And at this moment, the disheveled Inouk and Lacey appeared.
They skillfully dragged a member of the Bonney Pirates to a visible spot where Bonney could see.
The captives groaned in pain, indicating that they were still alive.
However, Lacey and Inouk treated them as if they were lifeless objects, casually throwing them to the ground.
"Thud! Thud!"
Immediately, they stomped on the backs of the Bonney Pirates' crew members, unsheathed their swords, and held them against their necks, then turned their heads to look at Bonney.
Seeing her crew members being treated this way, Bonney was both shocked and angry.
But now, even struggling seemed incredibly difficult for her.
And at this moment, Carnes' cold voice resounded once again.
"A nod means agreement, a shake of the head means refusal. Choose!"
Carnes tightened his grip slightly around Bonney's neck.
In an instant, Bonney felt the threat of death looming over her.
Not only her life but also the lives of all her crew members depended on her decision. Her choice would determine their fate.
She could also sense that if she refused, this person in front of her would truly kill all her crew members!
Bonney stopped struggling. Unable to speak, she could only choose to surrender and reluctantly nodded.
Witnessing this scene, Carnes immediately opened the attribute panel to check the influence value.
The influence value had increased from the initial 1137 to 1561!
[Influence Value]: 1561
Just Bonney's single nod instantly increased Carnes' influence value by more than 400!
"Very good! Welcome to join us!" Carnes welcomed her with a smile.
Then he released Bonney.
Lacey and Inouk behind him simultaneously withdrew the long swords held against the necks of the two Bonney Pirates' crew members.
"Ship's spirit, have Vibbs bring some people over to bandage them up," Carnes spoke softly.
In the next moment, the emblem of a crowned skull on Carnes' chest immediately responded.
"Yes, Captain."
---
At the same time, on a coastline where three pirate ships were anchored.
On the Vibbs Pirates' ship.
All the crew members of the Vibbs Pirates, including the captain, were on board.
But this ship was surprisingly quiet, with almost no conversation to be heard.
All the crew members had low spirits, keeping their heads down and remaining silent.
It was at this moment that a faint glimmer of light emanated from the eye sockets of the skull on the pirate flag representing the "Gale Emperor Pirates" on the ship.
Soon after, the voice of the ship's spirit followed.
"Captain Carnes has given an order! All members of the Vibbs Pirates, immediately disembark and head towards the direction of the tavern to treat the wounded and welcome your new comrade!"
Mysteriously, upon hearing the name "Carnes," all the members of the Vibbs Pirates shivered.
Immediately, Vibbs, as the captain, stood up and responded in a hoarse voice, "I understand. I'll take my men there immediately!"
---
After dealing with the Bonney Pirates and incorporating them as a subordinate pirate crew, Carnes and his group did not stay in place for long.
Instead, they turned back towards the Eternal Gale.
Accompanying them were Obito, Inouk, Lacey, and Lydia.
During the return journey, Lydia complained to Obito, "Obito, next time you use that move, you should give me a heads-up! My hair got slightly burnt!"
"I think Lydia makes a valid point," Lacey and Inouk chimed in.
At this moment, the three of them still looked dirty and disheveled from the recent attack, while Obito, the main culprit, remained as clean as usual.
Seeing their somewhat disheveled appearances and hearing their complaints, Obito couldn't help but laugh. "Next time, I'll let you know in advance. But this time, you guys ran too fast, and I couldn't catch up to stop you."
In the rear, the conversation between Obito and the others was harmonious.
Meanwhile, Carnes in the front was busy with the system.
[Recruit Special Crew Member *1]- "1300"
[Recruit Advanced Crew Members *5]- "1400"
[Recruit Intermediate Crew Members *10]- "1400"
[Recruit Novice Crew Members *10]- "1400"
As he entered the crew recruitment page, the recruitment list appeared before Carnes' eyes.
So far, Carnes had recruited four special crew members and five each of novice, intermediate, and advanced crew members.
Without hesitation, Carnes once again began recruiting crew members.
[Recruiting Special Crew Member in progress.]
[Ding! Congratulations, the host has recruited a special crew member from the "Naruto World," "Nagato"!]
[This time, the recruited crew member is special and does not need to be collected from nearby islands. The crew member will be directly added to the ship and the cabin!]
Upon hearing this notification, Carnes was slightly surprised and felt a hint of unexpectedness.
"I recruited two people from the 'Naruto World' in a row."
"And this time, they appeared directly on the ship??"
"Is there anything special about Nagato?"
Doubtful thoughts arose in Carnes' mind, but he didn't intend to dwell on it too much.
Having crew members appear directly on the ship was convenient.
Soon, Carnes recruited three more crew members of different ranks, and the total number of crew members reached...
The required influence value for the next recruitment also increased significantly.
[Recruit Special Crew Member *1]- "2000"
[Recruit Advanced Crew Members *5]- "1800"
[Recruit Intermediate Crew Members *10]- "1800"
[Recruit Novice Crew Members *10]- "1800"
Like before, the other crew members still appeared on islands with no changes.
It wasn't until they returned to the Eternal Gale that Carnes suddenly understood why the system's prompt referred to Nagato as "special."
On the deck of the ship, six unfamiliar figures appeared.
They were all dressed in black long coats, and their eyes with black-ringed purple irises stood out conspicuously in the night.
And they were none other than Deva Path, Asura Path, Human Path, Animal Path, Preta Path, Naraka Path.
"Well, this is... unexpected yet within reason!" Carnes murmured to himself.
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