Chapter 23
It's surprising how effective the praise was on Lem. Without you even saying anything, Lem promised to keep it a secret—provided you didn't do it to anyone else.
"This is the only way you can treat me."
Lyme said this while holding your hand, and you smiled and agreed to his request, becoming increasingly certain that this matter must never be uttered by you, or you might face another hell.
You politely declined Rem's offer to take you back to your room, and Rem was somewhat unhappy about being rejected. But no matter how unhappy he was, you didn't dare appear with him in front of the rest of the Red-Haired Pirates; who knew what they would say if they saw you?
Considering that the longer it took, the more likely it was to be seen by others, he took the hand that had been withdrawn earlier and grasped the back of Lym's hand again, softening his tone as he watched Lym's bewildered expression.
"I promise you, I won't tell anyone about this, and I won't do these things to anyone else, okay?"
The palm you held in your hand showed signs of shifting, as if it might snatch control from your grasp at any moment. Sensing this, you prepared yourself mentally, but the truth was, aside from that action, Lem had no other intentions, and his expression of displeasure at your refusal softened somewhat.
"You only ever treat me like this, right?"
Clearly, what you just said had an effect on Lem; your tense nerves relaxed, and your gaze towards Lem softened.
"Yes, that's the only way I'll treat you."
Lem smiled smugly after confirming his "privilege" with you again, and the problem that had been impossible to resolve was successfully solved after those words.
Even though you don't know much about Ryme, you know that Ryme, who left at your request, walked back to his room with light steps. Putting aside your relationship with the pirates, Ryme is actually quite easy to understand, but you still feel nervous about his approach and docility.
And so it was. Once you confirmed that Lyme was off the deck, you, who had been on edge ever since you got close to Lyme, completely relaxed.
You still can't get used to this kind of touching, let alone the coaxing and guiding. All of these actions are far too advanced for someone like you who has no strange hobbies.
Perhaps you should be thankful that it was just you and Lyme on the deck. If there had been a third person present who witnessed the whole thing, you would have jumped into the sea without thinking once you calmed down.
This idea became absolutely firm when you saw Shanks, who had been standing there for a while with a rather interested smile on his face. The moment their eyes met, the smile in Shanks' eyes almost turned into a real teasing.
You refuse to accept reality, hoping that the Shanks you see is just your imagination. But Shanks's greeting shatters your self-deceptive fantasy. No, you can't think like that. Shanks might have appeared after Rem left and doesn't know about your interactions with Rem.
"What a surprise, I thought it would be Hongo."
A laughing male voice shatters your illusions, meaning that Shanks not only knows about your relationship with Ryme, but may have seen it all along.
Realizing this, you felt a flush rise to your face and couldn't come up with a rebuttal to Shanks for a long time. Seeing that Shanks' face was red because of your words, he quickly spoke up to calm you down.
"Hey, don't be nervous. I didn't mean to interfere with you. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
Clearly, Shanks' words of comfort didn't make you feel any better; instead, they intensified your anxiety and shame at being exposed. Furthermore, Shanks' words seemed to imply that you and Rem had a relationship that went beyond "roommates."
"No, we're not in that kind of relationship..."
In response to your explanation, Shanks smiled and nodded, saying, "I understand. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
Judging from Shanks' reaction, you don't think he's the type to keep a secret, even if you know Shanks wouldn't. But his reaction doesn't seem like he believes your explanation.
Just thinking about how Shanks will see you and Rem tied together, the shame from not long ago and the fear of the future intertwine. I guess I should just jump; that way I won't have to worry about this or that.
Just as you make up your mind, Shanks, who is standing directly in front of you, takes a few steps to reach you. Even if you are still in a daze, your body, out of habit, unconsciously takes a few steps back when Shanks gets close, increasing the distance between you.
And so it was. Shanks used his towering figure to separate you from the railing. Shanks, who had been so composed just moments before, now looked utterly helpless.
"Don't jump, please don't jump. I really won't tell anyone. I know that it's Lem who's pursuing you, and I don't mean to misunderstand your relationship."
You were pretty sure you hadn't said what was on your mind, but Shanks, in both his actions and his manner of speaking, seemed to have witnessed you actually jumping into the sea. Perhaps your confused expression was too obvious, because Shanks, who had just been smiling wryly, breathed a sigh of relief and changed the subject.
"You're curious, aren't you? As long as you don't think about jumping down, I'll tell you how I know."
Shanks's topic was excellent; it did distract you, at least you're no longer thinking about things that happened recently.
