Preparing to Set Sail

Samwell Island, docks.

Under the lined-up farewell of the local Peacekeepers, Garen, Nami, and Wallace boarded the ship that now belonged to them.

Or rather, the ship that would belong to them from now on.

The ship's original owner had been the Steel Cutlass Pirates, and its pirate flag still flew above it—a pair of crossed broadswords and a not particularly frightening skull. The design was utterly mediocre.

Garen was not a pirate, nor did he have any interest in becoming one, so the first thing he did after boarding was take down that ugly pirate flag.

With Steel Cutlass himself already settled into a box, this pirate ship naturally became spoils for Garen to do with as he pleased.

Yet Garen himself was far from satisfied with the ship:

It was an ordinary two-masted wooden sailing vessel. Its aged canvas sails were stained with large blotches of black and yellow grime, while the deck, never cleaned or maintained over the years, had been corroded by seawater into a terrible state.

And aside from the Steel Cutlass Pirates' lingering sanitation issues, the ship was also extremely dilapidated:

One mast had clearly been blasted apart by an external force, then crudely patched together with steel plates and iron nails. Several large holes marked by charred scorch marks could also be seen in the deck and hull.

Apparently, the Steel Cutlass Pirates had previously engaged some enemy in a fierce cannon battle. Before they could finish repairs, they had rushed to Samwell Island to hunt down Nami, who had stolen their treasure.

The previous owners had done a poor job maintaining it, leaving Garen with a major headache after taking over this secondhand ship.

"Can't we get another ship?"

Garen could not help asking Nami:

"This ship is way too rundown. I'm starting to wonder whether it'll sink the moment we sail out."

"Don't worry!"

Nami said carelessly:

"Only the upper deck and port-side hull are damaged. The mast, sails, rudder, and watertight compartments are all fine. It's absolutely seaworthy!"

"And besides."

As she spoke, two glittering Beli symbols appeared in Nami's eyes:

"A double cannon deck, an extra-long keel, and spacious interior cabins."

"With a little refurbishment, a medium armed ship like this can be sold for another huge profit!"

"I see."

Garen's eyes brightened as well:

"Then my earnings are more than just ten million Beli!"

He put particular emphasis on the word "my."

"You want to keep it all for yourself? I clearly have a share too!"

Nami's expression immediately darkened.

"Although luring the enemy over can barely count as a contribution."

"But there's no reason for me to split things fifty-fifty with a temporary worker who owes me her life."

Garen said blandly, his miserly instincts on full display:

"How about you try stealing both the ship and the money once we get to Loguetown?"

"Hmph!"

Nami's face reddened slightly from his jab, and she could only answer Garen with a harmless snort.

As the Cat Burglar who had always handled her jobs with ease, this was Nami's first time experiencing something called embarrassment.

Because this "job" was different from all her previous ones:

The Iron Can before her not only clearly knew she was a thief, but also seemed to know something about her past.

Having one's identity exposed was a thief's greatest taboo. In such a situation, the best solution was to flee as far away as possible at once.

But Nami did not want to leave.

Not only because of the ten million Beli she might obtain, but also because—

For the first time, Nami had encountered an idiot who knew she was a thief and still wanted to help her.

And for the first time, she had shed her identity as a thief and received a job called navigator.

A navigator, not the Cat Burglar.

That was Nami's dream.

In just one short day, she had experienced a long-lost sense of happiness.

At that thought, a warm curve unconsciously formed at the corners of Nami's lips.

Then Garen ruined the mood by interrupting Nami's thoughts with a joke:

"Nami, if you want a share of the money—"

"Becoming the Knight's Lady would be a pretty good choice too."

"Get lost!"

Nami's not-yet-formed smile instantly froze on her face.

"The Knight's Lady? Is that a proposal?"

Wallace's eyes lit up. Somewhat excitedly, he muttered to himself:

"So Lord Garen and Miss Nami's relationship has already progressed this far?"

Wallace adjusted the glasses on his nose, then pulled out paper and pen from his pocket and silently began writing again.

