Carina Boards the Ship

Inside the living quarters, the dim light flickered slightly.

Carina stood stiffly in place, the backpack behind her back, stuffed with tens of millions of Beli, feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds.

She watched the black-haired man sitting on the single sofa, his two-meter-fifty frame radiating a terrifying sense of oppression, and her brain raced frantically. With the instincts of a master thief, she knew all too well that this man was absolutely not one of the fools in the East Blue she could toy with. If she dared to make even the slightest move to escape, he would undoubtedly snap her wrists before she could take half a step.

"Gulp."

Carina swallowed hard, forcing down the fear in her heart. She took a deep breath, and her terrified expression shifted instantly like a performer changing masks, blooming into a charming, pitiful smile.

"My handsome Captain, this is all just a misunderstanding."

Carina placed the bag of stolen goods on the floor with practiced ease, raised her hands, and spoke in a sweet, delicate voice: "My name is Carina, a wandering orphan. I just thought this ship was so beautiful that I couldn't help but come aboard to take a look. Since you don't like it, I'll leave right now."

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

"Don't waste your effort; your footsteps have betrayed your intentions."

Ace sat with his hands crossed over his knees, his deep black eyes locked onto her, his tone as calm as stagnant water. "Show me your value. If all you have to offer are these low-grade honey traps and lies, you can go feed the fish in the sea right now."

The charm on Carina's face froze instantly, and a layer of cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She knew this man was serious.

"W-wait!"

Carina gritted her teeth and completely dropped the fake, pitiful act. She straightened her posture, her eyes becoming sharp and shrewd.

"I'm not just a thief. I know how to launder money, and I know every underground black market trading channel in the East Blue. Give me time, and I can infiltrate any noble or pirate crew to extract intelligence!"

Carina pitched herself rapidly, staring intently into Ace's eyes: "Your ship looks incredibly valuable, but you don't even have a professional to guard your vault. You need someone who can manage your wealth and gather intelligence, right?!"

Listening to Carina's self-recommendation, a flicker of deep meaning crossed Ace's eyes.

To remain calm in the face of life and death, identify the other party's pain points, and throw out a bargaining chip—this level of psychological fortitude and professional capability was truly worthy of being the face of the Eclipse.

"A decent chip. However—"

Ace stood up slowly. He stretched his long legs and walked toward Carina step by step, looking down at her from his towering height.

"Why should I trust a thief who is full of lies and only cares about money?"

Hearing this oppressive interrogation, Carina was forced back half a step, her back slamming hard against the door panel.

She bit her lower lip hard, her brain spinning at high speed, trying to find a justification that could prove her loyalty.

Looking at the purple-haired girl racking her brains, a ripple that no outsider could detect flashed through Ace's deep black eyes.

He naturally knew Carina's background.

In his memories of "Gran Tesoro" from his past life, this woman appeared to be a cunning fox who would stop at nothing for money. But in reality, when facing the brutal leader of the Treasure Pirates, Mad Treasure, she had once used herself as bait to lure the enemy away to cover her companion Nami's escape, willing to bear the stigma of a traitor while facing death alone.

A woman who could go to such lengths for a companion in a life-or-death moment—if one could break through the defensive wall of insecurity deep within her and gain her true recognition, she would undoubtedly be the most loyal partner on this sea.

However, Ace did not point out this past.

On this sea, sympathy could not buy true allegiance. For a wild cat like Carina, who lacked security and believed only in money, only by displaying absolute power that crushed everything else could he truly conquer her.

Just as Carina took a deep breath, preparing to swear an oath:

"Bang!"

A dull thud of a heavy object hitting the deck suddenly echoed from the Eclipse. Immediately after, a cacophony of footsteps and shouting shattered the tranquility of the harbor night.

"Search the place! That purple-haired little bitch is definitely hiding on this ship!"

"Daring to steal money from the Blood Axe Gang? Today, we're going to skin her alive!"

Carina's face turned deathly pale.

That was the largest underground gang in Roana Port. She had just raided their underground casino in the first half of the night; she never expected these mad dogs to follow the trail to the pier so quickly! Being trapped on this ship now, she shouldn't have been so greedy as to climb aboard to steal.

"Captain." Carina was in a full-blown panic. She instinctively looked at the tall man before her, her eyes filled with genuine despair and pleading. "Please, as long as you help me drive them away, I don't want a single cent from this bag—it's all yours!"

In her past experiences, whenever those pirates or wealthy merchants encountered trouble with gangs like this, they would trade her away without a second thought. On this sea, nothing but money could protect her.

Ace looked down at the trembling Carina.

He didn't speak, but instead reached out with his broad palm and pushed open the door to the living quarters.

On the deck.

Dozens of vicious gang members armed with axes and flintlocks had surrounded the Eclipse completely. The bald, burly man leading them was currently kicking Buggy, who was still fast asleep, awake.

