Evacuate, Gretel Kelly

Chapter 28: Evacuation, Gretel Kelly

Carlos was still lost in his daydream when the Woman in Black spoke.

"You're the one who stirred up trouble and dragged me into it, aren't you?"

Huh? What did she say? Did I hear that wrong?

Stir up trouble? I don't think I stirred up anything...

Uh... well, he did stir up trouble, wasn't he running—no, retreating—right now?

"Still not admitting it?"

"What exactly did you do? The whole island is in chaos now—chickens flying and dogs jumping—countless men in suits are running around like madmen, grabbing who knows how many people..."

"I was hiding perfectly fine, but suddenly the searches and checks became incredibly strict. Caught off guard, I slipped up and got hunted down!"

The woman's voice was quite crisp and pleasant, like a oriole's song, but Carlos had already stopped daydreaming, his face solemn and dignified, like a Buddha!

"Are you mute?" The Woman in Black frowned, a little annoyed.

"Alright, alright, alright, even if I caused you trouble, I just saved your life—that cancels it out. Don't bother me anymore."

Sigh, the deeper the daydream, the greater the contrast. Carlos was a bit irritated now, his tone icy.

The Woman in Black found his words reasonable, nodded, and prepared to leave, looking for a place to hide. Just as she took a step, the corner of her eye caught a ship appearing on the sea, heading in their direction.

The Woman in Black's figure trembled slightly. Her emerald-green eyes rolled a few times, as if she understood something, and she pulled back the step she'd taken...

"Why aren't you leaving?" Carlos frowned.

"I'll leave, but I'll go with you later." A faint smile appeared on the Woman in Black's cold face, somewhat charming.

"Did I agree to that?"

"Besides, those men on the ship are vicious pirates. Have you thought about what will happen to you if you step aboard rashly?"

"Isn't this repaying you? Come on, save me all the way..."

"Tch, don't be too greedy."

"Hmm... how about this? I'll cook for you from now on to repay you. I'm a chef—a highly skilled one!" The Woman in Black puffed out her chest, confident and proud.

"That's it?"

"I'm not picky about food. As long as it fills my stomach, I can accept it. Besides, there are plenty of excellent chefs in this world—why would I choose you?"

The Woman in Black lowered her head, silent for a moment, then looked up and said, "But it's not easy for you to find a chef like me—skilled in cooking, decent in combat, and this beautiful, right?"

Oh ho, this girl's a bit narcissistic.

"That's one reason. I'll reluctantly agree."

"But let me make this clear upfront—don't go back on your word, or don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"Don't worry. I don't have anywhere else to go anyway. Becoming your chef counts as a place to land. I won't just up and leave anytime soon."

"That's more like it. What's your name?"

"My name is Gretel Kelly."

"Gretel Kelly?"

"That name sounds familiar, like I've heard it somewhere..."

"Don't use such an old-fashioned way to hit on a girl..." The Woman in Black gave Carlos a big roll of her eyes, her gaze wary.

"Hit on..."

Carlos was speechless. This woman, who seemed cold, was actually quite arrogant and narcissistic... Did what he said sound like flirting?

At most, it was a clumsy pickup line. Besides, he genuinely felt the name was familiar, like he'd heard it somewhere...

"I remember now—you're the girl who won the cooking competition at the Royal Court Hotel."

"Tsk tsk, quite the change. Are you skilled in disguise?"

Carlos looked her over from top to bottom with a scrutinizing gaze. Apart from her face, everything else matched. He'd vaguely heard that name when she was announced as the champion in the square, but he hadn't paid attention then.

"I am indeed skilled in disguise."

"So that means you killed John Dilton?"

"That's right, it was me!"

"I have an irreconcilable blood feud with him. My whole family—except for me—my parents and sister, all died by his hand."

"What? Thinking of capturing me and turning me in to the John Family for a reward?"

"How could that be? I just killed so many of the John Family's men myself. Besides, scum like him deserve to die!"

"Most importantly, I have a major conflict with the John Family too. An enemy of my enemy is my friend. We have no conflict of interest, no hatred, and our stance is the same—why would I capture you?"

"Alright, let's stop talking for now. Let's board the ship first and chat later."

Carlos stepped forward, quickly heading toward the shore. A small boat rode the waves, rapidly approaching the beach. Olsen personally steered it with two pirates, handling it smoothly. Gretel Kelly followed behind.

Whoosh... Carlos bent his legs slightly, his figure flickering as he leaped across a dozen meters, landing steadily on the bow. Kelly didn't have such good jumping power, so she had to wait for the boat to get closer before boarding.

"Boss, who's this?" Olsen glanced at the beautiful woman and lowered his voice.

"She's one of us from now on. A chef."

"No time for idle talk. We'll discuss it slowly once we're aboard and away."

"Yes, Boss!"

Boss?

Kelly listened in confusion. Shouldn't it be Captain?

A title like "Boss" was usually what thugs, ruffians, and Mafia types used, wasn't it?

Half an hour later, Carlos had already left Maglin Island far behind. The weather at sea was unpredictable; even the Four Seas, though somewhat more regular, could change in an instant. The sky was overcast, a gentle sea breeze blew, and a fine, threadlike drizzle fell. On the deck, beneath a large umbrella, Carlos lay on a recliner, leisurely drinking wine and reading a book.

The other pirates on the Pirate Ship were deep in a gambling spree in their quarters. There wasn't much entertainment at sea, and gambling was the most popular and widespread pastime.

Tap, tap, tap... Footsteps sounded. Kelly, now wearing a chef's uniform, approached holding an umbrella in one hand and a tray in the other. On the tray were two servings of steak and two glasses of red wine, with utensils fully set.

"Care to try my cooking?"

"Mm."

Carlos set down his book, took a plate of steak, stood up, and placed it on the table beside him. He picked up a knife and fork, cut off a large piece—downing half the steak in one go—then put it in his mouth and chewed heartily.

Fragrant, tender, smooth. With his limited vocabulary, Carlos could only come up with those three words.

"Not bad. You've got some skill."

With that, he stabbed the other half of the steak with his fork, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed loudly. He downed the red wine in one gulp, picked up his book, and lay back on the recliner to read, the sound of chewing continuing unabated...

Kelly was a bit stunned. Who ate steak like that?

Then again, Kelly had no idea. Carlos's way of eating was already restrained. If it were Luffy a decade or two later, he'd swallow a dozen steaks in one gulp—yes, swallow, not eat.

Besides, Carlos ate the same way he did everything: following his whims, eating however he pleased, never caring about others' opinions. To put it harshly, it was self-centered; to put it nicely, it was carefree!

"I still don't know your name," Kelly said softly, swallowing a small piece of steak and taking an elegant sip of red wine.

"I'm Lucifer Carlos." Carlos kept his attention on his book, not lifting his head.

"Are you a pirate?"

"No. These pirates are subordinates I recently recruited. My real identity is the Boss of the Mafia on Iron Island."

The Mafia?

Kelly frowned slightly. Because of John Dilton, she had never had much fondness for the Mafia. Even less than she did for pirates...