Captain, Another Serving!

By the time Akin woke again, night had already fallen.

Outside the porthole.

A full moon had just risen from the sea, its pale gray light spilling across the waves and shimmering like scattered silver.

Akin forced himself upright, only then realizing he was inside a cabin.

Beneath him was a warm, soft blanket that had not grown damp despite being at sea. The bandages soaked through by his movements during the day had also 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 ruthless abandonment, the questions and wails of those brothers before they died...

Those things could shatter a person's will far more thoroughly than physical pain.

Even with the title of Demon, even though he was known to be cold-blooded toward his enemies, he still felt a chill that seemed to rise from his very bones.

Though a stove burned in the room and the cabin windows were tightly shut against the sea breeze, Akin instinctively pulled the blanket tighter around himself.

"Loyalty..."

Akin's lips curled into a self-mocking smile.

"Heh."

"Among pirates, betrayal is the true—!"

Creak—!

The door opened at that moment.

Akin turned his head and saw Gawain walk in with a plate of fried rice, saying calmly, "The ship's cook was injured earlier, so I made something myself. Give it a try. You need to eat your fill 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 froze slightly.

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

He was the complete opposite of Krieg's vicious, brutal aura.

He had never met someone like this. A pirate like this.

Akin looked at the steaming fried rice by the bed, then turned to Gawain. "Why did you save me?"

"I'm short on men. Whether it's your character or your strength, you're exactly the kind of talent I need."

Gawain looked at Akin without concealing his admiration.

As early as the day the freighter set sail, he had used a scan on Akin.

As expected, Kuro had not been the only one to awaken Observation Haki in that battle. Akin before him had as well.

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

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

More importantly, Akin possessed the most precious quality a pirate could have:

Loyalty.

That had been obvious enough in the battle at Raven Port.

Even when Krieg ignored the fact that Akin was still in the port and directly ordered a bombardment, the severely wounded Akin had still been willing to trade his life for a chance for Krieg to survive.

For that reason alone, Gawain was determined to have him.

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

Akin's gaze darkened. "Of course. He said, don't board my ship in your next life."

"Then you've already repaid what you owed him."

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

"If you're willing, the position of combat captain on my ship will remain open for you until this ship docks."

Looking at the dejected man before him, Gawain discarded his original plan to force the other man to stay aboard through the debt of saving his life. After all, if he truly did that, he would be no different from Krieg.

Akin stared silently at the fried rice beside his bed.

Gawain sighed inwardly at the sight, then rose and walked out of the room. "Get some proper rest."

Creak~!

Gawain closed the door and was about to leave.

When he turned around, he found Kuro standing in the cabin, looking at him with a faint smile on his lips.

Seeing Gawain emerge expressionlessly, Kuro roughly guessed what had happened inside, and the smile on his face grew wider. "So you got turned away, just as I thought?"

"Once someone as stubborn as him decides to follow a captain, he won't hesitate to lay down his life. I understand that better than you do."

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

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

"People may get names wrong, but never nicknames."

"Demon isn't merely cold-blooded toward his enemies. He's even more cold-blooded toward himself. To win, he wouldn't hesitate for a second even if it meant gambling with his own life."

"How could someone like that possibly waver just because of your goodwill?"

Kuro pushed up his glasses, his entire being radiating a blade-sharp aura. "Do you need me to handle him for you?"

"Though I haven't recovered yet, I'm no longer the same as before. Even you..."

"Heh."

Gawain glanced at the bandages on Kuro. "A heavily injured you doesn't interest me at all. Once you've healed, I'll wait for you to come take the captain's position."

"However."

"The loser isn't allowed to cry, okay~"

"My, my~"

Kuro spread his hands helplessly. "You've always been like this. As though nothing in your eyes is worth much. That deeply hidden arrogance of yours is truly infuriating."

"Hmph."

Gawain smiled faintly.

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

"Captain, another serving!"

After a brief pause, Gawain's lips gradually curved upward. "He really thinks I'm a cook now."

"How did you do it?"

Kuro's pupils contracted. What had just happened was completely beyond 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. "Becoming a qualified captain takes more than just strength."

"Heh, when I first set out to sea, you were still busy courting the Queen in the Goa Kingdom."

"Can you stop bringing that up?"

"Then tell me honestly, what exactly did you say to Akin? How could someone that stubborn lower his head so easily?"

Kuro could not make sense of it at all.

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

He felt like he was being looked down on.

"Some things can't be judged purely in terms of gains and losses. Every heart is made of flesh."

"Even a Demon is the same."

Para Island.

A small port.

Aside from several small Pirate Ships moored in the harbor, rows of wooden houses had been built along the surrounding shore. Most bore signs of rot, making it clear that Kuro's base here had existed for many years.

At that moment, dozens of pirates gathered around a bonfire in the center of the port. The firelight cast upon their faces, making their complexions appear even paler.

Jango looked expressionlessly at the two pirates who had long been stationed on the island and demanded, "Just two female thieves stole all the treasure Captain Kuro—no, the First Mate—had saved up over all these years?"

"That's right."

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 gave a thumbs-up.

Smack!

Jango slapped the pirate across the head irritably, knocking him to the ground. With a grave expression, he said, "The problem now is, how are we supposed to explain this to the captain?! Even with Captain Gawain's style, he'd probably split you alive with one sword!"