As the massive wave gradually receded into the distance, everyone aboard the National finally relaxed.
One after another, they collapsed onto the deck, too exhausted to even stand.
Even the navigator at the bow felt as though half his life had been scared out of him.
As for the soldiers, after witnessing Nero’s astonishing slash, their eyes were practically sparkling with admiration.
It was also the first time Nero had used a technique from Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu.
Even he hadn’t expected it to unleash such terrifying power.
The moment the sword light split the wave apart, even he had been shocked.
“Your Majesty, that was incredible!
I was scared to death just now!”
Gogoya was still kneeling on the deck, the fear in her eyes impossible to hide.
“It’s fine now.
But after today, find me a proper navigator as soon as possible.
Don’t let this third-rate one sail again.
Who knows what kind of trouble he’ll cause next time?”
Nero was speechless.
The navigator on his ship was simply too unreliable.
“Your Majesty is amazing…”
“That’s right!
His Majesty is truly extraordinary…”
Listening to the soldiers’ endless praise, Nero finally shouted helplessly, “Stop standing around and check on everyone!
Make sure nobody’s hurt and confirm that everyone is still on board!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Dozens of voices rang out across the sea at once.
“Gogoya, where exactly are we?” Nero asked.
“Your Majesty, the compass was damaged during the collision just now.
We don’t know our current position.”
Gogoya lowered her head in embarrassment.
Nero rubbed his forehead.
He honestly didn’t know what to say anymore.
“Don’t tell me this ship only had one compass?”
He looked at her in disbelief.
Gogoya cautiously met his gaze before nodding.
Nero immediately slapped his forehead.
This was his first time sailing, and now they were stranded in the middle of the ocean without a compass.
Finding land would be little more than a fantasy.
Fortunately, their luck hadn’t completely run out.
Just as the two were worrying about their situation, a pirate ship suddenly appeared on the distant horizon.
And it was heading straight toward them.
Nero grinned.
“Perfect.
Looks like our compass has arrived.”
Gogoya hurried to the railing and looked where he was pointing.
The pirate ship was still little more than a black dot against the horizon.
“Your Majesty, they’re pirates,” she said nervously.
“Good.
I was hoping they were.”
Nero’s eyes lit up with anticipation.
The soldiers behind him became excited as well.
After everything they had experienced, none of them feared pirates anymore.
If anything, they were eager for a fight.
As the distance between the two ships narrowed, the skull emblem on the pirate flag became clearly visible.
Before they were even within proper range, the pirates had already begun preparing their cannons.
Unfortunately for them, they wouldn’t get the chance.
The instant the distance became sufficient, Nero vanished.
A moment later, he was already aboard the pirate ship.
There were around fifty pirates on deck.
Their captain stood proudly at the front, shouting at his crew.
“Boys!
Looks like we’ve found ourselves a big catch today!
Get those cannons ready!”
“C-Captain…”
Several crew members called out nervously.
When they had looked away for a moment, an unknown man had somehow appeared on their ship—and was now sitting comfortably in the captain’s seat.
The captain turned around impatiently, ready to curse them out.
Then he saw Nero.
His eyes widened.
“Who are you?”
“I’m the captain of the ship over there.”
Nero smiled.
Shouldn’t we settle that first?”
The captain immediately grabbed a nearby crewman.
“How did he get here?”
“I don’t know, Captain!
He just appeared out of nowhere.
I didn’t even see him move.
He might be a Devil Fruit user!”
The pirate captain’s expression darkened.
More pirates rushed onto the deck with weapons in hand, surrounding Nero from all sides.
Seeing the numbers on his side, the captain regained some confidence.
“You’re alone, and I have dozens of men.
Why should I be afraid of you?”
Nero merely smiled.
“Then take a look behind you.”
The captain turned toward the National.
His jaw nearly dropped.
More than a dozen men were running through the air toward the pirate ship.
The pirates stared in horror.
“Captain… we can’t beat these people, can we?”
“Do I need you to tell me that?
I can see it myself!”
The captain immediately snapped.
Then he turned back toward Nero with an awkward smile.
“You’re a pirate too?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Nero remained calm.
At that moment, the guards from the National landed on the deck one after another.
The pirates instantly gave up all thoughts of resistance.
Weapons clattered onto the floor.
Nero looked at the captain.
“What pirate crew are you from?”
“Our crew is called the Barro Pirates.
