Redbeard was furious.
From where he stood, Norton and Nami were chatting as if he didn’t even exist.
Being ignored like this drove him mad.
Very few people knew the truth.
The “beard” on Redbeard’s face wasn’t a beard at all.
It was his nose hair.
Born with bright red nose hair, he’d been ridiculed since childhood, unable to make friends.
That humiliation had twisted his personality into something extreme.
As he grew older, he idolized Whitebeard and gave himself the nickname Redbeard, swearing to become a man feared across the entire world.
Redbeard hated being ignored.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Three gunshots rang out in rapid succession.
Panting heavily, Redbeard glared with bloodshot eyes.
Anyone who ignored him deserved to die.
But as the smoke drifted from the barrel…
His pupils shrank.
Shock.
Fear.
Disbelief.
The emotions crashed over him all at once.
He had fired three bullets directly at Norton.
Yet the silver-haired man stood there completely unharmed.
“That’s impossible…”
“I couldn’t have missed.”
“You didn’t.”
Norton slowly raised his hand and opened his fingers.
Fragments of crushed bullets fell from his palm.
Standing between them, Nami had seen everything clearly.
Her beautiful eyes widened in utter disbelief.
Did he…
Did he just catch bullets with his bare hand?
“Impossible!”
“Absolutely impossible!”
Redbeard completely lost his composure and frantically emptied the rest of his revolver.
Gunfire echoed across the deck.
Bullets tore through the wooden planks.
Only after every chamber had been emptied did his finger finally stop pulling the trigger.
His bloodshot eyes remained fixed on where Norton had been standing.
Smoke rose from the bullet-riddled deck.
But…
Norton was gone.
He had vanished.
Redbeard instinctively tried to look around.
He never got the chance.
A black fist rapidly filled his vision.
Everything went dark.
“He’s flying!”
“What happened?!”
The nobles and noblewomen stared in confusion.
“The captain got sent flying!”
Only then did the pirates react.
Nami stood frozen.
Her mind had gone completely blank.
Among everyone present…
Only Sanosuke had clearly seen what had happened.
Norton had reacted to the bullets…
Crossed the distance…
And thrown a punch—
All in less than a tenth of a second.
Perhaps even faster.
Even with Sanosuke’s eyesight, he hadn’t been able to see the punch itself.
Only the result.
A monstrous speed…
At that moment…
The same thought surfaced in both Nami’s and Sanosuke’s minds.
If it’s him…
Maybe he really can…
“Go save the captain!”
The pirates erupted into panic.
Then Norton slowly swept his gaze across them.
Silence instantly fell.
Not a single pirate dared make another sound.
“If you don’t want to end up flying after your captain…”
“Stay quiet.”
His voice wasn’t loud.
Yet every pirate shuddered.
“Y-Yes, sir!”
None of them had the slightest intention of resisting.
A monster like this wasn’t someone humans could fight.
Satisfied that they had calmed down, Norton finally shifted his attention away.
At once, the nobles rushed toward him.
“Benefactor!”
“Thank you for saving us!”
“We’ll definitely repay your kindness!”
Gone was the arrogance they had displayed earlier.
The noblewomen also looked at Norton with burning admiration.
They expected the handsome young man to say something worthy of a fairy-tale prince.
Instead…
Norton merely glanced at them.
“Who said I saved you?”
Everyone froze.
The nobles.
The noblewomen.
Even the pirates.
“What do you mean?” one noblewoman asked blankly.
“If you weren’t saving us…”
“Why defeat the pirates?”
“I simply felt like it.”
Norton shrugged.
“You don’t actually think you’re important to me, do you?”
The smiles vanished from every noble’s face.
Meanwhile, the pirates secretly relaxed.
If Norton hadn’t acted to save these nobles…
Perhaps he wouldn’t kill them either.
And they were right.
Norton had never intended to save the nobles.
But he didn’t intend to kill them, either.
After all…
He had set sail as a pirate.
He only possessed a tiny boat and almost no supplies.
Now a fully stocked ship had practically delivered itself to him.
He had no reason to refuse.
He wasn’t some self-sacrificing saint.
Without him, these nobles would already be dead.
Simply surviving should be enough for them.
As for the ship…
And all the treasure aboard…
They weren’t capable of keeping them anyway.
“From this moment onward…”
“This ship…”
“And everything on it…”
“Belongs to me.”
Norton grinned.
“What?!”
“No!”
“You can’t do that!”
“Those are our lawful possessions!”
The nobles erupted in protest.
“Lawful?”
Norton laughed.
“What does that have to do with me?”
“I have no obligation to obey the laws of that rotten World Government.”
“How can you say something like that?!”
