prolog

September 28, 1517 - Grand Line - near the island of Nent ...

A pirate ship swam on the calm ocean. The moon bathed it in a faint light that was reflected in the water. A thread of fog ran along the hull of the ship. The flag flickered promisingly in the mild wind. The hustle and bustle of the crew had long been silent and now everything looked like on a ghost ship. The wood of the bow creaked loudly and the sails hung limply.

Everything was peaceful above, but a heated discussion was sparked below deck.

"Thomas, you have always been one of the most loyal officers on my ship. But in the last four years you have changed a lot and I dare say that this is only because of her. I don't know how this little brat bewitched your brain , but just the fact that you adopted her opens up a lot. ", Flint, the captain of the pirate crew, said calmly but firmly.

"Captain, she's still a kid, that's why I adopted her too!", replied the addressee. His brown hair hung like a veil in front of his eyes, which flashed dangerously.

"Pity!", Flint jumped up from his red velvet armchair with tremendous force, so that it flipped over backwards. "Pirates feel no pity!"

"Then I can no longer be a pirate." Thomas looked deep into his eyes. He wanted Flint to feel how serious he was about that statement.

"Treason, this is treason!" Flint yelled. His body trembled with anger and his hands, on which tiny veins protruded, tore the many books he had read recently off the table. At that moment he looked older. Who could believe that a man by the age of twenty-four was already a successful and feared pirate. "As good as you want. You know what to expect, Thomas." Flint had regained his composure and assumed a tight stance.

"Yes, I am very well informed about that, but it is nothing to what you did to Luca.", the officer explained. He knew that he had to be careful with his captain, because he was very angry in such situations.

"Your son Luca shouldn't have interfered in my affairs.", Flint turned his back on him and looked out at the sea through a large window. “By the way, your daughter turned out to be very interesting company.” His malicious laugh that followed filled the whole room.

“You lousy pig!” Thomas was about to jump on Flint's neck. What had he done to her again? He liked to play games with her because he loved it when she suffered and hated him.

Flint, amused, reached into a small bowl that was on a table near him. He picked out one of the apples and smacked his teeth with relish. Thomas pulled himself together as best he could.

"Oh, besides, Silver has found something interesting in your things.", Flint held a nautical chart, which he pulled out of one of the desk drawers, under his nose."You don't happen to know what it is, do you?"

"Never seen it before! What is your boyfriend doing with my things?", The brown-haired man grumbled and wrinkled his face.

"That is irrelevant here, what matters is what you are hiding from me. A year ago, when you were traveling through the country in a ship under my name, you had to pay me taxes. You did that too, but one of yours Men told me that you bring most of the gold to a nearby island and bury it there. Now please don't tell me that this map doesn't show that island. Thomas, I don't like being played with me! "His tone of voice changed suddenly. Flint snapped his fingers in anger.

The heavy door to the deck opened and a tall man with black hair entered. He had a young girl in tow.

"Silver!", Thomas growled aggressively when he recognized the Smutje. His gaze rested on the pirate, who was at least two heads taller."So ... I give you the choice. Either you tell me the truth, or your 'daughter' has to believe it.", Flint explained calmly.

Silver threw the girl at Thomas' feet. She looked at him with tear-streaked eyes. Her black hair hung wildly on her face. The clothes were torn all over the place. Her hands and feet were tied with massive iron chains and there was a huge laceration on her forehead.

"What did you do to her?", Thomas yelled at his captain. The officer was beside himself when he saw his daughter's condition. He crouched down next to her on the floor so that he could take a closer look at her.

"Don't get off the subject!" Hissed Silver, looking down at them. How he hated family scenes!

Thomas hit the hard wood of the cabin with his fist: "What if there is a treasure and it is marked on this map?"

"Then your fate is sealed.", Flint said and directed Silver to put his chair back down to take a seat."I'll tell you everything, if you leave her alone!", Thomas made a final decision. He knew Flint couldn't get very far on this part of the map. Only his daughter knew about it and she wouldn't say anything, he had made sure of that. He was sorry afterwards, but there was still the side of the pirate in him that he wanted to give up for her. His son Robin had hated him, but his daughter was all that could connect the two of them. He wanted to tell her so much, but his pride prevented it.

"Come on Thomas!", Silver grabbed him and took the officer out of the cabin. Only she and Flint remained.

"Well, I don't need you anymore, Thomas. I have your card and what else should you be able to tell me? I already know everything with the card.", Flint said softly and waited.

Suddenly Thomas screams that made his daughter tremble. But as quickly as they were heard, they fell silent again. The first thought that crossed her mind was: 'Now I am all alone!'"You were a big pirate, but you had to get involved in these little games. That was a fatal mistake." Flint poured himself a glass of red wine and listened to the waves crashing against the ship.

- End of "Prologue" -

> Hope you enjoyed the prologue and were able to follow the content at least a little. I promise you that it will soon be clearer. Comments, criticism and tips would be nice.

Biso <