Lerena had no intention of giving up, and everyone aboard knew it.
For the past week Rida had struggled every evening to put the little girl to sleep, and teething had nothing to do with it. The child seemed to sense that something was wrong and would fall into hysterics the moment Edward disappeared from her sight.
Before long she had managed to bend both the crew and the captain to her will.
Her cradle was moved into the Emperor's cabin.
The Moby Dick had finally been completed and equipped with every modern convenience the shipwrights of the Isle of Wooden Hands could devise. A system of pipes carried waste safely overboard. The galley had been expanded to feed a crew of nearly a thousand men. There were even iron-lined bathing rooms fitted with showers and protected by watertight bulkheads.
Edward was deeply satisfied with the work done by the hundred craftsmen who had labored on the ship.
The Moby Dick had never looked more magnificent.
Preparations for departure began immediately, and Newgate happily welcomed several stubborn young troublemakers from the Isle of Wooden Hands into his crew.
Sailing was scheduled for the second week of the month. Until then, the crew settled accounts, loaded supplies, and finished all remaining business on shore.
Lerena, naturally, received several new toys for the occasion.
In truth, however, she preferred sitting beside Edward and telling him long, incomprehensible stories in her own language. The Emperor either laughed until tears rolled down his cheeks or listened with solemn concentration.
Unfortunately, she had to share him with the rest of the crew.
"You're a monster," Thatch declared without mercy, ignoring the child's watery eyes, her sweet smile, and the affectionate pats she gave his arm.
"But it won't last forever."
He made the statement with great seriousness while feeding Lerena a spoonful of mashed vegetables.
The girl sat in a special chair Fossa had built for her and clapped happily while chewing for no particular reason. She looked around the new galley with bright curiosity, waiting patiently for feeding time to end so Marco could take her up on deck.
"You think you're the one in charge," Thatch continued philosophically, "but the world isn't that simple. In this world the one who rules is—"
"Daddy!" Lerena laughed.
The pirate burst into laughter.
"Well, I can't deny your instincts, little squid."
Rida had long since noticed the strange look that appeared on the Emperor's face whenever Lerena was mentioned.
When she asked about the girl's future, Edward would answer thoughtfully, sometimes with visible reluctance. According to Rida's plans, the child would one day attend the best schools, learn several languages, and eventually marry into a powerful family—something that, with Whitebeard's connections, could produce unimaginable results.
But Newgate never seemed enthusiastic about any of it.
He clearly preferred keeping the child close.
And, strangely enough, in Lerena's presence the Emperor himself began behaving like a child.
Lerena wandered slowly across the deck, always accompanied by several pirates and under the watchful eye of her father, who followed her step for step.
The greatest difficulty during these walks was the fact that the girl absolutely refused to wear socks or shoes. The moment someone tried to put them on, she would sit down on the deck and howl loudly in protest.
Rida grew furious about it.
Edward merely waved a dismissive hand and allowed the child to walk barefoot wherever she pleased.
Once, however, when the sun had heated the deck boards almost unbearably, he spent a long time talking to Lerena until she finally agreed to wear her little sandals and graciously completed a short walk from the bow to the foremast.
Rida knew that eventually she would be left alone with a thoroughly spoiled child—and bringing her back under control would not be easy.
Despite being fourteen months old, Lerena still showed no sign of hair on her head.
Her eyes, however, were slowly changing.
The blue was fading, replaced by shimmering golden rings.
Everyone agreed they had never seen anything like it.
Those extraordinary eyes melted the hearts of the pirates and ensured that Lerena almost always got what she wanted.
On the evening before departure, Namur walked the deck with the child while solemnly promising Marco that no dental examinations would take place.
The first division commander was supervising the final loading of supplies, and although Lerena usually accompanied him, today she had chosen the company of the fish-man.
Namur listened patiently to her babbling, stepping carefully and making sure—almost obsessively—that he did not open his shark-like mouth too widely.
In truth, he didn't need to answer.
For Lerena, it was enough that he walked beside her.
From time to time she stopped and pointed at something invisible in the distance, then looked up at Namur as if expecting an answer to an unspoken question.
The fish-man usually responded with a quiet grunt.
That seemed to satisfy her completely.
"I think I can take her from you now, if you don't mind."
Namur turned around much faster than Rida expected and instinctively stepped between her and the child.
"Hey, hey, it's just me," she laughed nervously. "You don't have to look so terrifying."
"I… was just surprised to see you here," he rasped, finally handing Lerena over.
"Everyone's celebrating in town," Rida explained. "I thought you might want to join them. Marco said you should relax and have some fun. Who knows when you'll return here again."
"Well… in that case, I'll go," Namur decided.
Lerena waved goodbye and blew him a kiss—a trick she had learned from Izou.
Rida carried the girl across the deck, trying to teach her a new word.
But Lerena showed little interest in such lessons.
She had already discovered that the word "Daddy" solved almost every problem.
And she stubbornly stuck to it.