Why... Choose Me?

The faint light of dawn dispelled the last trace of chill from the harbor night, coating the magnificent Red Port in a layer of pale gold.

Dawn held Stella's hand as they walked along the docks, which had already begun to bustle with activity.

The sailors and dockworkers who had risen early did not make a fuss over the sight. They merely glanced over before returning to their work.

In this prosperous hub of the world, simply holding hands with a breathtaking beauty was hardly a shocking sight.

Those World Nobles wearing bubble helmets, parading through the streets with dozens of slaves in tow, were the real norm.

People's gazes were more often drawn by Stella's extraordinary beauty, which her haggard state could not conceal, and by their envy of Dawn's "good luck" and "generosity."

Dawn's gaze swept across the densely packed ships at the berths, as though selecting a suitable means of transportation. Flying across the Calm Belt with his Devil Fruit power was still somewhat beyond him.

All kinds of sailing ships, hybrid-powered vessels, and even a few pure steamships came into view. He needed a ship capable of crossing the Calm Belt—sailing ships were the first to be ruled out.

He felt somewhat helpless. As for how to get from the Grand Line to the Four Seas, aside from risking a crossing through the Calm Belt, the original story had revealed very little information.

The currents of Reverse Mountain only flowed one way, in but never out. Krieg's group had somehow returned from the Grand Line to the East Blue, so there had to be another trick to it, but it was certainly not a method Dawn could currently know or replicate. The Calm Belt had become his only choice for now—and the riskiest one.

After careful inspection, his gaze settled on a medium-sized steamship. It appeared well maintained, and its smokestack stood quietly, showing that it possessed a power source independent of the wind. This was the one.

Having chosen his target, Dawn no longer hesitated. Holding the silent Stella's hand, he stepped steadily onto the steamship's deck. On deck, the sailors on night watch were clutching their weapons and dozing against the railings.

With a slight stir of his thoughts, his power silently activated. An invisible field of darkness spread beneath Dawn and Stella's feet, swallowing every faint sound they made as they walked. They moved as if through a silent painting, drawing no one's attention.

"Kurouzu."

Deep darkness surged from his palm, winding around the sleeping sailors like a living creature. Before they could awaken in alarm, a powerful gravitational force tore them from the deck and dragged them into an alternate space that Kong had already emptied.

The watchmen awoke in an instant to the agony of being crushed by darkness. Their eyes bulged as they tried to let out shrill screams, but every sound vanished like stones sinking into the sea, mercilessly absorbed and extinguished by the surrounding darkness. They could only let their consciousness sink into eternal darkness amid extreme, soundless pain.

Dawn's expression remained unchanged as he led Stella through a meticulous search of the cabins. Whether it was the crew quarters or the captain's cabin, he used the same method.

One life after another was silently swallowed by the darkness in its sleep, without causing even the slightest ripple. The entire process was efficient and quiet, without alerting any other ships in the harbor.

Stella followed close behind him, watching him remove obstacles in such cold and efficient fashion. Her delicate body trembled slightly, yet she continued biting her lower lip without saying a word.

Once he confirmed that the entire ship had been completely cleared out by Kong, Dawn brought Stella to the engine room at the bottom of the vessel. Machinery roared here, massive boilers radiated heat, and thick nautical charts were nailed to the walls.

Dawn stepped forward and carefully flipped through them. When his fingers brushed over a chart marked with a special route, surprise flashed through his eyes before turning into relief.

The chart clearly marked a route departing from near Red Port, passing through an area of the Calm Belt designated "low risk," and eventually reaching the West Blue. This was exactly what he needed!

"Looks like I'm lucky."

After murmuring that, Dawn walked over to the controls.

When he had stowed away from Drum Island to Spring Queen City, he had traveled aboard a steam-powered passenger ship. He had already secretly observed and learned the basic operating techniques. He skillfully started the boiler, built pressure, and took control of the wheel.

The steamship let out a low roar as it slowly pulled away from the berth, nimbly turned its bow, and sailed out of the busy Red Port harbor. Following the direction indicated by the chart, it headed toward that terrifying sea said to have neither wind nor waves, yet to be inhabited by enormous Sea Kings.

The harbor gradually shrank behind them and eventually disappeared from view. Only after confirming they had completely left that troublesome place did Dawn slowly let out a long breath he had been holding in.

Only then did he truly have the leisure to turn his attention to the woman beside him, who had been unusually quiet from beginning to end.

He turned his head, his gaze falling on Stella. She seemed to sense it and forced a faint smile, though the fear deep in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"Why haven't you said anything?"

"You aren't mute, are you? Tell me your name."

Although he already knew who she was, he still needed to go through the motions.

Stella lowered her head timidly, her voice soft and carrying the obedience unique to a slave:

"My name is Stella."

"Mm, I'm Dawn."

After giving his name, Dawn asked again,

"Then why did you remain silent just now?"

Stella lowered her eyes, her voice becoming even softer:

"The boss... taught me that, as a slave, I cannot speak freely without my master's permission, in case I... offend my master."

Dawn did not believe a single word of that explanation. He clearly remembered that in her original fate, when she had been dragged away by the Celestial Dragons, she had still bid Tesoro farewell.

This supposed "not being allowed to speak" was merely a form of self-protective distance and distrust when facing an unfamiliar "master." That was normal, Dawn thought. After all, they had known each other for only a few hours.

He did not expose her lie. Instead, he went along with it.

"I see. I don't have so many rules. You can speak whenever you want."

As he spoke, before Stella's eyes suddenly filled with disbelief, he took out a key. With a click, he easily unlocked the slave collar binding her snow-white neck.

The cold metal collar fell away and struck the deck with a dull sound. Stella instinctively touched the red marks on her neck left by prolonged friction. It seemed as though something had shattered in her eyes, while a glimmer called "hope" and "self" struggled to gather once more.

She stared blankly at Dawn, as though trying to find the intent behind this abnormal act on his face.

"I'm about to undertake a long journey,"

Dawn ignored her shock and continued speaking on his own,

"I need some helpers. Sailing a long distance alone is always inconvenient."

The fingers Stella held against her neck trembled slightly. Gathering her courage, she looked directly into Dawn's deep blue eyes.

"Why... choose me?"

She wanted to know what this powerful, handsome, yet strangely acting young man had seen in her.

Dawn's answer was direct to the point of being shameless, without the slightest embellishment or evasion.

"Because your figure and appearance both suit my tastes."

His gaze openly swept across her slender curves.

"I like you. I want you to be my wife."

He did not weave any hypocritical excuse about sympathy or noble salvation. At their first meeting, other than her beautiful appearance, what could he possibly know about her inner self?

More importantly, in this world where slavery openly existed, as the buyer, he possessed absolute control over his property. Speaking plainly of his desires made far more sense in the present situation than hypocritical lies.

"Ah!" Stella had never expected such a blunt, even downright rude answer. Innocent as she was, her face instantly flushed bright red, and her heart pounded like a drum.

She instinctively shielded her chest with both hands and stumbled back a step. Her back struck the cold metal cabin wall, and she stammered for a long while without managing a complete sentence.

"Y-you... you... I..."

To Be Continued