Chapter 22: Hachinosu

Although Sharlo didn't like the rules, he kept his thoughts to himself, having never felt a sense of belonging to this pirate crew. Now that he was forced to join them, his only goal was to use this opportunity to train and become stronger.

"Now that you're the captain of the Eighth Division, you need to know our rules. Your crew and ship are your own responsibility, but you must hand over thirty percent of the loot to the main crew. Do you understand?" Rocks said, his tone commanding.

"Yes, Captain!" Sharlo replied, feeling the weight of the command.

"Good!" Rocks nodded in satisfaction, then stood up. "We'll stay at this port for a day. Get ready."

"Yes!" Sharlo responded.

In the end, Edward Newgate and Shiki did not end up fighting. They stared at each other for a while before Shiki left. Newgate, left alone on the deck, felt a wave of loneliness.

"When will I have a family of my own?" Newgate wondered, feeling lost about his future.

The next day, Sharlo and over a hundred others gathered at the port. The ten ships of the Rocks Pirates had resupplied and were waiting for Sharlo. The hundred people with Sharlo were members of the Wild Wolf Gang, who insisted on following him to sea.

Among them were doctors, nurses, navigators, cooks, shipwrights, sailors, fighters, and maids. Sharlo's ship, which he had been building over the past year, was now ready to set sail.

"Is this kid playing house, bringing so many people?" Shiki sneered, seeing Sharlo's large group.

"Haha! It's his first time setting out; he needs to bring more things," Rocks said nonchalantly.

Once Sharlo raised the Rocks Pirates' flag, Rocks shouted for departure. As the port disappeared from view, Sharlo sighed, uncertain when he would return. Shaking off the sentiment, he realized his emotions had been influenced by his Conqueror's Haki, a side effect that often troubled him.

"Young Master," Jenny approached, sensing Sharlo's mood, and gently rubbed his forehead. Sharlo, lost in thought, held her hand. Over the past year, he had grown close to his five maids, seeing them as family after an incident following a drunken night.

"I'm going to sleep. Wake me if anything happens," Sharlo said, closing his eyes and beginning to snore.

The hundred-meter-long ship sailed slowly, trailing behind the ten larger ships of the Rocks Pirates fleet.

---

Days later, they reached Hachinosu, the Pirate Island.

"Finally back! This trip was long enough!" Shiki was the first to land, eager to be on solid ground after days at sea. To return quickly, the Rocks Pirates hadn't stopped at any islands along the way.

As Shiki disembarked, other officers followed, then the rest of the pirates. Sharlo observed his surroundings curiously.

"Is this a pirate island?" he asked.

"Yes, this is our island!" Shiki said proudly. "Impressive, isn't it?"

Sharlo nodded, surprised by the island's prosperity compared to his expectations. Though filled with armed pirates and scantily clad slaves, it was much more bustling than his small home island, Kamie Island.

"Captain, you're back!" Three men approached Rocks.

"John, Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, did you complete your task?" Rocks asked with a laugh.

"Of course, Captain. We destroyed those kingdoms and beheaded their kings," John replied, a greedy look in his eyes, indicating he had likely looted a lot.

"Good. As usual, hand over thirty percent, and you keep seventy percent," Rocks instructed, causing John to nod, though with a hint of dissatisfaction in his eyes. Silver Axe and Wang Zhi, hidden in armor, said nothing.

"Captain, I heard we have a new crew member. Where is he? Let me see!" John searched the group for Sharlo.

Sharlo felt a surge of anger at being overlooked. He decided to make an example out of John.

"If your eyes don't work, donate them to someone who needs them," Sharlo said coldly, stepping forward.

"Is this the new officer? I hear he's a swordsman. I'm not sure he's fit to be the Eighth Division Captain," John taunted, indifferent to Sharlo's icy demeanor.

"Why don't you test me yourself?" Sharlo's gaze was murderous.

"Such confidence from a Conqueror's Haki user. Didn't your mother teach you to respect your elders?" John mocked. "Oh, I forgot, you don't have a mother, do you?" he said with a wicked grin.

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