On the pirate ship, inside a cabin on the second deck—
In a clean and tidy room, the first mate sat on a small single-seat sofa, a faint smile hanging from the corner of his lips as he looked toward the muscular young man in a sleeveless shirt sitting opposite him.
“It’s as noisy outside as ever.”
“Only a lunatic like Norton enjoys that kind of hollow spectacle.”
“They’re nothing more than a bunch of fools living day to day without the slightest plan for the future.”
Darwin sat with one leg crossed over the other, a cigarette between his lips as smoke curled lazily from his mouth.
“Captain Hisoka, are you ready on your end?”
The first mate, Hisoka, rubbed his chin as he looked at Darwin, the man claiming to be Morgan’s son.
“I don’t believe I’m any weaker than Norton.”
“But the second mate, third mate, and navigator are all his people.”
“Are you sure that after I kill Norton, you’re willing to become the first mate on my ship?”
“Of course.”
Darwin smiled.
“My strength has reached a bottleneck.”
“I need to venture out onto the sea.”
“I need battles.”
“Besides, if we cooperate and I remain aboard your ship, wouldn’t that put your mind at ease?”
“After all, I’m Morgan’s eldest son.”
“As long as I’m staying beside you, you won’t have to worry about my father betraying you, will you?”
“Hahaha! Then let’s drink.”
Hisoka raised his glass.
Hisoka smiled cruelly.
“To our future.”
Darwin sat up straighter and raised his own glass with a smile.
“To our friendship.”
…
Three-thirty in the afternoon.
A knock sounded precisely on the door of Rook’s hotel room.
Rook hadn’t fallen into a deep sleep, so his eyes immediately opened.
He called toward the door.
“Thanks. I’m awake.”
“Then I won’t disturb you any further, sir. I’ll be going.”
Rook had paid three hundred Berries to have the hotel receptionist wake him at this exact time.
Rubbing between his brows, Rook got out of bed.
He put on a shirt and black trousers.
After slipping into a pair of casual cloth shoes, he entered the bathroom and washed his face with cold water.
His entire body immediately felt refreshed.
Rook looked at himself in the mirror.
The buttons of his brown shirt were still undone.
Eight sharply defined abdominal muscles were visible beneath it, along with clear V-lines at his waist.
The muscles covering his body were smooth and well proportioned, without looking excessive or unnatural.
Rook scratched his cheek.
Then he buttoned his shirt, turned, and left the bathroom.
He picked up a black jacket from the table and put it on.
Not long afterward, Rook stepped onto the street.
After grabbing something simple to fill his stomach, he headed directly toward the harbor.
He took a crystal candy about the size of his little finger from his pocket and tossed it into his mouth.
Apple flavor.
Sweet and sour.
Barbarian Island was as crowded and lively as ever today.
By the time Rook reached the harbor—
“Go! Lias! Beat his ass!”
“Don’t run, Cassie!”
“Lias, keep it up! Win this and you’re the captain of Squad Two!”
“He won! Hahaha! I won the bet! Pay up! Don’t any of you bastards even think about cheating me!”
On the open ground to the right of the Norton Pirates’ ship, a large crowd of pirates had formed a ring around an empty space roughly fifteen meters across.
One of the two fighters inside was already lying on the ground, coughing blood and unable to get back up.
The moment Rook arrived, he saw Cassie, one of the old members of the crew, being defeated by an unfamiliar man named Lias.
Rook raised his head.
Behind the railing of the ship stood Norton, a faint smile on his face.
Several officers stood beside him.
But Rook’s brows suddenly shifted.
His gaze landed on a muscular, capable-looking young man standing beside Hisoka.
First—
Rook had never seen him before.
Second—
The aura coming from the man carried a faint sense of danger.
“Who is that?”
“Why would someone that strong be interested in Norton’s crew?”
Suspicion naturally rose in Rook’s mind.
He looked around.
There were many unfamiliar faces mixed in among the veteran members of the crew.
Something about them felt strange.
Their builds.
Their posture.
Their presence.
Rook couldn’t quite put it into words.
But they completely lacked the loose, lazy air that characterized most of Norton’s original pirates.
Instead—
They looked more like trained guards from some organization.
Ever since Swordsmanship had reached Skilled, Rook had noticed that his senses had become considerably sharper.
He had even begun developing a vague instinct for perceiving the presence of others.
And right now—
With so many unfamiliar presences gathered in one place, the atmosphere around the harbor almost seemed to carry the feeling of an approaching storm.
That unease came from uncertainty.
There were too many unknown factors here.
And the unknown represented risk.
He decided to wait.
Observe first.
See how things developed.
Playing it safe was the better option.
With the situation unclear, acting rashly could expose him to unnecessary danger.
There was no reason to arrive and immediately do something stupid enough to make himself the target of everyone present.
After all—
There were nearly two hundred people here.
Until he possessed enough strength to crush everything in front of him, there was nothing shameful about being cautious.
Having settled on that decision, Rook narrowed his eyes and began carefully examining the unfamiliar people aboard the ship.
His gaze swept across one figure after another without drawing attention.
He saw satisfaction and ambition in Norton’s eyes.
The captain appeared completely unaware that anything was wrong.
He saw a faint trace of vicious excitement in Hisoka’s expression.
The young man beside Hisoka carried a condescending arrogance in his eyes.
Meanwhile, the remaining officers watched the next fight below with amused, almost mocking smiles.
Rook continued scanning the crowd.
Then—
A slim orange-haired figure suddenly entered his field of vision.
