Chapter 3
The girl standing before him.
The pirate reached out his hand to Ambasha and spoke.
“Become my Daughter.”
“!”
A sudden yet powerful suggestion.
Ambasha asked in a trembling voice.
“D-daughter…?”
“That’s right. How about it? Become my daughter. Become part of our family, and let’s roam the vast sea together, freely.”
“!”
It was a sweet-sounding offer from her saviour and Master.
However—
At the same time, it was a proposal that felt overwhelmingly undeserved, causing Ambasha to be consumed by hesitation.
Even though she had escaped slavery as a result of her Master’s death, the fact that filthy blood still flowed through her veins hadn’t changed…
“B-but… I’m… just a lowly being. How could someone like me…”
“What does that matter?”
“Huh?”
The pirate responded firmly to her hesitance.
He then slowly spread his arms wide and, with a dignified smile on his lips, said:
“I’ve made my decision. I will take you as my daughter. I, the Pirate King, have decreed it. Do you think birth and status matter in this situation?”
“!”
“There’s only one thing to consider in this moment: whether you want this or not. Now, give me your answer. What is your choice?”
A declaration filled with confidence and absolute certainty, without a hint of doubt or hesitation.
Moved by the merciful yet powerful words…
Ambasha, following her heart’s desires…
For the first time in her life—
Following her own, pure wish—
Slowly reached out her hand.
***
Ranked #1 in Forbes magazine’s “Most Popular Pirate Quotes.”
A variation of the famous line, “Join my Crew,” rephrased as, “Become my Daughter.” (No such ranking actually exists.)
The fact that I made such a declaration to Ambasha meant I had decided to ignore the quest and the original story entirely, choosing to take in the protagonist myself.
Based on my past experiences, I knew well that abandoning or disregarding quests like this often led to penalties.
For example, leaving a sea monster alone out of laziness had resulted in all the nets I’d set up being completely destroyed.
Or sparing someone I was supposed to kill only to have them later come back swearing revenge and causing all sorts of annoying situations.
Even if it weren’t just about quest penalties, I was fully aware that this decision could cause significant consequences.
If a character with such a pivotal role in the original story disappears, it’s likely that a huge void will be created.
In extreme cases, a country that was supposed to fall in ten years might collapse by tomorrow.
But despite all that, I decided not to give up on this child.
A decision that no ordinary person would make.
Most people would struggle just to take care of themselves, let alone worry about others.
But I was no longer an ordinary person.
I was the Pirate King.
The King of the Seas, and a being who could confidently declare that on these vast waters, my word was law.
I recalled the saying of a certain monkey character I’d seen in my previous life, describing the Pirate King as “The Freest person in the World.”
On top of that, the status window said something similar when I attained the title of Pirate King.
<Congratulations.
You have obtained the title of ‘Pirate King.’
You have reached the pinnacle of the seas.
All pirates Bow to you.
The lords of the sea unanimously fear and watch you closely.>
“Now, lead this sea as you desire.
Rule over this vast blue world with the strength and authority you hold.”
A message that essentially said, “Do whatever you want now.”
And ever since that day, I’d been setting the rules for this sea and enforcing them as I pleased, without caring about others’ opinions.
Even the reason I started this whole matter had nothing to do with a quest, but rather with a rule I’d personally set and announced:
—“Any scumbags caught trading slaves on the sea route will lose their heads”—
With the power and authority to live as I wished, no longer just a helpless college student, I made my decision once again.
And in response to my decision—
The girl, the protagonist of this story, took my outstretched hand with a trembling voice.
“…F-fa…ther?”
The hand was still small, despite her being 16 years old—perhaps from years of malnutrition.
At the same time, it was covered in scars, calluses, and blisters.
Seeing that hand, I felt a mix of pity and affection, and I smiled warmly as I spoke.
“Welcome, my Daughter.”
“Ah…”
Upon hearing those words, Ambasha’s eyes instantly turned red.
As I gently patted her head, large, round tears began to stream down from her eyes, as if a faucet had been turned on.
“Sob…sob…sniff…”
Even in the original story, even before all of that—
She had never known what it was like to have a family.
The mere fact that I became part of her family filled me with a sense of satisfaction.
Determined to give this child the happiness she deserves from now on—
A gentle smile appeared on my lips.
***
“Thank you. Thank you so much!”
“We’re truly grateful, Great Pirate King!”
