Since the Conqueror's Haki Shirakawa had unleashed wasn't very strong, people soon began to wake. To everyone's surprise, the first to regain consciousness wasn't one of the strong, sturdy middle-aged men but a young man who looked ragged, all skin and bones.
"Looks like this kid's got some pretty strong willpower." The more determined a person's will, the better their resistance to Conqueror's Haki, and the shorter the time they stayed unconscious.
"What... what's going on?" The young man's head was still foggy as he came to. He hadn't fully regained his senses, and seeing a whole crowd of people sprawled all around him gave him a real fright.
He was completely stunned, entirely forgetting how he'd fainted in the first place. He just remembered his head buzzing before he blacked out.
"Get on up here, kid!" Riddle, standing on the ship, shouted at the still-dazed young man.
"Huh?" Hearing the voice, the young man instinctively turned his head and saw Riddle standing there, looking fierce as he yelled.
Only then did the young man remember why he'd come here. But when he saw the "corpses" littering the ground, fear gripped him, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
He was already feeling some regret. Why had he come to a godforsaken place like this?
But those villains had already set their eyes on him. If he tried to run now, would he just end up dead right here?
That was the thought running through the young man's mind. He could only steel his nerves and go up.
"Hurry it up." Noticing the other party's slow, sluggish steps, Riddle urged him on.
"Y-yes!" Riddle's words jolted him again, and his pace noticeably quickened.
"Am I really that scary?" Riddle muttered to himself, stroking his chin. He'd clearly noticed the state the young man was in and was completely baffled. Ever since joining the White Silver Pirates, he'd felt like he had become considerably more easygoing.
He'd never once shown any kind of fierce look toward the crew. For one, he didn't have the strength to pull that off, and for another, he simply didn't dare.
Shirakawa had naturally noticed the first person to wake up as well. It had surprised him too. He wanted to see what was special about this boy. The strength of a person's willpower was often tied to their past experiences.
Yuristine, however, sensed a familiar aura from the young man. In his heart, he seemed to understand something.
After Riddle's urging, the young man quickly boarded the ship. Though calling him a "young man" felt like a stretch, "boy" was probably more accurate.
The kid looked like he was only thirteen or fourteen.
"Hold on, you came to apply to be a crew member at your age? We're not looking for freeloaders who can't do anything. We need a skilled navigator," Riddle said the instant he got a clear look at him, already convinced the kid didn't have what it took.
"I can do it! I know navigation!" Hearing Riddle's words, the boy immediately retorted. He could tolerate insults directed at him, but not at his skills.
That was the kind of person the boy seemed to be.
"Move aside, you." Riddle was about to argue back, but Yuristine simply pushed him out of the way.
"The captain only asked you to bring him over, not to ask a million questions. The interview is the captain's job."
"I was just screening applicants for the captain," Riddle grumbled, feeling like his goodwill was being completely wasted. They had to remember that once a crewmate was chosen, they might be with them for life.
Yuristine led the boy to Shirakawa. Shirakawa was seated in a chair with a desk in front of him, a piece of paper lying on top of it. There was also a chair directly across from him. Everything looked very formal.
"Alright, start by introducing yourself. Name, age, and occupation."
Seeing the way the boy kept avoiding eye contact, all timid and shrinking back, Shirakawa knew that if he didn't take the initiative to speak, the kid was definitely not going to say a word.
"I... my name is Mor. I'm fourteen this year. My occupation... my occupation is a beggar."
When he spoke those last two words, Mor's voice clearly dropped to a whisper.
Hearing him state his occupation, Yuristine, standing off to the side, wore an expression that said he'd expected this all along.
It was because he himself had once had the very same job. That was why he'd immediately sensed his old aura on Mor.
"Don't feel ashamed. We used to have a beggar on this ship, and now he's become a big-time pirate with a bounty in the tens of millions," Shirakawa told him with a smile.
"What?" The moment he saw Shirakawa's smile, Mor stopped feeling quite so afraid, and a ridiculous thought even popped into his head. A pirate with a five hundred million bounty... doesn't actually seem all that scary after all.
If Shirakawa knew what he was thinking, he'd definitely say, "Kid, you're getting way ahead of yourself. Have you gone mad, or do you think I've gone soft?"
"The one standing next to you was once a beggar, just like you. But now, he's a pirate with a seventy million bounty."
Shirakawa extended a hand and pointed at Yuristine.
Mor then realized that the person who once shared his profession was the very same man who had just helped him out of that awkward situation.
Thank goodness Yuristine's Observation Haki wasn't at the level of hearing inner thoughts yet. Otherwise, right now he'd definitely be "taking good care" of this cheeky little brat who had no idea how high the heavens were. Uncle? What uncle? It should be big brother, thank you very much.
Mor gave Yuristine a grateful look and nodded in acknowledgment.
Yuristine met his gaze briefly, and that exchange served as a silent conversation.
"Alright, now it's time to get down to business. I heard you mention earlier that you have navigation skills. If you don't mind my asking, how exactly did you learn these skills?"
"Self-taught." Hearing Shirakawa's question, Mor answered with pride.
"Self-taught?" Shirakawa was a bit taken aback by that. Who on earth gave this little boy the confidence to just show up and interview with them armed only with self-study?
"Kid, are you sure you're not joking with me?"
Shirakawa's tone turned somewhat serious.
"Of course I'm sure. I've been exposed to navigation since I was little, and I've bought every single book on navigation you can find in Layye Town. I've memorized them all up here."
Mor tapped a finger to his head.
"You say you bought all the books on navigation. Then answer me this: where did you get that kind of money?"
"From begging, obviously. Don't think just because I'm a beggar, I don't make good money. If I hadn't spent it all on navigation books, I wouldn't have ended up this broke."
Hearing Mor's words, Shirakawa shifted his gaze toward Yuristine.
Yuristine just spread his hands, signaling he had no idea either. Maybe times really had changed, and begging had somehow become a lucrative trade. Back when he was a beggar, he couldn't even guarantee where his next meal was coming from, let alone anything else.
But this Mor, though he might look all skin and bones, had bright, lively eyes. He clearly wasn't the kind of person who went hungry often.
"I don't have any strength to protect myself," Mor admitted.
"That doesn't matter. As long as your navigation skills are up to standard, we'll protect you. Besides, you're still young. Train for a few years and you'll definitely meet the requirements."
"Does that mean you're hiring me?"
Mor exclaimed, his face lighting up with surprise.
"It's not that simple. We still need to see just how well you've mastered the knowledge of navigation."
"No problem, test me on anything you want. If there's a single question I can't answer, then I lose."
Mor answered with absolute confidence.
/-\
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