Chapter 100 Captain and Crew [VIP]
A month is neither too long nor too short.
It is large enough for ships to reach the two islands, large enough for shipyards to build hundreds of warships at full capacity, and large enough for people who train hard to achieve initial results.
Rayleigh did not let the Straw Hat Pirates train in the Sabaody Archipelago.
There's no room to maneuver in this place, and if we make too much noise it will attract onlookers.
They were training on an uninhabited island in the doldrums near the South China Sea.
The Merry carried them there, and during the journey they encountered several sea kings that wanted to hunt them, and Rayleigh directly used them as teaching materials.
During the training break, Franky inspected the Merry.
This weather-beaten boat has not been properly repaired after being damaged many times. It is a miracle that it can still sail normally today.
When the damaged wooden boards were removed to reveal the all-important keel, Franky's heart sank.
The situation was worse than he had expected. Even if the previous loopholes were patched up, the ship would only have a few months left to live.
The only way to continue sailing safely in the future is to buy a new ship.
Franky did not hide such a big thing and told the whole story by the campfire that night.
The previously cheerful atmosphere instantly cooled down.
Usopp's reaction was particularly big. He suddenly stood up and questioned Franky.
"You've got to be kidding me! Franky, there's no way the Merry can't be repaired. It even brought us to this island!"
"Just because we can sail now doesn't mean we can in the future." Franky said matter-of-factly.
He has not officially joined the Straw Hat Pirates yet. From the perspective of a ship repairman's responsibilities and position, the Merry is indeed impossible to repair.
However, Usopp couldn't accept this statement.
Not only could he not accept it, he also looked at the people sitting beside him and said, "Hey! Luffy, we can't abandon the Merry, right!"
Luffy is rarely serious, there is no smile on his face, only seriousness.
"Franky, is there really nothing we can do?"
Franky nodded gravely. "Even if it's managed to be repaired, it'll only last two or three months at best before it falls apart. The keel is severely damaged."
…
Rayleigh had no intention of stopping the Straw Hat Pirates' dispute.
He just sat on a big rock not far away, drinking quietly and looking at the bright moon in the night sky.
Changing ships is something that pirates who want to survive for a long time must go through.
The Roger Pirates had experienced this before, and more than once.
The first ship they sailed on was even a small fishing boat that he temporarily treated as his home.
Thinking of what happened back then, a smile appeared on Rayleigh's face, but it quickly disappeared.
What a pity! If Roger were still alive, he would definitely be excited about Yale's appearance.
Compared with the moon people, Yale is obviously a guest from a more distant starry sky.
Roger would probably roll on the ground in anxiety, clamoring to go to outer space and have a good look.
"Are you going to kill it now—?"
A roar interrupted Rayleigh's thoughts.
He glanced sideways and saw that the Straw Hat Pirates who were originally sitting around the campfire had all stood up, and there was a hint of them splitting into two factions.
Usopp is a unique person, and the roar just now was also made by him.
He could not accept the result that the Merry was beyond saving, nor could he accept Luffy's calm attitude when he said, "The Merry has completed its mission."
The dispute was about to break out, and Luffy and Usopp refused to give in to each other until the end, when they broke up completely.
Usopp is about to quit the pirate group and decide the ownership of the Merry through a duel with Luffy.
Luffy agreed, and the two sides started fighting directly on the beach.
Compared to the solemn expressions of the Straw Hat Pirates, Rayleigh looked like he was enjoying the show.
After spending some time with them, he has seen through the personalities and thoughts of these little guys.
This is a good team, but it is not a top team that can last long.
Each of them has his or her own thoughts, and generally speaking they can work together, but they are not completely united around the role of "Captain".
Simply put, except for Zoro who put himself in the right position, the rest of the people - including Luffy, did not realize what the two roles of "captain" and "crew" actually meant.
Disputes are inevitable.
Rayleigh had long guessed that they would go through this, but he didn't expect it to be now.
He withdrew his gaze and continued to admire the moon and drink.
The moon has been very bright and round in recent days, with faint lines visible on it, as well as some... small black spots that seem to be moving.
Could it be the work of Yale?
He had never seen such moving black spots when he looked at the moon before.
And the blue meteor that streaked across the night sky before must not be an ordinary meteor.
But he had no idea what Yale was doing on the moon.
Are you ready to use your weapons against them? I don't think so...
However, what Rayleigh cared about most was the title that Yale always mentioned - Captain - the captain of the Eternal Night Pirates.
