"Yes…"
El deliberately showed a doubtful expression, then nodded and said,"If that's the case, then you can follow me for the time being. I'll take you home."
"Huh?"Nami and Carina were both stunned.
"Eh, what?"
El narrowed his eyes at them, pretending to be suspicious."Could it be that you were lying to me just now?"
"No, no…!"
Nami and Carina waved their hands frantically. Then they glanced at each other, shared a silent nod, and bowed to El in perfect tacit understanding.
"Then we'll be in your care, Nii-san!"
Because of his different "type" of talent, El did not have the exaggerated body size of Big Mom.But he still didn't look like an eight-year-old.
At 1.45 meters tall, he looked more like eleven or twelve.
So it was no surprise that eight-year-old Nami and Carina called him Nii-san (big brother).
"Alright. Wait here."
El nodded in satisfaction and accepted the title of Nii-san without complaint.
He told them to stay put, then jumped back into the sea, swam into one section of the broken hull, and pulled out a lifeboat—the kind of emergency boat every proper ship carried for first aid or escape.
On his very first day at sea, he had met the heroine, as well as the "Phantom Thief" Carina from the theatrical version Golden City. Neither of them gave off an unpleasant aura.
So El had already begun thinking about recruiting them as his companions.
From reading their memories, he now knew the current time clearly: Nami was eight years old, Luffy was seven.That meant the year was 1510 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
There were still ten years to go before the main story began.
Ten years was a very long time.
A human life was only a few decades.With the three monstrous talents the world had given him, El had no intention of waiting until he was a teenager to set sail.
Big Mom, also a darling of the world, had become a pirate at six and received a bounty of 50 million Belly in that era. Compared to that, him only going to sea at eight was already "late."
Originally, El hadn't planned on recruiting companions.
But now, seeing Nami and Carina—two girls who didn't give off a foul aura—he suddenly felt like building a fleet.
Living alone was really boring.
During his three years of training, if he hadn't stumbled onto supernatural powers and focused all his interest on sword training, he might not have endured that solitude.
Now that he had just gone to sea and immediately met two people he didn't find disgusting, there was no way he would let them slip away.
In fact, in his heart, he wondered if this was another gift the world had prepared for him.
Otherwise, how could he meet the heroine of One Piece on the very first day he set sail?
After bringing up the lifeboat and dumping out the seawater, El took a deep breath, dove again, and began hauling up all the treasure stored inside the pirate ship, almost filling the little boat to the brim.
"Treasure… so much treasure…"
Watching the bags of treasure being thrown up one after another, Nami and Carina instantly forgot their fear of him. Their big, pretty eyes turned into $$ signs, shining even brighter than the sun—practically sparkling with golden light.
"Phew… Alright, let's go. We'll look for the nearest island."
Throwing up the last bag, El climbed aboard, then looked at Nami and Carina.
"Can either of you sail?"
"I can, I can!"
Nami immediately shot up her hand, volunteering eagerly."Nii-san, leave the navigation to me!"
After speaking, she and Carina exchanged a glance and shared matching smiles.
They both understood what the other was thinking.
We're clinging to this thigh!
They completely forgot their fear of this terrifying existence who looked only a little older than them but had wiped out an entire pirate crew alone.
Besides, he had taken the initiative to send them home, which proved he wasn't a bad person.
As for killing the pirates, that had to be hatred or revenge, right?
There was no way they would let go of such a strong and seemingly kind-hearted "thigh."
Nami and Carina had already decided: if Nii-san asked about their home, they would keep changing the subject and dragging things out until he gave up.
However…
Nami and Carina had no idea that their little scheme was completely visible in El's eyes.
At the same time, this play-acting was something El did on purpose.
There was a huge difference between recruiting someone yourself and letting them cling to you on their own.
In the former case, the other party might overthink things. They might remain wary of El, and his efforts could backfire.
In the latter case, they already knew what El wanted and still chose to become his companions.
So El decided to let them choose for themselves.
Because El had absolute confidence in himself.
That confidence told him that Nami and Carina would board his ship of their own will.
On the surface, their relationship was still fragile and new, but in truth, the trio had already been formed.
On the boundless sea, a small lifeboat—something that could be overturned by a single big wave—drifted forward with the help of a raised mainsail.
On the boat, surrounded by treasure piled high, El took off his faded shirt and wrung the seawater from it. Then he tore a strip from the sleeve and used it to tie his silver hair, which had grown down his back over eight years, into a single ponytail.
During his three years of training, he hadn't had the time or energy to take care of his hair or clothes, only enough to maintain basic hygiene.
Now, with a boat, money, and companions, El planned to head to the next island and give himself a fresh start.
"Before I send you home, we'll be partners who rely on each other…"
After putting his shirt back on, El looked at Nami and Carina—who were far less bold than their future manga selves—and introduced himself.
"I'm El. What about you two?"
"My name is Nami."
"My name is Carina."
The girls replied quickly.
"Then, please take care of me."
El smiled at them. It wasn't a handsome smile, exactly—more of a cute one.
That lethal smile instantly erased most of the lingering fear they still held deep in their hearts.
With Nami's navigation skills, the three of them headed for the nearest island.
This small island was not one that had appeared in the original manga.
The East Blue—or any of the Four Seas, really—was not as small and simplified as it looked in the story.
In reality, the Four Seas were the four largest sea regions in the world.
The so-called Grand Line was simply a route sandwiched between the Calm Belt—"windless zones"—and the Four Seas.
As one of the four largest sea regions, the East Blue was home to countless islands, and it also had the greatest number of World Government–affiliated countries.