Rosen told Hathaway about their current situation. She was slightly stunned upon hearing it. They were trapped on a broken ship, drifting in the misty sea?
"What do we do now?" Hathaway didn't think it was a major problem. As the saying goes, skill breeds courage. With some of her strength restored, she believed they would find a way.
"Even though we can't see the sun, judging by the light, night should fall soon. Let's rest for the night. When you've mostly recovered, we'll explore together… and… thank you." The firelight reflected on Rosen's face.
This time, surviving was largely thanks to Hathaway. Rosen subconsciously touched his chest. Even his cigars were gone—he couldn't even have a smoke.
"No need to thank me." Hathaway looked slightly uncomfortable, her cheeks faintly flushed.
It was the first time he had thanked her. All along, she felt she owed him more. And recalling what happened beneath the sea, now that she had calmed down, it felt rather bold.
But the situation had been critical; she hadn't thought much at the time.
"Y-you get shy too?!" Rosen's jaw nearly dropped. It was the first time he had seen Hathaway like this. There was a reason he rarely treated her as a woman.
Her personality and actions—compared to her, even the fiercest male villains fell short. Yet now she had this side to her.
That fleeting moment of shy beauty made his heart race.
The moment the words left his mouth, Rosen knew why some people stay single forever. He had spoken too fast and too bluntly. But it really had caught him off guard.
"Shut up!" With a thud, the unprepared Rosen was kicked flying. Hathaway's face darkened. Was this bastard captain provoking her on purpose? Or deliberately reminding her of something?
"Cough… still full of energy. Sorry, I misspoke," Rosen coughed awkwardly.
"It's nothing. I got worked up too. I shouldn't be bothered by trivial things. I don't know why I couldn't control myself just now…" Seeing him apologize, Hathaway felt embarrassed instead.
It was strange—why had she become so childish? What was there to be angry about?
"Hahaha!" Rosen suddenly laughed. He had once thought Hathaway terrifying, but now she didn't seem so scary. She had the emotions of an ordinary person.
"What are you laughing at?" Hathaway asked, her mood already steady.
"Actually, Leah once told me about your past." Rosen gazed at the sea and picked up a grilled fish. There was no seasoning, but they often caught this kind of fish at sea and grilled it—especially with that brat Natalie.
Even without seasoning, it tasted good.
The fish meat and belly sizzled with oil, the skin slightly crisp. After a great battle, Rosen had expended a lot of energy. He devoured seven or eight pounds of fish in no time.
Hathaway suddenly fell silent, unsure where to begin.
So he knew about her past—perhaps all of it. Before, she wouldn't have cared. But now she felt afraid—afraid that this man before her would fear or even despise her like others did.
Her past was not worth mentioning. It was full of darkness and blood. When she was still a slave, she had been traded between many people—not just as a Celestial Dragon's slave.
The number of people she had killed, even entire families she had dragged into her vengeance, was countless. She had never thought of herself as a good person.
She was just someone who wanted to survive.
"Are you afraid of me?" Hathaway asked nervously, looking at the man before her. It was the first time a question made her uneasy.
Many feared her. She killed without hesitation. In many people's eyes, even demons were less terrifying, for under certain extremes, what she did was no better than a devil's work.
"Before, a little. Maybe you didn't notice, but the way you looked at people was numb—like looking at the dead. At first, I worried whether you could get along with everyone. But now I don't worry anymore," Rosen said honestly.
"Why?" Hearing the first half made her chest tighten, but the second half felt warm. Did she really look at people that way? She had never noticed. And yet he had…
"Because you saved me." Rosen smiled faintly. It meant she had become more human, no longer just a strategist on a throne who could slaughter and sacrifice for the greater good.
"What kind of logic is that? I went to sea because I owed you. Saving you didn't mean anything special," Hathaway said, puzzled.
"There's no logic. I just want you to know one thing—that I believe in you. You've worked hard all these years. As long as I'm alive, I'll make sure you all live happier every day. But if one day I'm gone, I hope you'll take care of them for me."
Rosen had never thought himself immortal.
He wasn't afraid. Battle after battle, as long as he wasn't crushed outright, he enjoyed the clash of surging power. It made him feel in control of his own life.
And it gave it meaning.
"You…" Hathaway looked at Rosen, so serious yet filled with determination and joy. For a moment, she felt the urge to cry.
No one had ever known what kind of person she was and still looked at her as an equal.
Not even the people of Landis. They saw her as a god, a savior—feared and revered. Their devotion was faith in a protector, not this.
Everyone only knew she was a ruthless monster from childhood. No one knew how she endured that life.
Perhaps her strength and dominance made everyone forget she was only a girl in her early twenties.
King. Monster. Mass murderer. Warmonger. These were the titles others gave her.
In the beginning, in her most desperate moments, she had hoped someone would save her. But when there was no other way, she picked up a weapon. Only then could she survive.
These years had been hard—so hard she had grown used to it, even lived by it. No one had ever spoken to her like this, comforting her, understanding her hardship.
But…
"I can't promise you."
"Can't? I see…" Rosen was surprised, but Hathaway was fiercely independent. It was normal she wouldn't easily agree to someone's request.
"If we face danger we can't overcome, I'll die before you. So I can't fulfill your request. Since you care about them so much, then don't die." Hathaway spoke calmly, stating a fact.
Rosen froze. His heart was deeply shaken. This woman… she was truly hard to fathom.
But as a friend, she was worth everything.
He looked at her as if engraving her into his mind and heart.
Before, he might have been willing to pay a price for her in certain matters. But from this moment on, he could entrust his life to her.
It was a feeling he had never experienced since coming to this world. Not even with Nico Robin or Daz Bones had he felt this.
It wasn't that he didn't trust them. By now, he trusted every one of his officers, especially Nico Robin and Daz Bones.
For them, he would stand against any force in the world and never abandon them. He believed they would do the same.
But he had always stood as their protector. What Hathaway gave him was mutual guardianship—even if at first it had been out of gratitude.
"Then you're not allowed to die either. No matter the time or situation, as long as I'm alive, you're not allowed to die." Rosen extended his hand before her.
Hathaway trembled slightly. She stared at his hand, lost in thought. After a long moment, her trembling hand clasped his.
"Okay."
Crash! Suddenly the weather changed. Darkness fell as torrential rain poured down. The mist showed no sign of dispersing, and in an instant Rosen and Hathaway were drenched.
"The Grand Line's damned weather. Let's find somewhere to take shelter." Rosen could have shaped a fortress from golden sand, but since they had a ship, there was no need to waste energy. They just needed a decent spot to avoid the rain.
It looked like a storm, and no one would stay on deck to be battered by wind and rain.
End of Chapter.