Nami gave the duke a suspicious look. "You'd better explain yourself, or we won't believe you!"
If the ship his daughter had built was such a treasure, why would the duke be so eager to give it away?
The duke thumped his chest. "Mr. Norton, it is an excellent ship, I assure you! When it comes to shipbuilding alone, my daughter Funing is absolutely the best in this country!"
Norton calmly looked the duke in the eye.
"I swear it on my family's honor!" the duke vowed to the heavens.
"Are you really that generous? In my experience, nobles are all greedy opportunists," Norton challenged calmly.
The duke took a deep breath. "Mr. Norton, you will never find a better ship in the East Blue than one built by Funing!"
"The reason I want you to take that ship is that Funing's luck... is somewhat like Mr. Sanosuke's."
Somewhat like Sanosuke's? Norton and Nami exchanged a glance.
Having luck like Sanosuke's was hardly a good thing.
The duke was not surprised by their reaction. Honestly, if he had not been won over by the sheer force of spirit Norton had displayed when subduing the sea kings, he would never have decided to pin his hopes on him.
"My fists are stronger than your bad luck!"
For a moment, Norton's bold declaration seemed to echo in the duke's ears again.
The duke's eyes gradually lit with fervor.
As the duke continued his account, Norton and Nami gradually learned the full story.
The duke had only one daughter but many sons, so he had always lavished affection on her.
Whatever Funing wanted, the duke did his best to provide.
But there was one matter that left him helpless and deeply troubled.
Funing had shown a love for ships from an early age and had loved collecting all sorts of model ships as a child.
That was no problem. The duke could provide all of those.
The trouble was that as Funing grew older, her love for ships became an obsession. She dreamed of building the finest ship in the world.
But to a noble, shipbuilding was a deeply shameful occupation, something only the lower classes would do.
Deep down, the duke did not actually want his daughter Funing to become a shipbuilder. It would make him a laughingstock among the other great nobles and bring him shame.
But out of his doting love for Funing, he did not object and instead quietly supported her.
Yet Funing's path as a shipbuilder had been far from smooth.
Funing was seventeen that year. She had begun building ships at twelve and had built three over the past five years.
When the first ship was completed, a fire broke out and burned the entire vessel to ashes.
When the second ship was completed, it was struck by lightning and burned down.
The third ship escaped both lightning and fire, but the king requisitioned it for war, and enemy forces soon destroyed it.
In shipbuilding, Funing had suffered one setback after another, plagued by relentless bad luck.
The nobles all called it the will of heaven, her fate. Even heaven did not want Funing to sink any deeper into shipbuilding, a trade fit only for the lower classes.
But Funing was not discouraged. Each setback only made her more determined.
At the beginning of that year, Funing had started building her fourth ship.
Having learned her lessons, she resolved to make this ship the sturdiest in the world.
It was unlike the splendor of her first ship, the refinement of her second, or the complexity of her third.
This ship pursued practicality to its utmost limit, fearing neither lightning nor fire, withstanding any cannonball.
And now, the ship was nearly finished.
"I don't want Funing's ship to be destroyed again. She has poured her heart and soul into it. I want to find someone who can protect that ship and stand against fate," the duke said solemnly.
"You believe in that sort of thing? You believe every ship your daughter Funing builds will end up destroyed? You believe it's fate?" Nami asked.
"There is no other explanation. This is not normal at all. Bad luck... no, fate truly exists," the duke sighed.
Norton quietly listened to the duke's story to the end. Just then, the hoofbeats outside the carriage stopped, and the butler's voice came from beyond the curtain. "Your Grace, we have arrived."
"Understood." The duke turned to Norton, still wanting to say something.
Norton raised a hand, cutting him off. "Since we're here, let me meet Miss Funing and see her ship first."
The duke paused, then gave a slight nod.
Everyone climbed out of the carriages one after another. The pirates gathered together, waiting for Norton's orders.
The duke stepped out of the carriage and instructed the butler, "See to our guests."
"Yes, Your Grace." The butler bowed, then turned and beckoned to the pirates. "Please follow me."
The pirates were itching to move, but they restrained themselves and looked behind the duke.
Norton slowly stepped out of the carriage and gave the pirates a slight nod. "Go on. Don't cause trouble, and don't steal anything."
"Sanosuke, keep an eye on them."
"As you command." Sanosuke jumped down from the carriage and followed the pirates, keeping his gaze fixed firmly on them.
The pirates felt a chill. Come on, man, we all served under Captain Redbeard together. You've switched sides already? Doesn't our old bond mean anything to you?
Nami jumped down from the carriage with a hand on Norton's shoulder. She pouted and shot him a glance, feeling that his warning had been aimed at her.
The butler led the main group toward the banquet hall.
Meanwhile, the duke led Norton and Nami through the castle to a secluded dock beside the moat.
A pretty young girl was there alone, applying the final protective coating to a ship.
The girl had long, naturally white hair, with a single white tuft sticking high up from the crown of her head.
So absorbed was she in her work that she did not notice Norton, Nami, or the duke arrive.
"She's very focused," Norton said softly.
The duke nodded in agreement, a fond smile spreading across his face. "Yes, Funing becomes completely absorbed when she's building ships."
"Why is she here alone?" Nami asked. "Building a ship this big must take a ton of work!"
The duke hurried to explain. "Funing doesn't like other people interfering with her creations, so I haven't sent anyone to help her."
Norton shifted his gaze from Funing to the ship.
It was a white, three-masted sailing ship nearly a hundred meters long. Its streamlined hull was long and low, and its figurehead was a statue of a maiden holding a bird, exuding a mysterious elegance.
Although it had no bow or stern cannons and looked somewhat "incomplete," the thirty-two cannons lining its sides silently proclaimed the terrifying power of its broadside.
"What a fine ship!" Norton's eyes lit up. The instant he saw it, an unshakable thought flashed through his mind.
This ship was made for me!
Norton could hardly wait to claim it.
"What's this ship called?" Norton asked, walking up beside Funing.
"She's called the White Pearl! She's my fourth child!" Funing replied brightly, but a moment later, she realized something was wrong and turned to look at Norton.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Funing stared blankly.