We left the port at midnight.
I didn't tell Jaro about Vash. Not yet. I needed time to think. Time to figure out what "never trust a Fishman with secrets" meant.
But my gut had already started to whisper suspicions.
Jaro wasn't just a captain. He was watching me — not with open hostility, but with interest. Every time I trained, every time I showed my power, I caught him staring, calculating. Like he was adding me to some long-running equation.
Two nights after leaving the island, I decided to confront him.
We were on the upper deck, under a silver moon. The sea was calm. Most of the crew were below deck, drunk or asleep.
"You knew what that island was," I said quietly.
He didn't look at me. Just stared out at the water.
"I did."
"You didn't just take me there to train."
"No."
I waited.
Finally, he sighed. "That temple used to belong to a sect of monks who studied Devil Fruits. Specifically, Zoan types. They believed powerful fruits were connected to the ancient world — to Void Century relics, bloodlines, and… beasts beyond comprehension."
He glanced at me now, sharp eyes reflecting moonlight.
"The Kirin is one of them. One of the Twelve."
"Twelve what?"
"Primal Beasts. Mythical Zoan fruits with ties to the world's lost history. The World Government wants them buried. And anyone who eats one?"
He mimed a throat-cutting motion.
"So why help me?" I asked. "Why not sell me to the Marines and cash in?"
"Because I want something more valuable than money," he said.
I tensed.
"I want the truth."
He pointed out to sea.
"There's a wreck beneath these waters. Ancient ship. Pre-Great Pirate Era. I've been trying to dive it for years, but it's protected — strange currents, strange pulses. Normal men can't even get close."
"And me?"
"You're not normal."
I hesitated.
If what he said was true, this could be dangerous. But also… this was the kind of quest I'd dreamed about since waking up in this world. An underwater mystery. Ancient ships. Maybe even lost history tied to my fruit.
I nodded.
"I'll dive."
The dive began at dawn.
They gave me a breathing mask enchanted by a Sea Priestess years ago — it let me hold my breath for fifteen minutes. Long enough to explore, maybe.
Jaro stood by the rail, eyes scanning the horizon. "Be careful. If you feel something pulling at you — leave."
"Pulling?"
"You'll know what I mean."
Encouraging.
I slipped into the water.
At first, it was peaceful — sunlight filtering down, schools of fish darting past, coral blooming like underwater gardens. Then the light faded.
The wreck appeared like a shadow rising from the deep.
It was huge — not just a ship, but a floating fortress. Half-sunk, wrapped in seaweed and chains of coral. I recognized strange markings on its hull — the same patterns I'd seen in the temple.
My Kirin sense stirred.
Something down here was calling to me.
I swam closer.
Inside the wreck, broken hallways stretched in every direction. The wood groaned, long-dead crew still strapped to rotting benches. And at the heart — a sealed chamber, covered in rusted runes.
I placed my hand on it.
And felt a jolt.
Not physical — spiritual.
A voice. Ancient, layered, not speaking words but feelings.
"One of Twelve. The Beast of Balance returns."
The runes flared.
And the chamber opened.
Inside, floating above a stone pedestal, was a scroll.
No — a log pose.
But unlike any I'd seen before. It shimmered with three needles, spinning wildly.
And underneath it, burned into the floor:
"To find the past, follow the beasts."
I grabbed the log pose.
The moment I did, something shrieked in the deep.
The current shifted violently.
I turned and swam — fast.
As I broke the surface, gasping, the sea behind me churned. Something massive stirred below, too deep to see.
Jaro pulled me aboard, eyes wide.
"You found it," he said.
I handed him the log pose.
But he didn't take it.
"Keep it," he said. "You're the one it's calling."
That night, the crew celebrated. Rum flowed. Fish roasted over open flames. But my mind was somewhere else.
Twelve beasts.
A scroll that called to me.
And something ancient beneath the sea, awakened by my presence.
Jaro approached, unusually quiet.
"You have a choice," he said. "Keep sailing with us. Or go your own way."
I blinked. "You're letting me leave?"
He nodded. "We're pirates, not jailers. Besides… you've got something to chase now."
I looked out at the stars, heart pounding.
He was right.
I had a purpose.
This world wasn't just some second chance.
It was a mystery — one I was now tied to.
And I was going to chase it, one island at a time.