[New Fanfics!!! Give Them A Try!, They are Pretty GOOOOD!~]
[Hogwarts: I Really Am a Model Wizard]
[Marvel: I Summon Heroes From Various Worlds]
The next morning, Aqua, just awakened, was caught by Zyhark and escorted to the kitchen, the scene of the crime.
"Regarding the mysterious disappearance of a barrel of red wine, I want a good explanation from you, Aqua," Zyhark's gaze was filled with invisible murderous intent. "You have the biggest craving for alcohol on this ship, so, I hope you can speak truthfully."
"What?! A whole barrel of wine is gone?!" Aqua, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, focused and indeed, the wine barrel was completely empty.
Although she drank quite a bit last night for safety, she had filled it with water just like before! After pondering for a few seconds, those clear blue eyes started spinning wildly, and she quickly came up with a strategy.
"It was Biskin! It must have been Biskin!" "I saw Biskin sneaking around in there when I got up to use the toilet last night."
The more Aqua talked, the smoother her story flowed, even convincing herself it was the truth, and she boldly claimed, "I thought he was hungry and looking for food, but it turns out he was stealing our wine! Such thievery is despicable, worse than secretly padding your chest with silicone!"
"Zyhark, even if he's just a temporary worker, he shouldn't be easily forgiven. You must punish him severely!"
Her righteous declaration left Gin, who was quietly mopping in the corner, utterly stunned.
Was this the same Aqua who, after having a drink yesterday, patted her chest and promised to cover for him no matter what? "Actually, Miss Aqua is not wrong, I did crave wine last night."
Despite his inner turmoil, Gin stepped forward, bowing sincerely and apologizing, "I'm very sorry, Mr. Zyhark, Mr. King, and Miss Aqua. I will compensate for the loss."
For the captain of Krieg's pirate crew, who had seen countless treasures, the value of a mere barrel of red wine was not worth such an extent.
Zyhark's eyes shifted, glancing casually at Gin, who remained bowed at ninety degrees.
Having witnessed the entire episode last night, he understood there was more to Gin's apology.
"So it was you, Biskin, truly disappointing to this goddess!" Seeing Gin taking all the blame, Aqua did not feel the slightest bit relieved but covered her face with her hand, sighing in despair.
She perfectly acted out the disappointment of being let down.
The main act was sheer shamelessness! "Biskin can work off his theft, but you, Aqua, explain why you had to go to the kitchen to use the toilet?"
Zyhark's face was expressionless, but to Aqua, it was full of murderous intent.
"Ah?! This, well..." Aqua scratched her head, laughing awkwardly.
"And if I'm not mistaken, you once said that a goddess doesn't need to use the toilet, right?" Zyhark started flexing his fingers.
The crackling sound scared Aqua into a panic.
Before the fist of justice could land on her head, the pain-fearing goddess threw herself forward, shamelessly clinging to his legs: "I was wrong! I was wrong, Zyhark-sama, I definitely won't dare next time, please forgive me this once!"
Gin: "..."
Is this really the "monster" with the title of Water Goddess in the news, capable of flooding towns?
In just a short span of ten minutes, Aqua's image in his mind plummeted by two levels. In the end, to teach this worthless goddess a lesson, Zyhark imposed a no-alcohol punishment: she was not allowed to touch a drop of alcohol for three days!
Aqua ran away crying.
...
The following voyage was relatively normal, with no particular incidents.
Having made a silent decision, Gin no longer engaged in any nefarious acts of poisoning but genuinely worked like a temporary worker of the sea restaurant under Aqua's command (exploitation), diligently doing all sorts of dirty and tiring work.
Occasionally, during his free time, he would join King in some leisurely dumbbell exercises.
Such weight was effortless even for newcomers in Krieg's pirate crew, let alone a powerful man like King, radiating an oppressive aura.
Thus, he never considered the possibility that a 25kg dumbbell was King's "absurd" limit!
During this time, customers who came to dine out of curiosity were mostly decent folks. Rarely, a group of bounty hunters recognized Gin but, deterred by King's intimidating presence, chose not to act.
Gradually, Gin grew fond of this leisurely yet busy lifestyle.
A life he, as a fierce pirate, had never imagined or dared to hope for. Yet, despite this, Gin's expression did not become more relaxed but was instead fraught with worry, frequently lost in deep thought.
This annoyed Aqua, who had successfully adopted the role of a taskmaster, even more, mercilessly exploiting his cheap labor!
Time flew by in this busy routine.
Finally, three days after Gin boarded, with half a day's journey left to Loguetown, a deafening explosion sounded beside the Endless Dream, sending a high spray of water crashing onto the second deck and sails, shattering the tranquility aboard.
Hearing the noise, Zyhark and the others quickly went to the deck.
Looking towards the calm sea in the distance, they saw about ten large ships cutting through the waves, heading straight for the Endless Dream.
Announcing the brutality and terror of the pirate fleet, the pirate flag with an hourglass symbol fluttered wildly in the sea breeze.
Even the smallest pirate ship in the fleet was three times the size of the Endless Dream.
The pressure from their formation was enough to paralyze ordinary merchant or pirate ships with fear!
Yes, this was the fleet of the East Sea overlord, Admiral Krieg, commanding thousands of subordinates!
After days of patient waiting without any message from Gin, Krieg finally couldn't sit still any longer!
"Quick! Mr. Zyhark! Speed up the ship to its maximum!"
Gin instantly recognized it as his own fleet and, knowing full well how terrifying Krieg was, urged Zyhark in a panicked manner to flee.
He had already lost any hostility towards these people who helped avenge his destroyed lineage, not wanting to see them slaughtered by Captain Krieg.
"Why run away when such a grand gift comes knocking?"
Compared to Gin's panic, Zyhark was calm, watching the approaching pirate fleet with a serene gaze.
After waiting so long, how could he let this big fish slip away?
(End of Chapter)