Chapter 13: Chapter 14: Loot, Love, and Schemes on the High Seas
"Ms. Valentine, now!"
Josh stood on the deck of their small boat, steering it with precision as he and Mikita sped away from a colossal pirate ship trailing behind them. The enemy ship was massive, with a crew of more than fifty pirates, and their size alone made them formidable. Luckily, their boat was smaller and faster, and the distance allowed them to evade the cannonballs hurled at them.
Still, the situation was dangerous. Fighting that many pirates would be exhausting, even for someone like Josh.
But he had a plan.
Josh glanced at Mikita, who had a rope tied around her waist. In her hands, she held two large barrels marked with the letters "TNT."
"Are you sure about this?" Josh asked, his face tense with concern.
"I've never been more sure, Mr. 9. Kyahahaha!" Mikita cackled, slipping into her battle-crazed persona. Her laugh sent a shiver down Josh's spine—she became terrifying in combat, almost sadistic.
"Thankfully, she's not sadistic like that in bed," Josh thought.
"Get ready," Josh said, preparing for the crucial moment. As they approached the beach, Josh lifted Mikita and hurled her toward the pirate ship. She flipped gracefully through the air, the barrels in her hands trailing smoke from their burning fuses.
The pirates below watched in stunned disbelief as she descended, their eyes widening in terror. Mikita landed with a crash, using her Devil Fruit power to increase her weight and smash through the ship's deck, unbalancing it.
The pirates scattered in panic.
Mikita reduced her weight to a single kilogram, and Josh quickly reeled her back with the rope. She landed in his arms like a princess, a wide grin on her face.
"Wow, you're so light," Josh teased.
"How about a heavy kiss then?" she replied, leaning in.
"We've only got a few seconds," Josh reminded her.
"That's enough for me." She kissed him deeply as Josh held her.
Behind them, the barrels exploded with a deafening BOOM. A flash of yellow lit the sky, followed by a roaring fireball and thick smoke. The force of the blast sent pirates flying, many of them crashing into the sea or landing on the beach, their bodies battered and broken. Some were missing limbs, while others were caught in the flames.
As the pirates' ship drifted toward the shore in ruins, Josh pulled away from the kiss and helped Mikita to her feet. The remains of the destroyed ship washed up alongside them.
"You... you bastards!" a voice shouted.
Josh turned to see the pirate captain standing amidst the wreckage. He was a man of average height, around 170 cm, wielding two swords. Beside him stood his vice-captain, who was worth 10 million berries, according to his wanted poster.
Josh raised an eyebrow. "Why is it always the captain and his vice who survive? It's so cliché."
While a few other pirates had survived, they were in no condition to fight.
Mikita floated upward with her umbrella, leaving Josh to handle the swordsman. The pirate captain charged, his swords flashing as he attacked with brute strength. But Josh was faster. He threw a knife, forcing the captain to parry. By the time the pirate deflected it, Josh had already moved behind him, a dagger in hand.
"I won't give up on my dream," the captain muttered.
"Sure. You can always dream while you sleep," Josh replied, slashing at the man's back. The pirate collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Meanwhile, Mikita toyed with the vice-captain, who groaned in pain beneath her.
"You can handle one ton? How about five thousand kilos?" Mikita grinned sadistically, increasing her weight as she stomped on him.
The vice-captain whimpered, fear etched across his face. Josh watched from a distance, shaking his head. The man was practically dying of terror.
After knocking out the pirate, Mikita sauntered over and playfully tapped Josh on the shoulder.
"Why are you looking at me like I'm crazy?" she asked.
"According to what mental health standards?" Josh quipped. In this world of pirates and bounty hunters, rational behaviour was practically insanity.
"Kyahahaha."
"Hahaha."
After sharing a brief laugh, they turned their attention to the pirate loot scattered on the ground. Gold and berries glistened in the sand—far more than the bounty on the pirates' heads.
"What should we do with this?" Mikita asked, her eyes gleaming. "We could split it. As long as we don't tell the boss, he'll never know."
Josh stared at her, and she rubbed her nose sheepishly.
"I have a feeling someone's spying on us. Probably that annoying bird," Josh said, leaning in to whisper. "Here's the plan: I'll take half of the loot and sell it using my speed. You hand over the pirates' bodies for the bounty, and we'll split the remaining reward."
They had about 35 million berries in total. Josh planned to give Crocodile only 20 million and keep the rest for themselves. Half of the gold would be theirs to keep.
Mikita stepped back, admiring Josh's cleverness. Had her partner been anyone else, she wouldn't have trusted them with such a scheme.
Together, they handed the pirates over to the nearest marine base and collected the bounty. Baroque Works took their usual cut, but Josh still walked away with a cool 40 million berries. True to his word, he gave Mikita half, despite their relationship. He wasn't the type to keep someone else's money.
Mikita was thrilled. She promised Josh a share of her future successes and rewarded him with something a little more immediate—intimacy at sea.
'Now I have 41 million berries,' Josh thought as he relaxed.
Later, as they made their way back to the nearest Baroque Works base, Mikita handed Josh a homemade chocolate cake with a side of lemon.
"Thanks," he said, gratefully accepting it.
Mikita nestled next to him, resting her head on his thigh. As she napped, Josh gently stroked her hair, staring out at the sea.
Opening his system interface, Josh traded 40 million berries for 40 Draw Points. He decided it would be better to accumulate more points and use them on his luckiest days—before attempting anything risky, like going after a Warlord.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone