Chapter 3: Suspicion

"Come out, you two brats!"

The next day, commotion erupted throughout the "Flat Tower," and everyone received the captain's order to gather on the deck.

This "everyone" included not only the sailors belonging to the ship but also over a dozen paying "guests" and Law and Rosinante, who were present as laborers.

"What happened?"

"Don't push me; I paid my money!"

Soon, everyone on the ship, including the sailors wearing dirty headscarves and the guests wearing coats, gathered on the deck.

"Gentlemen, I have some unfortunate news to announce."

In front of everyone stood a man with a noble-style mustache, wearing a black high-crowned round top hat and holding a silver cane. His slightly raised head gave him an air of contempt from the heart as he spoke.

This pretentious fellow was the captain of this ship.

Sir Crohn!

A fallen aristocrat who had to go out to sea himself to make money due to the decline of his family's fortunes.

"Our head chef, Decar, was unfortunately murdered last night."

The noble-style mustached man spoke in a leisurely tone, recounting the events on the ship while scanning the deck with cold eyes:

The helmsman, the navigator, several guests, other sailors...

He didn't even spare the two children standing on the edge of the crowd.

"Somebody was lying in wait in the kitchen. When poor Decar was preparing to have a midnight snack, what awaited him was a deadly bullet!"

"Then his body was thrown out of the kitchen window and may now be lying inside some sea creature's belly."

This information was deduced by the noble captain based on the "traces" left in the kitchen. Although there were many suspicious aspects in this information, there was no doubt that Decar had been dealt a deadly blow.

Decar was just a servant.

How could his own life and the revival of his family be of importance?

In this world, there were numerous sea creatures and ferocious fish.

Once a body was thrown into the sea, it would soon be devoured, making it the simplest way to destroy evidence.

Hmph, someone on this ship actually wanted to challenge his authority?

Unfortunately, Sir Crohn was not Conan; he would never think that the burly head chef had died at the hands of two inconspicuous kids.

As the noble captain scrutinized everyone on the deck, one of the "true culprits," Rosinante, looked blank, pondering what "big events" might have happened this year.

The Sea Round Calendar, 1494...

Robin seems to have just been born, and Empress Boa Hancock was born last year...

As for Law, it would be miraculous if he could see anything through his sunglasses.

...

"This is impossible!"

The helmsman was the first to step forward, his head cleanly shaved and shiny, and a thin shirt couldn't conceal his exaggerated and powerful muscles.

"If Decar was really shot on the ship last night, how come none of us heard anything? There are so many of us; it's impossible not to hear gunshots on the ship."

His words made many people instinctively nod. Even if they were sound asleep, it would be impossible not to hear someone firing a gun on the ship.

"Then,"

The gloomy noble captain stared fixedly at the bald helmsman and said, "Tell me, how did Decar die?"

"Mr. Alec, you shared a room with Decar, so you should know better than anyone."

"Wait, are you suspecting that I killed Decar?"

The bald helmsman was taken aback, and his hand instinctively fell on the hilt of his knife. At the same time, several other sailors beside him, unsure of what was happening, also grasped their weapons hanging from their belts – short axes, curved knives, flintlock guns...

"Wait!"

Seeing the smell of gunpowder suddenly filling the deck, even the dozens of 'guests' present lifted their coats, revealing the weapons on their belts. A refined sailor wearing a sleeveless vest and a bow tie stepped forward.

"Alec, that's not what the captain means."

"But you shared a room with Decar, so you should know when something happened to him, right?"

"I... "

Facing this question, the bald helmsman's facial muscles twitched.

As one of the strongest fighters on the ship, he had a longstanding feud with Sir Crohn.

In battles or negotiations, he was always at the forefront. However, this noble gentleman, who stayed behind, wanted to take away half of the profits from each voyage, which made the helmsman increasingly dissatisfied.

The reason why Decar, the head chef, shared a room with the helmsman was to "monitor" him!

Everyone was well aware of this fact.

So the bald helmsman despised Decar and didn't bother to care about where the fat pig went or what he was doing.

"I was asleep, how would I know?"

"Cough, the 'Bloodblade' Alec, who is rumored to kill people in his dreams, says he was asleep..."

The refined sailor shook his head, causing blue veins to pop on the helmsman's forehead.

"I told you, it wasn't me—wait a minute!"

The helmsman didn't know what he had thought of, and after a sudden realization, his eyes became fierce.

"Could it be that you all want to monopolize the 'cargo,' so you hid Decar, that fat pig, and now come to question me?!"

With a clang, the curved knife at his waist was drawn out, and the helmsman's eyes turned red.

"I'm telling you, forget about it!!"

...

Faced with the furious helmsman, the noble captain and the refined sailor exchanged a glance.

It seemed that Alec, the brute, wasn't the culprit, then—

Their gazes fell on the dozen or so 'guests,' becoming increasingly dangerous.

...

"Rosinante, our chance has come!"

In the cramped hold, Doflamingo, wearing sunglasses, excitedly clenched his fist.