"Ouch! Who dares to kick this great me?!" Buggy sat up, clutching his head in a daze.

"Red-nose, enough talk! Have you seen a purple-haired woman?"

The bald man's words were cut short.

Because he saw the black-haired man push open the cabin door and walk slowly to the center of the deck.

With his incredibly imposing physique, under the dim moonlight, Ace's deep, cold gaze was like a terrifying beast whose territory had been disturbed, watching them without a shred of emotion.

"Is this guy the owner of this ship?" The bald man swallowed, feeling a flicker of instinctive fear, but relying on his numbers, he braced himself and roared: "Hey! Big guy! We're the Blood Axe Gang from Roana Port! A female thief hid on your ship; hand her over immediately, or we'll smash your ship to pieces along with her!"

Hiding behind the cabin door, Carina bit her lip until it bled, her heart in her throat.

However, on the deck.

Ace didn't even spare the bald man a single glance.

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

"Yes! Captain!" Buggy scrambled up from the ground with a start, standing at rigid attention.

"Someone has dirtied the deck you just finished cleaning. If there is anyone other than us standing on this deck in thirty seconds, I will throw you into the sea to wash yourself sober," Ace said indifferently.

"Wh... what?!"

The bald, burly man was thoroughly enraged. "You dare look down on our Blood Axe Gang?! Open fire and kill him!"

"Bang!"

Ace didn't even need to make a move.

"You dare dirty the deck I spent all day scrubbing!! You trash, go to hell!!"

The double terror of being woken from his sleep and the extreme fear of Ace's punishment sent Buggy into an instant frenzy.

"Chop-Chop Flying Blade!"

With a roar, Buggy's hands instantly detached from his torso. Wearing custom Seastone knuckles, his hands darted through the crowd of gangsters like two lethal peregrine falcons, slamming punch after punch into the faces of the thugs.

"Aaaah!"

Screams erupted one after another. This group of common mobsters was as fragile as paper before a Devil Fruit user with a bounty in the tens of millions.

Less than twenty seconds later.

Aside from the gangsters wailing and rolling on the deck, there was no one left standing.

"Get lost! If you dare come within half a step of this ship again, I'll throw you all into the sea to feed the sharks!" Buggy retracted his hands with extreme arrogance, delivering a few final, fierce kicks to the group on the ground.

Terrified, the mobsters scrambled over the gunwales, fleeing into the night of the harbor as if their lives depended on it.

Behind the cabin door, Carina was completely stunned.

That red-nosed guard who looked like a fool was actually such a formidable Devil Fruit user?! And even such a powerful user bowed to this black-haired man.

Ace turned around and walked back to the living quarters with steady, measured steps.

He stood once more before Carina, who remained in a state of extreme shock and bewilderment.

Ace made no unnecessary movements; he simply looked down at her with deep, piercing eyes, his tone calm yet radiating a domineering aura that made it impossible to refuse.

"You said earlier that you could launder money and infiltrate factions to extract intelligence."

Ace pointed to the pile of treasure Carina had stuffed into her backpack. "On this sea, words are the cheapest thing of all. I am giving you a chance to prove your worth."

Carina was forced to look up at Ace, her heart beating uncontrollably faster.

"The money on the floor is your starting capital. The time until the Eclipse officially enters the Grand Line will count as your probationary period. Show me your intelligence network and your financial acumen; prove to me that you aren't just a stray cat who knows how to pick locks, but a clever person truly worthy of the position of Financial Intelligence Officer."

Ace looked down at her, tossing out the core chip of this transaction.

"In exchange, during your probationary period, I will provide you with what you lack most—absolute protection."

"As long as you are working for my ship, whether it's gangsters, the Navy, or pirates, if anyone dares touch a hair on your head, I will make them sink to the bottom of the sea."

As he said this, a cold, sharp glint flashed in Ace's eyes: "But if you disappoint me, or attempt to run away with this money, you will find that I am far more terrifying than those pieces of trash outside."

An extremely dangerous warning, accompanied by an irresistible, massive reward.

Carina looked at the man before her who seemed capable of trampling the entire world under his feet. She realized with absolute clarity that this was a high-stakes gamble. If she won, she would gain the most indestructible backing on this sea.

She took a deep breath, completely suppressing the panic and chaos in her eyes.

The wildness, shrewdness, and gambler's instinct of a top-tier phantom thief returned to her face. She did not retreat; instead, she bent down with great poise, picked up the heavy backpack of stolen goods, and clutched it tightly to her chest.

"A probationary period? You said it yourself, Captain."

Carina lifted her delicate chin, a sly, fox-like, and confident smile curling the corners of her lips.

"But I have to warn you in advance, my service fees are very expensive. Since you want me to prove my value, then from today on, every Beli on the Eclipse will pass through my hands!"

Ace watched this stray cat who had quickly regained her vitality, a faint, imperceptible arc of satisfaction touching the corner of his mouth.