Carina Boards the Ship

The living room was dimly lit, the yellowish lamplight flickering gently.

Carina stood frozen in place. The backpack on her back, stuffed with tens of millions of Beli, felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds.

She looked at the black-haired man seated in the armchair, two and a half meters tall and radiating a terrifying pressure, as her mind raced. Her instincts as a master thief told her that this man was nothing like the foolish pirates in the East Blue, whom she could toy with at will. If she even made the slightest move to run, he could break her wrist before she took half a step.

"Gulp."

Carina swallowed with difficulty, forcing down her fear. She took a deep breath, and her terrified face instantly transformed into a coy, pitiful smile.

"My handsome captain, this is all a misunderstanding."

Carina naturally set the stolen-goods bag down and raised her hands, her voice turning sweet and coquettish. "My name is Carina. I'm a wandering orphan. This ship was just so beautiful that I couldn't resist coming aboard for a look. If you don't like it, I'll leave right now."

As she spoke, she tried to edge slowly toward the door.

"Don't bother. Your footsteps gave away what you were planning."

Ace crossed his hands over his knees, his deep black eyes fixed on her. His voice was as still as a pool of water. "Show me your worth. If all you can offer are cheap seduction tricks and lies, you can go feed the fish right now."

The coy expression on Carina's face froze, and a sheen of cold sweat appeared on her forehead. She knew the man in front of her was serious.

"W-wait!"

Carina gritted her teeth and dropped her pitiful act completely. She straightened up, her eyes turning sharp and calculating.

"I'm more than just a thief. I know how to launder money, and I know every underground trading route in the East Blue. Give me time, and I can infiltrate any noble's or pirate's ranks and gather information!"

Carina quickly pitched herself, staring right into Ace's eyes. "Your ship looks incredibly valuable, but you don't even have a professional managing the treasury. You need someone to manage your wealth and gather intelligence, don't you?!"

At Carina's offer, a glimmer of interest flashed in Ace's eyes.

To calm down so quickly in the face of death, identify what the other person needed, and put an offer on the table—her composure and skills certainly made her a fitting face for the Eclipse.

"Not a bad offer. But..."

Ace slowly rose to his feet and strode over to Carina, towering over her as he looked down.

"Why should I trust a master thief who's all lies and cares about nothing but money?"

Under the pressure of that question, Carina stumbled half a step backward, her back slamming into the door.

She bit down hard on her lower lip, her mind racing as she tried to come up with something that could prove her loyalty.

As he watched the purple-haired girl rack her brain, a faint ripple passed through Ace's deep black eyes, invisible to everyone else.

Of course he knew Carina's story.

From his memories of Gran Tesoro in his previous life, he knew that on the surface, she was a cunning fox who would do anything for money. But when she had faced Mad Treasure, the ruthless leader of the Treasure Pirates, she had risked her life to help her companion Nami escape. She had used herself as a decoy to draw the enemy away, choosing to face death alone rather than let Nami be caught—even if it meant earning a traitor's reputation.

A woman who would go that far for a companion in the face of death would become the most loyal partner on the seas, as long as he could break through the wall of insecurity deep inside her and earn her genuine trust.

However, Ace didn't bring up her past.

On these seas, pity couldn't win true loyalty. For a Wild Cat like Carina, who had no sense of security and trusted only money, only overwhelming strength could truly win her over.

Just as Carina drew a deep breath and prepared to make a vow—

"Thud!"

A heavy thump suddenly sounded from the deck of the Eclipse. A moment later, a noisy commotion of footsteps and curses shattered the quiet of the harbor at night.

"Search the ship! That purple-haired little bitch has to be hiding on board!"

"She stole money from the Blood Axe Gang! We'll skin her alive today!"

Carina's face went deathly pale.

It was the biggest underground gang in Roana Port. She had robbed their underground casino earlier that night, and the rabid dogs had already tracked her all the way to the docks! Now that she was trapped on this ship, she regretted her greed in climbing aboard to steal from it.

"Captain..." Carina was completely panicked. She instinctively looked at the towering man before her, true desperation and pleading in her eyes. "Please, if you help me get rid of them, you can have every last coin in this bag!"

In her past experience, whenever pirates or wealthy merchants ran into trouble with a gang like this, they would hand her over without hesitation to make a deal. On these seas, money was the only thing that could protect her.

Ace looked down at Carina, who was trembling slightly.

He didn't say a word. He simply reached out with his broad hand and pushed open the living room door.

On the deck.

Dozens of vicious gang members, armed with axes and pistols, had surrounded the Eclipse. Their bald leader kicked Buggy awake, as he lay fast asleep.

"Ow! Who dares kick me?!" Buggy groggily sat up, clutching his head.

