The sun was bright, and the breeze was gentle.
Seagulls soared through the blue sky, while fish leaped above the surface of the sea.
In the ever-changing climate of the pirate world, today was a rare day of good weather.
For Ren, today marked a turning point in his life.
Not only had he successfully recorded his first Devil Fruit ability and taken the crucial first step, but he had also latched onto the biggest powerhouse of this era.
What Ren needed to do next was further solidify his position.
Only Ren knew just how extravagant the future lineup of the Rocks Pirates would be.
Every person who would eventually leave Rocks’ ship would go on to become either a legendary figure or a great power ruling over a section of the sea.
Now, as a founding member of the Rocks Pirates, he absolutely could not allow himself to be surpassed by those who joined later.
He had to secure an important position.
“Captain, now that we have a ship and people, I guess that means our pirate crew is officially established, right?
What should we call it?
Something domineering, or maybe something wilder?” Ren asked while eating an apple.
Rocks glanced at Ren.
“As for the name, I decided on it a long time ago.
It’s called Rocks.”
“The Rocks Pirates.
Great name.
Very promising.
I have a feeling our crew will become famous across the seas in the near future and dominate an entire era of pirates.”
Ren gave a thumbs-up, heaping on the praise without holding back.
“Wororororo, you sure know how to talk, kid.
Keep going.
I like what I’m hearing.”
Rocks laughed heartily.
Ren immediately seized the opportunity.
“Captain, our crew only has two people right now.
You’re the captain, so naturally, that makes me the vice-captain, right?”
“Vice-captain?
You?”
Rocks cast Ren a disdainful sideways glance.
“You’re young, but your ambitions aren’t small.
Start as the helmsman first.”
As he spoke, Rocks handed the wheel over to Ren after having steered for quite some time.
“Got it!”
It was Ren’s first time at the helm, and he rubbed his hands together, eager to give it a try.
For the next three minutes, the pirate ship, which had originally been sailing smoothly, began swaying from side to side like a drunkard.
Finally, after Ren nearly capsized the ship yet again, Rocks, unable to take it any longer, took the wheel back with a dark expression.
“With skills like yours, forget about being a full-fledged member.
At most, you can be a trainee.”
Rocks spoke irritably.
Originally, he had thought that bringing Ren along would at least allow the kid to help out a little, making the voyage ahead easier.
Who would have thought that Ren couldn’t even handle a ship’s wheel, let alone navigation?
He was practically useless.
All along the way, Ren had done nothing but eat and drink, while Rocks, the captain himself, had to handle one thing after another.
It was as if the positions of captain and crewman had been completely reversed.
Seeing Ren sitting around doing nothing, Rocks grew increasingly irritated and felt like beating him up.
Ren shrank his neck slightly after reading the meaning in Rocks’ eyes.
He knew that things couldn’t continue like this.
He had to find his place within the crew.
After an intense brainstorming session, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Ren.
Got it!
“Captain, wait a moment!”
Ren rolled up his sleeves, entered the cabin, and headed for the kitchen.
In his previous life, after seeing far too much of the questionable food and additives that came with takeout, Ren had learned to cook for himself.
He opened the Rust-Iron Pirates’ refrigerator.
It was packed to the brim with all kinds of ingredients.
There was practically everything one could ask for.
Perfect.
Ren took out several tomatoes, a dozen eggs, a piece of beef, a chicken…
With plenty of oil in the wok and a fierce flame beneath it, he quickly stir-fried one delicious dish after another.
Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry!
Braised Beef Brisket with Tomatoes!
Sweet and Sour Pork!
Home-Style Braised Yellow Croaker!
Scallion-Fried Sea Cucumber!
…
The irresistible aroma of the dishes soon wafted out of the cabin and into Rocks’ nose as he stood at the helm.
“What’s that smell?”
Rocks’ nose twitched, and his Observation Haki extended toward the cabin.
When he saw the table full of steaming dishes, Rocks raised an eyebrow slightly, surprise appearing on his face.
This cheap trainee wasn’t completely useless after all.
“Captain, come eat and take a break.”
Ren called out to him.
“Coming!”
Rocks answered without the slightest hesitation.
He had been waiting for those words.
By the time Ren had merely turned around, Rocks was already seated at the dining table, wolfing down the food.
“Chicken soup coming up!”
Ren brought the final dish to the table.
Watching Rocks devour the food, Ren’s heart settled.
He knew this was going to work.
As the old saying went, if you wanted to capture a man’s heart, you had to capture his stomach first.
“Captain Rocks, how does the food taste?
Is it to your liking?”
Ren asked with a beaming smile.
“Mmph, not bad, not bad.”
Rocks didn’t even raise his head as he answered incoherently, clearly thoroughly enjoying the meal.
“I’ve traveled far and wide over the years.
I’ve been to many places and eaten all kinds of delicious food, but I’ve never had anything like this before.
You really do have some skills, kid.”
“Then, Captain, about me becoming the vice-captain…”
Ren rubbed his hands together.
Bilibili Level 5 account upgrading to Level 6 reaction meme.jpg!
“You’re still thinking about that?”
Rocks was speechless.
This time, however, he didn’t brush the matter aside casually.
His expression became serious.
“Ren, it’s not that I don’t agree.
I don’t care who becomes the vice-captain.
But…
the future Rocks Pirates will be the strongest crew the world has ever seen.
The only people qualified to join will be monsters.
Survival of the fittest is the rule aboard this ship.
Everything is decided by strength.
Even if you become vice-captain now, what about the future?
Do you have the strength to suppress those monsters?”
After saying this, Rocks looked at Ren with a half-smile, expecting to see him become frightened and back down.
Unexpectedly, there wasn’t the slightest trace of fear on Ren’s face.
He agreed without hesitation.
“Worororororo, fine.
Since you want to be the vice-captain, then what’s wrong with letting you take the position?”
Rocks changed his mind.
It was unclear whether he had been won over by the food or whether he simply wanted to see whether a certain possibility would come true.
“However, if you end up dying because of this position someday, don’t blame me for not warning you, Vice-Captain!”
“I won’t die!”
Ren accepted the position with confidence.
He had already taken the most difficult first step and boarded Rocks’ great ship.
Ren could already foresee a glorious and promising road stretching out before him.
…
One week later, the Rust-Iron pirate ship docked at a dilapidated port.
Looking around, the entire city was in ruins, with hardly a person in sight.
This country, this land, was already dead!
“Captain, what place is this?”
Ren couldn’t help asking.
“The former Espelia Kingdom.”
A rare trace of sadness appeared on Rocks’ face.
“Eight years ago, when I first set out to sea, I passed through this place once and met a certain man.”
“Espelia…”
Ren murmured the name, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he finally remembered where that familiar feeling came from.
The Espelia Kingdom of the West Blue, the homeland of Brook, a member of the Straw Hat Pirates.
The rugged King Ruwen and the mysterious Queen Consort Kandel!
The princess Shuri, born with heterochromia and noticed by Imu, the King of the World—who would later become a member of the God Knights!
Six years ago, on the day this country was destroyed, not only did the Five Elders personally descend upon it, even the King of the World himself possessed someone and intervened personally.
Everything about it was shrouded in mystery.
Following Rocks, Ren arrived at the ruins of the royal palace.
Wild grass covered the ruins, which were still riddled with traces of cannon fire.
Rocks casually swung his sword.
A powerful shockwave swept away the debris covering the ground, revealing a mysterious five-pointed-star teleportation circle beneath it.
“As expected…
it’s that bastard from the Holy Land again…”