Chapter 32

The cannon fire stopped at some point.

Probably either Caesar or Leoza had requested negotiations—

Article 2 of the Maritime Convention: When the opposing party requests negotiations, immediately cease attack and respect their willingness to negotiate.

When Miguel was dragged onto the deck by Edward along with a group of other captured troublemakers, Leoza, the master of this vast fleet, was lazily dozing off in his ornate armchair that stood out starkly from its surroundings. As if it weren’t summer in the Mediterranean, the boy’s face was half-buried under a thick blanket, and when the sound of chains dragging across the floor echoed, his long, curly lashes fluttered slightly.

Under the sunlight, those proud, impatient golden eyes slowly opened.

“What’s going on, Edward? Shouldn’t you be taking these people to Caesar for an exchange? Why bring them to me…”

The boy’s words abruptly stopped when his gaze fell on Miguel at the front of the line.

His eyes widened, and he blinked his beautiful eyes in surprise.

Miguel: “…”

Leoza: “…”

Miguel and Leoza: “What the hell! You’re a pirate?!”

Leoza threw off the blanket covering him and stood up, walking over to Miguel. He began tugging at the whip around Miguel’s neck, complaining loudly, “Edward, how could you! Let him go! He’s the one who protected my chastity from a bunch of thugs!”

Captain, your chastity… wasn’t it already gone when you were fourteen? Edward stared in stunned silence. Before he could react, the sapphire ring in his hand was snatched away! Leoza raised Miguel’s hand and, with a serious expression, slid the ring onto Miguel’s middle finger. Then, holding the black-haired young man’s hand, he looked up with an angelic smile. “I’ve finally found you!”

His golden eyes sparkled, as if he were begging for a hug and a kiss.

Miguel, who had been surrounded by rough men all day, was instantly blinded and mentally fried by this display.

“Girl, you…” Miguel’s mind flashed through a series of classic myths like ‘The Legend of the White Snake’ and ‘The Seven Fairies,’ where goddesses married ordinary men. His brain struggled to keep up. “How are you a pirate?”

“Huh?” Leoza blinked his big eyes in confusion, leaning in closer to Miguel. His small, delicate nose was almost touching Miguel’s as he tilted his head slightly. “But aren’t you a pirate too?”

Miguel replied expressionlessly, “I was forced.”

Of course, there was also the captain’s shameless use of seduction, but he decided to skip that detail in front of the innocent girl.

Leoza: “What a coincidence! I was forced too!”

Miguel: “Huh?”

Edward: “…”

The crew of Leoza’s ship: “…”

Captain, are you possessed by something? You must have heatstroke, Captain!! Who are you, Captain, are you even the Captain?! Watching their usually fierce leader transform into a pure-hearted boy, the crew’s inner herd of alpacas stampeded in disbelief.

Leoza: “Why are you here? Why did they capture you?!”

Edward: Wasn’t it you who ordered us to launch the assault boat to capture hostages, Captain? Wake up, Captain!! =口=

Miguel: “Probably because… your crew launched an assault boat to capture hostages from our ship, and I happened to be rescuing people under the Wind Fury at the time, so I got caught.”

Rescuing people? Again? Leoza inwardly scoffed but pretended to think seriously, then turned to Edward with an angelic smile and puffed out his cheeks. “Edward! Why didn’t you listen to me? I clearly told you to send someone to negotiate with Caesar!”

So the crazy captain who ordered the attack on Caesar’s head must have died in the dust of history, right? Edward nodded woodenly. “…Yes, I’m sorry, Captain. I acted without your orders. Please punish me accordingly.”

“Exactly!” The boy’s pretty face scrunched up in anger. “Let them go immediately! And beg Caesar to return our people too! I’ll be very sad if any of you get hurt!”

What… is this?

Miguel looked utterly confused—was this a live performance of How a Soft Girl Conquers the Pirate World with Love?

The crew of Leoza’s ship looked equally baffled—Help, this isn’t our usual Captain!

The captured troublemakers from the Wind Fury were also stunned—Help, this isn’t the Leoza we’ve heard about!

On the entire ship, only First Mate Edward managed to keep a straight face—Whatever, Captain, whatever =_=.

“Oh, right!” Leoza’s eyes suddenly narrowed as if he remembered something. “And—”

Edward: What?! There’s more? Stop, Captain, please stop! Σ(｀д′*ノ)ノ

Leoza leaned in closer to Miguel, not minding the dirt, seawater, and straw covering him. The red-haired boy cupped Miguel’s face… Miguel felt the beautiful face in front of him grow larger and larger, and then his lips felt a soft touch—a loud smack echoed across the deck. Under everyone’s horrified gaze, Leoza kissed Miguel firmly on the lips, then smiled and said, “I’m a boy!”

“Huh?” Miguel’s face froze.

Leoza pouted: “I’m a boy!”

Miguel: “…”

“Eh?!” Leoza feigned annoyance, widening his eyes. “You don’t believe I’m a boy?”

…I believe it.

So! Cute! Must! Be! A! Boy!! Ah!!—Oh shit!! Who was the genius who came up with this saying? I’ll offer incense to you, great sage!!

But it was too late. While Miguel was busy being shocked, Leoza did something even more shocking—he grabbed Miguel’s hand and pressed it firmly against his crotch!

