Chapter 45
From the moment she first met him,
That man had stolen her heart.
He was the first to reach out to her,
When everyone else had condemned her as a cursed wretch.
From that day on, a deep affection for him had settled in her heart.
She wanted to do anything for him.
If it meant seeing his smile, she was willing to give everything.
No matter how difficult or painful the task,
The warmth of his praise made all her suffering melt away.
And then…
At some point, she realized something.
It had started as a simple desire—
A longing that grew stronger with time.
She wanted to be by his side just a little longer.
She wanted to feel the warmth of his touch for just a bit more.
And when she finally recognized this feeling—
That this was what people called love—
She was consumed by an agony she had never known before.
Because that man… was someone far beyond her reach.
Though they stood in the same place,
She knew there was a vast gap between them.
Yet despite knowing that this feeling was forbidden,
No matter how much she tried to suppress it,
Once born, it refused to fade.
No—
If anything, it only grew stronger with time,
Becoming nearly impossible to control.
Her longing grew day by day.
And from within that longing,
She reached a single conclusion.
She had to become stronger.
If she was lacking now,
Then she would fill that gap,
Until she became someone worthy to stand beside him.
So, she devoted herself to improving every day.
And in doing so, she discovered talents she never knew she had.
Through her rigorous training in Magic Energy,
She realized she had a natural aptitude for combat.
And when, by chance, she heard him say “delicious” after eating her cooking,
She volunteered to take charge of the meals,
Becoming the ship’s head cook.
As a result,
She became the one responsible for feeding the entire crew,
And more than that—one of the five key officers under the Pirate King.
At last,
She could finally tell herself—
That she had earned the right, even if only a little,
To hold feelings for that man.
And now,
To seize the chance she had always held in her heart,
To overcome her hesitation,
She reached out her arms.
The man who had told her he would grant her any wish—
The Pirate King, Ezra Drake.
In response to his words,
Franklin Shadiko made her long-held wish known.
Not with words—
But through the most certain action she could think of.
She gave him her first kiss.
***
“!…”
An unexpected, intense sensation.
For a moment, I was frozen in shock.
A soft, warm feeling against my lips.
I had lived a rather indulgent life as a pirate,
Yet somehow, this kiss…
Felt different from anything before.
Awkward and clumsy,
Yet precisely because of that,
The emotion behind it was unmistakable.
More than anything,
The fact that the person before me—
The one pressing her lips against mine—
Was Franklin,
One of my five closest officers,
Someone I had always seen as a younger sister or a daughter—
It left me with a whirlwind of emotions.
“…Haah…”
Franklin slowly pulled away.
Her face, flushed a deep red, turned slightly away in embarrassment.
“Franklin… this is…”
“…”
She remained silent for a moment.
But then,
As if she had made a firm decision,
She lifted her still-flushed face and met my eyes.
“…This… This is my heart…Ezra Drake…”
“…”
Typical dense protagonists in shounen stories often miss the point in situations like this.
They think it was just some kind of mistake,
Or they assume there must be another reason.
But unlike those idiots,
I understood the meaning behind this moment instantly.
The girl standing before me…
No—
The woman standing before me…
Had always held feelings for me.
‘Now that I think about it… considering all of Franklin’s actions so far… Hmm…’
Memories flashed through my mind.
How she had stayed up all night experimenting with unfamiliar ingredients, just to make dishes I would like.
How she had smiled so brightly at the smallest words of praise, even after exhausting battles.
‘…Wait. At this point, I might have been just as oblivious as those dense protagonists…’
Realizing that I had been blind to all the signs, a bitter feeling welled up inside me.
But I could at least justify it.
Outside of missions,
Our pirate crew had always maintained a familial atmosphere.
However, at the end of the day,
We were still a hierarchical organization.
Orders from superiors were absolute. Ordinary crew members followed the decisions of officers.
And officers obeyed my commands.
In a situation like this,
If a superior were to ask, “Do you like me?”
It would put unnecessary pressure on the other person.
There were times when I thought, “Is this really necessary?”
