Chapter 34
The Whitebeard Pirates crew members are all very energetic. They just had a wood-whittling competition on deck a while ago, and today they're putting on a talent show. As for how you know this, it all started when you were taking a walk on deck for your health and ran into a flustered Ace.
Ace recognized you at first glance. Before you could even ask him why he was in such a hurry, he greeted you with a bright smile and then dragged you toward the deck.
You caught up with Ace, but the playful Ace led you to the deck, using his agility to squeeze from the outermost layer of the encirclement to the innermost position. Meanwhile, you, remaining on the outermost layer, learned the reason for the match from Izona, who arrived around the same time.
Whitebeard suggested the talent show, reasoning that the weather was perfect for something entertaining. A show with too much violence might make them lose their temper and accidentally injure their own people, while a show without any violence wouldn't fit the pirate style. So, it ended up being a purely entertaining talent show. After understanding the situation, you asked the question that concerned you the most.
"So the winner of the talent show gets a chest of treasure?"
Izo, who was temporarily acting as the guide, laughed along with the crew on deck as Ace nearly set the deck ablaze with fire.
"Yes, are you interested in participating?"
The familiar scene and conditions reminded you of the fishing competition with the Red-Haired Pirates. Participating in group activities can foster friendship, but you don't think you can handle their punishments. With that in mind, you hesitate to readily agree to what's hidden.
"If there weren't conditions for punishing the last-place finisher, I might be very interested."
Faced with your carefully considered answer, hidden amidst the cheers of the crowd for Vista's entrance, I give you a positive reply.
"Of course not, you can participate without worry."
Izo's answer relieved you. Amidst the cheers of Ace and Harta, you and Izo looked at the two who were leading the jeering and laughed in unison. When your eyes met again, you returned Izo's invitation with a look of observation.
"Let me think about it some more. It's always better to have a clear understanding of things before making a decision."
Upon hearing your reply, Yizang smiled approvingly: "Indeed, that's a good habit."
Your casual chatter ends here, because Vista begins his talent show. You find his sword dance, complete with floating blossoms, quite captivating. But the judges, Whitebeard and the nurses, have seen the skills of everyone on board, and without exception, they all give him excellent scores.
Despite the judges' highly subjective scores, Vista remained unperturbed, simply smiling and accepting the good marks before descending the deck.
Next up was a crew member with a small drum around his neck. Seeing the drum, and anticipating what was to come, the image that made you gasp for breath flashed through your mind. Even though you knew it wasn't a shrine, your body reacted and took a step back. However, the rhythmic drumming was faster than your retreat.
The drumbeats weren't the rhythm you were familiar with, yet your body was still immobilized by the drumbeats surrounding you. It was Izo, who was standing beside you and hadn't left yet, who noticed your unusual behavior.
"How are you?"
Perhaps because you were in such a bad state, Izo extended his left hand and gently encircled your waist in case of an accident. Realizing Izo's intention, you barely managed to spare a bit of energy from the memories that were giving you a splitting headache, returning to the reality dominated by cheering and drumming, and responding to Izo's unperturbed smile.
"I'm fine, thank you for your concern."
Despite your feigned nonchalance, a few wrinkles appeared between your handsome brows. Clearly, Izou didn't consider your condition to be "fine."
"Are you really alright? You look terrible. I can call Marco over if you need to."
Seeing that Izo was about to leave to call Marco, you quickly grabbed Izo's wrist, then let go amidst Izo's surprised expression, apologizing for your rudeness.
"I'm sorry, I just wanted to let you know that I'm really fine, I'll be alright in a bit. And since everyone's having fun, let's not bother Marco."
Your apology was met with a light laugh from Izo, followed by a conversation in which Izo took the blame for what had just happened.
"No, it was my fault for not considering your feelings. Since you insist, I shouldn't say anything more."
During your conversation, the drummer finished his performance, and the previous cheers turned into rhythmic "Izang".
Because their voices were so synchronized, you didn't immediately realize that the "Izo" they were talking about was the person standing next to you. When you finally realized they were calling for Izo, the meticulously made-up Izo sighed, his face showing a helpless expression.
"These guys seem to be tired of living."
"Are you tired of living?" Izo's smiling words caught your attention. Because you were unsure of the situation, you dared not show your curiosity. Even so, Izo noticed something amiss in your cautious gaze.
"It seems like it's my turn to perform. Do you want to go to the front to watch? It's okay if you don't go to the front, but if you stand at the back, you won't be able to see very well."
As he extended the invitation, Izo had already reached out his hand to you. Perhaps it was the allure of Izo's smile, but before you knew it, you were already in the front row, standing next to Ace, the one who had brought you there.
Izo's performance was a dance that matched his attire. If you didn't look closely, you might mistake Izo's gender for his peaceful and elegant movements. Regarding this, Ace, sitting next to you, whispered to you that on the island they docked at before you boarded the ship, quite a few people did indeed mistake Izo's gender.
At this point, Ace revealed a mischievous grin that he usually wore when he was teasing people.
“But when Izang made his move, they knew where they went wrong. When Izang was in a good mood, they were bruised and battered, but when he was in a bad mood, it was hard to say.”
Because of Ace's personality, you're unlikely to doubt what he says. Judging from Izo's tone of voice and mannerisms, you seem unable to connect Ace's words with Izo in the center of the deck.
Moreover, for people with strange fetishes, Izo's reprimand could be considered a reward in a way, right? Even if you didn't say anything bad about Izo to Ace, the fleeting thought and Izo's timely glance still startled you, making you straighten up. Ace and Harta, noticing your unusual behavior, laughed out loud, and Izo, as if seeing your reaction, smiled.
