Ah! What a beautiful day—clear skies and sunshine once again.
The ocean shimmered with gentle waves, sending foam rolling across the surface. The Chris had been sailing across the sea for half a month, trailed by flocks of seagulls swooping at its stern.
Each time a gull dove into the water, it emerged with a stunned fish clutched in its beak.
Ah, the generous gifts of humankind!
Theodore stood flamboyantly behind the ship's twin cannons at the bow. Since everyone on board was already acquainted, Weiss hadn't bothered with formal introductions after boarding. Still, during these past two weeks at sea, a peculiar rivalry had blossomed between Jack and Theodore. For no particular reason, the two simply couldn't see eye to eye.
Jack couldn't stand Theodore's flashy antics, while Theodore found Jack's cold demeanor equally unbearable.
"Karina, who's more handsome—me or Theodore?"
"You are!"
Satisfied, Jack walked off.
…
…
"Karina, who's more handsome—me or Jack?"
"You are!"
Content, Theodore walked off!
This kind of exchange had become a daily ritual aboard the Chris.
Kadun once tried to join in but ended up with a bruised face after Karina shut him down hard.
Originally, they'd considered letting Kadun judge, but he was naturally biased toward Jack. He never even called Theodore by name, always referring to him mockingly as "Little Sparrow."
Why? Well… ahem, let's not get into that.
If you asked Weiss, he'd say each had their own appeal: Jack had that cool, aloof kind of charm, while Theodore had the bright, sunny-boy type of looks.
As for Kadun... cough cough, let's just say—he's a great navigator!
Huh? Something appeared ahead.
"There's someone in the water! Five kilometers to port—looks like a castaway, sitting on a wooden plank. She's shouting, trying to scare off nearby sharks!" Jack's voice rang out from the crow's nest.
"Kadun, steer toward them! We're going to help!"
Heaven bear witness, since the Chris had hoisted the "Rescue Ship" banner, the number of actual rescues could be counted on one hand. Aside from Ace and Karina, who were picked up from islands, they hadn't saved anyone directly from the sea.
If they succeeded this time, it would mark only their fourth rescue!
"Captain, shall I go first? If we delay, those sharks might attack her at any moment!" Theodore, excited to finally have something to do, quickly volunteered.
"Do you know how I've spent these past two weeks?"
"Eating. Competing in handsomeness. Sleeping!"
Theodore howled silently in his heart.
Because of the events at Flying Bird Island and the backing of the Carmeline family, few in these waters hadn't heard of Weiss. Add to that the spread of the Chris's flag, and most pirates on the Grand Line fled at the mere sight of their ship. They were barely challenged—sailing here was even easier than in the East Blue.
"Go ahead," Weiss said, giving Theodore a glance. He knew the guy had been itching for action—this would do him some good.
Grinning smugly at Jack, Theodore didn't even bother undressing. With a splash, he dove straight into the sea, leaving a trail of white foam behind him like an unchained husky on the loose.
At only five kilometers, the Chris quickly caught up, especially since Theodore had already taken care of the few sharks nearby. He was now rowing the plank toward them.
But something seemed off.
Only Theodore was paddling. The castaway was a young woman, seemingly unconscious on the plank.
Could it be...?
Theodore approached the Chris, and with Kadun's help, they awkwardly hoisted the girl onboard and laid her flat on the deck.
She looked to be around sixteen or seventeen, with soft baby fat on her cheeks behind round glasses—classic "pirate body" proportions.
"Hey hey, Little Sparrow, what happened? Why is she unconscious? She was yelling just a minute ago to chase off sharks."
"Don't tell me you scared her so much she fainted?" Kadun muttered in suspicion.
"Don't be ridiculous! She passed out the moment she saw me. Probably just overwhelmed by my looks," Theodore flipped his wet hair dramatically, fully believing his own nonsense.
Karina, who had seen enough of this foolishness, couldn't help but recall when she had fallen into the sea herself. These two had just stood there—one even suggested stringing her up like a fish.
She'd thought Theodore might be more reliable back then, but now…
Karina gently propped the girl up. The fact that she had been calling for help earlier meant it wasn't drowning. Her breath was shallow, her face pale, and her lips were dry and cracked.
When Karina touched her stomach, it was completely empty.
Clearly, she had been adrift for days. The moment she saw help coming—Theodore, in this case—her body gave in to exhaustion and she lost consciousness.
"Kadun, get some water with a small pinch of salt and prepare some broth," Karina ordered immediately.
Weiss had no objections—Karina clearly knew what she was doing.
Thanks to her careful care, the girl slowly regained consciousness. She licked her lips and blinked, her vision still blurry. When she finally saw Weiss, her expression froze.
Then, in a flash, she scooted to the edge of the ship and curled up against the railing in fear.
"Why are you all staring at me? I didn't do anything!" Weiss muttered at the odd stares around him.
"Karina, she's yours to handle."
"Please, Sword Demon! Don't kill me!" the girl cried out, panicking as she heard Weiss's voice and mistook his comment for a death sentence issued by the cute big sister walking toward her.
But Weiss ignored her, went to a chair, and lay down. Kadun returned to the helm, Jack climbed the mast, and Theodore resumed his peacocking at the bow.
"Sister, please don't kill me!" the girl pleaded again as Karina approached, trembling with fear.
Karina knelt beside her and gently ran a hand through her dry hair, meeting her terrified eyes. "We're not going to hurt you. Look at our flag—we're not pirates."
The girl blinked, slowly starting to recall rumors drifting across the sea: the Sword Demon wasn't a pirate, but a rescuer who roamed the ocean, saving castaways.
She must've only remembered the famous photos of Weiss fighting Kaido and Heavenly Yaksha—assuming he was some terrifying sea overlord.
"But… I don't have any money," she whimpered.
Although Weiss had barely saved a handful of people since setting sail, the Chris's rescue policy had already spread across the seas.
One particular line had even become a beloved motto among traveling merchants:
"It's fine. If you don't have money, you can always pay it off by working later." Karina smiled, patting the girl's head fondly, seemingly recalling her own past.
"But… but I'm just a cook! I don't know how to do anything else…" the girl said meekly.
She didn't realize that, at those words, all five crew members' eyes sparkled like treasure hunters who had just struck gold.
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