After tucking the stack of Berries into his chest, Huiye and the other three arrived at the ship’s helm.
“Do any of you know how to sail a ship?”
Huiye looked at the three of them and posed the soul-searching question.
The three exchanged glances and shook their heads.
“I don’t know either.
Let’s all figure it out together.”
“This ship is yours from now on, so you’ll need to at least be able to get it moving.”
Huiye shook his head helplessly.
The three villagers gave awkward smiles, and the four of them began studying how to get the ship sailing.
Fortunately, it was just a small sailboat, and the controls weren’t too complicated.
After studying for a while, they successfully got the ship moving.
The four small boats were also reattached to the stern.
The four of them stumbled along the island, sailing toward the direction of the village.
Before the sun sank below the horizon, they finally returned to the beach where the village was located.
Because it was dark, there was a bit of a mix-up.
The villagers thought pirates had come again.
Fortunately, the burly man spoke up in time, preventing the villagers from panicking and fleeing.
Back in the village, several villagers unloaded the food from the ship.
Huiye was taken home by the burly man.
Today, he would rest at the burly man’s house.
The woman holding the baby that Huiye had seen that day was the burly man’s wife.
The woman was somewhat attractive.
Fortunately, the Buggy Pirates weren’t interested in women, only treasure.
That prevented a greater tragedy from occurring.
Huiye stayed at the burly man’s house for a week.
This week was the best he had eaten since crossing over.
It also allowed Huiye to discover his golden finger.
That was, no matter how much food he consumed, he could perfectly absorb the energy from it.
It was very much like an enhanced version of Life Return.
Huiye’s originally thin physique successfully filled out a bit over this week.
He nearly returned to the build he had when he first crossed over.
During this week, several young men in the village also figured out how to operate the sailboat.
The young man Huiye had saved also recovered from his injuries.
At least, guiding Huiye wouldn’t be a problem.
Today was the day to set off for Shells Town.
Under the villagers’ watchful eyes, the sailboat slowly departed from the shore.
Shells Town was indeed not far from Moby Island.
The sailboat took only a day to reach the docks of Shells Town.
“benefactor, take care.”
“I’ll train hard.
When I’m stronger in the future, I’ll repay your kindness.”
The young man said solemnly.
Huiye waved his hand dismissively, saying nothing.
After bidding farewell to the others, Huiye disembarked.
As for the young man’s promise of repayment, Huiye didn’t take it to heart at all.
In his eyes, such a minor character in this perilous pirate world was unlikely to achieve much.
Huiye walked alone on the streets of Shells Town, observing the bustling scene of this Marine Base location.
Shops lined both sides of the street, with hawkers’ cries rising and falling, and the aroma of fresh bread wafting through the air.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted from ahead.
A squad of Marine soldiers was escorting several handcuffed pirates past, with the leading officer loudly scolding the onlookers.
Huiye instinctively took a few steps back.
His gaze involuntarily fell on a middle-aged pirate officer.
“Is that…
Morgan?”
Looking at the middle-aged man whose appearance differed slightly from his memory, Huiye felt a bit surprised.
“His jaw hasn’t been crushed yet, meaning he hasn’t encountered Kuro.”
“So, the current time is before the year 1517 of the Sea Circle Calendar.”
“Just not sure exactly which year it is.”
“I’ll ask someone later.”
Huiye pondered to himself, but his eyes remained fixed on Morgan’s figure.
This future Marine Captain known as “Axe-Hand” was still just an ordinary officer now, but a hint of ruthlessness already showed in his demeanor.
He noticed the double-bladed axe at Morgan’s waist gleaming coldly in the sunlight, and the surrounding civilians instinctively avoided him.
After the Marine squad moved on, Huiye approached an elderly newspaper vendor by the street.
“Uncle, what’s the date today?”
He asked casually, handing over a coin.
“Oh?
Young man, just back from sea?”
The old man took the coin and handed over a newspaper with a smile.
“Today is March 12, 1515 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
Here’s the latest World Economic Journal for you too.”
Huiye thanked the old man and began flipping through the newspaper as he walked.
The front page prominently featured the headline [Shichibukai Crocodile Achieves New Feat], with a silhouette of a man with a golden hook standing in the desert beside it.
“There’s still time…”
Huiye put away the newspaper, his gaze sweeping over the Marine Base gate across the street.
“The Marines…”
Huiye had also considered whether to join the Marines, but the thought of serving as a dog for the Celestial Dragons made him dismiss the idea.
He didn’t have unrealistic ambitions like becoming a Vice Admiral or an Admiral.
But even being a low-ranking Marine soldier was hard to accept.
After all, if the higher-ups were already serving as dogs for the Celestial Dragons, could someone at his level remain uninvolved?
Moreover, with his current strength, he probably wouldn’t even make it to lieutenant in the Marines, ending up as cannon fodder.
Just as Huiye was contemplating his next move, a clamor came from the direction of a tavern.
Several drunken Marine soldiers were shoving a frail merchant, demanding “protection money” with curses.
Passersby nearby lowered their heads and hurried past, afraid of getting involved.
“It seems the Marine discipline in Shells Town during this period has already begun to deteriorate.”
Huiye shook his head inwardly and turned toward another street.
He needed to find a place to stay first, then slowly gather information.
A small inn named [Blue Seagull] at the corner caught his attention.
The place looked clean and tidy, but it was small-scale, so the price probably wouldn’t be too high.
As he pushed the door open, a bell hanging on it chimed crisply.
“Welcome!”
An elderly woman wearing glasses looked up from behind the counter.
“Looking for accommodation?”
“Yes, accommodation.
How long can I stay?”
Huiye placed ten thousand Berries on the counter and asked.
The old woman glanced at the small stack of Berries, sized up Huiye, and spoke.
“You’re still young.
I’ll let you stay for a week.”
“But, no meals included.”
“Thank you.”
Huiye nodded and took the key the old woman handed him.
The room was at the end of the second floor.
Though not large, it was tidy, and the window offered a view of the distant harbor.
After inspecting the room, Huiye went downstairs satisfied.
He had other purposes for coming to Shells Town from Moby Island.
That was to make money.
How to make money?
Certainly not by getting a job.
In the pirate world, how much could you earn from a job?
Huiye planned to learn from Nami and become a thief.
Nami, a weak woman, managed to save up a hundred million Berries by stealing over a few years.
Could he do worse than Nami?
Huiye didn’t plan to steal too much either; a few million Berries would be enough.
That would sustain him for a long time.
And his target was the Marine Base in Shells Town.