As Dawn, Hina, and Sola talked, the battle around them had unknowingly come to a swift end after the captain and the unknown Vice Captain were taken out one after another.
Looking at his companions around him, Dawn could not help but smile.
Their first battle had gone quite well. There had been no casualties, so it counted as an auspicious start.
And Dawn had even gotten a precious "attribute point" from "defeating the boss," making the haul quite substantial.
After returning to the ship, they locked up the pirates who had survived by luck or chosen to surrender at the end.
Then Dawn and the others began their usual "treasure hunt."
After all, a pirate ship was the pirates' lair, and plundering wealth was a pirate's profession.
And since Dawn and the others had defeated the enemy in this battle, the spoils aboard this ship naturally belonged to them as their reward.
This also counted as Aokiji's reward for their beautifully won battle.
Hina and the others were children, after all, and children were naturally playful.
Although they had been quite mature during the fight, once they relaxed and heard about spoils of war, their interest immediately soared.
And you never knew what might be waiting for you aboard a pirate ship.
It could be a bottle of fine wine, Berries, or even a Devil Fruit, but it could also be smelly socks, filthy clutter, and leftover food scraps.
But Hina and the others, who were clearly not cut out for a pirate's profession, soon went eagerly and returned disappointed.
Because what they found was people.
"Dawn, these pirates captured people too. I heard they wanted to sell them as slaves." Hina and the others had been disappointed after finding only a few scattered valuables.
Now it seemed that the most valuable things aboard were these slaves, but they obviously held no appeal for Hina and the others.
Among these people, some wore luxurious clothes while others were dressed ordinarily. There were also several attractive women, though judging by their attire, they had been kept in relatively good condition. The pirates were probably planning to sell them for a high price.
Dawn did not have the slightest favorable impression of these pirates who moonlighted as human traffickers. After all, he had very bad memories involving traffickers.
Now it seemed that he had been completely justified in smashing that captain to death so cleanly.
"Dawn, most of these captured people seem to be from the North Sea. They said this pirate crew received these slaves from another group of pirates and planned to sell them in Sabaody," Hina explained as she looked at him.
"This is troublesome. Our destination is the East Blue, after all. We don't have time to escort them to the North Sea." Dawn frowned at the captured people, feeling a headache coming on.
Still, these people were full of gratitude toward Dawn and the others. Even those few whose clothing suggested they had rather high status stood obediently on the deck in the night, quietly waiting for their decision rather than making a fuss.
It seemed there were still more sensible people in the world. Those arrogant fools who could not read the situation probably would have been fed to the fish by the pirates before Dawn and the others ever got the chance to save them.
"Forget it. Take them back to the warship first. We'll ask what they want later. Those willing to live in the East Blue can be left in Loguetown, while we'll figure something out later for those who aren't."
Dawn waved his hand, happily deciding to dump the problem on Aokiji, who had seen the battle end and was already putting on his blindfold to sleep and slack off.
Of course, if he had the chance, Dawn still wanted to visit the North Sea.
As for the North Sea, Dawn only knew that the Island of Karate and the Kingdom of Rubini were the hometown of Norland, the protagonist of the North Sea fairy tale The Lying King Norland.
The other country Dawn knew in more detail was Flevance, known as the "White Town" in the North Sea.
It was also the hometown of the Supernova Law, a pitiable country that believed itself happy but was ultimately exterminated for profit.
It was not only the New World and the Grand Line that had all kinds of interesting islands. The Four Seas did too.
But compared to the Grand Line and the New World, the islands and countries of the Four Seas had normal weather, so their distinctive cultures were far more remarkable than the islands themselves.
And these human and cultural characteristics actually offered far more to experience and enjoy.
After all, in a place like the Island of Thunder God in the New World, all you could do was admire the scenery of lightning storms filling the sky from afar. There was no special cuisine or pretty foreign girls for you to sample.
Dawn was very interested in the novelty of this world. After all, one had to experience different kinds of splendor while alive, especially in this world.
His previous life had been all skyscrapers, with the overall aesthetic being modern. But this world was different: ancient-style islands, steam-powered islands, futuristic islands, primeval forests—there were islands of every kind.
After looting the pirate ship and packing up all the still-useful supplies, Dawn and the others returned to the warship with the unlucky captives.
The men were roughly carried aboard by the backs of their necks like chicks in Sola and the others' hands. Their small statures made the sight of them hauling around full-grown adults look especially strange.
As for the few pretty young women, the group of precocious little brats gave them special treatment.
Dawn could not help laughing at the sight, then walked over to a man dressed like a middle-aged butler in a tailcoat and said, "Let's go too."
Without waiting for the middle-aged man to nod, Dawn grabbed his arm and brought him aboard the warship.
"Thank you for your assistance. I am Adolf, royal steward to the Abraham family, rulers of the Ishtar Kingdom in the North Sea. Should I have the opportunity, I will surely repay your kindness."
Dawn raised an eyebrow at that, thinking that this middle-aged butler was probably the highest-ranking person among those captured.
The other few who were dressed well looked like nouveau riche. They were probably unlucky members of some merchant caravan.
When Dawn had observed everyone earlier, he had noticed that although the middle-aged man in the tailcoat was not very clean after having just been released from a cell—
He had remained composed after being freed, and his emotions had not fluctuated much after being rescued. He seemed like someone who had seen the world.
Even his words of gratitude had been phrased with great finesse.
He had both revealed his identity and implied that, if he had the chance to return home, he would offer an ample reward.
The middle-aged man had likely seen how Hina and the others treated Dawn and recognized that Dawn occupied the acknowledged position of "leader" among them.
If Dawn spoke up for him, then combined with his status as a royal steward, the Marines might truly send him home first instead of waiting for a ship that might not pass through the North Sea for who knew how long.
Of course, as a royal steward, he might not need Dawn's help at all. Perhaps this was simply his habit in dealing with people. Especially when facing a gifted figure like Dawn, anyone with eyes would be happy to form a good connection.
Still, Dawn had to admit that the man's pleasant attitude made him feel comfortable.
It was just that the surname surprised Dawn somewhat, since it was the same as his own.
"Hahaha, Dawn, since when did you become someone from the royal family? Don't tell me you're a prince?"
Sola, carrying a huge fat man in one hand, burst out laughing when she heard the conversation between Dawn and the butler.
Looking at the fat man gasping heavily for breath, Dawn could not help silently mourning for him for a second.
After all, Sola's personality was somewhat like a husky in certain ways. Ending up in her hands...
Tsk, tsk. It definitely could not have been a pleasant experience.
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