My name is Barro.
I’m from the West Blue, and we’re heading for the New World.
There are fifty-one people aboard.
We also have around thirty million Baileys worth of gold, silver, and jewelry.
If you want it, you can have it.
Just leave us some food.”
Barro explained everything in a single breath, afraid of leaving out even the smallest detail.
Nero couldn’t help smiling.
The man’s attitude was excellent.
Although it made Nero feel more like the pirate in this situation, he wasn’t particularly bothered by it.
“Captain Barro has already explained things so clearly.
Why are you all standing around?”
He looked at his guards.
“Go collect the thirty million Baileys.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The guards immediately rushed off in excitement.
Anything valuable they found was seized.
At this point, they probably wouldn’t have overlooked a pair of expensive trousers.
After some time, the guards returned carrying a large chest filled with jewelry.
“Your Majesty, we’ve confirmed it.
There are approximately thirty million Baileys’ worth of valuables.
That’s everything on the ship.”
“Very good.”
Nero nodded.
“Making money this way is surprisingly efficient.”
Barro’s face twitched as he watched his life’s savings being carried away, but he didn’t dare utter a single complaint.
Nero then asked, “Who is the navigator on this ship?”
“The navigator?”
Barro blinked.
At barely one meter sixty tall, he looked more amusing than intimidating.
Before Nero could ask again, Barro pointed at himself.
“I am.”
“You?”
Now it was Nero’s turn to be surprised.
“Then tell me something.
How did your ship survive that massive wave earlier?”
Yet the ship appeared completely intact.
“You mean that wave?”
Barro scratched his head.
“I was pretty shocked too.
I didn’t expect weather like that in the Four Blues.
The closer you get to Reverse Mountain, the stranger the climate becomes.”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
Nero sighed.
Barro laughed awkwardly.
“We just rode the wave.
Nothing special.
We were dozens of kilometers away at the time and let the current carry us over.”
Nero’s eyes immediately lit up.
“It seems your Barro Pirates don’t have much going on.
How about becoming my navigator?”
Barro’s sailing skills were obviously far superior to those of the people aboard the National.
“Haha, don’t joke around.
I’m a pirate.”
A guard beside Nero stepped forward.
“This is His Majesty, the King of the Tru Kingdom.
Follow him, and you’ll be able to travel anywhere in the world.
That’s far better than risking your life every day as a pirate.”
“His Majesty?”
Barro stared at Nero in disbelief.
In his experience, kings were usually old, overweight men.
This young man not only looked completely different, but his strength was also absurd.
Barro glanced toward the National.
His expression became conflicted.
Nero suddenly asked, “What’s your dream?”
The question caught Barro completely off guard.
Dream?
He had never really thought about it.
After a moment, he answered honestly.
“If I have a dream… it’s probably finding my older brother.
He became a pirate before I did.”
“That’s a good dream.”
Nero smiled.
“But with your current strength, forget reaching the New World.
You’ll probably die before you even make it through the Grand Line.”
Barro frowned.
“…You do have a point.
But I still want to keep looking.”
“What’s so great about this broken little ship?”
Nero gestured around him.
“You want to find your brother, right?
Become my navigator.
This ship can take you anywhere in the world.”
Barro hesitated.
His eyes drifted toward his crew.
Understanding his concern, Nero continued:
“As for your men, if you’re worried about them, they can come aboard as well.
I’ll arrange work for them.”
The truth was that the people of the Tru Kingdom lacked sailing experience.
Many of them barely understood basic ship operations.
Just lowering a few sails during the storm had thrown everyone into chaos.
Nero had already realized that his current crew wasn’t enough.
The Tru Kingdom would continue expanding, and more ships would inevitably be needed in the future.
Experienced sailors were a necessity.
Pirates weren’t completely useless.
In many situations, their survival instincts and seamanship far surpassed those of ordinary people.
“Captain, since His Majesty is offering, maybe we should really think about it.”
“That’s right, Captain.”
The crew members immediately began persuading him.
At the very least, life aboard the National would be safer than life as a pirate.
Barro himself was already wavering.
Nero only wanted a capable navigator, but after witnessing the earlier storm, he knew exactly how valuable that skill was.
If a small pirate ship could survive such a disaster under Barro’s command, then his abilities were beyond question.
Out on the vast sea, even a massive vessel like the hundred-meter-long National could capsize without a truly qualified navigator.