One Piece: Davy Jones, Captain of the Terror Ghost

Chapter 207 207: Davy Jones Enters the New World

"You're still young. You can learn. Nobody starts out as a king."

Marco laughed heartily as he spoke.

"Even Pops wasn't perfect. He started with just a small piece of territory. Patience, composure, and learning — that's what you need right now."

Ace pressed his lips together and nodded.

Maybe Marco was right — maybe he'd been too impatient. At least they still had a chance to start over.

He would never forget how Pops died, nor how his brothers and sisters fell one after another. He still had vengeance to take for all of them.

Just then, the Den Den Mushi in Ace's pocket began to ring.

"Look," Marco said, waving his hand casually. "Maybe Davy Jones has changed his mind and wants to ally with us after all."

Ace picked up the call — but the voice on the other end wasn't Davy Jones as Marco expected. It was one of their own men.

"Captain Ace! We're under attack! The enemy is invading the island!"

"What?!"

Ace's face changed instantly. The island under attack was the very one beneath his feet.

"Who's attacking you? How many of them are there? Where are they now?"

The voice on the other end was frantic and confused.

"Captain Ace, he claims… he claims to be—"

"Claims to be who?" Ace pressed.

"He… he says he's 'Whitebeard Jr.', the biological son of Pops — Edward Weevil! He demands that we all swear allegiance to him!"

"Bullshit!" Ace spat out the word, but he couldn't help glancing at Marco. Marco shook his head before Ace continued.

"He's a fraud."

"Yes, Captain, I understand!" the man replied, though his tone was still uncertain. "There are only two of them — Weevil and an old woman — but we can't stop them. Requesting reinforcements!"

"Two people?"

Ace and Marco exchanged stunned looks. Just two intruders had broken through the Whitebeard Pirates' defensive perimeter and made it all the way to their stronghold — and were still advancing inland.

Were they monsters?

They soon understood why.

A deafening explosion tore through the sky, and the thunderous echo rolled across the horizon.

Ace and Marco looked up sharply — a jagged rift of light and shockwaves split the distant clouds, followed by a towering column of smoke and dust.

For a moment, they thought they were dreaming — that Pops himself had returned.

But Pops' grave was right behind them. That was impossible. Which meant only one thing…

When a Devil Fruit user dies, their fruit is reborn somewhere in the world — but no one can predict where.

Since Pops' death, the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates had been too busy defending his territories to do anything else — including searching for the reborn Gura Gura no Mi.

Now, it seemed the mystery had been solved.

A man claiming to be Whitebeard's son was wielding Pops' power. There was no greater insult — or greater confusion — for the crew of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Then, the Den Den Mushi in Ace's hand gave a shrill screech before the line abruptly cut off. The man on the other end was surely dead.

Marco shoved the still-stunned Ace forward.

"Come on. We're going to meet this Weevil ourselves. We can't let some nobody who ate Pops' fruit claim to be his son and tarnish his name!"

Ace nodded firmly, and the two of them raced toward the coast.

Under the flickering light of candles, Davy Jones rose from a thick swirl of mist pouring from the coral organ pipes before him. He had just finished a song — and the melody still lingered in his bones.

Pushing open the captain's cabin door, he stepped onto the deck of the Terror Ghost. Around him, the seawater shimmered faintly like liquid glass.

Alongside the Terror Ghost, six other pirate ships had departed from Fish-Man Island: Kidd's, Apoo's, Bege's, Bonney's, Hawkins's, and Drake's.

As for Jinbe and Aladine, they had remained behind on Fish-Man Island, guarding the route and ensuring the safety of their rear line.

Seven ships, wreathed in an eerie green glow, rose from the depths — like seven coffins surfacing from the abyss. To ordinary men, it was the stuff of nightmares.

To Davy Jones, it was beautiful. Fear was part of his aesthetic.

"Captain," called Alvida, approaching from the bow. She removed her hat, letting a cascade of black curls fall down her back. "We're nearly at the surface."

