Chapter 19

…Asshole.

Miguel: “…I’m here to apply for the position of navigator.”

Caesar stopped his low conversation with Rick and raised his head impatiently, lifting one eyebrow. “And?”

Miguel: “Why do I have to chop wood?”

“Why? I’ll tell you why, kid—because you’re about to board a pirate ship,” the man chuckled, shifting his neck to a more comfortable position as he lounged on his overly ornate chaise lounge stuffed with ostentatious velvet cushions. “And unfortunately, the captain of this pirate ship—that’s me—happens to love boarding battles. That means countless enemies will storm my ship—though usually, I don’t give them the chance. But… just in case… Rick, tell him what happened to the last navigator who couldn’t even hold a dinner knife properly?”

Rick said expressionlessly, “He was thrown into the sea to feed the sharks by your good friend.”

Miguel: “…”

Caesar spread his hands. “Got it? I won’t make the same mistake twice—I’m a captain who cares about the physical and mental well-being of every crew member. Making sure you’re capable before letting you on board is my way of being responsible.”

The Black Sea Wolf’s words elicited a strange wave of cheers from the crowd.

“Tch.” After finishing his hypocritical and slightly boastful speech, Caesar leaned back on the chaise lounge, took a sip of sour jujube juice, and said with a slow smile, “I sincerely hope you remembered to bring your dagger today.”

Miguel was stunned.

He instinctively felt his waist—there was indeed a dagger there… well, one he had “found” on the clothes he was wearing this morning. Just as the description said, it was inlaid with three sapphires and eighteen first-grade cat’s eye stones… To avoid getting knocked out and robbed as soon as he stepped out, Miguel had asked Fugar for a rag to wrap it in—now, the masterpiece of the ‘Master Craftsman’ Ganderwolf was wrapped in a bar-cleaning rag, casually dangling from Miguel’s waist.

Gently pressing the exquisite scabbard hidden beneath the rag, Miguel felt the silence behind him—

At this moment, countless aspiring pirates stood behind him, staring intently… not with blessings, but with the fervent hope that this black-haired young man would fail immediately and slink away, vacating a spot for them to board the ship.

Swallowing hard, Miguel felt nervous.

He couldn’t afford to embarrass himself.

Because…

He was the man who would become the Pirate King’s man!

Swish—

The sound of a sharp blade scraping against its scabbard.

“Wow—that’s a nice dagger!”

“Look, look at that gleaming blade! Not a speck of rust!”

“…It must be worth at least five hundred gold coins!”

“Damn it! You can’t even buy something like this with money! How did it end up in the hands of this weakling?”

“Did you see the double blood grooves? Tsk tsk, getting stabbed with that would be a real treat!”

…

The buzz of discussions in the crowd grew louder, but no one noticed the faint smile that appeared in the amber eyes of the Black Sea Wolf behind the cup of sour jujube juice. The corner of his lips curled slightly wider—when the covering object was moved away, he returned to his cold expression, glancing at Miguel as if he were completely deaf to the crowd’s praises of the dagger. Calmly, he gestured toward the tropical trees with his chin.

Miguel glared at him, raised the dagger, and walked to the tree. He lifted the dagger high and then stabbed it down with force!

Crack—

The first strike, the dagger effortlessly plunged deep into the tree, and the dry wood let out a crisp cracking sound.

Everyone present saw the black-haired young man pause slightly for a moment—no one noticed him quickly glancing toward the shade. The next second, he pulled the dagger out of the tree, raised it high again, and stabbed down with all his might—

Snap—

This time, the tree split into two halves.

Amid the cheers, Miguel stood up, wiped the bark off the dagger, and quickly stuffed it back into the rag-wrapped scabbard. He turned around and stood motionless under the blazing sun, staring at the captain who lounged in the shade with an indifferent expression.

A brief silence followed, with only the sound of a rapidly beating heart and the soft flapping of seagull wings skimming the sea surface audible.

“Bellick, take him to the cabin and get him to sign the contract.”

The man’s lazy voice broke the silence.

As if waking up, the moment Caesar finished speaking, the crowd erupted into wild cheers and applause. People whistled madly, and even the muscular man who had been standing behind Miguel rushed over, slinging an arm around his shoulder and roughly ruffling his soft black hair!

