Chapter 49: Thief Cat

Gao Wen's expression stiffened.

Wang Fei!

Wang Fei!

My Wang Fei, my ass!

"Hahahahahaha~"

The pirates gradually gathering around witnessed this scene and simply couldn't hold it in, bursting into laughter.

Even Ajín, who most of the time wore a cold, stern face, couldn't help turning his head away, taking quite some effort to keep his emotions in check.

But the slight upward curl of his lips still betrayed his true expression.

Nami looked at the crowd suspiciously:

"What's wrong?"

Xiang Keluo cast Gao Wen a glance so subtle it was barely perceptible, and explained:

"Nothing, it's just that we all really love watching this movie~"

"Really?"

Nami's eyes lit up, and she immediately pulled Xiang Keluo aside to discuss the plot in detail.

When she got to the emotional parts, Nami's eyes even reddened, and she shed some ungovernable tears.

……

So you really do like it, huh?

No, what's even good about this kind of thing?

Seeing this, Gao Wen didn't know where to begin his complaint for a moment, and noticing the expressions of the surrounding pirates—wanting to laugh but not daring to—he simply walked straight into the ship's cabin.

Instead, Nami dragged Xiang Keluo and talked plot for a solid few hours, going from the movie to the novels, and even the derivative merchandise.

Xiang Keluo's expression also went from holding back laughter at the start, to calm, and finally to outright numb-faced, transforming into a nodding machine.

The two chatted all the way until deep into the night before Nami finally let him go.

Xiang Keluo had just let out a sigh of relief when Nami's voice reached his ear:

"The vice-captain isn't a fake fan—you really do like this movie~"

"We'll continue tomorrow~"

Xiang Keluo stumbled underfoot and replied weakly:

"As long as you're happy."

……

The night deepened.

Nami, led by a crew member, also entered the room assigned to her.

Creak~

The door pushed open.

Revealing a somewhat spartan room.

A desk facing the porthole, a single bed, and a writing desk running parallel to the bow, covered in books related to navigation.

A dim yellow oil lamp flared to life, swaying ceaselessly with the rocking of the ship; the warm firelight fell on Nami's face, reflecting her complicated expression.

A crew member nearby, seeing Nami looking slightly surprised, spoke up to explain:

"This is the room the captain specially prepared for the navigator, but there aren't any other empty rooms on the ship right now, so it's been temporarily assigned to you. If you don't like it, I can have the captain switch you."

"No."

"I like it very much."

The crew member nodded, gave Nami a few more reminders, then turned and left.

After a simple wash-up, Nami sat directly on the bed, reached out to feel the soft, dry blanket, then turned to look out the window.

No telling what she was thinking.

……

A few days later.

Nami officially became a member of Gao Wen's crew.

She was already a famous thief in the East Sea, and socializing was one of the most essential basic skills of the trade.

In these few days, she had basically extracted from the crew everything except the identities of Gao Wen's three and their recent experiences.

"A pirate captain who treats his subordinates with the warmest kindness, who has never laid a hand on civilians, yet at the most dangerous moment is betrayed by his subordinates, and can only draw his sword to resist under duress……"

"A vice-captain who has fought for over a dozen years, wanting to become an ordinary person and live a stable, comfortable life, yet ultimately unable to have his wish—a pirate for a moment, a pirate for life……"

"The most loyal officer to the boss, who took a blade for the boss, yet was still ruthlessly abandoned by the other party……"

Recalling her experiences over the past few days, Nami's gaze grew increasingly complicated.

But as the faces from her village surfaced in her mind one by one, Nami's heart gradually steadied.

It wasn't that she had never entertained the idea of leading disaster east and letting the two pirate crews tear each other apart, but the past few days of interaction had already made her give up on that idea.

In her view, Gao Wen and the others would be no match for Arlong no matter what; if they really went up against Arlong, it would simply be throwing their lives away for nothing.

And now.

She was no longer willing to watch Gao Wen and the others go to their deaths.

Wooo—!

Accompanied by a blast of the whistle.

The pirate ship gradually steadied. Nami, after telling Xiang Keluo—who had come to find her to go shopping at the port together—that she was feeling unwell, chose to stay behind on the pirate ship.

Watching the crowd slowly disappear into the port, following the intel she had extracted from the pirates over the past few days, she knocked out the pirate guard at the door and quietly slipped into the place where the treasure was stored.

And what was hidden inside did not disappoint him.

Glittering gemstones, dazzling gold.

Even without counting them one by one, she could accurately judge that the value of these things would exceed all imagination.

After packing up the treasure, Nami had planned to leave directly, but the faces of Gao Wen and the other two flashed through her mind. She glanced up at the weather over the harbor, then hurried back to her own room.

After leaving a letter for the three of them, she took the treasure, changed into a man's clothes, and slipped quietly away.

……

In the harbor.

Gao Wen and the other two watched Nami's retreating figure with blank expressions.

Ajin and Xiang Keluo were old hands at this, and Gao Wen had seen straight through Nami's plan from the start — how could they fail to spot such a clumsy performance?

"Captain, I don't understand why you'd indulge this woman to such an extent?"

Xiang Keluo looked at Gao Wen, his tone teasing:

"Could it be that you've fallen out of love with the Wang Fei and fallen for a young girl?"

"If you bring that up again, I'll cut you down with one slash!"

Gao Wen's mouth twitched, feeling he was about to lose control and draw his blade.

He then led the two of them straight back to the ship, pushed open the door to the navigator's room, and found a letter lying on the table.

The letter's contents were extremely simple, only two lines:

"Tomorrow night at 11:30, Dia Port, a storm will strike. Finish your shopping and leave quickly. As repayment, I'll be taking the treasure on the ship with me~"

At the very end, she even thoughtfully drew a little windmill pattern.

Xiang Keluo read the letter and reacted instantly:

"This woman is the navigator you're looking for?"

"Forgive my bluntness, but if there's any position on a ship that values experience above all else, it can only be the navigator."

"The sea is ever-changing; even the most precise calculations can be wrong. Down to the minute?"

"Impossible!"

Xiang Keluo shook his head:

"She's only fifteen or sixteen. When I first set out to sea, she was still a baby."

As he spoke, he glanced at Gao Wen again:

"You're still chasing the Wang Fei~"

"You son of a—!"

Gao Wen's eyes went red on the spot, about to draw his blade. Fortunately, Ajin was quick and pressed his sword down:

"Captain, don't!"

"Hmph!"

Gao Wen, his face dark, sheathed his blade and said flatly:

"She can't run."

Then Gao Wen looked at Xiang Keluo and said:

"How about we make a bet? We'll stay here for one day. If a storm really comes tomorrow night, you'll wash the socks of everyone on the ship!"

"For a whole month!"

Ajin heard this and sucked in a cold breath, looking at Gao Wen, then at Xiang Keluo:

"Isn't the captain playing this a little too big?"

"Deal!"

But Xiang Keluo didn't wait for Gao Wen to refuse and agreed on the spot:

"I really don't believe a little girl in her teens could reach such a high level in navigation!"

"Estimating a storm is one thing, but pinpointing the exact arrival time?!"

"Gao Wen, I'll be waiting for you to wash my socks!"

(End of this chapter)