"Did you notify Crocodile?"

"Yes. He's waiting at the harbor of Thriller Ghost Island."

"Send a signal to the other ships. Tell them we're almost there."

"Yes, Captain." Alvida bowed slightly, then turned toward the railing. "Hatchan! Where are you? The Captain orders a signal to the other ships — we're about to reach the surface!"

"Oh, right!" Hatchan's voice answered.

Through the green glow, he dove into the water, his body quickly swallowed by the sea.

A squad of fish-men swam alongside the Dutchman — some from the Sun Pirates, some from the New Fish-Man Pirates, and others newly recruited from Fish-Man Island.

They cut through the water with uncanny grace, following their squad leader — Six-Armed Octopus Hatchan.

Hatchan made a series of elaborate gestures underwater, trying to issue orders, but the other fish-men only looked at one another in confusion. None could decipher their captain's meaning.

It wasn't until Hatchan himself swam up to Kidd's ship and fired a signal flare that the others finally caught on — and rushed off to do the same for the rest of the fleet.

Moments later, all six ships had received the message: they were about to reach their destination — Thriller Ghost Island, the gateway to the New World.

Hatchan returned to the Terror Ghost and gestured to Alvida again.

"A gesture with no prior briefing is just a riddle," Alvida muttered, shaking her head. "Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that head of yours."

Still, from experience, she knew his gestures meant 'All signals sent. Mission complete.' So she turned and reported to Davy Jones.

Davy Jones stood at the prow and nodded.

As they neared the surface, the water grew brighter. Then, with a thunderous burst, the sharp prow of the Terror Ghost pierced the surface.

Sound returned — waves crashing, winds roaring.

The sun, the sky, the clouds, the sea breeze — familiar things, all reappearing at once.

The water streamed off the hull as the ghostly green glow faded away, revealing an island ahead.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Six more explosions followed in succession as the other ships broke the surface, rising in formation behind him.

Each one steered precisely into the claw-shaped harbor of Thriller Ghost Island.

Hatchan and the fish-men scrambled aboard, shaking the seawater off their bodies.

Alvida handed him a dry towel, and he began rubbing himself down absently.

"Dock the ships," said Davy Jones.

"Docking!" Alvida echoed.

A horn sounded, echoed by the six other ships. Together, the seven vessels glided toward the shore — a sight as grand as it was terrifying.

As they neared the docks, Davy Jones saw a group waiting for them. At their head stood a man in a fur coat — Crocodile.

One by one, the ships docked. Gangplanks slid down, and the pirates poured ashore like a flood of newly caught fish.

But when Davy Jones himself stepped onto the dock, the noise fell to a hush.

Crocodile raised his golden hook to his chest, leading the assembled pirates of Thriller Ghost Island in a deep, respectful bow.

"Captain Davy Jones — welcome back."

"Get the newcomers settled. Then take me to your office," said Davy Jones with a wave of his hand.

"Yes, Captain."

Crocodile's gaze swept over the newcomers behind Davy Jones — humans and fish-men alike. Their numbers had grown again, though how much stronger they'd become, he couldn't yet tell.

He gave orders for the crew to find quarters for the new arrivals, then personally led Davy Jones inland.

Thriller Ghost Island was dense with dark forests, eerie in its quiet. Scattered villages nestled at the bases of the surrounding mountains.

As they walked along the main road through one such village, the locals watched from afar, fearful and silent.

"Captain," Crocodile said as they went, "Kuro and Law are each in charge of one of our outlying islands. I've ordered them to remain at their posts, so they couldn't come to greet you."

Kuro and Law — the commanders of the two "arms" extending outward from Thriller Ghost Island — key lieutenants of Davy Jones' growing domain.

Davy Jones nodded. He didn't demand that his front-line officers abandon their duties just to welcome him.

Crocodile led him into a tall, plain-looking building that had once been the town's administrative office — now it belonged entirely to them.

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