“Good job, kid!”

He shouted loudly, almost lifting Miguel onto his shoulders. Being jostled and squeezed by the crowd, the black-haired young man couldn’t help but flash a bright, radiant smile. He excitedly waved his arms at the crowd, feeling like he had finally reached the pinnacle of his life (not really)!

…Pathetic!!! ╮(￣▽￣”)╭

You think this could stump me?!!! Stupid dog!!!!

Come kneel before me!!! Call me Your Majesty!!! Come award me the prize!!!!

As a standard transmigrated Mary Sue male! I not only possess a powerful talent for languages (not really)!! But also have unmatched arm strength (also not really)!!!!

Hahahahaha I’ve even done a striptease!! You think chopping a tree could stump anyone?!!! I’m definitely boarding this damn ship today!!! I’m the man who will become the Pirate King’s man—you think I’m joking?!! Let me tell you, NO!!!!

At this moment, Miguel’s inner drama was in full swing, but the person about to award him the prize was clearly not in the mood.

Glancing at the black-haired young man being hugged and rubbed by the muscular man, the man frowned, then relaxed. “…It’s so hot,” the most capricious captain of the Mediterranean stood up from his ornate chaise lounge and lazily waved to another charge captain nearby. “Here, Abik, you take over. I’m going back to take a nap.”

“Wh-what?—” Rick, who had been watching the future mascot of the fleet with a smug expression, widened his eyes. “Take a damn nap—finish the recruitment, you bastard captain!”

“Not doing it, you’re annoying.” Caesar shot his first mate a disdainful look. “I’m going to the cabin to check on their contract signing. Are you coming? …If not, stay here and roast.”

“What’s there to see in signing contracts?! Stay here!”

“Goodbye.”

The tall, handsome man shoved one hand into his pocket and slowly ran the other through his hair. Then he turned around, waved his sleeve, and left all the commotion behind him.

“Damn it!” The red-haired first mate grabbed the charge captain named Abik, who looked utterly panicked, and shoved him into the seat Caesar had just vacated. Then he cursed and followed his boss—

“Hey, you bastard captain, that guy’s not bad! I never expected him to have such incredible wrist strength.”

“Ah… I guess so.” The man, now walking up the deck, replied listlessly.

Rick: “A tree trunk as thick as a bowl—I wouldn’t even dare guarantee I could cut it in one go—and that skinny little guy managed to chop it in two with just a random dagger!—What should we do? I can’t bear to let him just be a navigator! What if—”

“…” Caesar rolled his eyes. “It’s not a ‘random’ dagger, idiot.”

Rick: “How about putting him on deck work? I’ve been sick of Abik’s dumb face for a while now. It’d be great to have someone threaten his position, and… wait, wait, what did you say?”

Caesar: “Are you blind? That’s ‘Ghost Slayer.'”

“…Huh?” Rick blinked in confusion. “What ‘Ghost Slayer?’ …The one with three sapphires and eighteen cat’s eye stones?”

Caesar: “Yeah.”

Rick: “The ‘final masterpiece’ of the ‘Master Craftsman’ Ganderwolf, known as the ‘Last Dagger,’ that ‘Ghost Slayer?'”

Caesar: “Uh-huh.”

Rick: “The one in the second box from the left in your collection room, that ‘Ghost Slayer?’!!”

Caesar: “Used to be. Now it’s hanging like a drunkard’s flask on your mascot’s waist… probably wrapped in a rag that’s wiped up vomit.”

Rick: “…”

Finding Rick’s dumbfounded expression oddly satisfying, Caesar sneered. “Still want your mascot on deck?”

Rick: “…I’m going to kill him and take my ‘Ghost Slayer’ back—how dare he use it to chop wood!!! What is that?!!! A chopping knife?!!! Is that what it looks like?!!!!”

“…Tch, shut up, what are you yelling about?” Kicking the outraged red-haired first mate mercilessly, the captain coolly ordered, “Go get that stack of contracts. To avoid signing on another piece of garbage like you, I’m personally supervising the rookies’ contract signing this year. Hurry up!