"Red Nose, cut the crap! Have you seen a purple-haired woman?"

The bald man's voice abruptly cut off before he could finish.

He'd seen the black-haired man push open the cabin door and walk slowly to the middle of the deck.

Beneath the dim moonlight, Ace's towering frame and deep, icy gaze made him look like a terrifying beast whose territory had been disturbed. He stared at them without a hint of emotion.

"Is that guy the captain?" The bald man swallowed, instinctively feeling a twinge of fear. But emboldened by his numbers, he forced himself to shout, "Hey, big guy! We're the Blood Axe Gang of Roana Port! A woman thief's hiding on your ship. Hand her over, or we'll smash up your ship too!"

Hidden behind the cabin door, Carina bit down hard on her lip, her heart in her throat.

On the deck, however—

Ace didn't even glance at the bald man.

"Buggy." Ace's voice sounded utterly calm in the night breeze.

"Yes, Captain!" Buggy jolted to his feet and stood at attention.

"Someone's gotten your freshly cleaned deck dirty. If anyone besides us is still standing on it in thirty seconds, I'll throw you into the sea to wake you up." Ace spoke casually.

"W-what?!"

The bald man was completely enraged. "You dare look down on the Blood Axe Gang?! Open fire! Kill him!"

"Bang!"

Ace didn't even need to lift a finger.

"YOU DARE DIRTY THE DECK I SPENT ALL DAY CLEANING?! YOU TRASH CAN ALL DIE!!"

Woken up from his nap and terrified of being punished by Ace, Buggy was driven into a frenzy by the twofold fear.

"Chop-Chop Flying Blade!"

Buggy roared as both his hands split away from his body. Wearing specially made Seastone Knuckles, they streaked through the gang members like two deadly falcons, pummeling the thugs in the face one after another.

"Aaaah!"

Screams erupted one after another. Against a Devil Fruit User with a bounty in the tens of millions, these ordinary gangsters were as fragile as paper.

In less than twenty seconds, no one remained standing on the deck. The gang members lay all over the place, groaning and rolling around.

"Get lost! If you come near this ship again, I'll throw every last one of you into the sea to feed the sharks!" Buggy swaggered as he called his hands back, then kicked the gang members on the ground for good measure.

The gangsters scrambled over the rail in terror and vanished into the harbor night as if fleeing for their lives.

Behind the cabin door, Carina stared in complete shock.

That guard with the Red Nose, who looked like an idiot, was actually such a powerful Devil Fruit User?! And even someone with such an incredible ability submitted to the black-haired man.

Ace turned and walked back into the living room with steady steps.

He stopped in front of Carina, who was still reeling in shock and confusion.

Ace made no further move. He simply looked down at her, his deep gaze and calm voice carrying an overbearing force she couldn't refuse.

"You said you could launder money and infiltrate organizations to gather intelligence."

Ace pointed to the treasure Carina had stuffed into her backpack. "On these seas, words are the cheapest thing there is. I'm giving you a chance to prove your worth."

Carina had to tilt her head back to look at Ace, her heart beating faster despite herself.

"The money on the ground will be your starting capital. You'll be on trial until the Eclipse enters the Grand Line. Show me your intelligence network and your ability to manage money. Prove that you're more than a Wild Cat who knows how to pick locks, and that you're clever enough to be the ship's financial and intelligence officer."

Towering over her, Ace laid the central terms of their deal on the table.

"In exchange, during your trial period, I'll provide the one thing you lack most: absolute protection."

"As long as you're working for my ship, I don't care if they're gangsters, Marines, or pirates. Anyone who lays a finger on you, I'll send straight to the bottom of the sea."

As he spoke, a cold glint flashed through Ace's eyes. "But if you disappoint me or try to run off with the money, you'll find I'm a lot more terrifying than those useless fools outside."

A deadly warning came with an enormous reward she couldn't refuse.

Carina looked at the man before her, who seemed capable of trampling the entire world beneath his feet. She understood perfectly clearly that this was a gamble. If she won, she would have the most unshakable backing on the seas.

She took a deep breath, forcing down all the fear and panic in her eyes.

The wildness, cunning, and gambler's instinct of a top-class thief returned to her face. She didn't back down. Instead, she bent down with easy confidence, picked up the heavy bag of stolen goods, and hugged it tightly to her chest.

"A trial period? You said it, Captain."

Carina lifted her delicate chin, a bright, confident smile as sly as a fox curving her lips.

"But I'll warn you in advance: your girl here charges a fortune for her services. If you want me to prove my worth, then from today on, every Beli aboard the Eclipse goes through me!"

Ace watched the Wild Cat spring back to life, the faintest trace of satisfaction tugging at the corner of his mouth.