A Duke pointed at him furiously.
“You people don’t actually think I’m some naïve fool, do you?”
Norton spread his arms toward the sky.
“Sorry.”
“I intend to conquer these seas…”
“As a pirate.”
The declaration stunned everyone.
“He’s a pirate?”
Nami quietly buried the tiny spark of hope she’d been nurturing.
Disappointment flickered across her face.
“A pirate?”
The Duke looked dumbfounded.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You don’t even have a pirate flag.”
“You don’t even own a proper ship.”
“You don’t even have a crew.”
“That’s exactly why I’m taking this ship.”
Norton’s smile radiated absolute confidence.
“My great ambition…”
“Begins here.”
“I’ll have a pirate flag.”
“I’ll have a pirate ship.”
“And I’ll gather powerful subordinates.”
The nobles fell silent.
Even the Duke found himself speechless.
Eventually…
They all slumped back onto the deck.
There was nothing they could do.
This man lived entirely in his own world.
And yet…
He was unimaginably strong.
Strong enough to resemble a monster.
“A man impossible to oppose…”
“Whether in spirit…
or in strength.”
The Duke sighed inwardly.
Norton turned toward the pirates.
“From now on…”
“You’ll serve as my crew.”
None of the pirates dared object.
They nodded repeatedly.
Seeing everyone’s attention elsewhere, Nami quietly began inching toward the edge of the deck.
She was just about to escape—
A warm hand rested on her shoulder.
She froze.
“Miss Nami.”
“I’d like you to serve as this ship’s navigator.”
“I’ll pay you generously.”
Norton’s tone softened considerably.
Nami slowly turned around, forcing out an awkward smile.
Truthfully…
She was terrified of him.
Anyone would fear someone capable of killing them at any moment.
But…
How did this man know she possessed navigation skills?
Norton pointed toward the sea.
Beside his tiny boat floated another even smaller one.
“That one’s yours, isn’t it?”
“The people aboard this ship are all nobles.”
“You clearly aren’t.”
“As a thief, you’ve crossed the sea alone in a boat that small.”
“That alone proves how talented you are.”
So that’s it…
My boat gave me away.
Nami sighed inwardly.
“I understand.”
“I’ll serve as this ship’s navigator…”
“For now.”
She had no better choice.
First she’d calm this monster down.
Then…
She’d find an opportunity to escape.
Preferably with all the treasure.
“But…”
“You’ll have to pay me…”
“One hundred thousand Berries every day.”
She paused.
“No.”
“Five hundred thousand Berries.”
She raised a finger confidently.
“Deal.”
Norton agreed without hesitation.
The valuables aboard this ship were worth tens of millions of Berries.
The treasure Nami had already stolen alone exceeded ten million.
Hiring her for a while wouldn’t be a problem.
Besides…
He had never intended to let her leave.
His dream was to build a great kingdom.
To become a great king.
He needed exceptional subordinates.
Vast lands.
Countless resources.
Nami…
Would become the first cornerstone of his future empire.
As for the second…
Norton already had someone in mind.
“You.”
He looked toward Sanosuke.
“Your name’s Sanosuke, right?”
“…It’s Sanosuke.”
“Oh, right.”
“Sanosuke.”
Norton nodded.
“You’re fairly capable.”
“Interested in becoming my subordinate?”
Sanosuke remained silent for a long moment.
Only now did the suffocating pressure around him finally begin to fade.
“My kunai struck you earlier.”
“So?”
Norton smiled.
“You couldn’t hurt me.”
“The fact that you recognized my strength means you’re not completely hopeless.”
Sanosuke looked toward the distant sea where Redbeard had disappeared.
After a long silence…
He withdrew his gaze.
“I understand.”
“I pledge my loyalty to you.”
He dropped to one knee and performed a ninja’s oath of allegiance.
It wasn’t the first time.
Throughout his life…
His terrible luck had always ended with his masters dying one after another.
This time was no different.
Encountering a monster like Norton in the East Blue…
Was ten times worse than running into a Sea King.
Norton smiled in satisfaction.
He reached out and helped Sanosuke to his feet with the dignity of a king raising a loyal retainer.
It was a gesture he had imagined thousands of times in his dreams.
Now that he finally performed it…
It felt surprisingly natural.
For just a moment…
He truly looked like a king.
As Sanosuke stood, the sky in the distance gradually darkened.
“Captain…”
“What are our orders?”
Now that her outrageous salary had been accepted, Miss Nami suddenly found herself feeling much more enthusiastic about her temporary job.
Norton thought for a moment before answering.
“We’re heading for the nearest island.”
“I’ve spent enough time at sea.”
“It’s time to set foot on land.”