A Reliable Person

Chapter 89: A Reliable Person

The captain was killed by a falling mast, and the vice-captain was "eaten" by sharks. The expert sharpshooters' pirate crew lost their backbone, and they had no choice but to lower their pirate flag and surrender.

It happened too quickly. They hadn't even had time to react, and their captain was already dead, just from a glance. They hadn't even engaged in a direct battle yet. Was this how they lost?

They were incredibly powerful!

Casually and effortlessly, Rodney and his crew accepted them.

"Men stand on the left, women on the right, and those who don't fit either category stand in the middle! Quickly!" Rodney spoke as he sat at the bow, saying, "Bring all your treasures up to me for collection. Any wanted pirates among you?"

"Our captain and vice-captain have bounties of 24 million Berries and 13 million bellies, respectively," someone answered.

"I see. What about your vice-captain?"

"He got eaten by sharks that suddenly appeared, and he's now in the sea."

Rodney: "…"

"What about your captain?"

"Under the mast."

Looking at the mess of meat sauce, Rodney fell silent once again. So, the person who shot at him earlier was their captain. He hadn't expected him to be so weak. 

No wonder he only needed one set of mission points to kill two people. But could this mess of meat sauce be exchanged for money? Damn, he lost big this time.

"Captain, this group of pirates is quite poor. They only have five million Berries and a little bit of gold." Robin walked over, holding a chest. When she opened it, it was full of shimmering gold.

Gold was a valuable currency, but this small amount of gold wouldn't be worth much. Rodney couldn't help but think of the gold on Skypiea and felt a pang of heartache. When the time came and he gained Haki, he would definitely visit Skypiea and bring all that gold down. That gold… tsk, tsk.

"Store it away and take it to the warehouse. You bunch of wanted pirates can scram. Killing you would dirty my hands." Rodney jumped back onto his ship, leaving the group to fend for themselves.

In these waters, there were no islands nearby, and losing their mast meant losing half their lives. The chances of survival were slim.

Rodney spared them, but that was already merciful of him. He could spare pirates, but whether they lived or died depended on themselves.

Even if they became pirates because they couldn't bear the taxes in the sky or couldn't stand their hometown, once they chose to become pirates, they had to pay the price. 

He knew who he was dealing with, and he could choose whether they lived or died. But if he didn't know their past crimes, then sorry, he'd treat them all the same.

Yes, it was double standards, it was differential treatment!

"Wait, please, take us with you! Without sails, we can't leave this sea area at all!"

"Yes, yes! Your Excellency, you have great power, please save us!"

"Please, we beg you!"

Ignoring the cries of the pirates behind him, Rodney ordered the ship to leave.

Kuzan opened his eyes, glanced at Rodney, and went back to sleep. The life and death of these pirates had nothing to do with him; his mission was not to clean up this group of pirates.

"Captain, where are we going next?" Leiju asked.

"Our next destination is the Sabaody Archipelago. After that, we'll head to the New World. We'll stop by Fish-Man Island, and have a stroll there. There's a fellow Shichibukai, Jinbei, who can teach us Fish-Man Karate."

Fish-Man Island was located 10,000 meters underwater beneath Mary Geoise, and it was a must-pass location to enter the New World.

The whole world was divided into four seas, separated by two intersecting continents. The intersection of these continents was the Reverse Mountain and Mary Geoise.

Departing from Reverse Mountain to Mary Geoise was the first half of the Grand Line, and after passing through Mary Geoise or Fish-Man Island, it was the New World.

The first half of the Grand Line, compared to the New World, was like paradise, and the Four Seas were like heaven.

The main power in the New World was the Four Emperors, who occupied most of the islands in the New World. 

The situation was clear, but there was competition among the Four Emperors, though it was only in small areas. It hadn't reached a point where the Four Emperors had to take action.

The New World was filled with powerful pirates, and it was no longer a calm and comfortable place like the first half. Here, the power of Haki was a must for survival.

Not many on a ship were capable of using Haki, so if they didn't want to be eliminated, they had to join one of the Four Emperors to have a chance to survive. Otherwise, being killed was a very normal thing.

To reach the New World, there were only two routes to take: the sky or the sea.

The sea route was through Fish-Man Island. They would coat their ship in the Sabaody Archipelago and dive 10,000 meters underwater from there, passing through a vast hole located below the Red Line, and reach the New World through the "Underwater Route" of Fish-Man Island.

If the coating wasn't done properly, the ship could break mid-journey, and the only outcome for those people would be death by the immense pressure.

Therefore, Rodney and his crew had to find a skilled ship-coating craftsman.

As for the other route, it involved making a request to the World Government and then passing through Mary Geoise, which was located at the peak of the Red Line. 

The World Government and the Celestial Dragons wouldn't allow any ships to pass above their heads. So the only option was to abandon the ship and spend a lot of money buying a new one. The application process also took a lot of time, but it was the safest option.

Most pirates wouldn't choose this option. Come on, where was Mary Geoise? The Marine Headquarters was nearby. The Sabaody Archipelago was like a lawless zone, but Mary Geoise was different. What if they were caught there? And where would they get the money to buy a new ship?

Naturally, Rodney and his crew wouldn't do that either. The Black Pearl was a good ship they bought in the Water 7. How could they just abandon it?

Applying to Mary Geoise would take a lot of time, and Rodney's goal was to read the Poneglyph at the bottom of Fish-Man Island. Although it wasn't a true historical Poneglyph, it was something Robin wanted to see. He had promised her that when he took her on board the ship.

Of course, he couldn't break his promise.

After arriving in the New World, he could discard his title as a Shichibukai. The Marines had little reach in the New World, so their help would be unnecessary. The title of Shichibukai was just a facade; it had no other benefits.

He still had his own development plans and didn't need the title of Shichibukai. What use was it? And he still had to spend some time in the Sabaody Archipelago. He must meet with Silvers Rayleigh. 

He didn't just want to take the Poneglyph, he also wanted to learn how to use Armament Haki from him. Oh, and while he was at it, he might as well pay a visit to the Marine Headquarters and see Kizaru.

As evening approached, Leicester, who was preparing to cook, smelled a fragrance, a mixture of various delicious dishes.

Leicester asked, "Captain, who's cooking?"

Rodney retorted, "Do you think I would cook?"

Robin said, "Yes, the captain might blow up the kitchen."

Reiju added, "Exactly, I can't cook. I heard from the captain that my little brother is good at cooking."

Perona said, "Don't look at me. Do you think I can cook?"

Kuzan: ZZZZ...

Alright, apart from himself, the captain, there wasn't anyone else who could cook. So where was this fragrance coming from?

"Captain, I spotted an island. The smell seems to be coming from there." Robin jumped onto the lookout tower and said.

"Alright, today, Leicester can rest for a while. Black Pearl, full speed ahead. We're going to have dinner there tonight!"

"Ooooh!"

When it came to food, Rodney and Leicester were both filled with enthusiasm, their eyes sparkling.

Robin helplessly commented, "Captain, you seem to lose your reason whenever it's about food. Normally, you're quite clever."

"We have a reliable captain, right? He's the most reliable when it matters, isn't he? He never lets us down." Reiju smiled.

"Yes. A very reliable person indeed."