Miguel: =Д=!

Leoza: “See? It’s real!”

First Mate Edward, whose soul had already died on the deck: “Captain… you…”

The hand that was being held twitched unnaturally, and Miguel immediately felt the size and heat of something beneath the tight pants that was completely disproportionate to the pretty boy’s face. Embarrassed and about to say something, he suddenly felt the thing beneath his hand jump. The black-haired young man froze as the sensation told him that what he was holding was hardening—

At that moment, please forgive Miguel for being unable to say anything.

Because he was so shocked that he had turned into a complete idiot.

“…”

A soft thud broke the silence on the deck—it was the sailor who had been sent to negotiate returning successfully. Unaware of what had just happened, the sailor quickly walked over to Leoza, bent slightly, and said respectfully, “Captain, Caesar demands an immediate exchange of hostages, or the negotiations will collapse.”

Leoza’s face darkened instantly. “No exchange.”

“Huh?” Miguel was stunned.

Realizing something, the boy paused, and the gloomy expression on his face turned into genuine sadness. “I can’t bear to let you go. Don’t leave.”

“…Don’t be childish.” Miguel was momentarily stunned, then reached out and, without realizing it, used his dirty hand to pat Leoza’s head—to everyone else, it looked like a cat daring to swipe at a tiger’s whiskers, but the oblivious cat had a kind and gentle expression. “Leoza, I know you’re a good kid—”

If they hadn’t been committed to the act, half of Leoza’s crew would have fainted from shock, and the other half would have vomited.

“But I don’t want you to go!” Leoza’s face scrunched up, and his eyes actually began to redden. “I don’t want you to go! Stay with me! None of them are as good as you!”

“Caesar is a possessive freak,” Miguel stroked his chin, mentally adding that he actually liked Caesar’s freakiness, “He gets so frustrated if he doesn’t see me for a day that he wants to jump into the sea.” It was essential to lie without hesitation when coaxing a child, right, Big Dog? …Well, since you’re not answering, I’ll take that as your agreement.

Meanwhile, what Leoza was thinking was: Then let him jump into the sea and die. That would be perfect.

Miguel counted on his fingers, struggling to come up with more reasons. “And I’m a navigator—you know what a navigator is, right? The one who tells you if it’s going to be windy or rainy. So without me, the fleet can’t move—”

…Oh my, he’s a navigator too. Tsk tsk, look at the treasure I’ve found, you bunch of fools who only know how to chase girls. Leoza was inwardly overjoyed but kept a sad expression on his face, with tiny tears hanging in the corners of his eyes, ready to fall at any moment!

“If I get the chance, I’ll come find you.”

Huh? What… this time Leoza was genuinely stunned.

“Really.” Miguel scratched his head in frustration, realizing his child-coaxing skills were shockingly bad.

“You’ll come back to me?”

Leoza’s eyes widened as he grabbed Miguel’s hand—he noticed that Miguel didn’t seem to like being held like this, so he made a point of doing it.

Miguel instinctively frowned and tried to pull his hand away, but he found it impossible to move—what the hell, isn’t this kid’s strength a bit too much? But this slight doubt quickly disappeared under the boy’s adorable, expectant gaze.

Miguel thought of his younger brother from before he transmigrated.

That brat also liked to blink his big eyes at their mom while she held a chicken leg in front of him, and then—

“Yeah, I’ll come find you.”

And usually, that chicken leg ended up in the brat’s mouth.

Miguel sighed helplessly and ruffled Leoza’s hair. “But don’t start any more fights with our captain, or he won’t let me come see you.”

“Okay!” Not a chance.

Leoza’s smile was beautiful—his golden eyes narrowed into crescents, and the corners of his lips turned up in a happy curve. He looked like he was bathed in sunlight… Miguel thought, someone like this really stood out in the rough, brutal world of pirates! But he’s a pirate… Oh, right, he said he was forced into it. Why? …Well, it’s too late to ask now, and it’s probably private, right?

“What’s wrong?” Leoza asked, puzzled.

“Nothing.”

Miguel smiled at him, then turned to help his companions remove their heavy, rusty shackles. Once everyone was free, they all boarded a small boat. Miguel squinted and saw a similar group of people descending from the Wind Fury in the distance.

Miguel stood in the small boat, looked up, and waved at Leoza, who was leaning over the railing, staring at him longingly.

Leoza didn’t respond. He was backlit by the sun, and his expression was hidden in the shadows.

…

The hostage exchange went smoothly, and both boats gradually rowed back to their respective fleets.

On Leoza’s Hornet.

Edward: “Captain…?”

“What?” came the flat, emotionless voice.

The coquettish boy from earlier had vanished, and the usual Captain was back… Edward breathed a sigh of relief and bent slightly to level his height with the Captain’s. “So… we’re just letting them go?”

“What else can we do?” Leoza combed his fingers through his disheveled hair, showing a hint of impatience. “We’re being surrounded, haven’t you noticed?”

“Then… what about that navigator?”

“No rush.” Leoza glanced at his cautious First Mate, his beautiful face showing no emotion. “If it’s something I want, there’s no way I’ll let it escape.”

“…”

“Why are you standing there? Had enough fun? Give the order—set sail.”

With a calm command, Leoza left the railing without a backward glance at the Wind Fury in the distance.