Ritter lay limp on the deck of the Oro Jackson, utterly exhausted, when he suddenly felt himself being lifted. The trio of youngsters hauled him over to a corner.

"Just watch us now, Ritter!" Shanks and Buggy both gave him a thumbs-up.

"Mm." Laboon adjusted his little top hat. The three of them turned and charged straight into the fray.

"Hey! Red-nose! Why are you hiding behind me?!" Shanks' sword, faintly imbued with Armament Haki, neatly deflected a slash from a charging pirate.

"Wh-Who's hiding?! I'm just waiting for the perfect moment to strike!" Buggy snapped back, his voice full of bravado though the dagger in his trembling hands betrayed him. He ducked low, narrowly avoiding a spiked mace that swept over his head.

Damn it, I'm playing it safe now, but I hope no one thinks I'm actually weak…

The two boys stood back-to-back atop the wreckage of a drifting ship, surrounded by dozens of Golden Lion Pirates.

The salty scent of the sea mixed with the stench of blood. It was suffocating. For Shanks and Buggy who'd only ever fought under the watchful eyes of Garp or Whitebeard this was their first time truly witnessing a battlefield soaked red. Back then, even the fiercest fights had limits. No one went all-out against rookies.

"Hah! Just these two brats?" A burly pirate with scars across his face laughed cruelly as he stepped forward. "Lord Shiki's being way too cautious. I could wipe the floor with trash like this—"

Whoosh!

Shanks vanished in a blur. In the next second, he reappeared behind the man, his blade slicing cleanly into the back of the pirate's neck.

Crack!

"You barking like a damn dog or something?" Shanks quipped, mimicking Ritter's favorite one-liner. Man, it did feel good to say that out loud.

The "Iron-Blooded Bruiser" collapsed without a sound.

"Talk less, fight more." Shanks flicked the blood from his sword and raised a brow at Buggy. "See that? That's how you fight."

"Don't get cocky!" Buggy shot back, eyes gleaming with sudden inspiration. "Watch this!"

He handed a gas mask to both Shanks and Laboon, then pulled a smoke bomb from his coat and slammed it onto the deck. Familiar, isn't it?

Yep learned that from none other than Ritter. Always set the stage before you fight. Ritter, you're a bad influence, man.

With a bang, thick smoke engulfed the area.

"Cough damn brats!"

"There's pepper powder in the smoke! Bastards!"

Buggy took the opportunity to activate his Devil Fruit. His arms split into dozens of floating hands, each gripping a throwing knife.

"Special Technique: Buggy Barrage!"

The blades rained down like a storm, drawing screams from every corner of the smoke. Shanks gawked in disbelief.

"When the hell did you prep all this…"

"Kuahahaha! I'm a genius, that's when!" Buggy boasted, striking a heroic pose.

But he didn't have long to gloat.

Suddenly, a sharp sword aura tore through the smoke.

A swordsman with an eyepatch stepped forward, long blade gleaming coldly in hand.

"Brats... game's over. I don't have time to waste playing with you."

Both Shanks and Buggy swallowed hard. This guy… he was different.

Even geniuses need time to grow. Dammit, should we run back to Ritter?

"H-Hey… Shanks…" Buggy stammered, "Sh-Should we…"

"Should what? Run? I thought you'd never say it!" Shanks grinned, raising his blade. "But no. We fight! Ritter's still down. We're Roger Pirates, aren't we?"

"You think I'm scared?! I swear, if I die here, I'll haunt you forever!" Buggy snapped, trembling as he stepped up beside Shanks.

Thanks to Ritter's influence, Buggy had changed a lot. In the original timeline, he'd have bolted by now.

The swordsman smirked and unleashed a flurry of slashes.

"Petal Frenzy!"

Clang! Clang! Clang! Shanks fought to block every strike, but the difference in power was overwhelming.

One heavy slash shattered his blade it wasn't his future weapon, Gryphon, just a regular sword and left several bloody gashes across his body.

"Shanks!" Buggy cried out. In desperation, he flung a wooden plank at the enemy.

The woman cut it down with ease, but suddenly Buggy was gone.

"Above you!"

Buggy descended from the air, legs split into dozens of fragments: "Special Technique: Buggy Tempest Kick!"

"Cheap tricks," the woman sneered, dodging effortlessly before swinging her blade in a counterattack.

As the slash neared, Buggy didn't panic. He noticed the attack lacked Haki it meant she didn't consider him a real threat. And that was his chance. He was ready to split and strike from behind

Boom!

Just then, a massive black shadow came crashing through, slamming into the swordswoman and sending her flying!

"Laboon!" Shanks shouted with joy.

The little whale caught Buggy midair and let out an angry cry, its tiny top hat still perched proudly on its head. It raised a fin and pointed straight at the fallen swordswoman.

"Mmmmmm! (Don't bully them!)"

The swordswoman climbed to her feet, stunned by the unexpected creature. "What the hell is that thing…"

But Laboon didn't give her time to think. It sucked in a breath

BOOOOM!

and blasted her straight into the sea with a high-pressure water cannon!

"Woooah…" Buggy hung slack-jawed. "When did you learn that move?"

Laboon raised its head proudly, the little top hat askew. Shanks clambered onto its back, laughing.

"Nice work! Let's go help the others!"

Laboon gently set them down, then slapped a misty puff from the hat onto itself Ritter had prepared it ahead of time. Then, with practiced confidence, it leapt into the water. After all this training...

"Mmmmmm—!!!"

A deafening whale cry echoed across the battlefield. Laboon's massive body burst from the sea, sending a towering wave into the sky. The tiny blue hat atop its head didn't budge, and its round eyes burned with unshakable determination.

"Wh-Whoa... that's Laboon?!" Buggy clung to a mast, his red nose quivering. "When did it get so terrifying?!"

Shanks gripped the ship's railing tightly, eyes gleaming. "It worked Ritter's training worked!"

Out at sea, Laboon became a fortress in motion. No longer the wild, clumsy charges of before this was precision and control, honed through Ritter's brutal training.

Boom!

A tail swipe launched three enemy ships like toys. Yet strangely, the vessels weren't destroyed only the pirates on deck were knocked out.

Ritter: Exactly as taught hurt the people, not the ship. There might be treasure on board. With enough berries, you can buy more dried sardines.

"Mmm! (Next!)" Laboon spun in a circle, mist clinging to its little hat.

The Golden Lion Pirates started to panic.

"Fire the cannons! Hurry!" a squad leader roared.

Dozens of battered cannons opened fire, a storm of cannonballs raining down.

"Laboon, watch out! Those rounds are made of seastone! Don't take them head-on!" Shanks yelled.

But Laboon didn't flinch. It inhaled deeply

BOOOOM!

and unleashed a water cannon over twenty meters wide. All the cannonballs shattered mid-air. The pressure didn't let up, hurling an entire warship into the sky.

"Mmm~ (Laboon goes where Laboon wants~)" the little whale chirped, flapping its fins happily.

From a distance, Ritter watched the trio Shanks, Buggy, and Laboon fighting on the front lines. For the first time, he understood what Roger must have felt while training him.

Pure pride.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————

Hooked already? Let me know what grabbed you leave a review and fuel the journey forward! and if we hit every 250 Power Stones, a bonus chapter drops!

Things are just heating up. Read ahead in Unbound Evolution and stay ahead of the crowd.

[email protected]/_tey

Change @ to a.