Arlong covered one eye with his hand and burst into loud, braying laughter. He only stopped when Kuroobi started to look visibly uneasy.
"Eighty-five million?!"
He sneered.
"In the New World, a bounty like that wouldn't even buy you a pirate flag."
"Besides—though I hate to admit it—my bounty hasn't gone up in years because of that guy and Nezumi. Otherwise, it would've passed that number long ago."
He paused, scoffing.
"What kind of powerhouse could possibly come from a barren place like the East Blue? Humans… born to be slaves to fishmen!"
Kuroobi nodded along. After all, ever since arriving in the East Blue, countless pirates who once ruled their corners had fallen swiftly to the sharp claws and teeth of fishmen. The victories had bred arrogance—absolute, unshakable confidence.
"But a bounty that high, still in the East Blue..." Kuroobi muttered.
Arlong's brow furrowed slightly. Out of caution, he took the bounty poster from Kuroobi's hand. His expression shifted as he scanned the image. A sly grin spread across his face.
"I know this guy."
"Knight Gawain. A former knight of the Goa Kingdom. Rumor has it he slept with a princess and got exiled. There was already a 50 million bounty on his head in the underground world back then."
"This sudden increase... probably political. In the East Blue, every noble family has ties to the Navy."
Kuroobi nodded, visibly more relaxed now. He glanced back down at the bounty poster and blinked in recognition.
"Wait, isn't this the guy from Chew's favorite movie?"
Arlong grinned.
"When Nami's situation is dealt with, we'll go pay him a visit. After all... that's a head worth 85 million."
"Sharkshahahahaha~!"
His hideous laugh echoed through the room. Outside, passing humans lowered their heads and scurried away.
A few days later.
East Blue.
The sea was calm, the skies high and clear. A small pirate ship cruised steadily across the water, its sail marked with a bold skull insignia. It was a symbol infamous across the East Blue.
Anyone familiar with it fled on sight.
Because the man behind that flag was now the most wanted pirate in the East Blue—and was even whispered to be the strongest swordsman in the region.
Knight Gawain.
He sat quietly on the deck, gazing at the horizon, though his attention was actually fixed on his system panel.
Recently, Kuro and Gin had been silently competing with each other. Even during travel, they trained obsessively in the ship's activity room.
"You train twelve hours? I'll train thirteen."
Their motto seemed to be: Work until you drop—unless you're already dead.
Naturally, Gawain benefitted the most from this madness.
In just one week, his physical stats had climbed by over a thousand experience points. His Observation Haki and Death Walk had also improved noticeably.
Though still far from his next level-up, he was satisfied.
Hardworking crewmates were always worth keeping—except for one drawback.
Their appetites had tripled.
The result? The ship's food stores were dangerously low.
A pirate dressed in a chef's apron hurried up from below deck, face tense.
"Captain, we've only got enough food to last three more days. If we don't restock soon, we're in trouble."
Gawain gave a calm nod.
"No worries. There's a port a few hundred miles ahead. It's off the Navy's radar. We'll resupply there."
"Yes, Captain."
Relieved, the chef nodded and returned to the galley to prepare dinner.
The ship adjusted course, sailing toward Dia Port.
As evening fell, a pirate stationed in the ship nest suddenly shouted.
"Captain! There's a small boat out there!"
"What the hell? How is that thing even floating?!"
"Wait—it's a girl!"
Gawain looked up and followed the pirate's gaze.
At the edge of the sea, a tiny rowboat bobbed listlessly. A girl sat slumped inside—fifteen or sixteen at most—with short orange hair and a pale, sun-scorched face.
Even from this distance, Gawain could see her dry, cracked lips. She hadn't had water in days. If she went much longer, she wouldn't survive.
He narrowed his eyes and frowned.
That face...
"She's greener than I remember, but I'm sure of it. That's Nami."
"Well, this just got interesting."
He smirked and turned to the helmsman.
"Bring us in close."
A few minutes later.
Nami sat cross-legged on the deck, gulping down bowl after bowl of fresh water. She devoured the bread and oranges like someone starved for weeks.
"Ah~ I'm saved."
She glanced at Gawain and gave him a flirtatious smile.
"Thanks, handsome~ If there's any way I can repay you, I'll do anything~"
Gawain's gaze drifted to her flat chest, then away again, unimpressed.
"If you really want to repay me, join my crew. I could use a skilled navigator."
Nami froze.
He knows about my skills?
No… only Arlong's crew and the villagers know I draw sea charts. I must be overthinking it.
Still, her mind spun.
She hadn't found Carina, and this crew clearly had treasure. If she could stick around long enough, maybe she'd gather enough to buy back her village.
She bit her lip.
Then, with an affectionate smile, she leaned closer.
"It would be my honor to serve such a handsome captain."
"What's your name?" Gawain asked.
Her eyes sparkled.
"My name is Carina~"
Gawain immediately understood what she was doing.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
So this is your second con attempt, huh? You really think I'm that gullible?
But he wasn't angry. If anything, he was amused.
As long as she stayed in Cocoyashi... she was in his territory.
Gawain smiled back.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Lancelot."
Just then, a few crew members climbed up onto the deck. They paused at the scene but said nothing.
Kuro, used to Gawain's antics, stepped forward and nodded at Nami.
"I'm Condoriano. I'm the first mate of this crew."
Without giving Gawain time to interrupt, Kuro added,
"We just barely escaped a battle with the great pirate Knight Gawain. Lucky for us, we made it out with minimal casualties."
Gawain: "..."
Okay, so that's how you wanna play it? Fine. Next time, I go first.
Kuro smirked and quickly backed behind Gin. The trauma from Gawain's last prank still lingered, and he remained cautious of whatever nonsense might happen next.
Gin chuckled lightly and introduced himself without nonsense.
"I'm Gin."
Nami looked at each of them in turn, a soft smile on her face. Her gaze lingered on Gawain.
"Captain, you look really familiar..."
"Do I?" Gawain rubbed his cheek with mock concern. "People often say I resemble a movie star."
"Yes! That's it!" Nami's eyes lit up. "The one where the charming princess falls for her loyal knight!"