One Piece: The Eternal Flame

Alfred and Gray used to be both sailors.

Even after a closer look, they were recruits from the same Naval Academy.

It's just that so many people are recruited every year, and no one has seen anyone.

Gray is a very lively kid, so lively that after finishing the fixed amount of training every day, he can still make some troubles that make the instructors have a headache.

For example, escape from the Naval Academy over the wall, or fight with people.

Both are of course a violation of military discipline, but they are not serious enough to drop out of school.

There are such thorns every year, and the punishment is to double the training corporal punishment, clean the whole school, and then stand on the stage of the weekly regular meeting and read the self-criticism to the densely packed recruits standing below.

The steel-bone pipe didn't listen to the child, so it was normal for him to be beaten.

In Alfred's impression, this recruit named Gray stood on the platform with a bruised nose and a swollen face, reading the self-examination that he had already memorized, which was a common occurrence.

He didn't care about these, he didn't care about the person on the stage, and he didn't care about the laughter of the crowd.

Gray didn't care either, he didn't care about everyone's ridicule and discussion, the sharp blade formed by those words couldn't hurt him at all.

Become stronger - is the common goal of two people.

On the day before the graduation assessment, Alfred received an invitation from the captain of SWORD - the secret special force of the Navy Headquarters. The purpose and mission of the establishment are temporarily unknown.

He joined the navy with a purpose, thought about it all night, and agreed.

So he missed the graduation assessment, and also missed the opportunity to formally meet Gray for the first time.

The SWORD at that time was incomparable to the future. It had just been established, and its various systems were not perfect. The people who joined did not have the title of the Navy, and it was even equivalent to an underground organization of the Navy. Few people knew about it.

In one year, it was enough for Gray to be promoted to a sergeant with absolute strength, and to suppress doubts and ridicules with absolute strength; it was also enough for Alfred to endure a hundred times more difficult training than school, and gain a firm foothold in SWORD.

They still haven't met.

"Alfred, you are young, why are you so preoccupied?" The captain of SWORD values ​​this child very much. He is calm and resolute, calm and straightforward when encountering situations.

Alfred was trained as the next captain, and it was also because he was going to be the next captain, so all the hardships and sufferings were justified.

"The Molina Chamber of Commerce in Dressrosa in the New World has a secret underground deal with Punk Hazard. Alfred, this is your last mission and final assessment before becoming the captain."

"Yes." Alfred took over the task details, knowing that he had finally waited for this day.

Punk Hazard - his mother's hometown, is also a place full of secrets.

-

"Pleasant to work with."

With the handshake and cooperation between Gray and Molina, it seems that this pirate group that suddenly broke into the new world will become the existence that stands at the apex.

They followed Molina on board, and with the latter's name in the New World, those pirates blocking her way would give her some face, but this time being so lucky doesn't mean it will be the same next time.

"I'll drop you off on the nearest island. As for the way forward, it's up to you." Molina smiled at Gray, "I have prepared a boat for you on that island. I hope you will like it."

"You're really thoughtful and careful." Gray shrugged, knowing in his heart that Molina had come prepared. Perhaps this keen businesswoman had been observing them as soon as the news of their escape from Chambord was released.

"This is what I should do." Molina said: "The island is called Punk Hazard. We have some business cooperation with this island, but this does not mean that you are safe."

"Punk. Thank you for your generosity." Gray knew that this island would become an uninhabited island due to the release of a large amount of corrosive substances in the future, but he didn't know the reason.

But now, there should still be people living on the island.

The pirates disembarked and watched Molina's merchant ship go away.

Perry asked, "Do you really have to trust them?"

"So what if you don't trust her." Gray looked at him, "Now we are clinging to her."

Today's Punk Hazard is a prosperous island with rich mineral resources buried underground. Under the call of the king, almost all the men are devoted to excavation work.

They dug out the ores needed by the world government from the ground, and after handing them in, they were rewarded enough to allow their families to live a happy and stable life.

No one told them that these ores contained some kind of special energy, and long-term exposure to radiation would cause inevitable damage to the human body.

-

The information that Alfred has grasped is that Punk Hazard's royal family is cooperating with the Molina Chamber of Commerce. He avoided the guards and sneaked in. When the king was going to make trouble with his concubine, he entered the opponent's study.

There are all kinds of books stored here, and important or unimportant papers are piled up on the table.

The king of Punk Hazard is not a qualified king. He spends much more time lying in bed with various women than dealing with government affairs. Alfred has a hunch that he will waste a lot of time here.

