Better you than me.
Aside from the four Lister had named, the others all let out a breath in secret and silently accepted his terms. No one spoke first; they glanced at one another, each waiting for someone else to open their mouth.
The four who'd been singled out turned livid on the spot, and seeing the others keep quiet only made them panic more.
No—this couldn't go on. If it did, they were finished.
Skinny Dog spoke up first, hard and fast. "Don't listen to him—he's trying to split us. If the four of us die, who's to say he won't keep naming more? We've fought side by side for years, and now a slave flips the tables, sits on our heads, and throws his weight around. You can stomach that?
"Brothers, while we still outnumber him—kill him! The captain's dead, Andre's almost dead. If we kill him, the Iron Hammer Pirates belong to us.
"All the gold and Beli on this ship—kill him and it's all ours."
At once, men who'd been ready to surrender started to itch for blood again.
"Kill him!"
"I'll go first!"
Seeing the crowd stir, Fat Dog roared and hurled himself forward with a broadsword raised.
Lister moved at the same time.
In a blur he streaked straight for Fat Dog. His blade flashed across the man's neck.
Blood geysered. Fat Dog toppled with bitter unwillingness still on his face.
Lister didn't stop there. Since he'd moved, he would kill the chicken to scare the monkeys—otherwise there'd be no quelling this restless mob.
He ghosted across the deck and appeared before Skinny Dog, Bamboo Pole, and Bear Two. His blade fell.
Three clean kills. The whole thing took less than five seconds.
Every pirate watching broke into a cold sweat. The fire that had just flared up in their chests was snuffed out at once.
Lister's gaze swept their faces again. "If I can kill three, I can kill all of you. Last chance—submit, or not?"
His voice seemed to pour straight into their ears like a spell.
Weapons clattered to the deck. Men dropped to their knees.
"I submit. Boss Lister, you're my boss from now on. Tell me east and I won't dare go west; tell me south and I won't dare go north."
"Good." Lister nodded. "Your first job—clean every corpse off this ship."
"Yes!" the remaining twenty-odd pirates answered at once and scrambled to it.
After seizing control of the ship, Lister didn't idle. He turned and headed for the storeroom. He hadn't forgotten about Nami.
When he reached the warehouse, both Nami and the gold were gone.
"She woke up that fast?" He scratched his head, then hurried toward the captain's cabin. He'd told Nami earlier that Henry kept half the treasure there; with her love of money, she wouldn't pass it up.
When Lister reached the cabin, Nami was just then poking her head out, hefting a sack of gold and sneaking a look.
"Enjoying the view?" Lister smiled.
Nami's pupils jolted when he appeared. She almost screamed, but swallowed it and backed away in fright. Henry's body was still inside—the crew weren't that fast at cleaning up. One look at that brutal corpse told her Lister was a ruthless man. And here he was, right in front of her. Who wouldn't be scared?
"Afraid of me?" Lister teased.
"No, no," Nami said quickly, forcing a thin smile. "Didn't you take the Beli already? Why are you back?"
"The captain's cabin is my turf now. Why wouldn't I come back?" Lister's tone was amused.
"Your turf? You killed Bloodhammer Henry and took over the crew?" Nami's eyes went wide.
"Something like that," Lister nodded, then smiled. "Since the Iron Hammer Pirates are mine, everything on this ship is mine."
"Then…"
"The gold on your back is mine, too."
"I…"
"And you, of course," Lister added. "From today on, you're my ship's lady."
"No, absolutely not. I don't belong to you. I'll hand over all the gold—just let me go," Nami blurted, snapping out of her shock.
"No. I've set my sights on you," Lister said, imperious.
Twenty-plus years as a law-abiding citizen of the modern world had had all his bottom lines and conscience stripped away by ten days of slavery. Ten days at sea had taught him the law of the jungle and doing as one pleased. As long as he was happy, nothing else mattered.
"You can't be serious," Nami was almost in tears.
"Enough. Don't cry. Be mine and I'll treat you well."
Staring at his earnest face, Nami felt helpless. Reasoning with a brute was hopeless.
She drew a deep breath, forcing herself calm, and fixed him with a solemn look. "As things stand, I have to tell you who I really am. I'm an officer of the Fish-Man Pirates—Cat Burglar Nami. If you know what's good for you, let me go. Otherwise, when my big brother Arlong comes, you won't like how this ends. My brother Arlong is a great pirate with a twenty-million bounty."
Pfft—
Lister couldn't help laughing.
"You're laughing?" Nami's face flushed when he didn't buy it and even laughed, anger bubbling up.
"I heard a joke. Couldn't help it," Lister said, smiling. "I know what 'great pirate' means—those people have bounties in the hundreds of millions, even billions. Twenty million and you call that a great pirate? That's a first for me."