Explorer One

"Lord Xie Wen, the Godfather sent me to take you to the harbor to pick out a ship."

As Xie Wen and the others left the palace, a member of the Capone Family who had been waiting for quite some time immediately came forward to greet them.

"Go on. I doubt anyone in Gures is foolish enough to pick a fight with us now." Cody waved Xie Wen off with a smile.

So Xie Wen and the cats parted ways with Cody and the others for the time being, following the underling to one of Gures's harbors.

This harbor was normally closed to outsiders, reserved exclusively for members of the Three Families. Now, however, it belonged solely to the Capone Family.

"Lord Xie Wen, you may choose any ship in this harbor. If there are any facilities missing aboard it, please let me know, and we'll have them installed," the underling said respectfully.

Rather than rushing to choose a ship, Xie Wen turned to look at Sanji Meow, who was perched on his shoulder.

The little yellow cat stretched his head forward, the ears with their curled tufts swiveling like radar dishes.

Only after a moment did he nod and say, "I haven't detected anyone else nearby. There shouldn't be an ambush, meow."

"No ambush?" Xie Wen raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. "That doesn't seem like Capone Bege."

The underling guiding them twitched at the cheek, then forced out a smile. "You must be joking, Lord Xie Wen. We may be a Gang, but we know how to accept a loss."

Xie Wen pursed his lips noncommittally, then asked the two cats on his shoulders, "Come on, which ship here do you like best?"

"Klee likes the biggest one, meow!"

The little ragdoll cat pointed without hesitation at a ship at least five or six stories tall. They couldn't yet tell how much deck space it had, because it was simply too tall.

"The three of us couldn't sail a ship that big." Xie Wen patted Klee Meow's little head with a rueful smile. "We can get a bigger ship once we have more companions."

"All right..." Klee Meow swished her tail and reluctantly shifted her gaze to the smaller ships. But even after looking for ages, she couldn't settle on one. In the end, she could only shake her fluffy little head. "Klee can't choose... Big Brother Sanji should pick instead, meow."

Xie Wen turned to Sanji Meow. The two of them shared the same view: Klee Meow's wishes came first. If she didn't have a particular favorite, Sanji Meow would choose, since he knew the most about sailing out of all of them.

And letting Klee Meow choose first wasn't just about spoiling her... although that was the main reason... They couldn't forget that Klee Meow was a lucky cat under the protection of the Clover constellation. When there was no clear answer, they couldn't go wrong listening to her!

Since she hadn't picked a definite target this time, that meant there wasn't much difference between these ships. It didn't really matter which one they chose, as long as it suited their needs, and that was where Sanji Meow came in.

In fact, while Klee Meow had been struggling to make up her mind, Sanji Meow had already chosen the ship he wanted.

"That ship looks pretty good. It fits our needs nicely, meow." Sanji Meow pointed to a small sailing ship in a corner.

It was a small, single-masted sailing ship. Judging by its size, it was probably a little smaller than the Going Merry. In fact, it was among the smallest ships in the harbor, with a negligible difference in size between it and the smallest one there.

And... it didn't even have a figurehead, just a perfectly ordinary bowsprit.

Still, given the number of hands Xie Wen's crew currently had, a ship of this size was actually just right... At least it was much better than the raft they'd started out with.

He just wondered whether Capone Bege would spit out another mouthful of blood in anger upon learning that they had chosen such a tiny ship.

The Capone Family underling's expression was certainly quite a sight at that moment.

But there was a reason he had made it as an underling. He quickly composed himself, praising Sanji Meow's discerning eye while introducing the ship's specifications and other details.

Xie Wen listened casually without paying much attention... He couldn't understand any of it anyway.

Did the ship's height, length, draft, and all that really matter?

All right, that last one might matter a little. But the three of them already had three pieces of spatial equipment, and they would have even more in the future, so it wasn't all that important either.

So Xie Wen simply waved a hand, cutting the underling's explanation short.

