John opened the door to the small room that would serve as Narberal's quarters and gave a simple explanation. "Here is where you are going to stay. It is a little small for now, but I can expand it once we reach an island that has enough scrap metal. I do not have the materials to work with at the moment." He guided Narberal inside with a smooth motion, showing him the space he had prepared.
The room was modest, but the bed stood out immediately. John had built it himself through a long process of trial and error, making sure it had enough cushioning and support to feel comfortable for anyone who used it.
He planned to sell beds like these in the future as a way to earn money without depending on plundering or dangerous methods. For him, it was a small but meaningful step toward creating a different kind of livelihood.
When Narberal's eyes landed on the bed, he froze. His expression shifted without warning, and tears began to gather and fall.
At that moment, John found himself overwhelmed by an unexpected rush of memories that were not his own.
Narberal's entire life, starting from early childhood, unfolded before him in a rapid series of vivid scenes.
Narberal was barely five years old in the first memory. His father pushed him and his mother away with desperate strength, forcing them to flee while hunters closed in around him.
Those hunters had been after the enormous bounty placed on Lunarians, a reward so high that it attracted every greedy and desperate individual on the sea.
John could feel the fear, the confusion, and the crushing finality of that moment as Narberal's father made his last stand to protect them.
After that event, Narberal and his mother lived a life that closely resembled the one Robin had endured.
They constantly traveled from one hiding place to the next, sleeping in forests, abandoned shelters, or anywhere that allowed them to avoid the eyes of Marines and bounty seekers.
For more than ten years, Narberal had not touched a proper bed. He rarely stayed in the same place for more than two days, and rest had always been something taken in small, uneasy fragments.
The next memory showed the moment everything truly fell apart. Narberal's mother confronted someone dressed in the clothing of a Celestial Dragon, but the person's physique was far stronger than what was typical. John realized immediately that it had been one of the Holy Knights.
The fight was short and brutal. Narberal's mother attempted to strike a fatal blow, but the damage healed almost instantly.
The Holy Knight fought with precise knowledge of Lunarian biology and exploited every weakness until her fire extinguished and her strength faded.
She collapsed not from a single dramatic moment, but from simple exhaustion and the slow erosion of her energy. The quiet and merciless nature of her loss made the scene even more painful to watch.
After that, Narberal continued running on his own. Loneliness followed him everywhere, and many nights he sat alone wondering if ending his life would be easier.
Still, he never acted on those thoughts because he always remembered his parents and the smiles they had given him before choosing to sacrifice themselves. Those memories were the only things that kept him moving.
John then saw the moment Narberal was captured. He had saved a child who fell into the sea, pulling him out before disappearing immediately so he would not draw attention. The child, however, described being rescued by a dark winged angel.
This innocent description reached adults, and before long it reached people who understood the meaning behind those wings. Marines and CP agents rushed to the area in large numbers.
Narberal tried to escape, but exhaustion caught up with him. The memory ended with him collapsing after being surrounded, followed by a long stretch of nothing until he woke aboard John's vessel.
The weight of all those memories left John unable to remain distant. He placed a steady hand on Narberal's back, offering what little comfort he could. He understood that the pain of watching loved ones die left deep wounds, and Narberal had been carrying that burden for far too long.
"You are safe now," John said. "I will make sure, not just as your captain but as your friend, that you have people around you who accept you. You will not be betrayed.
You are my right hand from this point onward, so stand proud and hold your head high. We are going to reach our goals together. You can rest now. You do not have to face anything alone."
He nudged Narberal gently into the room. Narberal stared at him for a long moment, looking at the sincere smile that John offered without hesitation.
It reminded him of the warmth his parents once gave him, something he had not felt since the day they died.
John closed the door, and a moment later a window latch inside the room opened. It revealed the panoramic view beneath the sea.
The vessel moved at such incredible speed that even the fish could not keep up with them.
The scene left Narberal momentarily speechless. He then noticed another small door that led into a shower room.
The fixtures were unfamiliar to him, but he experimented with them patiently until he understood how each latch worked.
After washing, he opened a cabinet inside the shower room and found clean clothes along with a towel. The outfit resembled the suits worn by the Heart Pirates and was something John considered fitting for the crew.
When Narberal finally lay down on the bed, his breathing slowed almost immediately. For the first time in over a decade, he fell asleep without fear, worry, or the expectation of running again.
While Narberal slept, John made his way to a separate chamber where he had stored the treasures taken from the World Government ship.
The room was filled with gold, jewels, and various objects that were clearly meant to be transported to the highest authorities.
The sheer amount of gold confirmed John's earlier suspicion that these were part of the Heavenly Tribute.
Among the many chests, John focused on three that had a different aura. He had suspected their contents, and his suspicions proved correct when he opened them. All three were filled with devil fruits.
He grabbed the Devil Fruit encyclopedia he had taken earlier and began comparing the shapes and patterns.
"The first one is called the Cremation Cremation Fruit," he said quietly to himself. "It seems similar to the quirk that Dabi had, since it lets the user create flames that burn hot enough to turn blue. The downside is that the user is not immune to their own fire, so using it recklessly would be painful."
He closed that page and moved on.
"The next one is the Buta Buta no Mi, model Caldonian Boar. It is a mythical zoan. According to this, the Caldonian Boar from Greek myth had a defensive ability so strong that it could rival Fengxi, the one Warcury uses. If this fruit awakens, it should match or even surpass that level."
He then looked at the final fruit.
"This one is another mythical zoan. Tori Tori no Mi, model Thunderbird. Interesting. It grants abilities similar to both wind and thunder logias. The user can turn into lightning or wind depending on how they choose to fight."
After finishing his review, John extended his hand and manipulated the magnetic field around the room.
Gold and scattered objects lifted slowly as he guided everything back into neat piles and containers.
He wanted the storage area to be clean and organized, especially since these treasures would play a major role in their upcoming plans.