"So, why are we stopping here?"
Nami and Carina finished their busy work and finally docked the ship beside a rugged islet.
The waves were rough here, and the sea breeze howled. It wasn't a good harbor at all.
There was even an old single-masted shipwreck sunken right next to the mooring spot Nami had chosen.
The bottom of the hull was grounded on the jagged seabed, while the upper half of the ship rose high above the water.
If it weren't for Nami's superb steering skills, the ship beneath them would have joined that fellow at the bottom to admire the ocean waves together.
"We're being followed. It's the Black Cat Pirates. We'll likely have to fight soon." Hiroto said succinctly.
"The Black Cat Pirates?"
Carina's brows furrowed. "Weren't they wiped out by the Marines last year?"
Nami nodded. "That's right. I remember their Captain was killed by the Marine. But the remnants gathered again and continued their rampage under the flag of the Black Cat Pirates."
"What else do you know?" Carina asked, looking at the clearly frightened Nami.
"Idiot, it's that this group is very strong."
Nami looked at Hiroto with a dark expression. "Their current Captain, Jango, has a bounty of 9 million berries, which is 2 million higher than yours. There's also the Catman Brothers, whose bounty is the same as yours. Their crew numbers over a hundred, and they're all seasoned pirates."
"Exactly. If nothing goes wrong, they should be arriving soon." Hiroto nodded.
"Since you knew that, why did you stop the ship here?" Nami exclaimed in shock and anger.
"Watch your tone, or you won't get the right of first pick anymore." Hiroto said nonchalantly.
Hearing this, Carina's eyes flickered. "You docked here because, on one hand, you don't want to run and are waiting for them to come to you. On the other hand, it's to prevent Nami and me from running away. But are you really that confident you can win?"
"I thought you were the same as Nami." Hiroto said, giving her a strange look.
"I'm not a coward like her."
Carina curled her lip. "Starting from Ryder's mansion, your actions may seem casual, but I've always felt you have a very clear plan. You're not some fool who gets arrogant the moment they gain power."
She didn't say everything out loud.
To put it bluntly, she could sense it.
This man had intentions from the moment he met them. And it wasn't simply because of their beauty, it was more like he was trying to recruit them as crew members.
At the same time, he was quite observant. For instance, despite not knowing her for long, he had strong trust in Nami's navigation skills and talent. He gave Nami complete authority over navigation.
She had been with Nami for a while before she discovered how good she was at sailing.
He also had a certain level of control over the arrangements for the two of them. Simply put, it was about giving them a sense of security, keeping them within a range where they wouldn't risk running away.
She even suspected that the treasures in the Captain's quarters were bait used to prevent them from fleeing.
In other words, this man acted with rationality, planning, insight, and foresight.
He shouldn't be so short-sighted unless... he was extremely confident.
"Please, I can see that too. But Carina, he's gambling with our lives."
Nami couldn't hold back. "Jango's bounty alone is higher than his, not to mention the Catman Brothers and all those pirates. If he's overconfident, we're finished. The Black Cat Pirates are notorious for murder, arson, and every kind of evil."
"Look."
Carina ignored her and stared into Hiroto's eyes. "It's not that we don't trust you, it's just that Nami and I want to see what you're capable of."
"Interesting. You two really are different types."
Hiroto stared with interest at Carina, who was clearly more daring and willing to take risks.
The howling sea breeze around him suddenly became violent, and currents of air whistled around him, forming a vortex. The gale swept across the deck, making both girls sway.
"Then watch closely."
Hiroto placed his hand on his sword hilt and turned to look around, his gaze finally settling on the nearby shipwreck.
With the sound of a heavy step, he suddenly leaped up as if treading on the wind, soaring into the air above the shipwreck.
—Steel-Severing Slash.
A flash of a blade struck down amidst the gale, and a highly concentrated slash whistled forth.
Screech!
A strange sound suddenly rose within the sea breeze, as piercing as metal cutting through wood.
Under the stunned gazes of Nami and Carina, the whistling slash sliced through the eight-meter-long cross-section in the blink of an eye, severing the shipwreck in half.
The high-rising upper half of the ship fell, landing in the sea with a loud splash that sent up a massive spray. Even the ship beneath their feet swayed.
The exaggerated visual effect made both of them subconsciously gape, shocked by the scene they had just witnessed.
'This level of strength far exceeds my expectations for a partner. And it's very likely he's still hiding something, I just don't know how much. I need to understand him more deeply, but before that, I must show my own value.'
Carina stared intently at the scene, her thoughts having shifted since she first boarded the ship.
"One sword strike to cut a ship!"
Nami's eyes widened in surprise, fearing she had seen wrongly.
Although that was an old shipwreck with decayed materials, judging by its scale, it was at least twenty meters long and seven or eight meters wide. It should have been almost impossible to destroy with human strength to such an extent, let alone be severed with a single strike.
Even Arlong might not have such power. At most, he could lift a building.
Nami subconsciously used Arlong, the strongest person in her memory, as a benchmark, and her mindset underwent a subtle change.
"In short, this is the source of my confidence."
Hiroto lightly stepped on the ocean waves, and with a dash, he returned to the deck enveloped in wind.
Steel-Severing Slash was a white entry, but the power it displayed was not weak. Rather, the reason it was of white quality was that it was limited by Thrust.
Carina glanced at Nami, who was still in shock, and stepped forward a few paces. "So what can we do, Captain Hiroto?"
"Guard this ship."
"And what's the reward?"
Carina blinked and smiled. "I'm very interested in that right of first pick you just mentioned."
Nami snapped out of it and immediately glared at Carina.
Carina also looked back at Nami with a faint smile, creating a subtle atmosphere.
Hiroto watched this scene and suddenly curled his lips. "Depends on your performance."
"It depends on performance, Nami." Carina teasingly poked Nami's shoulder with her finger.
Her partner and rival had completely distrusted Hiroto just moments ago.
Nami rolled her eyes and gave Carina an annoyed look.
Seriously, didn't this girl know they were actually being watched?
"They're here." Hiroto suddenly said.
A shrill whistle had already sounded from the distant sky, and over a dozen cannonballs whistled through the air, exploding with splashes around the small boat.
Further away, on the ship flying the pirate flag, Jango held a telescope, observing the situation of his prey.
"No reaction?"