Nami quietly leaned over for a look, only to find that Wallace had further developed his earlier story of "the Beautiful Thief abandoning evil and turning toward justice" into a bizarre and twisting love story between the Knight of Justice and a villainous thief.

"Hey!"

Nami clenched her fists in embarrassment and anger:

"Delete that part! Or else I—"

Before she could voice her threat, Wallace replied without changing expression:

"As a journalist, I will not give up reporting the truth because of brute force!"

"How is any of that true?!"

Nami demanded, her face flushed red.

Wallace remained calm:

"Appropriate dramatic emphasis can improve the readability of a news report."

"It is a basic writing technique every writer needs to master."

Nami was too angry to speak.

After finishing that passage, Wallace carefully reviewed the manuscript in his hands, completely undisturbed by Nami's fury.

Only after a long while did Wallace emerge from his focused work. Somewhat concerned, he asked:

"Miss Nami, which route are we taking this time?"

"How many days will it take to reach Loguetown?"

Garen had slain Steel Cutlass, a great pirate worth ten million. In East Blue, the weakest of the seas, that already counted as a major news story capable of drawing attention.

And the East Blue Daily, where Wallace worked, was a local newspaper specifically distributed throughout East Blue.

As an overseas correspondent with lofty ambitions, Wallace had already secured a major story. Now, he only wanted to return to the newspaper as quickly as possible and prove his skills as a journalist with the fresh story he had uncovered about "Garen, the Knight of Justice."

A true professional navigator, Nami answered without hesitation as soon as she was asked about such matters:

"This time, I plan to sail along the route near the Calm Belt. We can make use of the natural power of the East Blue Current."

"Taking that route, we can reach Loguetown in two days—half the time it takes by passenger ship."

"Using the East Blue Current near the Calm Belt?"

Familiar with the customs and geography of the East Blue Sea, Wallace immediately recognized the hidden difficulty behind this. He could not help praising her:

"It seems Miss Nami is highly accomplished in navigation!"

That route ran right alongside the Calm Belt, where winds shifted unpredictably, weather changed without warning, and any ship that made the slightest mistake could be pushed by wind and waves into the deathly Calm Belt to feed the Sea Kings.

Without an extremely advanced foundation in meteorology and oceanography, an ordinary navigator would never dare lead a fleet down that route.

"Of course!"

"I'm the best navigator in East Blue!"

Miss Nami accepted Wallace's praise without the slightest modesty.

"Wonderful!"

Wallace said happily:

"News has a limited window of relevance."

"With a navigator as skilled as Miss Nami guiding us, I can publish the Knight's heroic deeds as soon as possible!"

As he said this, Wallace took out paper and pen again, adding "genius navigator" to Miss Nami's persona as "the Beautiful Thief who had been moved by the Knight of Justice and fallen in love with him at first sight."

Wallace could not help muttering excitedly:

"A powerful Knight of Justice and a Beautiful Thief blessed with both beauty and intelligence—this story has real appeal."

"Wait."

Nami finally came back to her senses:

"What did you say you were going to publish?!"

Nami's pale pink cheeks flushed a deep crimson from embarrassment and anger. Her clenched fist slowly approached Wallace's spotless gold-rimmed glasses:

"You actually want to put that kind of nonsense in the newspaper?!"

"Nonsense?"

Wallace calmly adjusted his glasses and replied in an even tone:

"I am a professional reporter. Naturally, I will write a truthful and complete report based on firsthand information."

"So, I have a few more questions I would like to ask Miss Nami in person."

"Pah!"

Nami turned her head away disdainfully. "I'm not answering."

The rest of her words suddenly caught in her throat.

Because a check covered in a long string of numbers was gently swaying before her eyes.

"This is the interview fee. You can cash it at the East Blue Bank in Loguetown."

Wallace said without changing expression:

"Of course, if there truly is no story worth reporting between Miss Nami and Lord Garen—"

"I will not force the matter."

"Mm..."

Nami hesitated for a moment, then an adorable smile immediately bloomed on her face:

"Yes, yes, there is."

Without showing a trace of emotion, Nami accepted the check, then hid it in the "Four-Dimensional Pocket" at her chest with lightning speed:

"Whatever story you want, that's the story there is."