Noah did not interrupt his divination. Instead, he watched the entire process quietly from the side, intrigued.
It was quite a remarkable ability, unrelated to Devil Fruits. He wondered whether it was a secret art passed down through Basil Hawkins's family or something he had learned elsewhere.
"What, you know me?" He casually pulled off his hood as he asked.
"You must be joking, sir."
Basil Hawkins gave a wry smile. "With your prestige and reputation, people in the New World who wouldn't recognize you in person are probably rarer than fates the cards cannot predict."
"Then why aren't you panicking?"
Noah glanced at the black skull flag fluttering atop the mast. Only then did he recognize it as the Beasts Pirates' flag.
"That is precisely what I was about to explain."
Basil Hawkins pressed a hand to his chest and bowed slightly. "If we were pirates, we would naturally be terrified by now. But we are not what you think..."
He suddenly realized something and looked up at the smiling Noah in astonishment. "You... you already knew?"
"What do you think?"
Noah smiled noncommittally, then turned toward a figure behind the crowd, a smile spreading across his face. "Long time no see, Galio."
"Noah!!!"
Amid a cry of delighted surprise, a pale, plump figure rushed over and barreled into Noah's arms. "Haha! It really is you! When I saw the lightning around you, I thought it might be, but I wasn't quite sure. Turns out I was right!"
"If I hadn't recognized your presence, I might not have known it was you from your looks alone."
Laughing, Noah gave him a tight bear hug. Once they separated, he studied the blond, middle-aged man with his plump figure and full beard, his expression turning slightly odd.
"Hey, it's only been