Chapter 20
Are you sure you won't get thrown into the sea by Shanks?
You, who slept soundly without a dream, were still worried about what you might have thought was a rejection of Shanks' words last night. This worry persisted until you boarded the ship with the Red-Haired Pirates and the symbolically significant bow of the ship sailed out of the coast.
The pirates, now away from land, resumed their daily routines. They played cards, did odd jobs, and discussed the interesting or frustrating things that happened on the island with their companions. In contrast, you, who had just gotten used to land, felt a little lonely returning to the sea.
The truth is, even if you don't follow the Red-Haired Pirates, your fate on the unknown island won't be much better.
After calming yourself down, you found a relatively inconspicuous corner on the deck to sunbathe. The room was comfortable, but even with the lights on, it couldn't compare to the bright sunlight.
At the same time, not long after the ship sailed away from the island, the crew members who were playing cards on the deck threw all their cards together and began to reminisce about their life on the island not long ago.
Perhaps because there were relatively young trainees among the crew, he mentioned a game that children on the island played, and the topic shifted to the games they played as children. They were very loud; even in normal conversation, you could hear what they were saying even from a corner.
What will surprise you is their childhood. The games that this group of grown-up pirates talk about are kicking cans, playing hide-and-seek, shooting birds with homemade slingshots, catching insects in the woods, and sometimes playing role-playing games together.
You didn't mean to eavesdrop, but this topic was far too ordinary for pirates whose daily lives revolved around food, drink, treasure, and desire. Of course, this was related to your stereotypes about pirates. Putting aside their identities, before they became pirates, they were just ordinary people living around the world, like you.
Perhaps because the topic was too mundane, the crew on deck pulled everyone they could see into the discussion, seemingly determined to find out something.
Beckman, Lyme, and Hongo were the participants they brought in. And Shanks, whom you'd expect to be very interested in this topic, was actually the quietest.
Shanks wore a faint smile that obscured his true thoughts, occasionally chiming in with his companions' conversation. Within this circle of laughter and conversation, it was clear to everyone that Shanks was the true leader of the group.
Because of their relaxed atmosphere, you, who originally intended to listen for a few words and then leave, stood on the deck for quite a while until Shanks, who was in the circle, brought up the topic with you.
What did you play with when you were a kid?
When you meet Shanks' gaze, you're a beat slow to react. You glance around at your surroundings and realize that you're the only person in the corner Shanks is looking at. Still unsure, you point to yourself.
"...Me?"
Not only Shanks, but everyone standing with him also turned their attention to you as the conversation progressed. Perhaps your expression was interesting, because Shanks laughed, his smiling voice repeating what he had said not long ago.
"Yes, it's you. What did you play with when you were a kid?"
Tell us about it.
Clearly, Shanks is inviting you to join their conversation. For someone like you who doesn't want to have too much interaction with pirates, this is a matter that requires weighing the pros and cons.
But ordinary chatting... shouldn't be a problem? With that thought, you walked towards the edge of the circle that had spontaneously formed as Shanks beckoned to you.
Under everyone's gaze, you named games that, in your opinion, were no different from the games they were talking about—hopscotch, freeze, shuttlecock kicking, and drop the handkerchief—games that were perfectly normal to you.
Unexpectedly, the pirates looked incredulous at what you said.
"Hopscotch? What is hopscotch?"
"And what is a wooden figure? Is it someone who carves a wooden stake into the shape of a human?!"
"What is a shuttlecock? A feather? You can kick a feather around like that?!"
"You can throw handkerchiefs around like that? My goodness, are people where you live this way?"
A group of pirates, accustomed to storms and waves at sea, are astonished by the game you're talking about, and are adding their own unique interpretations based on the name you mentioned.
Before they said it, you didn't think that a game of shouting "Three, two, one, freeze!" required using a knife to whittle wood.
As you try to organize your thoughts and explain how to play these games in order to legitimize your childhood games, Shanks, who is inviting you to join the conversation, laughs heartily.
"That sounds really interesting! I'm curious about how to play all of these games now. Anyway, the weather's nice and we don't have anything else to do, so why don't you show us how to play?"
Before you could even process Shanks' suggestion, the pirates, still reeling from the game you mentioned, all expressed their agreement, with some even saying that Shanks' suggestion couldn't be better.
For a moment, you, standing outside the encirclement, were the only one in a state of bewilderment.
So, in this situation, are you asking them to play the games that kindergarten teachers play with children...?
Can you refuse? Before you could even say no, seeing their eager expressions, you silently swallowed the words you wanted to use to refuse them.
-
"My God! Who invented such a terrifying game?"
Crew member A, who once again fell out of the race because he couldn't bend down to pick up a pebble, let out an incredulous cry, which made Shanks, who was behind him, laugh.
"Your balance is really terrible!"
Crew member A, well aware of his weakness—his lack of coordination—muttered something and left regretfully at Shanks' urging. Meanwhile, Shanks, with his excellent balance, was about to jump to the top of the bar, holding the bottle cap that represented him, his face beaming with undisguised joy.
"Watch closely, this is how you jump in hopscotch!"
Then, Shanks tossed the bottle cap from his hand into the calm sea as he waved his hand. Because the bottle cap itself had weight, and Shanks was quite strong, those on deck could hear the crisp, loud "plop" as the bottle cap hit the sea.
Shanks, who had been so confident just moments before, lost his composure, his confidence vanishing into the azure sea like the bottle cap he tossed into it. Meanwhile, those on deck burst into laughter at the stark contrast between Shanks' words and the facts, interspersed with comments from several officers.