So far, they have only seen Yale, but have not seen the so-called star pirate group of the other party.
He didn't think Yale was bluffing. The other party didn't need to rely on empty words to scare people.
There must be a team behind the other side, but I don’t know when it will appear or what style it will be.
*
"It's completely... useless."
Lying on the ground in the arena, a group of bored pirates were sighing.
In the past, they used to scare people together with the captain.
The captain is responsible for making harsh remarks, and they cooperate with the natives of the planet to invade.
But this time, it was really an accident.
When they arrived, the captain had already completed the entire process, and only the final decisive battle was left.
However, they are generally not required to appear in the decisive battle.
This time was the same. The captain didn't ask them to do anything. They just had to wait here and leave after the decisive battle was over.
But this is really too uncomfortable.
They realized more than once that even without them, the captain could still do everything perfectly.
The Captain doesn't need them.
They need a captain.
"Captain arrives at the arena."
Following the core AI's alert, the arena's gate opened to both sides.
The people lying on the ground stood up quickly, rushed to the sides of the aisle and stood there, while quickly tidying up their appearance.
Yale, wearing a platinum combat uniform, still maintains his red hair and golden eyes.
The sound of metal boots hitting the ground was completely absorbed by the floor, but it still caused quite a stir in everyone's hearts.
Facing their eager gazes, Yale smiled.
"Come on, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll beat you up as a reward."
There was an excited gasp among the pirates.
Some were even so excited that their CPUs overloaded. They knelt on the ground, clutching the clothes in front of their chests, and it took them a long time to recover.
"I'll go first!" As the first guy broke the silence, everyone started to sign up quickly.
"I'm the second one!" "I'm the second one!"
"I have made contributions to the starship!"
"I even shed blood for the captain!"
"That was a long time ago. You can't be so shameless!"
The core AI impartially records the order in which everyone speaks.
With the joy of being beaten up by the captain, the pirates filled the arena stands.
Outside the arena, there is a steady stream of pirates signing up, eagerly waiting to receive the benefits.
The captain doesn't beat people often. If you miss this opportunity, there won't be a second time for decades!
…
Luffy won, effortlessly.
How could Usopp, who has always been a coward and avoided fighting, be a match for Luffy?
But in this unseemly battle, the winner was not happy, and the loser did not relax even a little bit after the dust settled.
Everyone was in pain, even Luffy, who had always been carefree, said something in a trembling voice.
“I feel so heavy!!”
After moving everyone's belongings off the Merry, the Straw Hat Pirates left the shallows.
They left the Merry to Usopp, who was lying on the ground seriously injured.
Training continues.
While Rayleigh was teaching Luffy and the others, Usopp was hammering nails on the other side, trying to repair the Merry with his own efforts.
Time goes by day by day, and the day of the decisive battle is getting closer and closer.
Silent soldiers boarded the deck.
One pirate ship after another left the New World.
Those who are afraid of death, those who stay out of it, and those who cannot leave their families behind are also paying attention to the coming war.
And it was at this critical juncture that the culprit who caused all this started his fourth live broadcast to the outside world.
It was still that beautiful face, projected on the wooden board of the cabin, but it was not clear.
Den Den Mushi imitated his voice with an annoyingly bad smile.
“Seeing you guys working so hard, I’m really happy for you guys.”
Following the sound, Usopp picked up the Den Den Mushi on the ground. He was stunned for a moment before realizing that Luffy and the others might have accidentally dropped it when they were moving things.
They only have this one Den Den Mushi.
Thinking of this, a secret thought arose in his mind.
Maybe he could use this opportunity to talk to them again.
They need the Merry, and they also need the Merry to take them back to the East China Sea to find their families and friends.
However, the thought had just arisen when it was interrupted by Usopp again.
Why should he take the initiative? It was Luffy and the others who gave up the Merry, so they should be the ones to apologize and take the initiative!
He stopped moving and adjusted the direction of the Den Den Mushi to face a flatter surface.
"...I understand your feelings and your determination. Why should an outsider occupy the planet you depend on for survival? Isn't that what you think?"
Yale said tolerantly, with a hint of submission in his tone.
"Since the day you declared war, I've thought about this for a long time. You misunderstood me, and it pained me. Perhaps I used the wrong approach. As an outsider, I'm not qualified to make decisions for you, the natives of this planet."
Usopp's eyes lit up.
Is this guy afraid and planning to leave?
The author has something to say:
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
