment.

"My blade is yours until we achieve our dreams! Right, Captain?" Revy held out his katana.

"Deal."

Brody barged into the room.

"Me too! I'll join you; let's take the world by storm!" Brody yelled out.

"Geez, one moment you're on death's door, and the next you're causing a commotion so early in the morning."

Gilly lazily walked in behind Brody. She placed a hand on her hip and pointed at Alva.

"No one knows The Misty better than me. It's not going anywhere without me, you hear?"

Alva smiled with a wide grin. "Then it's settled; from today on, you're all a part of my crew!"

For decades, legends would be told about the day a black scourge on the world was born on Sky Fang Island.