The Black Pearl

Chapter 72: The Black Pearl

"Let me introduce our new chef, Leicester, Alfred Leicester. He will be the chef on our ship from now on," Rodney introduced the injured Leicester to Reiju and Robin.

"Hello, everyone," Leicester bowed deeply to the two women and said, "I am Leicester, and from now on, I'll be in charge of preparing our meals. Please take care of me."

"Hello, Leicester. I'm Robin. We'll rely on you from now on. Oh, by the way, never let the captain cook; otherwise, you'll regret it for sure," Robin said with a smile.

"Why? What's wrong with the captain's cooking?" Leicester asked.

Reiju said, "Just remember this: I am Reiju. Also, it's our hard-earned experience. Never, ever let the captain cook. We don't want to die."

"Hey, hey, hey, can you stop talking about that around me?" Rodney said, dissatisfied. "It was just an accident. I can cook, you know. I even made a great seafood dish."

"Captain, that was just grilling with fire, and you burnt it every time," Robin interjected.

Rodney clutched his chest and said, "Ah, why did I bring you guys on board? Just to be teased every day?"

Leicester wiped the sweat off his forehead and suddenly realized that the captain he was following had a somewhat low position on the ship...

"By the way, Leicester, how did you get all these injuries?" Reiju asked.

"These are," Rodney interrupted, "proof of a man's growth! Yes, in a spiritual sense."

Leicester: "..."

 It makes some sense but still doesn't feel quite right.

"Anyway, what about our ship?" Leicester asked curiously.

Robin replied, "It's still under construction. This trip was not just to find a chef; we're also collecting bounties from pirates. What about your mission, Captain?"

Rodney took out a piece wrapped in burlap from his waist pouch, and the burlap was stained with blood. He said, "Here it is, a 27 million bellies bounty head."

"Just as expected of the captain; always true to your style. Bringing the bounty head back to avoid trouble, right?" 

Robin brought forward a woman with a broken neck, who died from Robin's joint techniques, and had a bounty of 14.04 million bellies—Ghost Swordswoman Lofy.

"Well, it's indeed your style," Reiju added as she brought forward another dead woman with black-purple skin and bleeding from seven orifices. She had a bounty of 13 million bellies. 

"It was quite easy. I thought it would be tough to deal with her, but hunting pirates is much easier than before."

The benefits from a war are huge and enough to sustain Germa for a long time. Though pirates bring in substantial profits too, they are unpredictable and some are very powerful, making them difficult to handle. 

It's far more convenient to be mercenaries and participate in a war; at least the resistance won't be as strong.

Rodney couldn't help but complain, "Why are you all like this? You come from wealthy families, and yet, you still go for such activities. Let's go to the nearby Marine branch to exchange the bellies. Otherwise, we won't get our ship back. Oh, and I guess we'll have to hunt down a few more pirates for future activities' funds."

"Alright, I'll go scout," Robin volunteered. Although Rodney's abilities were convenient, hers were more covert. 

...

After earning the bounties and spending half a month in the culinary capital, they boarded the sea train back to Water 7l.

Their ship was almost completed, thanks to the craftsmanship of Iceburg, and Rodney and his crew were satisfied with the design, which followed Rodney's requirements while incorporating Iceburg's own designs.

Everyone was content, especially Leicester, who was delighted when he saw the kitchen's design.

"By the way, I need to buy some tools," Leicester said.

"Aren't you using the kitchenware you brought from home?" Rodney asked.

"That's for cooking and cutting vegetables. The ones I'm going to buy are for combat," Leicester replied nonchalantly.

"Why not get a different weapon? Like a kitchen knife..." Rodney suggested.

"I am a chef, and I only know how to use kitchen knives. That's what my dad taught me too. He said a chef's knives are still knives, so why can't they be used in combat?" Leicester explained.

"What did your father teach you exactly?" 

Sanji said chefs use their hands for cooking, but what Leicester's father said also makes some sense. No matter how skilled you are, you can still use a kitchen knife for protection.

Although the ship's chef's choice of weapons seemed odd, Rodney didn't say anything and gave him a budget to buy the tools he wanted.

Boning knife, chopping knife, slicing knife...

Another half month passed, and Rodney's crew's ship was finally completed.

At Dock 1

Under the guidance of Iceburg and his female secretary Kalifa, they arrived at the dock.

"This is the remaining payment. Mr. Iceburg, you can check it," Rodney and Leicester handed over two black boxes, filled with stacks of Berry.

"It's better to inspect the ship first," Iceburg said with a smile. While being trusted felt good, receiving payment after checking the product was more reassuring. If there were any dissatisfactions, they could make modifications.

Taking the money would make future modifications more troublesome.

"It's okay. I trust your craftsmanship, Mr. Iceburg," Rodney said, quite whimsically handing the money to Kalifa, with Leicester following suit.

Kalifa, her face blocked by the money: "..."

"Being praised by you is my honor," Iceburg said, taking the money from Kalifa's hands, wiping his sweat, and smiling, "Then, follow me. Your ships are ready, and if there's anything you're not satisfied with, we can modify it immediately."

Following him, they arrived at the marine slipway where a sailboat slightly larger than a warship was docked. The ship's body was painted the same color as the sea, blending in perfectly, following Rodney's request for camouflage. After all, they were a hunting ship.

Iceburg introduced, "According to Mr. Rodney's request, we used the sturdiest materials for the ship's body. It might not be as good as 'Treasure Tree Adam,' but it's one of the world's top-grade materials. We put a lot of effort into its construction."

"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"

The attack that could shatter rocks didn't leave any obvious marks on the ship's body, making Rodney very satisfied. The money was well spent.

Seeing his satisfaction, Aisubagu smiled and asked, "Would you like to go on board to inspect it?"

"Leicester, go and check the kitchen, and you can all see if it meets your requirements," he said. All the things they bought were delivered by the Calera Company, and they could leave as soon as they were ready.

"Captain, there's no problem with the kitchen. I'm very satisfied," Leicester said, sticking his head out.

"The study room is also good," Robin said. The design of the study was provided by her, fully in line with her requirements, and all the books she bought were neatly arranged.

Reiju didn't have many requirements for living arrangements, as long as it was clean, it would be fine, and she expressed her approval.

"In that case, Iceburg, the ship is perfect. Thank you very much," Rodney said.

"I wouldn't dare say it's perfect, but Mr. Rodney, do you have a name in mind for this ship?"

"The Black Pearl."

Everyone: ??

Robin said, "I think the name 'Dark Maru' is good."

"'Poisonous Pink Ship' is also nice."

"What about 'Master Chef'?"

"What kind of lousy names are you coming up with? Mine is better. Let's call it the Black Pearl, or maybe the Caribbean."

"Captain, you're terrible at naming."

"It's still better than your 'Dark Maru'."

"Let's call it the Poisonous Pink Ship."

"The Master Chef Ship, how about that?"

Kalifa: "..."

None of them are good at naming...

Finally, as the captain, Rodney made the decision, and the new ship would be called the Black Pearl.