But you don't understand any of the three types of Haki Shanks mentioned. You only know that someone with Shanks' level of Observation Haki can see into the near future. So, did Shanks see that you were really going to jump, which is why he hurriedly stopped you?
Realizing this, your gaze towards Shanks held a newfound respect, and you confirmed something: Shanks was aware of what was happening on the ship, but whether he intervened was another matter entirely. By extension, he was aware of your awkward position on the ship.
Even though you know Shanks has no reason to care about these things, your admiration for him cools down with the passing sea breeze after you gain a new understanding of him.
Shanks, standing beside you, noticed your change in mood and whispered to you in a helpless tone.
"Don't look at me like I'm bullying you. Haven't you already figured out how to deal with Lyme?"
Before Shanks said those words, you could still dismiss any fleeting thoughts as mere conjectures. But after Shanks uttered those words, with a faint smile on his face, the seemingly approachable Shanks made you realize what a "pirate" truly is.
As you gradually calm down, Shanks, who had no intention of ending the conversation, uttered a statement that contradicted his previous one.
"But if you really encounter something you can't solve here, you can talk to me. After all, I'm the captain."
Generally, when this kind of thing is added later, you categorize it as a technique to make the conversation easier; whether it's true or not is no longer important. Looking at Shanks' approachable smile, you feel the current temperature making you shiver, but you still need to survive in the Red-Haired Pirates, and maintaining a facade of peace is necessary.
"I am truly grateful that you are willing to help me."
Shanks, already immune to your words of thanks, raised an eyebrow, his smile only widening.
"You really like to say these polite things."
You didn't respond to Shanks' words, but instead gave him a silent smile, ending the topic that made you want to escape.
-
Hongo hasn't returned yet, which means that as long as no one is injured, the infirmary is temporarily your territory. Just kidding, it's only a temporary base when you leave the room.
Because the village had said that you could find and read the books in the clinic yourself, since no one needed bandaging or medicine, you could find books that caught your eye to pass the time.
That being said, aside from medical books, you can only understand a few novels, and they are all rather old-fashioned and somewhat terrifying. Continuing with the novel you didn't finish last time, you can't help but gasp at the author's detailed description of the murderer's death.
As expected of a pirate, his taste in books is quite discerning.
When faced with the decision of whether to continue reading, you chose to give up. Forcing yourself to read a novel that would give you nightmares at night is undoubtedly a form of mental torture, and you already have a lot of pressure living in the Red-Haired Pirates; there's no need to torture yourself any further.
But what else can you do to pass the time if you don't read novels? Randomly rummaging through the infirmary is definitely out of the question, but you can flip through the newspapers you've read before. As Hongo instructed, you find the corner where he keeps the old newspapers and pick up the one on top to read. From the current issue's headlines to the jokes that Hongo and Beckman jokingly call "eye-catching news from the press," you go through them all.
After you've looked through the past issues of the newspaper, you realize it's time to help in the kitchen. So you tidy up the newspapers and books you've read and make sure the infirmary is in the same condition as when you arrived before you dare to leave.
The atmosphere in the Red-Haired Pirates is strange today. You don't know exactly why, but the crew members who usually greet you, who are not used to greeting you, seem even more silent today.
At first, you thought you were overthinking it, until a crew member you still had some contact with appeared.
"Oh, right, today's newspaper—"
Newspaper? Before you could react, the crew member closest to him darted to his side and covered the mouth of the crew member who was greeting you with one hand.
"Idiot! Didn't the first mate tell everyone not to mention it?"
After speaking harshly to the crew member who was choking you, the crew member who had stopped you from continuing only managed a stiff smile.
"You're going to help in the kitchen, right? Go on!"
Normally you wouldn't press the Red-Haired Pirates about things they don't want to talk about, but their conversation makes you feel that there's something fishy about today's newspaper. They also mentioned Beckman, and Beckman is intentionally keeping this from you.
So, does today's newspaper have a section like the one you've been thinking about? You don't think you have the ability to appear in the world's newspapers, much less the power to make reporters focus on you.
In conclusion, the only topics related to you are Crocodile or the Red-Haired Pirates themselves.
You can probably guess what the reporter wrote about the latter: conflating you with the Red-Haired Pirates, or describing what the Red-Haired Pirates did. If it's the former... you can't even imagine what Crocodile did.
Thinking about Crocodile's last comment in the newspaper, you can't seem to calm down. To get a good night's sleep tonight, you have to find someone to ask what's in today's paper.
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