Outwitted

Although Chen Qiang didn't know many of the customs in the world of pirates, it wasn't as if you could just pick someone up from the sea and treat him this well. There had to be something going on.

Now that he'd noticed something was off, Chen Qiang naturally grew wary and began searching the room.

After checking the place from top to bottom, though, he didn't find anything amiss. There was nothing strange in the bathwater, and it didn't seem to have been poisoned. He even caught the smell of disinfectant on the fresh clothes, which had clearly been brought in only after being disinfected.

That only made Chen Qiang more confused. Still, he really did need a good bath, so he took off the pants he'd been wearing for two months, climbed into the tub, and thoroughly enjoyed a hot soak.

After his bath, Chen Qiang put on the clothes that had been prepared for him. He still didn't notice anything wrong—there was no attack while he was bathing, or anything else he'd imagined might happen.

But the more things seemed normal, the more puzzled Chen Qiang became. He couldn't figure out what the captain was thinking or why he was treating him so well.

Chen Qiang couldn't make sense of it, even after a sailor led him to the dining area and he met Captain Gill, who'd been waiting there and greeted him with a beaming smile.

"Captain Gill, there's something I've been wondering about. Would you mind explaining it to me?"

Since he couldn't figure it out, Chen Qiang decided to ask. When the captain led him to the dining table and invited him to eat, Chen Qiang didn't rush to dig in. Instead, he spoke to Captain Gill.

"Oh? What would you like to ask, young man? Have I been remiss in looking after you?"

Hearing Chen Qiang's question, Captain Gill set down his cutlery, and his smile turned serious.

"No, I just want to know why you're treating a castaway like me so well. You prepared hot water for me to bathe in, and now you've laid out this huge feast. Unless you explain, I really can't feel at ease."

Without hesitation, Chen Qiang told him exactly what had been troubling him.

After all, Chen Qiang had an invincible cheat, so he wasn't afraid of any tricks they might try. Even if they turned on him right then, he could strike back quickly. He was only asking because he wanted an answer and didn't want to keep guessing.

"So that's what's worrying you. My apologies, my apologies. I didn't explain myself properly earlier, so you ended up suspecting me!"

After hearing Chen Qiang's question, Captain Gill's stern expression gave way to a smile again, and he apologized.

As he spoke, Captain Gill reached into his clothes, pulled a wanted poster from his breast pocket, and handed it to Chen Qiang.

"Take a look, young man. That's you on the poster, isn't it?"

"That's me. Is there a problem?"

Chen Qiang took the wanted poster and immediately spotted his own photo. His expression shifted; he thought the other man was planning to capture him and claim the bounty. But he quickly reconsidered. If that were the case, the captain wouldn't have shown him the poster. Since he had, he must have something else in mind. Chen Qiang looked at him, puzzled.

"Since you're Chen Qiang, our benefactor, there's no problem. Treating you well is only right!"

"Your benefactor?"

"That's right. You're the benefactor of our merchant ship."

Captain Gill nodded and began telling Chen Qiang his story. It turned out that, some time ago, while they'd been trading at sea, pirates had attacked them. Ace had happened to pass by and rescued them. They considered Ace their benefactor. When Ace was publicly executed a few days ago, they'd wanted to go and save him, but they were too weak to be of any use.

They'd watched the broadcast near Sabaody, hearts heavy with grief. But before they'd had much time to mourn, they saw Chen Qiang rescue Ace. Since Ace was their benefactor, they considered the person who saved him their benefactor as well. Now that they'd met their benefactor, of course they had to treat him well.

As Chen Qiang listened to the story, Captain Gill told it so vividly that it seemed entirely genuine. He even spoke with such emotion that tears welled in his eyes.

Although Chen Qiang still felt something was off, the captain had explained himself, and the story sounded reasonable. So Chen Qiang let his guard down a little.

Besides, to show that they weren't up to anything, Captain Gill sampled everything on the table before inviting Chen Qiang to eat. That made Chen Qiang even less suspicious of them.

To be honest, Chen Qiang had been in this world for two months, and this was the first time he'd gotten to properly enjoy a meal. It tasted great, and his appetite opened right up. In just a few minutes, he'd swept all the food off the table.

"Phew! I'm stuffed!"

After quickly polishing off everything on the table, Chen Qiang rubbed his belly, which had visibly grown a little rounder.

"Hahaha! As long as our benefactor's satisfied!"

Captain Gill replied with a laugh when he heard how pleased Chen Qiang was.

"Ahhh..."

Chen Qiang had been about to say something, but for some reason, an intense wave of sleepiness washed over him as soon as he finished eating. He spoke to Captain Gill, a little embarrassed. "I don't know what's wrong. I've eaten my fill, and now I'm getting sleepy!"

"What's there to worry about? You've been drifting at sea for so long, and you probably haven't been able to rest properly. Now that you've eaten your fill, you should get a good night's sleep. Hey, someone come show our benefactor to a room!"

Captain Gill didn't mind Chen Qiang's words at all. If anything, his smile grew even wider as he called to a sailor outside.

"Yes! Follow me, benefactor!"

"Then I'll thank you again, Captain Gill!"

"Don't mention it. We're the ones who should thank you for saving Ace, our benefactor!"

After thanking Captain Gill, Chen Qiang didn't catch what he said next. He followed the sailor, who led him to a room, and stumbled away in a daze.

"Phew! Good thing I'm smart. I nearly got found out!"

After Chen Qiang was led away, Captain Gill, who'd been smiling from ear to ear, tugged at his completely sweat-soaked clothes and let out a long breath of relief. He quickly took the antidote he'd prepared earlier from his pocket and swallowed it.

"Of course! With a wise and mighty captain like you, how could a little nobody like Chen Qiang ever see through your perfect disguise?" Barque appeared from who knew where and sidled up to the captain with a flattering smile.

"That's right! That's right!"

The senior officers who'd come in with Barque nodded along with beaming smiles.

"Mm! You've got everything ready for what comes next, right? Don't let anything go wrong and let him escape, or we'll all be finished!"

Captain Gill nodded, clearly pleased by Barque's words. But when he thought about Chen Qiang's strength, he still gave them a warning.