Chapter 48: I Am Carina

A Dragon covered one eye with his hand and burst into laughter until Klobio, beside him, looked slightly uneasy, forcing him to stop.

“Eighty-five million?!”

“In a place like the New World, a bounty like that can’t even buy a single pirate flag.”

“And even though I hate to admit it, over the years, my bounty hasn’t increased at all because of that guy and the rat—otherwise, it would’ve been far higher than this…”

「 Donghaizhezhongpinjidetudi ， Younengyunyuchushenmeyangdeqiangzhe ？ Buguoshitianshenggaibeiyurennuyiderenleibale ……」

A Dragon sneered in contempt.

Clopio, standing beside him, nodded in agreement.

They had been in the East Blue for several years.

Countless mighty pirates, faced with the fangs and claws of Fish-Men, met nothing but devastating defeat.

Their unbroken string of victories had bred in them an unimaginable level of confidence.

“But such a high bounty… still in the East Blue?”

A Dragon furrowed his brow slightly; out of caution, he took the bounty poster from Klobio, paused in surprise, then curled his lips into a sly smile.

“I know who this guy is.”

“Sir Gawain, formerly a knight of the Goa Kingdom, wanted for sleeping with the queen—his bounty in the underworld once reached fifty million Berries.”

“The sudden increase in bounty might be related to that—after all, which noble family in the East Blue doesn’t have ties to the Marines?!”

Klobio nodded. Hearing A Dragon say this, he finally put his doubts to rest and, upon closer inspection of the bounty poster, suddenly understood.

“The real-life inspiration for Jiu’s favorite movie?!”

“Ah~”

A Dragon grinned wickedly.

“Once we’re done with Nami, let’s pay them a visit—after all, it’s eighty-five million in bounties we’re talking about~”

“Shark hahaha~”

Inside the office.

A shrill laugh echoed through the room; nearby humans instinctively lowered their heads and hurried away.

……

……

……

Several days later.

East Blue.

The sea was calm, the wind gentle, the sky clear and cloudless, as a small pirate ship sailed across the waves.

On the sail.

The pirate flag—a round shield with a skull emblem—stood out unmistakably.

Any pirate familiar with the East Blue would flee the moment they saw this flag.

For its owner was none other than the East Blue’s top-bountied pirate, even rumored to be the East Blue’s greatest swordsman.

Sir Gawain.

Gawain sat on the deck, gazing at the distant rolling waves, his attention fixed on his system interface.

In recent days,

Kuro and Akin had been secretly competing, even during voyages, training relentlessly in the activity room.

You train twelve hours? I’ll train thirteen—no rest until we drop dead from exhaustion.

Their relentless efforts, of course, all benefited Gawain.

In just one week, his physique gained over a thousand experience points; his Armament and Observation Haki also grew significantly.

Though still far from leveling up, who wouldn’t love such a hardworking employee?

The only downside? Their training consumed enormous amounts of food—both had doubled or tripled their appetites.

The direct result? The ship’s food supplies were running dangerously low.

A pirate dressed as a chef hurried out of the cabin, looking uneasy as he addressed Gawain:

“Captain, we only have enough food left for three more days—if we don’t reach a port for resupply soon, we’re in trouble…”

Gawain nodded:

“No problem.”

“There’s a port within a few hundred nautical miles—unregulated by the Marines. We’ll head there for food and fresh water.”

“Understood.”

The chef sighed in relief, nodded, and turned back toward the cabin to prepare tonight’s meal.

The ship turned course, heading toward the nearby Dia Port.

As dusk fell, a lookout on the mast suddenly cried out:

“Captain! There’s a small boat out there!”

“What the hell? How’s something like that even floating out here?!”

“It’s a woman!”

Gawain turned his gaze toward the distance.

At the edge of his vision:

A girl, about fifteen or sixteen, sat on a tiny boat, her face youthful, with short orange hair.

From his vantage point, Gawain could clearly see her pale complexion and cracked lips—she hadn’t had a drop of water in days; without immediate aid, death was inevitable.

Gawain blinked in surprise, then connected the girl before him with the image he remembered.

“Though much younger than I recall, it’s definitely Nami.”

“What a stroke of luck.”

A faint smile curled on Gawain’s lips as he turned to the helmsman:

“Steer toward her!”

……

A few minutes later.

Nami sat on the deck, gulping down several large bowls of fresh water, then devouring bread and oranges before letting out a long sigh.

“I’m saved~”

She finally turned to Gawain beside her, her expression filled with admiration:

“Thank you so much, handsome~”

“I’ll do anything to repay you~”

Gawain glanced at Nami’s flat chest and instantly felt uninterested:

“If you really want to repay me, why not join my crew? I need an excellent navigator.”

Nami froze for a moment.

Does he know about me?

No, only the members of A Dragon’s crew and the villagers knew about me drawing the map for A Dragon—I must have misunderstood.

But…

I didn’t find Carina, but this pirate crew must have plenty of treasure; maybe it’s enough to gather the ransom for A Dragon.

Thinking this through,

Nami clenched her teeth inwardly, yet plastered a dreamy smile on her face for Gawain:

“It would be my honor to serve such a handsome captain.”

“What’s your name?”

Nami smiled slyly:

“I’m Carina.”

Gawain instantly understood Nami’s scheme.

His lip twitched slightly.

First time was one thing—now she’s doing it again?

You really think I’m a sucker, huh?

But no matter how you run, as long as you’re stuck in Cocoyasi, you can’t escape my grasp.

Gawain smiled faintly and replied:

“I’m Lancelot.”

The crew members who had just stepped onto the deck paused, but said nothing to interrupt.

Kuro, who knew Gawain’s tricks all too well, stepped forward immediately and nodded to Nami:

“I’m Rock, second-in-command of this pirate crew.”

Before Gawain could stop him, Kuro continued:

“We had a fierce battle with the notorious pirate Gawain in the waters behind us—luckily, we escaped with minimal losses.”

Gawain: “...”

Fine, fine, you’re playing this game too, huh?!

You’ll pay for this—I’m not letting you speak first next time.

Kuro ignored Gawain’s murderous glare and slipped quietly behind Akin.

The psychological trauma from last time was still too great, causing him to harbor a faint wariness toward Gao Wen’s methods.

Now that he saw it.

Hmph.

Just as I thought~

Jin glanced at the two with strange expressions, especially after hearing the familiar line; his lips twitched almost imperceptibly as he introduced himself:

“I’m Yin, the combat captain of this pirate crew.”

Nami looked at the three with gratitude, her gaze then settling on Gao Wen’s face:

“Captain, why do you seem so familiar to me?”

“Really?”

Gao Wen reached up to touch his own face, worried Nami might recognize something, and instinctively protested:

“People always say I look like a movie star.”

“Yes, yes, exactly!”

Nami nodded vigorously:

“The male lead from The Enchanting Concubine Falls for the Loyal Knight!”

(End of Chapter)