Chapter 95: Method
As agreed, Axel did not kill Adelaide.
He simply handed the old trafficker over to the middle aged Marine, explained everything Adelaide had done before, and then left him there to curse and howl to his heart's content.
After that, they sailed on.
...
"Who are you people?"
The one asking was the owner of a merchant ship.
His name was Yves.
Transporting goods across the sea was his livelihood, and today should have been just another ordinary day on one of his regular routes. Instead, a violent crash had nearly scared the life out of everyone on board.
At first, Yves had thought they had struck a reef.
Then he thought it might be some kind of Sea Beast attack.
Only after his men rushed to investigate did the truth come back to him.
They had collided with a small boat.
Yves had not cared much about that part.
What he cared about was something else entirely.
"What about my ship?" he demanded anxiously. "Is it damaged?"
That was the only question that mattered.
Out on the open sea, with no island nearby and no safe harbor in sight, if the ship was badly damaged, then everyone aboard might as well start writing their wills in their heads.
The subordinate immediately answered, "No serious damage, sir. To be safe, the crew has already inspected it and carried out basic repairs."
Only then did Yves finally let out a breath of relief.
"Good. Good..." he muttered, patting his chest. Then his eyes sharpened. "And the ones we hit? Pirates?"
"We don't know yet. Their boat carried no pirate flag, but I've already had the ship's guards assemble."
That answer pleased Yves even more.
He had spent a great deal of money hiring security for this voyage. Every Berry spent on bodyguards had made his heart ache at the time, but moments like this reminded him why it was necessary.
Money was important.
Living long enough to spend it was more important.
"Well done."
Yves smiled and pulled out a thousand Berry note, handing it over as a reward.
The subordinate's face immediately lit up. He accepted it without hesitation and tucked it into his pocket.
Yves watched the scene with satisfaction.
This was how people should be used. Reward the useful, praise the competent, keep everyone motivated. He had built his business from nothing by understanding one simple truth: if you wanted people to work for you wholeheartedly, you had to know when to loosen your purse strings.
"Take me over," he said. "Let me see what kind of people we picked up."
His man led the way.
By the time Yves reached the bow, dozens of crewmen and guards had already gathered there in a loose circle.
When they saw their employer approaching, they quickly made space for him.
Only then did Yves clearly see the three strangers standing in the middle.
And the moment he did, he frowned.
None of them looked panicked.
That alone was strange.
Their boat had been sunk in the middle of the sea. They had ended up on an unknown vessel, surrounded by armed men. Under normal circumstances, the first thing anyone would do was ask whether the ship was damaged, who owned it, where it was headed, and whether they would be allowed to live.
Yet these three stood there calmly, almost leisurely.
The group itself was even stranger.
A delicate child, pretty enough to be mistaken for a girl at first glance.
A blind middle aged man carrying a cane sword.
And a fierce looking young man with a cold, ominous air around him.
No navigator. No proper crew. No sign of any experienced sailors.
How had three people like this managed to survive alone on the sea in such a tiny boat?
Yves found the whole thing baffling.
Still, regardless of the circumstances, it had been his ship that rammed theirs. Whatever their identities were, he owed them an explanation.
So he stepped forward and said politely, "I am the owner of this ship, Yves. I apologize for sinking your vessel."
Hawkins looked like the sort of man who would respond to apologies with a stare cold enough to freeze soup, while Issho did not seem inclined to speak first, so Axel naturally stepped forward in their place.
"There's no need to apologize," he said. "But where are you headed?"
Yves blinked.
The child's tone was calm, neither resentful nor timid, and that earned a bit of favor in his heart.
He assumed Axel was asking because they might be bound for different destinations, and that left him in a difficult position. He could not alter his route just to accommodate a few castaways. He had a schedule, a business, and obligations waiting for him.
So he answered honestly.
"I'm afraid you'll have to stay aboard for a while. I'm a merchant, and I'm heading straight to Maturu Island for business. Once I arrive there, I can arrange for someone to help you continue on to wherever you need to go."
He would not normally have revealed his destination so casually, but these people hardly seemed like a threat, and the one doing the talking was still just a child.
"Matu Island?" Axel asked. "What kind of place is that?"
Yves hesitated for a moment, then replied, "A commercial island. Merchants from many islands gather there. There's a Marine base, and since it's near the Red Line, it's also under the protection of a nearby kingdom. In the North Blue, it's one of the rare places that can still be called stable."
Axel nodded, then asked the question that made Yves's expression stiffen.
"And from there, how do we get to the Sabaody Archipelago?"
Yves stared at him.
"What did you just say?"
"The Sabaody Archipelago."
For a few seconds, Yves said nothing at all.
Of course he knew that place.
Anyone who did business long enough had heard of it. The Sabaody Archipelago was famous for many things, and none of them were comforting. It was the island of departure and the island of ruin, where countless people's dreams either advanced into the New World or died before they ever began.
The fact that these three wanted to go there made Yves immediately revise his first impression of them.
He had thought they were eccentric castaways.
Now he suspected they were downright insane.
He rubbed his forehead and said, "Then I take back what I said earlier."
Axel tilted his head. "Meaning?"
"Meaning I can't casually promise to send you there." Yves sighed. "Do you know how far away the Sabaody Archipelago is? Do you even understand where it is?"
Axel asked with complete sincerity, "How far?"
That nearly made Yves choke.
He could not give an exact figure, nor did he have the patience to explain currents, routes, and the monstrous distances between seas to a child who clearly did not grasp the scale of the world yet.
So he changed tactics.
"Forget the distance. The real problem is that the Sabaody Archipelago is not a place three people like you should be trying to reach. There are vicious pirates there, criminals beyond your imagination, and dangers that would swallow you whole. You should give up on that idea."
Axel ignored the warning entirely.
"Then how do we get there?"
Yves stared at him for a long second, then let out a helpless breath.
This kid truly was impossible.
"If you can't sail the Grand Line properly, then your only option is to cross the Calm Belt, then cross the Red Line by land from the appropriate route, and head down the other side. Maturu Island lies close to the Red Line. That much is true." He paused, then added with emphasis, "But don't misunderstand. Walking up to the middle of the Red Line is useless. The center is Mary Geoise. Ordinary people are not allowed there."
.....
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