Dalton shook his head immediately when he heard the suggestion about voting, a hint of urgency in his expression.
"Don't say that, and definitely don't vote for me."
He looked at the excited man, his voice carrying no trace of pride, only a sense of heaviness.
"Someone as deeply guilty as me has no right to accept your support. Please forget what I just said."
The man seemed to want to persuade him further, but Dalton had already turned away and motioned for Naruto and the others to follow. After leading them into a nearby room, Dalton took off his straw hat, his expression even more solemn than before.
"Let me formally introduce myself first. My name is Dalton, and I'm the captain responsible for protecting this island."
He bowed his head slightly to them.
"I attacked you earlier because of the unusual circumstances. Please forgive my rudeness. But before we discuss the doctor, there's something I'd like to confirm."
Dalton's gaze settled on Vivi.
"I keep feeling that I've seen you somewhere before. That feeling was especially strong when I saw you just now."
Vivi visibly stiffened. She instinctively clenched the hem of her clothes, afraid he had already recognized her identity. The villagers were already wary of pirates. If Dalton confirmed who she was as well, no one knew whether the situation might immediately take a turn for the worse.
She quickly waved her hands and forced a reasonably natural-looking smile.
"You must have mistaken me for someone else. More importantly, we need to know about that witch right now."
As she spoke, Vivi pointed at Nami, who lay nearby.
"We took Nami's temperature earlier. It's a full forty degrees now, and it's still rising. We really can't afford any more delays."
Dalton's expression changed on the spot.