"Heh."
Gawain sneered.
He had a solid grasp of Nami's navigational abilities.
Even though she was still too young to join the Straw Hats, she could already predict weather changes down to the minute—a clear sign of her absolute confidence and skill.
Recalling Nami's feats in the original story, Gawain never once doubted her.
Still—
Explaining that to Kuro right now would probably fall on deaf ears. It was better to let the fool learn his lesson firsthand.
Not that Gawain wanted to see him washing socks, of course. Definitely not.
Gin, standing to the side, glanced between Gawain and Kuro and thought to himself:
No matter who wins, someone's washing my socks. This is a win-win.
But deep down, he was firmly in Gawain's camp. His loss to Kuro back at Raven Harbor still stung, especially since he had no chance of beating him in a direct fight.
Now, though, it looked like he might get his revenge—at no cost.
Thinking of this, Gin couldn't help but smirk.
Gawain noticed his expression, raised an eyebrow, then dismissed it without comment.
He ordered the pirates to bring the purchased food, fresh water, and other supplies aboard. Then he carefully docked the ship in a safer location. Once he reinforced the ship, he finally allowed himself to rest, confident all preparations were in place.
The next day passed swiftly.
But even by the evening of the following day, the harbor remained unnaturally calm. There wasn't the faintest sign of a storm. Even the sea breeze had softened, warm and gentle against the skin.
Gawain and the others stood on deck, quietly waiting for the time Nami had specified.
After a long silence, Kuro turned to Gawain with a smirk.
"Captain," he said, mockingly, "how about this—if you admit defeat now, I'll cut the penalty in half. You'll only have to wash my socks."
"Admit defeat?" Gawain chuckled. "You should be worrying about how to wash all the socks on this ship."
Despite his bravado, Gawain cast a wary glance toward the tranquil sea. Doubt crept in.
What if Nami's skill only matured later, during her years under Arlong?
That would be a cruel joke.
No—Nami had spent those years desperately raising money to buy back her village. That meant she must have already developed her skills. Her early mastery of navigation and cartography had to be real.
With that in mind, Gawain settled down, leaning against the deck rail and gazing steadily at the horizon.
Time ticked by—minute by minute.
At 11:20 p.m., just as Gawain himself began to feel uneasy, a thick mist rose over the sea.
The sky darkened rapidly as heavy clouds gathered overhead, swallowing the moon and stars in minutes. Lightning flickered in the distance, and the once-gentle breeze turned cold and damp, cutting to the bone.
The pirate flag whipped wildly in the rising wind.
Whoosh—!
A freezing gust slammed into Kuro's face just as a bolt of lightning split the night sky. Gawain caught a glimpse of Kuro's expression—he looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"...She was right? To the minute?!" Kuro muttered, raising his wrist.
11:30 sharp. Not a second off.
Just then, an emergency announcement blared from the harbor loudspeakers:
"Alert!
Storm incoming! Storm incoming!
All ships, prepare emergency measures immediately!"
On deck, Gawain clapped a stunned Kuro on the shoulder.
"So?" he asked casually. "Still want to talk about sock duty?"
Kuro's lips twitched. With admirable shamelessness, he declared:
"That woman is now officially our navigator."
He paused, then added:
"And I... suddenly feel dizzy. I'll be in the cabin—resting."
Without waiting for a response, he vanished below deck, locked his door tight, and stuffed earplugs in his ears.
If I can't hear them, they can't make me do it.
Wash a ship full of sweaty socks? Just kill me instead...
Too bad.
Gawain and Gin weren't about to let him off that easily.
The two exchanged a look—and grinned wickedly in unison.
"Hehehe~"
"Hehehe~"
The next morning.
Kuro cautiously cracked open his cabin door—only to be hit in the face by a wall of foul odor.
He looked down.
Piled neatly outside his door were hundreds of socks, all reeking of dried sweat and athlete's foot.
A note was taped to the door handle:
"A real man keeps his word."
Kuro stared at the pile, then let out a soul-crushing wail:
"GAWAIN!!!"
Out on deck, Gawain stood overseeing the ship's preparations to set sail. Hearing the shout from below, he smiled openly. Gin, standing beside him, was shakin with silent laughter.
They looked at each other and snickered again.
"Hehehe~"
"Hehehe~"
The storm only lasted two days, but the damage it left was catastrophic.
Nearly one-fifth of the ships in port were sunk outright. The rest suffered heavy losses.
If Gawain hadn't moved the ship in time and taken proper precautions, their own vessel might not have survived.
Even Kuro couldn't help but mutter in awe as he surveyed the wreckage:
"She's completely unconventional... but her navigation really is something else."
Then, under his breath:
"...Still doesn't explain her taste in movies."
Gawain gave him a sidelong glance.
After confirming that the hull had suffered no critical damage, Gawain gave the order to resume their journey. Their next destination: Cocoyasi Village.
Meanwhile, at the port...
Two figures stood watching the pirate ship grow smaller on the horizon. Cold sweat trickled down their backs.
"Yosaku, did you see that?" one of them asked nervously.
"That flag… That man standing on deck… That was definitely Knight Gawain."
"The guy who's been called the strongest swordsman in the East Blue for the last two months!"
Johnny swallowed hard and adjusted his sunglasses with trembling hands.
Beside him, Yosaku—usually dead-eyed—looked equally shaken.
"No doubt about it. But what's a guy like him doing in Dia Port? And that route… isn't that Arlong's territory?"
"Wait—are the two strongest pirates in the East Blue about to go to war?!"
"Whatcha lookin' at?"
A deep voice suddenly cut in behind them. A man with short green hair and three swords on his hip placed a hand on each of their shoulders, peeking between them.
"Z-Zoro Aniki?!"
Johnny froze. As Yosaku opened his mouth to respond, Johnny slapped a hand over it and said quickly:
"Nothing! Just... admiring the view! Really nice scenery!"
He shot Yosaku a frantic look.
Yosaku got the message instantly. That was way too close.
If Zoro found out Knight Gawain had passed through here, he'd definitely go charging after him for a duel.
But that was Gawain—an infamous pirate with an 85-million bounty, and the only one to raise the East Blue's bounty ceiling twice in two months.
That guy was no joke—not even on the Grand Line.
Courting death wasn't on today's schedule.
"Really?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.
"Of course!" Johnny said with forced cheer. "Hey, how about a drink? My treat!"
Zoro grinned. "You're on."
Yosaku winced at the idea—but compared to dying? Yeah, he could live with it.