Blade God, Sword Saint

"Heh."

Gawain sneered.

He knew exactly how skilled Nami was at Navigation.

Even though she had not yet reached the age when she would join the Straw Hat in the future, the fact that she dared predict weather changes down to the minute showed absolute confidence in herself.

Thinking of Nami's performance in the original story, Gawain had never once considered the possibility that he might lose.

However.

Even if he explained it to Kuro now, Kuro probably would not believe him. He might as well teach him a proper lesson.

It definitely was not because Gawain wanted to watch him wash socks!

Akin glanced at Gawain, then at Kuro, and thought:

No matter who wins, someone will wash my socks. I'm winning either way.

Still, deep down, he was rooting for Gawain. He had yet to settle the score from losing to Kuro at Raven Port, but the problem was, he simply could not beat him.

But after this, Akin felt he could hold it over him for the rest of his life!

At that thought, the corner of Akin's mouth curled into a grin.

Gawain gave him a suspicious look, then stopped paying attention to him.

After having the crew carry the food, fresh water, and other supplies they had purchased aboard the ship, he cautiously moved the vessel to a safer spot. Only after reinforcing it did he finally board and rest.

A day passed quickly.

Yet even by the following night, the harbor remained calm. Forget a storm—even the sea breeze had grown gentler, carrying a faint warmth as it brushed against them.

Gawain and the other two stood on the deck, quietly waiting for the time Nami had mentioned.

After looking around, Kuro turned back to Gawain and said teasingly, "Captain, how about this? If you admit defeat now, I'll let you off with half. Just wash mine."

"Admit defeat?"

"You should be thinking about how you're going to wash all the socks on this ship."

Gawain refused to back down, though as he stared at the calm sea in the distance, he felt somewhat uncertain as well.

If Nami's Navigation Skills had only developed during the years she spent under Arlong, then this joke would have gone way too far.

No.

For most of those later years, Nami should have been out gathering money to buy Cocoyasi Village back. Her training in Navigation Skills had undoubtedly been concentrated during the earlier years when she drew nautical charts.

With that in mind.

Gawain gradually calmed down. Leaning against the deck, he gazed blandly at the distant sea.

Time ticked by.

Just as it neared 11:20 p.m., when even Gawain was starting to get restless, a layer of mist suddenly swept over from the distant sea.

The clouds high overhead gathered at an astonishing speed. Within mere minutes, they blotted out the stars and moon, while lightning flickered within the thick, leaden clouds.

The once-warm wind changed as well, mixed with moisture, blowing the sea's chill straight into their bones. The Jolly Roger on the ship began to whip wildly.

Whoosh!

The cold wind and rain struck Kuro's face. A bolt of lightning illuminated the night sky, allowing Gawain to clearly see the ghostly expression on Kuro's face.

"It's really this accurate?!"

Still unwilling to believe it, Kuro raised his wrist to check the time. The minute hand had just reached 11:30.

Not a second early, not a second late.

At that very moment, an emergency announcement blared from the harbor loudspeakers:

"Warning!"

"A storm is incoming! A storm is incoming!"

"All vessels in the harbor, take evasive measures! All vessels in the harbor, take evasive measures!"

On the deck.

Gawain patted Kuro on the shoulder. "What do you think now?"

Kuro's mouth twitched. Selectively forgetting the bet, he said directly, "That woman is our navigator!"

"Also, I suddenly feel a little dizzy. I'm going back to my cabin to rest for a while."

Without waiting for Gawain's reply, Kuro vanished from the deck in an instant. He returned to his room, locked the door behind him, and even put in earplugs.

As long as I can't hear it, it doesn't exist!

Washing the socks of a whole ship full of men? You might as well just kill me!

Unfortunately.

The two men on deck had no intention of letting him off so easily.

Gawain and Akin exchanged a glance, identical wicked grins appearing on their faces.

"Hehehe~"

"Hehehe~"

The next day.

Kuro cautiously opened the door to his room. The moment he pushed it open a crack, a powerful, pungent stench rushed straight at him.

Looking down, he saw hundreds of pairs of socks neatly laid out before his door. The smell of sweat mixed with athlete's foot was so overpowering that it nearly brought tears to his eyes.

A note was stuck to the doorknob:

"A real man keeps his word!"

Kuro's mouth twitched. Looking at the socks outside his door, he completely snapped.

"GAWAIN!!!"

Standing on deck and directing the Pirate Ship's departure, Gawain broke into a wide grin when he heard the roar from inside the cabin. Beside him, Akin was also struggling to suppress a wicked smile.

The two exchanged a glance.

"Hehehe~"

"Hehehe~"

The storm lasted only two days. It came quickly and left quickly, but the damage it caused was severe.

Nearly one-fifth of the ships in the harbor had been overturned and sunk, while the rest had suffered heavy losses.

Had Gawain not moved his ship to a safe location in time and lowered its sails, his small Pirate Ship probably would not have escaped unscathed either.

Looking at the devastation in the harbor, even Kuro could not help but sigh. "That woman truly defies all common sense when it comes to Navigation Skills. It's just..."

"What's so good about that stupid movie?!"

Gawain shot him an imperceptible glance.

He then had the crew inspect the ship. After confirming that its structure was undamaged and would not affect the voyage ahead, they raised the sails and set off toward Cocoyasi Village along their planned route.

In the harbor.

Two figures watched the Pirate Ship gradually sail away, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.

"Joseph, you... you saw it clearly too, right?"

"That flag, that man standing on the deck—there's no mistake. It was Knight Gawain!"

"The man who has been praised as the Strongest Swordsman in the East Blue for the past two months!"

Johnny swallowed hard, trembling as he pushed up his sunglasses.

Joseph, with his dead-fish eyes, wore an equally horrified expression. "Of course. But why would such a major figure come to Dia Port? And that route... is Arlong's territory?"

"Are the two strongest pirates in the East Blue going to war?!"

"What are you looking at?"

Suddenly, a figure with short green hair and three swords tucked at his waist appeared behind them. With both hands on their shoulders, he forcibly squeezed between them.

"Big Brother Zoro?!"

Johnny broke out in goosebumps. Seeing Joseph about to speak, he immediately clamped a hand over Joseph's mouth and turned to Zoro. "Nothing."

"We're looking at the scenery. Just looking at the scenery~"

Johnny hurriedly signaled to Joseph with his eyes. Joseph instantly understood. While inwardly breathing a sigh of relief, he could not help looking up at Zoro with a headache.

If this man found out about Knight Gawain's whereabouts, he would probably rush off to challenge him immediately.

But that was a great pirate with a Bounty of eighty-five million, a ruthless figure who had raised the East Blue's bounty ceiling twice in two months.

Someone like that would be A Powerful Figure even on the Grand Line. Challenging him directly would be nothing but suicide!

"Really?"

Zoro looked at them suspiciously.

"Of course it's true. How about this? I'll buy you a drink."

"It's a deal!"

Joseph looked at Zoro with a pained expression, but compared to his life, none of it mattered.