Roy hadn’t thought of that name in more than a decade. Ever since he could remember, his mother had always called him by his surname, Roy—not by that inexplicable girl’s name.
After his mother died, he’d taken up the same pirate’s life as his father for one reason or another, and he’d kept the name a secret. Partly out of childhood habit, and partly because it was just too strange to call himself by.
Just imagine what would happen if people—especially the carefree pirates—found out that Golden-Eyed Roy, who ruled the Eastern Sea Region, had a real name that sounded impossibly lovely and dreamy, like a girl’s.
It would surely become an indispensable source of after-dinner gossip.
So when those four syllables came from the Devil’s mouth, Roy froze for a moment. Then, without thinking, he reached to draw the curved sword at his side and slash the man before him—so he’d never get another chance to expose the little secret Roy had guarded so fiercely.
Fortunately, Roy still had some sense. He knew the man before him couldn’t be harmed by blades. Even if he struck, the sword would pass straight through that body, which seemed to exist but was actually nothing at all. In the end, Roy could only press the exposed length of the snow-white blade back into its sheath, disgruntled.
“Since you know where I come from, do you also know what possessed my dear old dad to give me such a name?” Having abandoned any thoughts of resistance, Roy lowered his head and asked dejectedly, like a drenched stray cat.
The word “father” felt very distant to Roy. The man had gone to sea before Roy was old enough to remember anything.
He’d never come back after that. He hadn’t even sent a letter. The only things Roy knew about him came from his mother’s memories—and the name that made Roy feel so awkward.
“Of course I do.” The Devil smiled mischievously. The authority and pressure he’d radiated when he put on his tricorne had vanished without a trace. His golden eyes reflected Roy’s pale face and the raindrops slipping down it as he revealed the answer to the question that had haunted Roy for over a decade.
“The truth is, your father didn’t know your gender. The ship was about to leave, and when he saw you in his wife’s arms, he mistook you for a pale-skinned girl. So he called out those four syllables from afar, hoping you’d receive God’s blessing and grow up healthy and happy.”
As he listened to the Devil, a scene from the farewell long ago rose unbidden in Roy’s mind.
Sunlight fell on the baby wrapped snugly in linen in the woman’s arms. His father, about to embark on a long voyage, had seen the most precious treasure of his life. The baby’s angelic cheeks had made him think his child was a girl, so he’d named the child Elizabeth—a name meaning “God is my oath.”
But it was all just imagination. No one knew what had really happened back then. Roy gave a quiet sigh, then lifted his head again and looked at the legendary Pirate King with a guarded glint in his eyes. “Mr. Devil, what is it you want to talk to me about?”
“Naturally, the matter of compensation.” The Devil grinned like a crooked merchant selling counterfeits.
“Compensation? What compensation?” Roy looked confused.
“You barged onto Devil’s Island without permission, and you brought along quite a few unwelcome guests I’d rather not see. You disturbed my peaceful sleep. Don’t I deserve some compensation?” The Devil’s grin grew even more malicious.
At the words “unwelcome guests,” Roy suddenly remembered something. His expression turned awkward, but he still braced himself and said, “What unwelcome guests? Wasn’t my Mermaid the only ship that came ashore?”
The Devil didn’t bother to explain. He tapped the armrest of his throne, and the curtain of rain between them began to twist. The raindrops gathered into a rippling mirror of water, revealing a shocking scene beyond the island.
Warships—more than anyone could count. The largest looked like a colossal wall advancing across the sea. Countless bronze cannons, gleaming coldly, jutted from its hull. Even the Great Captain, who ruled the Southern Islands like an emperor, could never have owned cannons made with such superior materials and such precise craftsmanship.
These were killing weapons belonging to a proper navy, the finest work of the smiths of the Orlan Empire. Flying above the enormous warships was the black flag bearing the eagle of the Orlan Empire.
It was the First Fleet of the Orlan Empire’s Imperial Navy!
The water mirror gradually dispersed, and the image blurred. Yet the castle-like warship still lingered in Roy’s mind. His eye twitched a few times as he gritted his teeth. “They even brought out the Tyrant. They’re really determined to wipe me out. Just how much do those old fossils in Olan hate me?”
“You built your reputation as a Legend among pirates by stepping over the wreckage of Orlan’s warships. You’ve got the blood of who knows how many naval officers on your hands. It’d be strange if the Orlan Military didn’t hate you.”
The Devil waved away the mist before him and brought the conversation back on track. “But you don’t need to worry about the navy. You should spend more time thinking about compensation.”
“Uh… well… Mr. Devil, apart from the skull you took, all I have that’s worth anything is my curved sword and my cross. You’re the Pirate King, and this whole island is stuffed with treasure. Surely you wouldn’t want this junk?” Roy clearly had no intention of handing anything over. Besides, he had no idea what he could offer that would satisfy the Devil. After all, the man was Edward.
“Wealth really does mean nothing to me anymore. Just throwing away what I own would be enough to crash the Punora Federation’s economy ten times over.” The Devil flaunted the treasures buried beneath his throne, then abruptly changed tack. “So I don’t lack for anything. I just need something interesting to pass the time.”
“S-something interesting?” Roy repeated the Devil’s words. A chill crept through him. What sort of amusement would a Devil seek?
He didn’t know. From the Devil’s vague hints, all he could gather was that people had come to the island before, but no one had ever spread word of it afterward.
Maybe they were all dead.
“You guessed right. Everyone who’s come to the island has died.” As if he’d seen straight through Roy’s thoughts, the Devil leaned forward slightly. There wasn’t a trace of a smile left on his face. “But fortunately for you, I’ve been bored for far too long. If you died too, there’d be no telling whether the next person to find Devil’s Island would show up in a hundred years—or a thousand.”
“So you’re not going to kill me?” Roy caught the unspoken meaning in the Devil’s words, but he didn’t catch the complicated emotion that flashed through the Devil’s eyes.
“That’s right. I’ll place a curse on you. If you can’t get past Cape of Storms, cross the Cursed Sea, and find Devil’s Island again, that curse will stay with you for the rest of your life. But if you make it back to me, I’ll lift it and pass all my inheritance on to you—including this position.”
The Devil’s voice seemed to hold a strange power. Anyone without a strong enough will might have fallen completely into his hands just from listening. But Roy was different. His will was almost like iron, and that was how he’d carved out a place for himself in this golden age of piracy, an age that had given rise to countless great rogues.
“Those are generous terms, but I still want to know what the curse is.” The offer was enough to drive any pirate mad, yet Roy remained calm. Not even the slightest ripple stirred in his heart. He simply watched the Devil warily, waiting for his answer.
“The curse is… that your name will become real.”
Those were the last words Roy heard from the Devil while he was still conscious. Then a heavy wave of sleepiness washed over him and dragged him into a deep dream. In that dream, he seemed to see the past ten-odd years of his life all over again. He saw the scene from before he could remember.
Beneath the gentle sunlight, a golden-haired man stood at the bow of a ship, waving to the woman on the shore with a baby in her arms. He called out the child’s name, along with his fondest hopes for the child’s future.
“Elizabeth.”
