Chapter 38: Captain, Another Serving!

When Akin awoke again, night had fallen.

Outside the porthole.

A full moon had just risen above the sea, its gray-white light spilling across the waves, shimmering like shattered silver with each swell.

Akin struggled to sit up, only then realizing he was inside a ship’s cabin.

Beneath him lay warm, soft blankets, still dry despite being at sea; the bandages soaked from his daytime wounds had been replaced with fresh ones.

He slowly sat up on the bed, his mind churning with memories of what had happened at the port days ago.

Palu's warning, Krik's unquestioning abandonment, the questions and screams of his comrades before they died…

These things destroyed a man’s will far more than physical pain ever could.

Even with his reputation as the Demon Man, even with his cold-bloodedness toward enemies, he now felt a bone-deep chill.

Though a fire burned in the room and the cabin window was tightly shut, blocking out any sea breeze, Akin instinctively pulled the quilt tighter around himself.

“Loyalty and righteousness…”

Akin’s lips curled into a bitter smile:

“Hah.”

“In piracy, betrayal is the truth—!”

Creak—!

The room’s door swung open.

Akin turned his head and saw Gao Wen entering, holding a plate of fried rice. “The cook was injured, so I made something myself. Try it—after all, you need to eat to have strength for other things.”

Gao Wen placed the fried rice beside Akin’s bed and gestured to him.

Akin blinked in surprise.

From Gao Wen, Akin sensed an aura utterly unlike Krik’s—though Gao Wen possessed far greater power, his presence was profoundly calm.

It stood in complete contrast to Krik’s savage, brutal energy.

He had never met such a person. Such a pirate.

Akin looked at the steaming fried rice, then back at Gao Wen:

Akin glanced at the steaming fried rice at the bow, then turned to look at Gao Wen:

“I need men. Your character and strength are exactly what I require.”

Gao Wen looked at Akin, his admiration unhidden.

On the day the cargo ship set sail, he had already scanned Akin with a probe.

As expected, in that battle, the one who awakened Observation Haki wasn’t just Keluo—Akin here was another.

Though Akin’s potential remained Bronze, since awakening Observation Haki, he had become one of the closest to Silver among Bronze-tier fighters.

With further spiritual breakthrough or consumption of a Devil Fruit, his potential would surely rise to Silver level—essentially a long-term experience source like Keluo.

Moreover, Akin possessed the rarest quality among pirates:

Moreover, Akin possesses the rarest quality among pirates:

This was evident from the battle at Raven Port.

Even after Krik abandoned him in the port and launched artillery fire, severely wounded Akin still risked his life to give Krik a chance to survive.

For that alone, Gao Wen had decided he would claim this man.

“Hey, Akin, do you remember what he said to you at the end?”

Akin’s gaze darkened:

“Of course. He said, ‘Don’t ever board my ship again in your next life.’”

“So you’ve repaid your debt to him.”

Gao Wen continued:

“You’re free now. You have the right to choose your own path.”

“If you wish, the position of battle captain on my ship still awaits you—before we dock.”

Looking at the forlorn man before him, Gao Wen discarded the idea of forcing him to stay with the debt of a saved life—after all, if he did that, he’d be no different from Krik.

Akin stared at the fried rice beside his bed, silent.

Seeing this, Gao Wen sighed inwardly and rose to leave:

Seeing this, Gao Wen sighed inwardly and rose to leave the room:

Creak~!

Gao Wen closed the door and turned to go.

He turned and found Keluo standing in the cabin, watching him, a faint smile on his lips.

Seeing Gao Wen’s expressionless face, Keluo guessed what had happened inside, and his smile widened:

“So you got shut out, huh?”

“That kind of stubborn bastard, once he commits to a captain, won’t hesitate to die for him—I understand that better than you.”

“After all, I was the one who fought him…”

Keluo touched his chest, feeling the pain from his wounds, his smile fading as his gaze sharpened:

“There’s no wrong nickname—only wrong names.”

“The Demon Man isn’t just cold-blooded toward enemies—he’s colder toward himself. To win, he won’t hesitate to gamble his own life.”

“How could such a man be swayed by mere kindness?”

Keluo adjusted his glasses, his entire aura turning sharp as a blade:

“Need me to handle it?”

“My wounds aren’t fully healed, but I’m not what I used to be—even you…”

“Though my wounds aren’t fully healed, I’m no longer the same as before—even you…”

Gao Wen glanced at Keluo’s bandages:

“You’re too injured to interest me. When you’re healed, come take my position as captain.”

“A wounded you holds no interest for me. Wait until you’re healed, then come take the captain’s seat.”

“Don’t cry if you lose, okay?”

“The loser isn’t allowed to cry, okay~”

Keluo spread his hands helplessly:

“You’ve always been like this—like nothing matters to you. That deeply hidden arrogance really grates.”

“You’ve always been like this—as if nothing matters to you. This deeply hidden arrogance really gets under my skin.”

Gao Wen smiled faintly.

The two turned to leave side by side—when Akin’s voice rang out from the room:

“Captain, another serving!”

Gao Wen paused, then slowly smiled:

“He really thinks I’m the cook.”

“How did you do that?”

Keluo’s pupils shrank—what he saw exceeded his expectations.

“I made him a plate of fried rice.”

Keluo frowned:

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

Gao Wen patted Keluo’s shoulder:

"To be a qualified captain, you need more than just strength."

“Hah, when I set sail, you were still chasing princesses in the Kingdom of Goa.”

“Can you not bring that up?”

“Then tell me honestly—what did you say to Akin? How could such a stubborn bastard give in so easily?”

“So tell me honestly, what exactly did you say to Akin? That stubborn bastard wouldn’t back down so easily.”

Especially seeing the faint, knowing smile on Gao Wen’s face.

Especially when seeing the faint, almost imperceptible smile on Gao Wen’s face.

“Some things can’t be judged by gain or loss. Hearts are made of flesh.”

“Even a Demon Man is no exception.”

“Even a demon man is like this.”

…

…

Parra Island.

A small port.

Besides a few small pirate ships moored at the harbor, wooden huts lined the shore, most showing signs of decay—clearly Keluo’s base here had existed for many years.

At the harbor’s center, a bonfire burned, surrounded by dozens of pirates, their faces lit by the flames, pale and drawn.

Zangao stared coldly at two pirates who had long been stationed on the island, demanding:

“Two female pirates stole all the treasure Keluo—no, the vice-captain—had stored here over the years?”

“Did two female thieves really steal all the treasure that Captain Keluo—no, Vice-Captain Keluo—had accumulated over the years?”

"That's right."

The two pirates stationed at the port nodded vigorously:

"I remember what they looked like."

"About fifteen or sixteen years old—one had orange short hair, the other purple short hair."

"To be honest, they're a bit young, but their builds are amazing."

As he spoke, the pirate gave a thumbs-up.

Thwack!

Zang Gao angrily slapped the pirate on the head, knocking him to the ground, and said grimly:

"The real question is, how do we explain this to the captain?! Even Captain Gao Wen might cut you in half with one sword!"

(End of chapter)