Samwell Island, the harbor.
Under the lined-up farewell of the local sheriffs, Garen, Nami, and Wallace boarded the ship that now belonged to them.
Or rather, from now on, would belong to them.
This ship had originally belonged to the Steel Blade Pirates. The pirate flag still fluttered above—two crossed broadswords beneath a rather unimpressive skull. The whole design was bland and uninspired.
Garen wasn't a pirate, nor did he have any interest in becoming one, so the first thing he did upon boarding was tear down the eyesore of a flag.
With Steel Blade himself now resting comfortably in a box, the pirate ship naturally became a spoils of war, fully under Garen's control.
But Garen wasn't impressed with what he had won:
It was a standard twin-masted sailing ship with auxiliary wooden propulsion. The old, tattered sails were stained with large swathes of black and yellow grime, and the deck—which hadn't been cleaned or maintained in ages—was horribly corroded by sea water.
And beyond the hygiene issues left behind by the Steel Blade Pirates, the ship itself was in disrepair. One of the masts was clearly snapped by external force, crudely patched with steel plates and iron nails—barely holding together. There were also several large holes on the deck and hull, blackened and scorched.
Clearly, the Steel Blade Pirates had gotten into a fierce naval battle with someone before hastily chasing Nami to Samwell Island, leaving repairs half-finished.
Taking over a secondhand ship was giving Garen a massive headache.
"Can't we just get a different one?"
Garen couldn't help but complain to Nami:
"This thing is so run-down, I feel like it'll sink the moment we set sail."
"Don't worry!"
Nami replied cheerfully, completely unfazed. "It's only the upper deck and port hull that took damage. The masts, sails, rudder, and watertight compartments are still in decent shape. It's perfectly fine for sailing."
"Besides…"
As she spoke, her eyes lit up with golden Berry signs:
"Double-layered cannon decks, an extra-long keel, and a spacious interior—
This kind of mid-sized armed ship, once it's fixed up a bit, will fetch us a fortune!"
"I see…"
Garen's eyes lit up as well. "So that means my earnings could be well over ten million Berries!"
He placed special emphasis on the word "my."
"You're trying to keep it all for yourself? I helped too!"
Nami's face darkened instantly.
"Sure, luring the enemy counts as a contribution, I guess…"
Garen replied casually, clearly unwilling to share like a typical stingy commoner.
"But I don't see why I should split things evenly with a temporary worker who owes me her life…"
"How about this—once we reach Loguetown, you can try stealing both the ship and the money."
"Hmph!"
Nami's face flushed slightly at the jab, but all she could do was let out a harmless snort in response.
As a master thief who usually danced circles around her targets, this was the first time Nami had ever experienced the feeling of being flustered.
Because this mission was unlike any she'd taken on before.
This tin-can knight in front of her not only knew she was a thief—he even seemed to know something about her background.
For a thief, having their identity exposed was taboo. In such a situation, the best course of action would be to run far, far away.
But Nami didn't want to leave.
Not just because of the potential ten million Berries…
But because—for the first time—she had met someone who knew she was a thief… and still wanted to help her.
For the first time, she had stepped away from being just a thief, and taken on a real job—navigator.
Navigator, not cat burglar.
That was her dream.
In just a single day, she had tasted something beautiful she hadn't felt in a long time.
Thinking of this, a warm smile quietly crept onto her face.
But then, Garen had to ruin the moment with a joke:
"Nami, if you're that interested in a share of the profits,
why not just become a knight's wife? That'd solve everything."
"Scram!"
Nami's blooming smile froze instantly.
"Knight's wife? Was that a proposal?"
Wallace's eyes lit up, his voice filled with excitement. "So Garen-sama and Miss Nami's relationship has already reached that stage?"
Pushing up the glasses on his nose, Wallace pulled out a notepad and pen from his coat and silently began taking notes.
Nami peeked over his shoulder and saw that the earlier story about a beautiful thief turning her life around had now morphed into a bizarre love story between a righteous knight and a villainous rogue.
"Hey!"
Nami clenched her fists in outrage.
"Delete that part right now! Or I'll—"
Before she could even finish the threat, Wallace replied with a straight face:
"As a journalist, I will never abandon the truth just to appease power."
"What part of that is 'truth'?!"
Nami shouted, her cheeks now fully flushed.
Wallace remained composed.
"A little dramatic flair helps with reader engagement,"
he said calmly.
"It's just one of the basic writing techniques a journalist must master."
Nami was now so angry she couldn't even speak.
Meanwhile, Wallace finished writing and began carefully reviewing his manuscript, unfazed by her fury.
After a while, he finally looked up and asked:
"Miss Nami, which route are we taking this time?"
"How many days will it take to reach Loguetown?"
Garen had just slain Steel Blade, a pirate with a ten-million-Berry bounty—a story that would be headline material in the East Blue, the weakest of all seas.
And Wallace worked for the East Blue Daily, a local paper specifically circulated throughout the East Blue.
As a field reporter with grand ambitions, having scooped up such a major story, Wallace now wanted nothing more than to return to the paper and use this tale of righteous knight Garen to prove his worth.
True to her role, Nami answered immediately and without hesitation:
"This time I plan to follow the route skimming near the Calm Belt, using the East Blue's circular ocean current to boost our speed."
"That route will get us to Loguetown in two days—half the time it would take a regular passenger ship."
"Hugging the Calm Belt and riding the East Blue Current, huh?"
Wallace, who was familiar with the geography and weather patterns of the East Blue, immediately caught the significance.
He couldn't help but praise her:
"Miss Nami, it seems your navigational skills are quite remarkable!"
"Of course!"
Nami accepted the praise without a hint of modesty.
"I am the best navigator in the East Blue!"
"Wonderful!"
Wallace beamed. "News is time-sensitive, after all."
"With someone as skilled as you guiding us, I can get the knight's heroic tale published as soon as possible!"
As he spoke, Wallace pulled out his notepad again and added another label to Nami's character:
Along with "beautiful thief reformed by justice and love," she now had the tag of "genius navigator."
He murmured to himself in excitement:
"A righteous knight and a brilliant, beautiful rogue… This story has real selling power…"
"Wait a second…"
Nami finally snapped out of it.
"What do you mean, publish?!"
Her pale pink cheeks flushed scarlet with embarrassment, and her clenched fist slowly crept closer to Wallace's pristine gold-rimmed glasses.
"You're actually planning to put all that nonsense… in a newspaper?!"
"Nonsense?"
Wallace calmly adjusted his glasses and said in an even tone:
"I'm a professional journalist. Naturally, I'll write a comprehensive and accurate report based on firsthand information."
"Which means I still have a few more interview questions for you, Miss Nami—"
"Pfft!"
Nami turned away with a scoff.
"I'm not answering a single—"
Her words got stuck in her throat.
Because a check, written with a long string of zeroes, was slowly swaying in front of her.
"It's an interview fee,"
Wallace said matter-of-factly.
"You can cash it at the East Blue Bank in Loguetown."
"Of course, if there really isn't a newsworthy relationship between you and Garen-sama…"
"I won't force the issue."
"Uhh…"
Nami hesitated for just a moment, then gave a bright, adorable smile:
"Oh, there's a story, alright!"
Without batting an eye, she plucked the check from his hand and, in the blink of an eye, tucked it into the "dimensional storage" of her chest.
"Whatever story you want, you'll get it."
(End of Chapter)