The Captain Wants Another Serving!

By the time Akin woke again, night had fallen.

Outside the porthole.

A full moon had just risen from the sea. Its pale, gray-white light spilled across the waves, reflecting their rise and fall in a shimmer like scattered silver.

Akin forced himself upright and only then realized he was in a cabin.

The blanket beneath him was warm and soft. Even at sea, it had not become damp, and the bandages soaked through by his movements during the day had already been replaced with fresh ones.

He slowly sat up in bed, his thoughts churning as he recalled what had happened at the port a few days ago.

Pal's warning, Krieg's merciless abandonment, the questions and screams of his brothers before they died...

Those things had done far more to destroy a person's will than any physical pain.

Even though he was known as the Demon and could be called utterly cold-blooded toward his enemies, he still felt a chill rising from the marrow of his bones.

Though a burning stove stood in the room and the cabin windows were tightly shut, keeping out every trace of sea wind, Akin still instinctively pulled the quilt tighter around himself.

"Loyalty and righteousness..."

A self-mocking smile tugged at Akin's lips.

"Heh."

"Among pirates, betrayal is the real—!"

Creak—!

The cabin door was pushed open at that moment.

Akin turned his head and saw Gawain walk in carrying a plate of fried rice. He said calmly, "The cook on the ship was injured earlier, so I made something to eat myself. Give it a try. After all, you need a full stomach before you have the strength to do anything else."

As he spoke, Gawain set the fried rice beside Akin's bed and beckoned to him.

Akin was slightly taken aback.

From Gawain, Akin sensed an aura completely different from Krieg's. Though he clearly possessed even greater power, his presence was incomparably peaceful.

Compared with Krieg's savage, brutal aura, they were absolute opposites.

He had never seen someone like this before—a pirate like this.

Akin glanced at the steaming fried rice by the bed, then turned to Gawain.

"Why did you save me?"

"I'm short-handed. Whether in character or strength, you're exactly the kind of talent I need."

Gawain looked at Akin without concealing his appreciation.

On the very day the cargo ship had set sail, he had already used Detect on Akin.

As expected, Kuro was not the only one to have awakened Observation Haki during that battle. Akin was one of them as well.

Although Akin's potential was still Bronze, after awakening Observation Haki, he had already become one of the closest to Silver among those at the Bronze Rank.

As long as he later achieved a breakthrough of the heart or ate a Devil Fruit, his potential would certainly rise to the Silver Rank. He could essentially be regarded as a long-term experience pack, just like Kuro.

What was more, Akin possessed the most precious quality among pirates:

Loyalty.

That had been clear from the battle at Raven Port.

After all, even though Krieg had ignored Akin's presence in the port and launched a bombardment outright, the gravely wounded Akin had still been willing to trade his own life for a chance to let Krieg live.

For that alone, Gawain was determined to recruit him.

"Hey, Akin, do you remember what he said to you at the end?"

Akin's gaze dimmed.

"Of course. He said, 'Don't board my ship in your next life.'"

"So you've already repaid everything you owed him."

Gawain continued, "You're free now. You have the right to choose where you want to go."

"If you're willing, the position of combat captain on my ship is still yours, at least until this ship reaches shore."

Looking at the dejected man before him, Gawain abandoned his original plan to use the debt of saving Akin's life to force him to remain aboard. After all, if he really did that, he would be no different from Krieg.

Akin glanced at the fried rice beside the bed and remained silent.

Seeing this, Gawain sighed inwardly and rose to leave the room.

"Get some proper rest."

Creak~!

Gawain closed the door and was just about to leave.

When he turned around, he found Kuro standing in the cabin and looking at him, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.

Seeing Gawain emerge with an expressionless face, Kuro guessed what had happened inside. The smile on his face deepened.

"Rejected at the door, huh?"

"Once that stubborn fellow decides to follow a captain, he'll go so far as to give his life for it. I understand that better than you do."

"After all, I'm the one who fought that man..."

Kuro raised a hand and touched his chest, feeling the pain from his wound. The smile gradually faded from his face, and his gaze sharpened.

"Only names can be mistaken. Nicknames can't."

"The Demon isn't merely cold-blooded toward his enemies. He's even more ruthless toward himself. To win, he wouldn't hesitate for an instant to wager his own life."

"How could someone like that be swayed merely by your kindness?"

Kuro pushed up his glasses, his entire body radiating a sharpness like a blade.

"Do you need me to handle it for you?"

"Although my wounds haven't healed yet, I'm no longer the man I used to be. Even you..."

"Heh."

Gawain glanced at the bandages around Kuro's body.

"You're too badly injured to interest me. Once you've recovered, I'll be waiting for you to take the captain's position."

"However."

"The loser isn't allowed to cry, got it~"

"Oh my~"

Kuro spread his hands helplessly.

"You're always like this. In your eyes, nothing seems like a big deal. That deeply hidden arrogance of yours is seriously infuriating."

"Hmph."

Gawain gave a faint smile.

The two were about to turn and leave side by side when Akin's voice came from inside the room.

"Captain, can I have another serving?"

Gawain froze for a moment before the corners of his lips gradually curled upward.

"He really thinks of me as the cook now."

"How did you manage that?"

Kuro's pupils constricted. What was happening before him had already exceeded his expectations.

"I made him a plate of fried rice."

Kuro was baffled.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Gawain patted Kuro on the shoulder.

"To become a qualified captain, you need more than just strength."

"Heh. When I went out to sea, you were still busy chasing after princesses in the Goa Kingdom."

"Can't you let that go?"

"Then tell me honestly. What exactly did you say to Akin? How could someone that stubborn bow his head so easily?"

Kuro was utterly perplexed.

Especially when he saw the faint smile on Gawain's face.

He felt as though he were being looked down on.

"Some things can't be judged solely from the perspective of gains and losses. People have hearts of flesh and blood."

"Even the Demon is no exception."

Para Island.

A small port.

Aside from several small pirate ships moored in the harbor, a stretch of wooden huts had been built along the surrounding port. Most bore signs of decay, clearly showing that Kuro's base here had existed for many years.

At that moment, dozens of pirates were gathered around a bonfire in the center of the port. The firelight struck their faces, making their pallor even more apparent.

Jango looked expressionlessly at the two pirates who had remained on the island for years and demanded, "Two female thieves stole all the treasure Captain Kuro—no, First Mate Kuro—had accumulated over all these years?"

"That's what happened."

The two pirates stationed at the port nodded repeatedly.

"I remember what they looked like."

"They were around fifteen or sixteen. One had short orange hair, and the other had short purple hair."

"To be fair, they were a little young, but their figures were top-notch."

As he spoke, the pirate even gave a thumbs-up.

Smack!

Jango angrily struck the pirate over the head, knocking him to the ground. His expression solemn, he said, "The problem now is how we're supposed to explain this to the captain! Given Captain Gawain's temper, he'd probably cut you in half with a sword!"