Looking back now, I realize that you ended up at the front of the circle because of Izan's incredibly alluring smile.
Thinking about this, having seen you in every news story in the previous world, this is the first time in this world I've worried about someone because of their beauty. Perhaps you should find some time to educate Yizang about some safety knowledge that might not exist in this world?
This unrealistic idea vanished the moment you saw the weapon Izo carried at his waist. How careless of you! You almost forgot that Izo is stronger than you.
Amidst the applause and cheers of the crew, the judges, unfazed by such behavior, unanimously awarded near-perfect scores, followed by a cacophony of voices. Some cheered, while others seemed to express dissatisfaction with the judges' decision, and Harta, sitting next to you, was among those expressing discontent.
"Is Tibet ranked first again? No, we need to put some pressure on him."
Harta's suggestion was approved by Ace, but Ace's answer was not what Harta wanted: "We've both used up our chances, so who's next?"
The two of you stared at each other in silence for a long while. As Izo walked toward you, a hint of a smile flashed in his sapphire blue eyes, and then you felt a little weight on your shoulders.
Following the weight on his shoulder, you see Harta with a mischievous smile on his face.
"If you put some pressure on him, I'll reward you even if he loses."
"Um?"
Harta's words left you momentarily bewildered, while Ace, who was on Harta's side, placed his hand on your other shoulder, revealing a smile almost identical to Harta's.
"Yeah, Dad and the nurses might give you a bigger score since you're a new face. Why don't you give it a try?"
Even if you're slow on the uptake, you'll realize what the two of them mean. So they want you to put pressure on them? Wait, are they serious?
Thinking back to how few of your interests have absolutely nothing to do with performing, you realize that saying no isn't so hard anymore.
"But I—"
Before you could even finish your prepared thoughts, Yizang, who had walked up behind you, chuckled and revealed his idea.
"Give it a try, I'm really looking forward to seeing what surprises you can bring us."
You, who could have refused Ace and Harta who were full of expectations, couldn't bring yourself to say no when you saw Izo's smile.
When you finally stand on the deck that serves as a makeshift stage, you realize the danger lurking within, and the fact that you have zero resistance to beauty. Amidst the silence and expectant gazes of the crew, you, who are rarely the center of attention, feel your limbs go weak, and you can feel a noticeable heat on your face and ears.
Now that things have come to this, it's impossible to step down without doing anything. As for Harta and Ace's talk of "applying pressure," you reasonably suspect they are putting pressure on you. Thinking of the culprit who caused this situation, you subconsciously glance at the corner where the two of them are.
Meeting your reproachful gaze, Ace returned a bright smile and a thumbs-up, while Harta leaned against the railing behind him, looking like he was waiting for the show to begin. Not only Harta, but the crew members below the stage and the judges sitting not far away were also watching you with great anticipation.
The problem is, you have absolutely no idea what you can perform. If conditions allowed, you'd like the newsbird to precisely drop a new newspaper above your head, causing you to faint in front of everyone, thus ending this embarrassing situation.
Unfortunately, the newsbirds already came earlier. This means that, lacking both talent and fighting skills, all you can recall at this moment is a performance by a cow from a long time ago.
But can that be called a program?
Seeing that the crew and judges watching were about to be embarrassed by your frozen position, you braced yourself and raised your dominant hand, giving a thumbs up amidst everyone's "she moved" gazes.
"Please, please remember this thumbs up."
With a trembling voice, you drew everyone's attention to the raised thumb, and they did just that. Logically, you should be glad everyone cooperated, but the thought of what you were about to do made it impossible to calm the heat on your face and the racing heart.
Even so, the performance had to continue. So, amidst the increasingly expectant gazes of the people on the boat, you extended your other hand.
"Now, I'm going to cut off this thumb—"
The closest crew member and three others nearby widened their eyes simultaneously, seemingly ready to speak up and stop your seemingly dangerous actions.
Before they could stop you, you slid your outstretched hand over your raised thumb, and as your hand covered it, you hid the raised thumb in your bent palm. A performance so absurd it would make someone with social anxiety turn around and jump into the water was completed, and your heart pounded and your face flushed, reaching its peak amidst the stunned crowd.
"Now... this thumb has been cut off."
As you announced the end of the performance, the Moby Dick fell silent for a moment, so quiet that even the occasional seagull passing by couldn't help but glance at it.
Then came Whitebeard's signature laugh, followed by the laughter of the entire crew as they gradually realized what he had been performing. Among them, the most excessive laughter came from Ace, who was lying on the ground punching the guests, and Harta, who laughed until tears streamed down his face.
Even Izo, who encouraged you to participate in the competition, is now turning his back and laughing so hard his shoulders are shaking.
At this moment when everyone was laughing, Whitebeard and the nurses smiled and took out the perfect score plaque, awarding first place to your performance that you want to kill yourself just thinking about it.
However, the crew members watching did not think so, and instead smiled and agreed with the referee's decision.
"That's so interesting! She's really so interesting!"
"I have no objection to giving her first place. A performance that can make the whole boatload of people laugh like that deserves first place!"
"Hey, who recorded this with the video recording bug? Give me a copy if you have it!"
"Give me one too! I can pay for it!"
Amidst the crew's murmurs, you covered your burning face and wept as Marco presented the award with a smile.
There was no other reason; I was simply so ashamed I wanted to disappear.
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