After Karl’s warning, Nami became noticeably more well-behaved.
Although she still occasionally pushed the boundaries, she no longer went too far.
Karl was quite satisfied with this and didn’t dwell on the earlier incident.
After all, he didn’t have some strange hobby of bullying young women.
Luffy, on the other hand, remained as carefree and thick-skinned as ever, and he quickly developed a good relationship with Nami.
However, Karl could clearly see that Nami was still somewhat resistant to the goodwill Luffy showed her.
The truth was that Karl had genuinely frightened her.
She was terrified that if she crossed a line, he might activate whatever ability controlled her collar and kill her on the spot, so she remained constantly on edge.
As for Luffy, he was the sort of person who never understood the meaning of rejection.
The more someone ignored him, the more determined he became to stick around them.
Besides, on this pirate ship, Nami was one of the few people who could actually talk to him.
As for the other pirates, they looked at Luffy the way mice looked at cats—nervous and trembling.
Luffy had no doubt that if he spoke to them for more than a few sentences, they’d probably kneel on the spot from sheer panic.
Compared to them, Nami felt much more normal.
Even though she was technically Karl and Luffy’s prisoner, she never acted submissive or servile.
And because she’d spent years traveling from port to port, seeing all kinds of people and places, she actually had far more experience at sea than Luffy.
In that regard, she was practically his senior.
So whenever Karl was busy tinkering with mechanical devices and had no time to entertain him, Luffy would run off to find Nami and ask her to tell him stories.
Stories about pirates.
Stories about the Marines.
Stories about bounty hunters.
Since Nami herself was a victim of the Great Age of Pirates, her stories naturally carried a strong personal bias.
Without even realizing it, she gradually instilled several ideas into Luffy:
Pirates were usually bad people.
The Marines weren’t necessarily much better.
And bounty hunters were…
acceptable, more or less.
As a result, Luffy—who had only recently set sail and whose decision to become a pirate had been driven entirely by youthful passion and a promise—began developing his worldview under Nami’s influence.
Little by little, he started to understand.
He began to understand Karl’s two dreams.
Whether it was opening a peaceful little shop near a Marine base…
Or bringing the entire Great Age of Pirates to an end.
At the same time, Nami’s opinion of the boy who wore a Straw Hat and loudly declared that he would become the Pirate King also began to change.
He’s really different from other pirates…
As their conversations deepened, there were moments when Luffy’s boundless confidence became strangely infectious.
For a brief instant, Nami found herself imagining a different future.
A ship of her own.
Sailing freely across the seas.
Traveling to every corner of the world.
Witnessing breathtaking scenery.
Tasting foods from distant lands.
She had wanted to become a great navigator.
A navigator who would one day draw a map of the entire world.
But…
The thought lasted only a moment.
Luffy’s instincts were surprisingly sharp when it came to reading people’s emotions.
He immediately noticed the light fade from Nami’s eyes.
However, he didn’t ask about it.
Instead, he simply continued talking.
Talking about his own dreams.
Sharing his stories.
As though speaking to another version of himself.
Karl often said Luffy wasn’t very smart and could easily be tricked.
But that was only half the truth.
The other half remained unspoken.
And it was one of the reasons Karl had chosen to board Luffy’s ship in the first place.
Luffy was indeed slow when it came to certain things.
But in other areas, he was extraordinarily perceptive.
Just as he had once told Karl:
“In this world, there are only two things that must never be betrayed:
Dreams and crewmates.”
The vast ocean stretched endlessly in every direction.
A solitary ship sailed quietly across its surface.
Day after day passed peacefully.
The people aboard carried out their routines, and time seemed to flow more slowly upon the sea.
It wasn’t until the seventh day after Karl and Luffy had taken over the ship that things finally began to change.
At the horizon, a crimson sun slowly rose.
Standing at the bow, Luffy felt the sea breeze brush against his face, carrying the familiar scent of salt.
The distant sky remained cloaked in darkness.
Only faint rays of dawn pierced through the clouds, painting the heavens like delicate strokes of ink on a canvas.
Most of the crew were already awake.
They stood silently upon the deck, watching the approaching sunrise.
The world was quiet.
Only the sound of waves gently striking the hull and the occasional cry of a seabird disturbed the stillness.
At some point, Karl emerged from the ship’s hold.
He was still wearing the same worn tank top he’d left home in.
In the chill before dawn, it looked rather thin.
“Karl?
When did you get here?”
Luffy, who had spent the entire night sleeping at the bow, immediately opened his eyes when he heard movement.
Upon seeing Karl, he relaxed again and looked half-asleep.
Karl stretched and pointed toward the horizon.
“Nami said we’ll reach the Marine base this morning, so I came to take a look.”
Then he smiled.
“Look.
The sun’s coming up.”
Luffy lifted his head.
Only then did he notice the changing colors of the sky.
Dark blue gradually faded into lighter shades.
Then came brilliant azure.
The heavens looked like a massive oil painting painted with layers of shifting color.
The ocean mirrored the transformation.
Ripples danced across the water, catching the growing light.
At last, the sun revealed half its face.
Red and glowing, it resembled a piece of heated iron fresh from a forge.
Its light spread across the sea.
The waves shimmered with golden-red brilliance.
Seagulls circled overhead, crying joyfully as if celebrating the arrival of a new day.
As the sun climbed higher, the entire ocean turned crimson.
The color felt both fiery and warm.
It inspired a sense of tranquility and grandeur.
Sunlight pierced through the clouds and spilled across the ship’s railings, casting golden reflections everywhere.
Everyone aboard found themselves captivated by the sight.
It felt almost dreamlike.
At that moment, upon the endless sea, time itself seemed to stand still.
Only the beautiful scenery remained, quietly speaking of life’s beauty and limitless possibilities.
Even the pirates, who had been informed the previous night and awakened early, remained unusually silent.
They quietly watched the rising sun.
And they prayed.
Prayed that this beautiful day would bring them luck.
Prayed that Karl would honor his promise and spare their lives.
The same sunrise inspired different thoughts in different people.
Yet there was one thing they all shared.
No one spoke.
In their eyes, this felt like a solemn ceremony.
Only after the sun had fully risen—
Only after light had driven away the darkness and officially welcomed the day—
Did the ceremony finally come to an end.
One by one, everyone lowered their heads.
Then they returned to their work.