Beckman: "Is that how you jump?"
Lu: "No wonder you're the boss! While others are playing hopscotch, you're jumping into the sea!"
Yasopp: "Boss, you have the nerve to say that to others? Controlling the intensity is a kind of balance!"
Hongo: "For the boss, the grids she drew were still too close together."
Lem: "According to the rules, the boss is out now, right?"
For a moment, joyful laughter filled the deck. Only Shanks, who had been eliminated due to exhaustion, scratched his right cheek in bewilderment, looking at the now undisturbed sea and muttering, "This shouldn't be happening."
As you struggle to suppress your laughter, the crew, eager to see the next contestant's performance, urge Shanks to stand up at the starting line.
"Alright, it's time for Lyme's turn. Boss, get off the field as soon as you're out!"
Shanks, who still wanted to try to break the rules, gave up the idea and readily gave up the starting line.
"Alright then! Let's switch to lime."
While those around him were betting on which square Lyme could jump to, a confident Lyme walked to the starting line, took the stone that represented him, and threw it accurately to the next square.
Perhaps because of the negative example of Shanks in the previous game, Rem's accuracy earned cheers and applause from the crew. You could almost see Rem standing on the take-off line, his chin slightly raised amidst the cheers and applause.
As expected, your previous impression of Rem as cold was a stereotype. Now it seems that Rem might be one of the younger, more mature members of this group of pirates.
Just as you're pondering Lyme's reaction, Lyme, who jumped to the top and turned back to get the stone, faces a new challenge: he needs to crouch down while standing on one leg, with his back to the stone behind him.
Logically, this challenge should be no problem, but with the average height of two meters in this world, performing a squat-like movement is quite challenging. Unsurprisingly, Lyme failed at this hurdle.
Looking at the well-dressed Lyme, who is now unhappy about losing the game, you have a new understanding of the hopscotch game you played as a child.
A game that can defeat these top-ranked pirates one after another... in a sense, it's practically invincible. Before you could even finish your internal monologue, Hongo, who had somehow appeared beside you, looked over and reminded you about the order of play.
"Your turn."
You quickly snapped out of your imagined world and back to reality, responding with a familiar smile.
"Thank you for reminding me."
After thanking Hongo, you walk to the starting line. The crew members who were just moments before lamenting Lyme's elimination have now been given a new lease on life because of your presence.
"Bet! Bet on her to jump to the end!"
"Hey, how dare you talk like that! Doesn't that make the boss and Lem lose face? I bet she'd lose on the first round, just like the boss and the others!"
The crew members, returning to their pirate roots from their childlike games, exuded a reassuring nonchalant attitude. Meanwhile, Shanks and Rem, mentioned by them, each reacted differently, but their reactions were essentially accusations of being belittled.
And so, you, who were just a little nervous about them being too self-conscious, were able to throw the stones and hop in order as usual.
It's mostly a memory from childhood. Even if you haven't exercised much in a long time, the familiar rules and memories make hopscotch almost your go-to game.
Seeing that you had jumped several squares in a row, the crew members who had just been arguing about how to place their bets were now starting to plan how to spend their winnings.
Perhaps it was because the heavens couldn't bear to see a ship full of pirates playing hopscotch instead of doing their job, or perhaps it was because the crew, seeing that they were about to lose, were praying and exerting their strength, that a wave suddenly appeared on the calm sea.
For pirates accustomed to sailing, waves don't affect their movements. But you, who are not yet used to sailing and probably won't be able to adapt to the waves for a long time, coupled with the action of hopping on one leg, you slide outwards as the ship tilts.
Most of the people on the ship were used to this situation and subconsciously stopped in place. That's why you stood out so much as you slid off the deck.
Fortunately, the angle of the boat's tilt was not large, and the feeling of weightlessness that made your mind go blank was stopped by the sensation under your feet and a muffled groan that sounded like you had been slandered.
You, who had closed your eyes in fear, opened them with a muffled groan, and what came into view was Lyme, who was pinned beneath you. His smooth, unsplit blond hair was now scattered across the deck. Lyme, who had used himself as a cushion, had a blush on his face.
Because things happened so suddenly, you were still trying to figure out how things had gotten to this point, and the hand on your waist unconsciously tightened. Then, you heard the sound of Lyme being injured, as if you had bumped into him.
"How are you?"
A single sentence jolted you awake from your reverie, prompting you to hastily get up and check if the lime, who had been acting as a human cushion, was injured.
"I'm so sorry! Are you alright? Do you need to go to the infirmary?"
Compared to your panicked reaction after getting up, Lyme, who had just sat up, was calm and reassured you, who was flustered, except for a slight blush on his face.
"No need, I'm just glad you're alright."
The surrounding crew were jeering at the accident, but you only felt terrified. Who knows if Lyme, whom you stepped on and who acted as a cushion when you fell, will come after you later?
Perhaps the crew's jeers were too jarring, because Lyme, who had been sitting up, suddenly stood up and walked towards the most vocal jeering group. But the jeering army wasn't going to sit idly by; seeing that Lyme was coming to settle scores with them, they promptly scattered like birds and beasts, preventing Lyme from taking them all down.
Noticing your anxiety, Hongo came to your side and gently comforted you.
"Don't worry about it, Lem is very sturdy. You can step on him a couple more times and he'll be fine."
Perhaps it's a professional filter, but when Hongo said those words, your tension caused by the little incident eased somewhat.
But you really stepped squarely on Lyme's instep... Are you really okay? And the words Hongo used to comfort you, do you think you've heard them somewhere before?
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