The person wore loose, coarse clothes.
Their complexion had been darkened slightly.
At first glance, they looked male.
But those bright orange eyes carried a lively, cunning gleam.
Rook’s eyes immediately widened slightly.
He took a closer look.
The bastard he’d been dreaming about catching and breaking the legs of—
Had also been orange-haired.
At that moment—
The orange-haired figure seemed to sense something.
Their eyes accidentally met Rook’s.
And immediately—
Rook saw panic flash through the person’s eyes.
Guilt?
The corner of Rook’s mouth slowly curled upward into a sinister grin.
“Found you, you little bastard.”
An orange-haired female thief.
Known as the Cat Burglar.
Here in the East Blue…
Only one person immediately came to mind.
Could it really be her?
Rook stared fixedly at the figure standing in a corner of the ship.
The more he watched, the more nervous she seemed to become.
That was enough.
Rook started moving.
He pushed through the pirates, stepped onto the gangplank, and headed toward her position.
The moment she saw Rook start moving, Nami’s heart skipped a beat.
She cursed inwardly.
Why was that vicious bastard here?
Was he also planning to join the Norton Pirates?
Nami quickly looked around.
Everyone nearby was focused on the fight below.
Her eyes rolled.
She suddenly clutched her stomach and pretended to suffer from abdominal pain.
Then she hurried away and entered the ship’s interior.
Her only option now was to use the complicated cabin layout to shake Rook off.
“Hey! Who are you?”
Rook had only just stepped onto the deck when someone called out to him.
He frowned and cursed irritably.
“Are you blind? It’s me. Rook.”
The pirate froze after being insulted.
But when he heard the familiar tone and took a closer look at Rook, his mouth fell open.
“Rook?”
“Tch, tch. Didn’t expect you to look almost respectable after cleaning yourself up.”
Rook’s expression darkened.
His hand moved toward his sword hilt.
The pirate hurriedly stepped backward and gave an awkward laugh.
“Relax! I’m joking!”
“By the way, where have you been these past two days?”
Rook couldn’t be bothered answering.
He turned and ran toward the cabin.
Seeing Rook ignore him, the pirate watched his retreating back and curled his lips.
Then he muttered under his breath.
“What’s he acting so proud for?”
“Being handsome isn’t worth shit.”
“Sooner or later, someone’s going to get that ass of his.”
Following the orange-haired figure, Rook entered the cabin.
His eyes immediately narrowed.
The interior was dim.
Even so—
He caught sight of the figure disappearing toward the level below the deck.
Rook took the stairs several steps at a time.
He knew the layout of this ship well.
On the first lower deck—
A soft click came from farther down the corridor.
Rook rushed forward.
He opened the door that had just been shut.
Inside the room—
A small side door on the right was still swinging.
The better cabins on the main deck belonged to the captain and officers.
But in the ordinary cabins below deck, each room had small connecting doors leading to neighboring compartments.
Some of them, however, had been permanently locked.
Rook continued the pursuit.
One door.
Two.
Three.
When he reached the fourth closed door—
He suddenly stopped.
Because the faint footsteps ahead had disappeared.
The cabin was dim and silent.
Rook stared at the closed door in front of him.
In the stillness—
A slightly rapid heartbeat became faintly audible.
Rook’s expression remained calm.
An ambush?
A sneak attack?
He initially raised his leg to kick the door open.
But then he reconsidered.
He lowered it again.
A loud crash might attract attention from the deck above.
Instead—
Rook suddenly pushed the door open with one hand.
His right foot darted forward—
Then instantly pulled back.
At that exact moment—
From the right side of the doorway—
A wooden staff came sweeping down with a loud whistle.
Crack!
The end of the staff smashed heavily into the floorboards.
Rook immediately stepped down on it.
The weapon was pinned to the floor.
And the orange-haired figure gripping it was dragged partly into view.
The staff clattered against the boards.
“Got you.”
Rook sneered.
He stepped in, seized the person’s neck, and dragged them toward him.
Then he forced them onto the floor.
His left knee pressed down across their chest.
A distinctly different physical sensation registered beneath him.
Rook frowned.
“So you really are a woman?”
“Mmph! Get off me!”
Under the heavy pressure, Nami’s face flushed red.
Her ribs ached beneath the cloth she had wrapped around her chest.
“I’m warning you!”
“I’m a member of the Norton Pirates!”
“You’d better let me go!”
Because of the pain, the deliberately hoarse voice she’d been using distorted and became noticeably higher-pitched.
Rook snorted.
Then he decided to bluff.
“Then do you know who I am?”
“I’m one of Captain Norton’s trusted men.”
“Do you really think he’d get angry with me over some little Cat Burglar who stole my money?”
Nami’s struggles stopped.
Fear finally appeared in her eyes.
Rook looked down at her with an ambiguous smile.
Then suddenly—
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crystal candy.
When Nami’s lips parted slightly, he shoved it into her mouth.
His finger followed it far enough toward the back of her throat to trigger her gag reflex.
Nami instinctively swallowed.
Rook released her.
Nami immediately scrambled onto her knees.
Her fingers moved toward her mouth as she tried to force herself to vomit.
But Rook grabbed her wrist.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“You really think I’m going to let you spit that thing back out?”
“What the hell did you make me swallow?!”
Nami’s eyes were filled with panic.
Rook gave her a cold smile.
“The Stretch-Your-Legs-and-Kick-the-Bucket Pill.”
“Without my antidote, in half a day your intestines will rupture, blood will pour from all seven orifices…”
“And you’ll die horribly.”