When Norton woke up on the soft bed, the sun was already high in the sky.
Redbeard's defeat had happened yesterday.
These nobles certainly knew how to enjoy life. The duke, in particular, had the most luxurious cabin. The bed was layered with thick white wool, and the pillows were stuffed with cotton. It wasn't quite soft enough to feel like sleeping on clouds, but it was still the softest bed Norton had ever slept on.
Stretching lazily, Norton slowly climbed out of bed, washed up briefly, and opened the door.
Outside, the breakfast prepared in advance by the noble chefs had already been set out neatly on a tray.
A grilled sausage, two fried eggs, and a small serving of vegetable salad.
Out on the open sea, where resources were limited, that was already considered a very decent meal.
After leisurely satisfying his appetite, Norton walked out onto the deck.
The pirates were moving about on one side, while the nobles and noblewomen gathered on the other side chatting quietly. Neither side interfered with the other.
According to the rules Norton had declared yesterday, both groups were free to move around the ship, but they had to maintain basic respect toward each other. They were forbidden from insulting, harming, or provoking one another.
Anyone who broke the rules would end up like Redbeard—
Thrown into the sea.
The pirates feared Norton's strength and dared not disobey.
The nobles and noblewomen were even more eager to follow the rules. Without Norton's protection, who knew what the pirates might do to them?
In a corner of the deck, Sanosuke sat cross-legged, performing his ninja training. He seemed to wear the same headband and mask at all times, and his dark outfit was exactly the same as yesterday's. Norton had good reason to suspect this guy didn't like taking baths.
Sensing Norton's approach, Sanosuke slowly opened his eyes.
"Where's Nami?" Norton asked.
"I don't know. When I woke up this morning, she was already gone," Sanosuke replied.
Norton nodded and scanned the deck.
Both the pirates and the nobles tensed up nervously.
But Norton wasn't interested in causing trouble for them. He wasn't that bored. On this ship, the only people currently worth paying attention to were Nami and Sanosuke.
"How long until we reach land?" Norton asked again.
"I have no idea. I know nothing about navigation," Sanosuke answered.
Norton frowned.
"Why do you not know anything I ask about? You're useless."
Sanosuke fell silent.
I'm a ninja…
How would I know something like that?
"Why don't you ask if I can use Shadow Clone Jutsu?" Sanosuke muttered.
"Wait, you can use Shadow Clone Jutsu?" Norton's eyes lit up.
"No."
"What about Fire Release—"
"Fire Release? What's that?" Sanosuke asked in confusion.
"What about the Sharingan?" Norton insisted.
"What's the Sharingan? Never heard of it."
"Tch. Boring." Norton lost interest immediately. "I thought I'd picked up a treasure."
What kind of ninja are you supposed to be?
"I'd better go find Nami."
Taking a deep breath, Norton left the deck and headed into the interior of the ship.
When he arrived at Nami's room, he knocked on the door.
No response.
Where did she go?
After thinking for a moment, Norton walked deeper into the ship.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the treasure storage room, and sure enough, he heard faint sounds coming from inside.
"Just as I thought…"
Muttering to himself, Norton pushed the door open.
Nami jumped in fright, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"Y-You! Why did you come in here?!"
"What are you doing?" Norton asked instead of answering. "You're not stealing, are you?"
His eyes shifted to the bundle at Nami's feet.
"Haha~ you're joking, right? Of course not!" Nami forced a smile to hide her guilt, trying to casually kick the bundle aside.
Norton glanced at her briefly, then looked away.
He knew perfectly well that Nami was only pretending to cooperate. If she had the chance, she would absolutely steal the money and run.
Getting Nami to join him willingly would take more effort.
But he didn't expose her.
Instead, he turned and walked out of the room.
Nami froze for a moment.
She looked at Norton's retreating back, then at the bundle stuffed with Berries behind her.
After hesitating briefly, she followed him.
"You believe me?" Nami asked suddenly.
"Do you think I do?" Norton replied without turning around.
Nami stopped in her tracks.
She realized she was finding it harder and harder to understand this man.
The two walked forward in silence. In the dim corridor, Norton's expression was unreadable, while Nami followed behind nervously.
Only after they stepped out onto the deck again did sunlight fall across Norton's sharp features.
"How long until we reach land?" Norton asked.
"Soon. Judging from the sea chart, we should arrive around tomorrow at noon," Nami replied while looking toward the distant ocean. The sea breeze lifted her short orange hair.
Norton nodded and walked toward the bow.
The uneasy Nami followed close behind.
At that moment, a duke approached them, his expression complicated.
"What do you plan to do with us?" he asked.
For this man who appeared cold but had actually protected them, the duke wasn't sure whether he felt resentment or gratitude.
It was true Norton hadn't rescued the nobles intentionally.
But the rules Norton had imposed had unknowingly protected everyone aboard.
And if Norton hadn't defeated Redbeard, none of them would have survived this crisis.
Even though Norton planned to take their treasure and their ship.
What would happen next?
Another disaster, or escape?
The duke didn't know, so he gathered his courage to ask.
"Oh right—I almost forgot about you," Norton said casually. "Once we reach land, you can all disembark. The cooks stay, though."
"Dis… disembark?" The duke's face lit up with joy.
"Yes. You can get off the ship. People who can't do anything useful are just wasting food here."
"Wasting food? Are you saying we're useless? That's an insult!"
"Am I wrong?"
"We can compose poetry, we understand etiquette—" the duke argued angrily, his face turning red.
"Stop, stop," Norton interrupted him. "Can you farm?"
"Farm? That kind of meaningless work should be left to the lower classes! Our energy should be devoted to more important matters!"
Norton smiled faintly.
"Listen to that arrogance. You can't even respect other people's labor, yet you call yourselves useful?"
"So if someone can farm, that makes them useful? Farming—" the duke began angrily.
But Norton had already walked away, uninterested in continuing the debate.
Seeing the duke's furious expression, Nami couldn't help laughing.
It was the first time she had ever seen a great noble look like that.
Even stealing piles of their money had never managed to do that.
After walking some distance, Norton suddenly felt someone poke his shoulder from behind.
He turned around.
It was Nami.
"You're really planning to let those nobles go?" she asked. "They'll probably take revenge. After all, you stole their money."
"Let them try. I've never cared about revenge from the weak," Norton replied calmly.
"I didn't expect there to be pirates like you," Nami said, her gaze complicated.
"Being a pirate is just the beginning. My real goal is to build a nation of my own."
"Then why do you look down on nobles?" Nami asked, confused. Someone who wanted to become a king should logically stand with nobles, not against them.
"Because the country I plan to build doesn't need a rotten noble class," Norton said softly. "Positions should belong to those who are capable."
Nami fell into a brief daze.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
The deck shook violently.
The entire ship lurched.
Caught off guard, Nami lost her balance and stumbled forward, crashing into Norton's firm, warm back.
"What happened?!" someone shouted.
"I think we ran aground! Damn it—why are there reefs in waters like this?!" the helmsman yelled.
"It's Sanosuke's fault!" one pirate shouted.
"That guy's bad luck must have struck again!"