But at this moment, the roof suddenly collapsed, and several bricks and tiles fell on the ground, and the dust immediately spread in the air, and it was caught off guard.

Alfred held the knife at his waist and hid in the space under the king's luxurious desk in an instant. He heard the footsteps of the guards outside, and felt the breath of another person in the room with his knowledge.

Gray looked around and aimed at the table. He ran over, supported the table with his hands and flexibly turned to the opposite side. The moment his feet landed on the ground, he bent down and wanted to get into the table, but his movements suddenly stopped.

Alfred's samurai sword rested on his neck, the distance between the blade and the neck was only a few millimeters, and he held it very steadily without any trembling.

Gray blinked, and pre-emptively put his index finger to his mouth and hissed. While Alfred was stunned, he didn't care about the blade on his neck and got under the table.

Originally, Alfred was quite spacious alone, but with Gray, it was crowded.

Alfred moved his leg and kicked Gray, and the latter kicked back unwillingly, wanting to occupy a bigger place for himself.

The door was opened at this moment, and the two of them stopped for a moment. The guard walked in and saw a huge bird hitting the ground.

"It's a bird!"

"It's actually a bird? How could it fall here?"

"Okay, luckily it's a bird, if it's an intruder, it will be troublesome."

"You dragged the bird away and roasted the meat tonight."

Gray opened his eyes wide and opened his mouth to say something.

Alfred stretched out his hand quickly, and covered Gray's mouth with all his might, but because of a little too much movement, the samurai sword on his waist hit the table with a bang.

"Huh? What's the sound?" The guard was suspicious, and slowly walked towards the desk with the weapon in his hand.

Alfred didn't dare to move any more. In the current posture, he and Gray exchanged a glance, and then Gray blinked, reached out and held the handle of Alfred's waist, and the samurai sword was pulled out with a little white blade.

Suddenly, some bricks fell from the big hole in the roof.

"It's something that fell from the roof." Another guard had already put his mind on eating meat at night, "Let's go, I'll hand over the work and eat meat earlier."

The guard stopped a few steps away from the table, "Okay, I will report to the minister first, let the craftsman repair it tomorrow, and seal the study room tonight."

"it is good."

The guards dragged the unlucky bird away, and then locked the door of the study.

Hearing that the footsteps had gone away, Gray broke away from Alfred's hand, took a few gulps of fresh air, and complained, "That's my meat!"

"Shut up!" Alfred scolded, "It's your luck that you didn't get caught!"

"Aren't you the one who made the noise?" Gray retorted.

"Couldn't it be you who fell from the roof and attracted the guards!"

"I didn't mean to fall down! I'm hungry!" Gray's stomach groaned a few times at the right time.

Alfred snorted coldly, and got out from under the table. He looked down at Gray, and stretched out his hand the next moment. There was another bang, and he retracted his hand and shook it, "Idiot, you'll make a noise even when you get under the table."

"What are you scolding?" Gray's tone softened a lot. After all, if it weren't for Alfred's extended hand just now, his head would have been in close contact with the table.

He climbed out of the table and suddenly realized something, "Hey, what are you doing here? You don't come to steal things, do you?"

"Take care of yourself first." Alfred continued to look for what he wanted, and Gray's intrusion actually helped him.

It's locked here, at least tonight, you don't need to worry about the guards outside.

"I'm hungry, do you have anything to eat?" Gray sat on the table, shaking his head and watching the movements of the other person in the room, "What are you looking for, tell me and I'll help you find it~"

No one answered, only the sound of turning things around.

"I'm so hungry, do you really have nothing to eat?" Gray said for a while before Alfred came over.

His eyes lit up, thinking that the latter really had something to eat.

In the end, Alfred just wanted to pull out the paper that Gray was pressing under his buttocks, and said in a cold tone, "Come down."

"Cut." Gray pursed his lips and obediently jumped off the table. He casually walked to the bookshelf and looked at the gemstones on the shelf as decorations. "Hey, can I pick this one off?"

"I care about you." Alfred replied angrily, "It's not mine."

Gray found a beautifully decorated pocket knife on the table—it seemed to be a knife for nobles to cut paper.

Those people always make this kind of useless stuff to show their wealth and uniqueness.

He slashed at the largest and brightest golden gemstone, and when the gemstone was completely removed, the entire bookshelf began to vibrate.

With the friction of gears and chains inside, the bookshelves slid to the sides, revealing a dark passage illuminated by candles.

Gray looked at Alfred and smiled, "The pirate's adventure starts now?"