What truly made him sit here with a furrowed brow...
Was the fact that he had actually lost a capable deputy!
Tashigi was someone he had brought from Marine Headquarters to the East Blue.
And now, she had been stolen right from under his nose.
At this moment, Smoker only felt a deep sense of shame.
He even began to wonder whether he was really suited for the role of guarding a Marine base.
But more importantly...
When he recalled the few things Kael had said before boarding the ship, the more he thought about them, the more they made sense.
So much so that his hatred toward Kael had been significantly reduced.
If only he hadn't been so arrogant and had acted more cautiously, then maybe Tashigi...
Smack!
Suddenly—
The silent Smoker gave himself a hard slap across the face, startling the nearby Marine.
"Damn it! What the hell am I thinking!?"
He abruptly stood up, driving away the chaotic thoughts in his mind, and barked out orders to the Marine soldier:
"Prepare a warship immediately!"
"Set full speed ahead! Pursue that pirate ship!"
"And send word to Marine Headquarters to issue a new bounty poster!"
"Captain of the Dusk Pirates, Kael."
"Suspected user of a Wind-type Devil Fruit. Armed with a Seastone pistol. Cunning and devious. Combat ability unknown…"
"Crimes: Causing a major disturbance at Loguetown port, kidnapping a Marine officer, and…"
"Hoo~…"
Smoker took a deep breath. Looking at the wound on his left shoulder, he spoke solemnly:
"Injuring Marine HQ Colonel Smoker and retreating unscathed.
"Looks like... we've shaken off the pursuers."
Under the night sky—
The gentle moonlight that scattered from above draped a silver veil over the calm sea.
After a full day of sailing, the Tiga slowly docked along the shore of a small, uncharted, uninhabited island.
Inside the captain's quarters—
Through the finely crafted porthole, Kael gazed out at the peaceful night sky and ocean, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"Impressive."
"To think they actually dispatched five warships to catch us. Looks like Smoker really pulled out all the stops this time."
"What a shame..."
"With those outdated, broken-down East Blue ships, they actually thought they could catch up to the Tiga, which sails with the wind? Ridiculous."
"Hahaha…"
Kael let out a hearty laugh. Then he picked up a bottle of sweet drink—made from who-knows-what—and raised it toward the person sitting across the desk:
"Thanks for your hard work, best helmsman in this world—Little Tiga!"
"Heehee…"
Across the desk, Little Tiga sat on a tall chair, his little legs dangling and swinging back and forth.
Seeing Kael raise his drink, he eagerly picked up his own and clinked glasses with the captain.
Though he couldn't taste food or drinks, he greatly enjoyed this kind of human interaction.
"To help Captain Kael isn't hard work at all!"
The little guy, having been busy all day, smiled happily while sipping through a straw.
Not far from the desk—
Tashigi, who had been kidnapped, was still unconscious, fast asleep on Kael's bed.
Since she was a future crewmate, Kael had kindly given up his bed for her.
This kind-hearted young woman had no idea that she was now hundreds of kilometers away from Loguetown on a remote island.
Seeing that Tashigi had hogged his bed for a whole day without signs of waking up, Kael knew—
He'd be stuck sleeping on the couch tonight.
"This knockout drug really is something else."
"Looks like that shopkeeper wasn't lying after all."
Although the sofa wasn't as comfy as a bed…
Fortunately, Kael had the Captain's Quarters recovery buff, so it didn't affect his physical condition.
After the Tiga was upgraded to a level 1 ship, the Dockyard System's facility shop had opened to Kael.
This captain's room was no ordinary room anymore.
It was a miraculous place with a built-in recovery buff!
As Kael described it—
"This is like the hot spring of a pirate crew… except it doesn't revive the dead!"
[Facility: Captain's Quarters]
Level: 1
EXP: 0/5
Description: The highest symbol of authority aboard the ship, a must-have facility.
Effect: While sleeping, restores 10% stamina and 10% energy per hour. Includes a small storage space.
That's the current stats of the Captain's Quarters where Kael and the others were located.
Though only level 1, it wasn't especially luxurious.
Just a desk and chair, a small safe with limited storage capacity, a simple single bed, and a long couch.
These few pieces of furniture made up this magical room.
Inside, no matter how exhausted your body or mind, a single good night's sleep would leave you fully rejuvenated.
This was everything Kael got from spending 5 million Beli.
The facility shop split things into two major categories:
1. Functional Facilities
Like:
A training room that lets crew members with character panels gain EXP.
A steering platform that increases ship speed.
A charting room that auto-maps as the ship sails.
These all had special effects, but also came with a hefty price tag—5 million Beli each.
Upgrading them also required extra Beli, which only counted toward the facility's EXP and not toward the ship's level.
To level up the ship itself, even more Beli was needed.
Clearly, the Dockyard System was a money pit!
2. Creative Facilities
This was the category that made Kael's heart race.
Like:
Plantations to grow crops.
Ranches to raise animals.
Aquariums to breed sea creatures.
Automated factories to assemble things…
These didn't have fixed prices—they varied based on size and area.
They excited Kael's inner builder, making his DNA boil with passion.
Unfortunately, with so few crew members and no good projects at the moment…
Even if he bought them, he couldn't run them yet.
And since the ship's level was still low, it couldn't hold many facilities…
With one slot already taken by the mandatory Captain's Quarters, Kael had to carefully consider what to install next.
The Next Morning
A brand-new dawn rose from the horizon, casting golden waves across the sea.
Having slept all day, Tashigi felt the warmth of the sunlight and fluttered her eyelids.
"Mmm~~"
Letting out a soft moan, she stretched lazily on Kael's bed.
A wave of unprecedented comfort surged from her core.
This was the Captain's Quarters' recovery effect—a sleep so good, it felt perfect.
"Is it morning already?"
She raised a hand to shield her eyes from the light and finally opened them.
What greeted her… was an unfamiliar ceiling.
"Huh? Where… am I?"
Still dazed, the girl muttered in confusion.
The next moment, a sense of unease kicked in and she quickly sat up—
Just then, the door creaked open.
Creak—
"You're awake?"
Bathed in morning light, Kael appeared at the door and stepped inside.
"Congratulations, the surgery was a success. You're now officially a girl."
He said with a grin.
"What!?"
"That's impossible!"
Tashigi's eyes widened in shock.
She instinctively reached toward her side, feeling the soft curves of her own body, and was instantly jolted fully awake.
Wait a second…
Wasn't I already a girl to begin with!?