The people expressed their gratitude repeatedly toward me.
Most of them had narrowly escaped being dragged off as slaves and were shedding tears of relief after being rescued by us.
I didn’t know their exact backgrounds, but it was only natural for them to react this way, considering they had been saved from what would’ve been a catastrophic end.
“There’s no need to thank me. After all, we only wanted the spoils aboard the ship. We weren’t intending to save you or anything.”
“Even so, you released us without asking for anything in return.”
“Thanks to you, we can return to our homeland! We will never forget this kindness!”
“Hmm…”
I tried to maintain a ‘w-we weren’t trying to help you or anything’ kind of tsundere tone for the sake of my pirate king dignity, but receiving such heartfelt gratitude still felt pretty good.
Pretending not to care but secretly feeling pleased, I couldn’t help but feel a quiet, simmering rage toward the noble scum who continued to perpetuate the slave trade and the hierarchical system despite our iron-fisted suppression.
In this world, social status was an unquestioned norm, and it was natural for slaves to be treated as less than human.
Nobles bought and sold slaves, beat them to the brink of death, or outright killed them—all legally permissible in their respective countries.
There were exceptions, but the common legal standards in most countries of the central-western continent were like that.
But so what?
Unlike these medieval-minded savages who still cling to outdated ideas of social hierarchy—
Why should I, someone with a progressive mindset that scorns such absurdities, comply with their notions?
Who decides who can become King or Emperor?
If you have strength and power, you get to be king and emperor.
In the original story, people with similar progressive views eventually started a revolution. It was one of the main storylines, but right now, anyone openly advocating such ideas would have their head legally chopped off in the town square.
Of course, I’m someone who could throw those trying to take my head into the sea with a concrete block tied to their feet.
For that reason, I never hesitated to send those pompous nobles straight to the afterlife.
Especially those who, like just now, spouted nonsense like, ‘How dare a filthy commoner like you…’
Such individuals were in desperate need of physical therapy and ideological re-education, delivered through the equalizing justice of a spear.
Anyway—
After killing the ones that deserved to die, sending off those who deserved to be set free, sorting the prisoners, and claiming the loot as our reward—
I returned to the ship, once again reminded of the fact that pleasures are fleeting, but the aftermath is long-lasting.
“Hey! Great job, Captain.”
A woman greeted me energetically, waving her hand as I stepped onto the deck.
She had short black hair and green eyes, wore a silver cross around her neck, and carried a longsword on her back. She looked to be in her early thirties and had a pretty face.
The second-in-command of our fleet and my vice-captain—
Remine Migdal.
Seeing her grinning from ear to ear after sorting out the loot, I asked the question I was most curious about.
“You worked hard too. So, how much did we earn from this raid?”
“If we liquidate everything, it should be around 50 Talar. Even for a slaver, they had quite a few valuables, so it turned out to be more lucrative than expected.”
Since we’d freed all the slaves for free, it was only natural that our profits would take a hit.
50 Talar… If we were to convert it, that’s about 50 million won—barely enough to cover our crew’s food expenses for a month.
Considering the cost of repairing the ship after the battle, replenishing ammunition, and treating the injured, it wasn’t exactly a profitable sum.
But this was never a primary source of income anyway.
This was more like a hobby or a charitable activity, so the small profit we made was fine.
“That’s a relief. At least you’ll be able to cover the loss from your gambling a few days ago.”
“Haha… Yeah, I didn’t expect to lose that much there.”
“Then stop gambling already. How can the vice-captain of the Pirate King’s fleet blow through her salary every month because of gambling?”
“That was just bad luck. I’ll pay it back double with interest next time, so can you lend me about… uh, four Talar? Just kidding.”
When I raised my fist, she immediately shrank back in fear.
I frowned slightly at this small flaw of my friend and subordinate, then let out a small sigh.
“Sigh… Speaking of which, how’s that kid we brought onboard?”
“The new recruit, Ambasha, right? I sent her to the cabin to learn a few things… ah.”
“? What’s wrong?”
The vice-captain made a peculiar expression.
With a troubled look on her face, she said:
“Now that I think about it… Franklin is on cabin duty today…”
“Oh no…”
Feeling a sense of urgency, I hurriedly started walking.
“Let’s hope he hasn’t made her cry…”
“It’s too late for that. I’ll bet you one Talar that they’re both crying by now.”
—
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