"Using the Silence ability to assassinate the crew members on the ship, incite conflict among the three factions, and then profit from it?"

Hearing Doflamiongo''s words, the slender boy nodded vigorously. For the first time, he realized that the two of them were indeed 'brothers,' and their plan was exactly the same.

"I refuse!"

?!

Facing the excited expression that froze on Doflamiongo''s face, Rosinante, leaning against the cramped hold, shook his head.

"I won't actively harm others, but I'll also be wary of others harming us. That's what my parents taught me."

One must not harbor malicious intentions, but one must not be defenseless either. This was the teaching of his parents in the 'previous life' and the view held by most people in the Celestial Empire.

Last night, Doflamiongo fired a shot that took down the fat chef, and Rosinante naturally didn't say anything about it since Doflamiongo did it to save him. However, he was not willing to actively incite the people on the ship to turn against each other, even though it was an ideal situation to use his Devil Fruit ability.

"You haven't changed after all," facing Rosinante's refusal, Doflamiongo didn't feel too disappointed. After all, this brother of his was just as 'naive' as their parents, and his behavior last night was actually quite unusual.

But Doflamiongo was not planning to let this opportunity go!

Because of the silent assassination of the fat chef, the ship was now divided into three factions: the captain, the helmsman, and the head chef. Each side was on guard against the other.

The guests on the ship were roughly gathered together, all full of resentment.

At this moment, all it took was a spark to make the people on the ship turn against each other.

Pushing up his sunglasses, Doflamiongo had a series of thoughts in his mind.

He wanted revenge,

Revenge on the commoners who had hurt him!

Revenge on the Celestial Dragons who had refused to take him back!

And revenge required strength, money, and manpower... He would start with this ship!

---

"What clues do you have?"

In the captain's cabin, where tension should be running high due to Doflamiongo's plan, the noble captain, the refined sailor, and the bald helmsman were sitting calmly together, each with a glass of wine in front of them.

"What clues could I have? That pig Decar lost his life just eating a late-night snack!"

Faced with the captain's question, the bald helmsman slammed his glass heavily on the table, showing both anger and fear. Decar died silently; if the killer had targeted him while he was asleep... It would have been such a frustrating way to die.

"Whoever ambushed Decar in the kitchen must have known that he had the habit of eating late-night snacks. Setting aside the method used to kill him, it is very likely that it was someone from 'our side.'"

The refined sailor glanced at the bald helmsman and asked softly, "Among the crew, who do you think is the most likely?"

"Let me think..."

Rubbing his oily and smooth scalp, the helmsman furrowed his brow, but he couldn't come up with an answer.

He had mostly focused on enhancing his combat abilities, so observing the subtle details in life was quite difficult for him.

"Well, actually, I don't have any clues either."

The refined sailor shrugged, appearing quite relaxed.

"I'm just a chart reader, and investigating murders is not my expertise."

"Well then, let's end the meeting here for today. Be careful when you return."

As the noble captain, seated at the head of the table, slowly spoke, the other two naturally stood up to bid farewell. After the helmsman and the sailor had left, the noble captain reached for something hidden under the table.

Underneath the table, there was a fully loaded flintlock gun hanging!

Glancing at the three untouched glasses of wine on the table, the noble captain's face turned cold as steel.

Who is it?

---

Walking along the corridor of the ship's cabin, the refined sailor touched his chin thoughtfully.

"The captain has no reason to kill his most trusted confidant, and it can't be that reckless guy, Aleck. No, maybe that guy knew we wouldn't suspect him!"

"In fact, if I think about it seriously, I'm the most likely one who killed Decar. After all, that pig had a share in our deal... but it wasn't me."

This merchant ship was supposedly transporting a special ore from the Grand Line to the North Sea, but secretly, it was also smuggling a forbidden item called "Explosive Rock."

It was an extremely powerful explosive, several hundred to a thousand times more potent than ordinary gunpowder. Just a small amount, the size of a fingernail, could blow up a ship!

Of course, the "Explosive Rock" on the "Flat Tower" ship had probably changed hands many times and had been heavily diluted, making it only a few times stronger than regular black powder.

Even with this "second-hand" item, countless strong individuals from the North Sea were eager for this "power."

It was also the hope for Captain Sir Clawhorn's family revival.

A single trip could yield tens of millions of Berries in profits! Even if it was divided among a few people, it would be enough for them to indulge lavishly.

But... wouldn't it be even better if one person could enjoy all the spoils?

The money the captain had saved up could probably buy a small town.

In other words:

"Decar, that idiot, might have been killed by the captain himself!"

As this thought struck him, the refined sailor stopped in his tracks, feeling an inexplicable sense of danger.

Perhaps the captain really only wanted to complete this deal and then return to his hometown as a wealthy noble...

"Sir," just as the sailor frowned, lost in thought, a child blocked his path.

"Can I have a few minutes of your time?"

The boy with golden short hair lifted his head, and his cracked sunglasses hid his eyes.

"I have information about Mr. Decar's murder."

?!

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(End of this chapter)