After that, Lister turned his gaze to a familiar figure and spoke.
Michelin's cooking was excellent, but his skills in a fight were poor. Because of that, his status in the galley wasn't high, with two others pressing him down. Now Lister was making Michelin head chef; it was also a way of granting favor. Food passes through the mouth, after all. With Michelin promoted, those two cooks would surely grow jealous. If Michelin wanted to advance and truly stand firm in the kitchen, he would have to lean on Lister. Only then could he borrow Lister's momentum to keep the other two in line. Otherwise they would be hard to handle.
Overjoyed, Michelin bowed and thanked Lister. Lister nodded, then looked to the man in charge of the stores.
"Afu, you're returning to the combat ranks. From now on, the treasury is under Nami's management," Lister said.
A hush fell. While cleaning the corridor and the captain's cabin earlier, they had heard thunderous noise from the vice‑captain's quarters next door, Andrei's room. They also knew that, for some reason, there was now a woman aboard. That woman was now the boss's lady. No one dared voice an objection. Afu could only answer helplessly, "Aye."
"Alright, I'll keep it short. Today is the founding day of my crew, the Money Pirates. Forget the unpleasantness. We keep eating, keep drinking. No one leaves sober!"
A roar went up. The men shook off their drowsiness at once. As long as the banquet continued, nothing else mattered.
"Michelin, later, make something tasty and send it to the vice‑captain's quarters," Lister said.
"Aye."
The feast began. Lister joined in for a while, but sensing everyone felt constrained around him, he found an excuse to slip away. He hadn't truly bonded with this lot. For now, they were just cannon fodder on his climb to the peak. Perhaps, if they showed enough potential one day, he would consider opening up to them.
"Not feasting outside? You're back?" Nami looked up at Lister as he came in, but didn't stop eating.
She had had no choice; when Lister left, she hadn't dared take her leave. Leaving would have cost her dearly.
"I see," Nami nodded. Crews like the Straw Hat Pirates, with no strict ranks and everyone able to play as one, were rare. A hierarchy of superiors and inferiors was the norm.
"Of course I was anxious," Nami said as if it were obvious.
They chatted on and off. The food on the table was gradually eaten clean.
Lister pulled Nami into his arms. Having developed a taste for the pleasure, he couldn't refuse it. Without answering her, he carried her toward the bed.
Night.
Does the Swift‑Swift Fruit only accelerate movement? Can I use it to speed up the body's recovery and self‑healing? Can I use it to quicken my thinking speed?
Decided. Starting tomorrow, I'll test each of the guesses in my heart one by one.
Lister finished writing his notes and closed the notebook. He went to the bedside, glanced at the already sleeping Nami, lay down, and fell into a sound sleep with her in his arms.