Night.
Carlmand pressed his pillow over his head and tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
"Bastards."
"How long have those two been at it? Are they ever going to let anyone sleep?"
Normally, an ordinary person wouldn't have been able to hear the noises Kazu and Makino made in their room at night.
After all, Carlmand's room wasn't particularly close to Kazu's.
But Carlmand had recently awakened his Observation Haki, sharpening his five senses, so he kept faintly hearing sounds that left him burning with desire.
"We need to dock already. I'm going to have fun for three days and nights, no matter what."
Amid torment and suffering, Carlmand finally greeted the dawn.
"Yaaawn!"
"Morning, Carlmand."
Early that morning, Kazu came strolling out shirtless, wearing a pair of baggy shorts.
Carlmand ignored Kazu, dark circles around his eyes, feeling both frustrated and miserable.
"Kazu, let's not go straight to Loguetown. Let's stop at a nearby island."
"I think this Airmus Island looks pretty good."
Carlmand took out a map and found the closest island along their current route.
The island wasn't particularly large, but it was inhabited, making it one of the so-called non-Affiliated Nations.
Kazu didn't understand what Carlmand was up to. Just yesterday, they'd agreed to head straight to Loguetown to see where the Pirate King had been executed, then make straight for the New World.
Yet today, he'd changed his mind and insisted on looking around somewhere nearby.
"All right, all right. I don't know why, but we'll do it your way."
Only after hearing Kazu's answer did Carlmand feel considerably better.
This bastard was pretty reasonable after all.
Carlmand went to the helm, adjusted their course slightly, and headed straight for Airmus Island.
After letting the sea breeze clear his sleepy head, Kazu hurried into the kitchen to cook for the first time in a while.
He had no choice. For some reason, Makino had been particularly forward yesterday, leaving Kazu on the back foot.
A man couldn't say he couldn't handle it. Kazu had obliged her to the very end, and the two hadn't gone to sleep until well past midnight.
As a result, Kazu, who was as strong as an ox, was more or less fine the next day, while Makino couldn't get out of bed.
Kazu hurried into the kitchen to prepare a loving breakfast to reward Makino and replenish his own strength while he was at it.
"So there's none for me?"
Carlmand watched Kazu carry two breakfasts back to his room. There was nothing left on the kitchen table but a mess.
"Hmph. I've got hands and feet. It's not like I'll starve to death!"
After a bout of clattering, Carlmand found a jar of jam and two bags of bread in the refrigerator, then wolfed them down with a bottle of red wine.
The next morning, Carlmand landed on Airmus Island as he'd wished.
"I'm going to look around on my own first. Bye!"
Leaving those words behind, Carlmand ran toward town.
The place wasn't large, consisting of just one town and a dozen or so villages.
Together, the villages and town had only a little over a hundred thousand residents, but the surroundings were lovely, with lush vegetation and plenty of farmland and orchards outside the villages.
"Come on, let's do some shopping too."
Makino had no objections. After drifting at sea for so long, she always missed the steadiness of being on land.
"That man is..."
"Pirates! Run!"
"It's a notorious pirate with a two-hundred-million-Beli bounty! Our town is doomed!"
Kazu and Makino had only been on the streets for a few minutes before the townspeople recognized them.
Kazu spotted a newspaper lying on the ground. It was from two days ago, and the wanted posters for Kazu and the others were printed in it.
No wonder the residents remembered them so clearly. People were still reading it today.
"Looks like we won't be doing any shopping."
Makino put her hands on her hips. Although she'd expected this, she still felt a little helpless.
"That's easy to fix."
Kazu hurried a few steps forward. There was a stall selling masks, and its owner hadn't had time to pack anything away. He'd been lucky just to escape.
With a sweep of his hand, Kazu put all the masks into his separate space.
"Here's one for you."
Kazu put on a dragon mask, while Makino put on a fox mask.
"Let's go back to the ship and change too. The residents saw what we were wearing."
"Okay."
Makino thought this method ought to be more reliable. In any case, they had no other options.
They'd finally made it ashore, only to find no one around. That was far too boring.
The two changed their clothes and spent another half a day sunbathing aboard the ship.
Sure enough, after half a day had passed, the residents realized that the pirates were no longer in town and went back to their own business.
Not every town welcomed pirates so warmly. Perhaps this island had been attacked by pirates before, which was why people avoided them like the plague.
Kazu and Makino came into town that afternoon. Although their style was a little unusual, the residents didn't associate them with pirates.
"This is great, Kazu."
"It really worked."
Makino happily started shopping, dragging Kazu along as she bought one thing after another. Although they had no shortage of food or drink, she simply wanted to buy things.
"Kazu, Makino, I finally found you!"
Carlmand, who had a scarf wrapped around his face, spotted Kazu and Makino and hurried over as though he'd found his family.
Carlmand's scarf covered his entire face, leaving only his eyes exposed. They didn't even need to look to know he'd been recognized too.
Carlmand, who had come out to unwind, was also thoroughly frustrated. The residents of this island seemed awfully afraid of pirates.
"Hahaha! Carlmand, look at what a sorry sight you are."
After being subjected to Kazu's merciless mockery, Carlmand immediately glared and pointed at the mask on his face. "You've got the nerve to laugh at me? If you're not a sorry sight yourself, why are you wearing a mask?"
Kazu touched his dragon mask and struck a pose. "This is fashion. It's an accessory, understand?"
"Tch. Then mine's an unconventional outfit."
Carlmand didn't want to argue with Kazu about this any longer. He was in a hurry.
He'd come to the island brimming with enthusiasm, all to unwind, yet now he couldn't even show his face. How the hell was he supposed to relax?
Was he supposed to go back to the ship and rely on Miss Five Fingers?
Then what the hell had he changed their route for?
"Stop messing around, Kazu. Hurry up and think of something for me."
"This is an emergency!!!"
Carlmand pulled Kazu aside and quietly asked him for advice.
After all, Carlmand knew his own limits. When it came to lousy ideas and outrageous schemes, he was no match for Captain Kazu. He had to consult his captain about those crooked tricks.
After all, going openly was already out of the question, unless they visited an island that welcomed pirates next time.
Kazu stroked his chin, his eyes fixed on Carlmand, as though he'd thought of a good idea.
"You're in luck, kid. I've got a plan!"