"That's enough. All that talk isn't as useful as going aboard and taking a look."

With the underling leading the way, Xie Wen and the cats toured the ship. Overall, they were quite satisfied. It had a full set of furniture and everyday necessities, a separate bathroom, and even a storeroom fully stocked with dry provisions and fresh water.

Most importantly, Capone Bege hadn't tampered with the ship... although that might have been because he hadn't expected Xie Wen to choose such a small one.

To keep Bege from secretly tampering with it later, taking the ship away now would be safer.

"You there... what was your name again?" Only then did Xie Wen remember that he hadn't even asked the man's name.

"Just call me Robbie, Lord Xie Wen."

"Right, Robbie. You know how to sail this ship, don't you?"

"Of course. A small ship like this isn't difficult to operate." Robbie looked a little puzzled.

After all, in this world, sailing was pretty much an essential skill. Large ships were another matter, but even some children could handle a small boat with ease.

For comparison, it was probably like riding a bicycle before Xie Wen had crossed into this world? Or an electric bike.

"Oh, good. Then teach us how to sail it."

Having grown up inland, Xie Wen had rarely even visited the coast, let alone gone out to sea. He saw nothing wrong with not knowing how to sail.

"..." Robbie stared at Xie Wen speechlessly, trying to work out whether he was joking.

Once he realized that Xie Wen genuinely didn't know how to sail, Robbie quickly composed himself again and began teaching him in earnest.

Just as he'd said, a small ship like this wasn't complicated to operate. Besides, Xie Wen had at least spent some time traveling on a raft... Sanji Meow had done most of the sailing, but he had picked up a little along the way.

After Robbie's careful instruction, Xie Wen began practicing with the single-masted ship around the harbor, and very soon, he...

"Ahem... Sanji, you've already learned how, right? From now on, you're our helmsman!" Xie Wen patted the little yellow cat's head, entrusting him with this important duty.

Robbie: "..."

"Heh-heh! You really are an idiot, Xie Wen, meow!"

Unlike Xie Wen, that useless two-legger, Sanji Meow quickly mastered the proper way to sail. As he steered the ship through the wind and waves near the harbor, he gleefully mocked him.

How could the great Sapphire Star, Xie Wen, possibly stoop to arguing with a Palico?

So he pretended not to hear.

"All right, we're taking this ship. Remind Bege to deliver the famous swords and money I asked for to the inn as soon as possible... You should know where I'm staying."

Xie Wen spoke to Robbie, seemingly oblivious to the complicated look in the man's eyes.

"Then I'll take my leave, Lord Xie Wen." Put ashore, Robbie smoothed out his expression, bowed to Xie Wen, and left the harbor.

Sanji Meow then sailed their newly acquired ship toward the harbor where Cody's merchant ship was moored.

"Oh, right. Should we give this ship a name?" Xie Wen suddenly asked as he hugged Klee Meow, replenishing his cat energy.

He had remembered that the ships in the manga all seemed to have names of their own... They would definitely replace this one eventually, and it didn't even have a figurehead, but it was still the first proper ship they'd acquired. Giving it a name to commemorate that seemed only fitting.

"Yes, yes! Let's call it... the Toot Toot Forward, meow!" Klee Meow chimed in immediately, coming up with a name that was very much her style.

"That name is fine," Xie Wen said, not particularly concerned. Still, he reminded her, "But we'll replace this ship sooner or later. Are you sure you want to use that name for it, Klee?"

"Ugh..." The little ragdoll cat immediately found herself torn.

"Oh, right." Sanji Meow clapped his paws together. "I was going to call it the Pretty Big Sister, meow."

"...I'm not using that name even after we get a new ship!" Xie Wen shot the little yellow cat a fierce glare, then simply picked a name himself. "It's only a temporary ship anyway. Let's call it Explorer One."

Neither the indecisive Klee Meow nor the disgruntled Sanji Meow objected, and so the name of the Palico Research Commission's first ship was settled.