But I had never consciously connected it to an emotion like affection.
That was why.
But now,
With Franklin having openly conveyed her feelings,
I felt the need to give her a response.
“…Ah…”
I carefully pulled her into an embrace.
A quiet gasp of tension escaped from Franklin’s lips.
And as I held her, I spoke in a calm tone.
“Do you really… feel that way? About someone like me?”
“…Yes… I… like you… ever since… the first time we met… and even now… always…”
“…There must be better men out there. Men who are more handsome… who can make you happier than I ever could…”
“…There’s no one else… To me… only you… Only Ezra Drake…You’ve always been the most wonderful man in this world…”
“…Haah…”
I had tried to dissuade her, if only slightly, from my perspective as an older brother figure who had watched over her for years.
But the outcome was just as I had expected.
And in the end,
For someone who had been so devoted—(especially when it came to feeding me…)
And for someone who had just spoken with such sincerity,
I wasn’t heartless enough to reject her.
To be honest, aside from her naturally ominous and intimidating aura,
She wasn’t exactly a stunning beauty, but there was a unique charm to her.
“…Alright. If that’s what you truly want, I’ll accept it.”
“A-Ah! Th-Then… Ugh…!”
Franklin’s face lit up with joy at my words.
But the moment she tried to move, she winced, pain shooting through her injured back, forcing her to curl up slightly.
Even so,
The overwhelming happiness on her face remained unchanged.
“Don’t push yourself. There’s plenty of time ahead. Take it slow—do whatever you wish to do as my lover.”
“Sniff… Y-Yes…T-Thank you… Drake…”
Tears welled up in Franklin’s eyes.
Seeing that expression,
I suddenly realized—
That this girl before me…
Had such a cute side to her.
“But for now, let’s keep this between us. You’ve probably noticed, but this is an important time, and I don’t want any unnecessary conflicts arising.”
“Ah… O-Of course. I understand completely.”
“And… because of this, I may have to treat you a little differently in public. But I want you to know, that doesn’t mean my feelings aren’t sincere.”
“Yes, I understand what you mean.”
There had always been an unspoken rivalry among the five key officers.
Even in the last reward ceremony,
Samir, who had received the highest accolades,
Had drawn envious stares from the others.
Until now, Franklin had remained somewhat uninvolved,
Preferring to stay out of political maneuvering.
But with the four others gradually forming their own groups,
It was uncertain how long she could remain neutral.
And if word got out that she and I had become something more—
It could cause unnecessary trouble.
Especially with that person.
“…T-Then… Even though I may be lacking…I… I will do my best… Drake…”
“Alright. Let’s do our best, Franklin.”
***
“Come on, just a little more to go.”
“Seriously… how did those guys manage to haul all this stuff in such a short time?”
“Well, for newbies, they’re pretty competent. We should step up our game too.”
The crew was busy moving the auction goods they had acquired from their latest mission.
Among them were the sacks filled with valuables that Elkana and Ambasha had gathered.
And among them—
A peculiar, unfamiliar chest.
Though the work was exhausting,
The pirates couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction.
After all,
Even the contents of the smaller bags were worth hundreds of Talants per person.
There would be a hefty fee to fence the goods,
But in the end, They would still walk away with piles of treasure— Enough to fill their hearts with excitement.
Then.
“What’s with this chest?”
Unlike the other goods,
One particular large chest stood out.
Curious, some of the pirates gathered to inspect it.
“What the hell…? This thing is made of adamantium? What the hell is inside?”
A metal known for its unbreakable durability—
Impervious to bullets, and even capable of withstanding cannon fire.
The pirates exchanged uneasy glances.
Something this valuable…
What could it possibly contain?
“Well, the Captain will explain later. For now, let’s finish up.”
“Yeah, let’s hurry and get some drinks. I’m gonna have the cook make me a damn pizza.”
Setting aside their curiosity,
The pirates finished up and exited the Captain’s Quarters.
But in their hurry—
They failed to notice.
The adamantium chest—
A container that was supposedly unbreakable.
Had a fist-sized hole at the bottom.
—
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