At noon, on the Wind Rider.
Caelan and Nami were on the deck, enjoying lunch under the warm breeze and sunlight.
Suddenly, a News Coo flew across the sky.
Nami took out a Berry and bought a newspaper from the seagull.
She glanced at the front page and couldn't help but scream.
"Hey? The newspaper says that Captain Nezumi was killed by Arlong."
"But I didn't see that happen at the time."
Nami was very puzzled. She clearly remembered the Marine captain who had worked with Arlong to cheat her out of her money.
She hadn't seen his body at Arlong Park and had assumed he had escaped.
Nami was certain that Arlong definitely didn't kill Nezumi.
"Of course you didn't see it. I'm the one who killed Nezumi."
Caelan had no reason to hide the truth from Nami.
After Caelan's reminder, Nami recalled the details of that day.
Only Arlong had fallen from the sky, but Caelan had swung his swords twice.
There had been a large amount of blood mist in the air.
At the time, she had simply assumed it was because of Arlong's special physique and his high endurance.
But thinking about it now, that blood mist must have come from Nezumi, who had been cut to pieces.
"Luckily, the Navy doesn't know it was you. Otherwise, we'd be in serious trouble."
"Right now, they're still calling you a hero!"
Nami patted her chest in relief, thankful for their narrow escape from disaster.
"But don't they already know?"
Caelan pointed to the newspaper in Nami's hand.
If the Navy really didn't know, why would they pin Nezumi's death on Arlong and use it to boost the reputation of a dead pirate?
Caelan had not killed Nezumi in public, which left the Navy room to handle the situation.
"But they're still promoting you as a hero."
Nami was confused.
In this kind of situation, shouldn't they have started hunting him down?
"Nami, are you afraid of me?"
Caelan did not answer directly but asked her a question instead.
"No."
Nami shook her head. How could she be afraid? Caelan was her hero.
"But the Navy is afraid."
Caelan stopped speaking and continued eating.
Nami looked at Caelan, at a loss for words.
Who am I following?
Nami had known that Caelan was strong. He had easily wiped out the entire Arlong Pirates.
But she hadn't expected him to be so powerful that even the Navy didn't dare to make him an enemy.
In that moment, an overwhelming sense of security filled Nami's heart.
She looked at Caelan, her eyes practically sparkling.
…
"Boss Buggy, are we really going out to loot?"
Vice Captain Mohji had a bitter expression as he held up the newspaper.
He felt genuine fear toward Caelan's strength.
"Buggy, if you want to die, don't drag me into it!"
Alvida had no intention of going out. If they ran into Caelan, they wouldn't be able to handle it.
"Relax, Caelan is just one man. There's no way our luck could be that bad."
Buggy was full of confidence. Things like that didn't just happen by coincidence.
"We won't steal too much. We'll stop once we've got enough to buy a decent ship."
Obviously, Buggy was also afraid of Caelan.
But after the battle with the Straw Hat Pirates, their ship had been damaged, and they were in urgent need of a replacement.
"Boss Buggy, I don't think you need to be so worried."
The strategist, Cabaji, spoke up, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
"You're a Splitting Human. Caelan's swordsmanship and physical attacks are useless against you."
"That's right! I'm not afraid of him!"
The usually timid Buggy suddenly stood up with confidence.
This was the strongest bounty hunter in the East Blue, but now was the time for Buggy the Clown to shine.
"The era of Buggy the Clown is coming!"
"Captain, there's a good ship over there!"
One of the crew interrupted Buggy's fantasy. Buggy glared at him, then turned his gaze toward the ship flying a giant sword emblem on its flag.
"What a fine ship, what a fine ship! I want it!"
With just one look, Buggy couldn't take his eyes off it. He was practically drooling.
The solid hull, the towering mast, the brand-new sails…
This ship's configuration would be considered excellent even in the Grand Line.
In the East Blue, it stood out like a jewel.
It was simply his dream ship!
Buggy announced that this would be the first step toward building his Joker Empire.
"Boss Buggy, don't you think this might be trouble?"
Cabaji was a bit concerned. With such a good ship, the people on board must be quite capable.
"The logo on the flag looks like that person's weapon."
Alvida stared at the giant sword emblem and recalled the weapon she had seen in the newspaper.
"It can't be him. That guy only sails a small boat and has never been attacked."
The sharp-witted Cabaji immediately dismissed Alvida's suspicion.
Since Caelan's debut, his fame had spread throughout the East Blue.
His iconic small ship had become well-known to every pirate in these waters.
"What are you all so afraid of? I'm Buggy!"
Buggy was as arrogant as ever. He was determined to get that ship.
Besides, even if it really was Caelan's ship, so what?
Caelan's greatest strength was his swordsmanship, which was completely useless against Buggy's Devil Fruit ability.
Even if Buggy couldn't win, he was confident he could escape without a scratch.
If it belonged to someone else, it would be even easier.
Almost all the big-name pirates in the East Blue had already been taken down by Caelan.
Buggy, the Clown, was the only major pirate left.
Taking this ship should be a piece of cake.
"Alright, prepare to board them!"
Seeing how confident Buggy was, Vice Captain Mohji quickly gave the order to attack.
"Idiot! What if you damage my ship?"
Buggy slapped Mohji on the head. There was no way he would let such a fine ship get damaged.
"Bring me closer! I'll handle this myself!"
Buggy had already imagined the scene that would follow.
He would show off his power.
The crew of the other ship would be so terrified they would hand over the ship without a fight.
…
On the Wind Rider, Nami also spotted the Buggy Pirates' ship approaching.
"Caelan, pirates are coming. What should we do?"
Nami's voice was anxious as she called out to Caelan, who was sunbathing on the deck.
Years of torment by pirates had left her with deep scars.
Seeing a pirate ship approaching instinctively made her panic.
"Don't worry. They're just kind-hearted people coming to deliver bounty money."
Caelan remained calm, even a little amused.
Where had this group of foolish pirates come from, daring to attack him head-on?
Were they trying to help him solve his money shortage?
"Yeah, there's no way they could be your opponent."
Hearing Caelan's words, Nami immediately relaxed.
She was no longer the lonely little Cat Burglar. She now had someone powerful to rely on.
Caelan was the strongest bounty hunter in the East Blue, having captured countless pirates.
He was the man who had defeated the two top pirate crews in the East Blue within a single week.
Both Arlong and Don Krieg, considered the strongest pirates in the East Blue, had been effortlessly defeated by Caelan.
No one else in these waters could threaten him.
So what was there to be afraid of?
If anything, it was the pirates on the other side who should be afraid.
Nami quickly adjusted her mindset and even became curious.
She wondered which unlucky pirate had the nerve to challenge the King of Hell.
Nami was already looking forward to the scene that was about to unfold.
The clueless pirates would surely be terrified once they realized it was Caelan.
(To be continued.)