Chapter 4: 1st pirate ship

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With the sound of the one-eyed captain calling out to his crew, the fate of this pirate group was already sealed. If they had simply turned around and left upon first spotting Whitebeard and Larson, none of the events that would unfold next would have happened. Unfortunately, that was their only chance to alter their destiny, and they had failed to seize it.

"That ship is approaching!" Whitebeard exclaimed excitedly from their boat.

"I see it," Larson replied, "but I suspect it's just the two of us trying to rob us."

Whitebeard, clearly eager, was buzzing with excitement. "Larson, wait and see how I take over this ship!"

"You go ahead; you go ahead."

Larson rubbed his aching head and wisely chose not to argue with Whitebeard.

As the ship drew closer, Whitebeard suddenly leaped up, showcasing agility that belied his massive frame.

Moon Step.

At that moment, Whitebeard was using the Moon Step, a technique from the Six Forms of the Marine martial arts.

Larson felt a twinge of envy. Whitebeard had traveled all over the world aboard the Rocks Pirates' ship and had likely picked up this kind of skill. He hoped that, given the chance, he could learn similar moves from Whitebeard.

.....

My name is Dimo, and I am the captain of the Dimo Pirates. I carry a bounty of 100 million Baileys with the Navy. While I am not a renowned figure in the world, I have achieved a degree of notoriety in the East Blue.

People who recognize me will always greet me as Captain Dimo when they see me.

Today, I intended to take my crew out to sea, as I normally do, to engage in some robbing. Little did I know this day would mark the beginning of my nightmare.

Upon leaving the harbor, I encountered fierce winds and waves. Sudden weather changes at sea are common, so I thought nothing of it. However, after the rain passed and the skies cleared, my crew informed me that they had spotted a small wooden boat with two people on it.

Years of experience in piracy told me these two could be big catches, so I ordered the crew to move the ship closer. But before we got close, a blond man with a white beard leaped onto my ship. Without uttering a word, he charged at me.

Terrifying!

I watched in horror as he dispatched my crew members one by one as if they were mere children!

When he reached me, he grinned widely and declared without warning that my ship now belonged to the Whitebeard Pirates.

Looking at the blond man, my instincts urged me to refuse, but as I glanced at my brothers lying moaning on the ground, I could only nod with tears in my eyes.

Whitebeard Pirates?

What kind of crew is this? Why have I never heard of them before? How can someone this monstrous exist? I have over thirty crew members, yet he dealt with them without batting an eye.

The sea is terrifying; I want to go home...

On the boat, Larson waited for more than a minute before seeing Whitebeard emerge and wave at him.

"Larson, it's settled."

The large ship approached, and Larson jumped onto the deck.

At this moment, the members of the Dimo Pirates were sprawled across the deck, their faces twisted in agony, their cries echoing through the air.

Clearly, Whitebeard had shown mercy in their encounter; otherwise, it would have been easy for him to finish them off.

Whitebeard asked, "Larson, what do you think of this ship?"

Larson nodded. "Not bad."

He didn't specify further because, to him, any ship would be better than their previous small wooden boat.

"What should we do with them?"

Whitebeard gestured at the pirates lying before them.

His words showed no intention of sparing the pirates, almost as if he wanted Larson to decide their fates.

"My lord, spare my life! I am willing to offer all my treasures if you do!"

Dimo cried as he crawled toward Larson, tears streaming down his face.

"Are you the captain of this pirate ship?" Larson asked, looking at him directly.

Dimo nodded frantically. "Sir, please spare me! I promise to offer all my treasures."

Larson replied coolly, "Do you really think your treasures still belong to you now?"

"Uh..." Dimo was momentarily speechless.

Larson then turned to the wailing pirates. "Which of you is the navigator? Come forward."

The whimpering paused abruptly as a timid pirate weakly raised his hand. "I'm the navigator!"

"You're a joke!"

Dimo shot up and cursed angrily. "You've led us astray six times in three days! You're a lousy navigator!"

Larson glanced at Dimo. "He's not you, is he?"

"Uh, well..."

Larson smiled apologetically. "I'm not an adult."

"Ah."

Larson sneered, "Other than him, the rest of you have ten seconds to jump off the boat immediately."

After stating this, he glowered at them all.

Dimo grimaced. "Sir, where can we go in this vast sea once we jump off?"

Larson shot him a cold look. "You seem to misunderstand: leaving you alive is the greatest mercy I can offer. Besides, you are in no position to negotiate terms with me."

Seeing Larson's fierce expression, the pirates present understood he was a ruthless character.

Puff, puff!

No one uttered a word more as they swiftly leaped overboard one by one.

As Larson had indicated, the pirate world is harsh. In an age where human life holds little value, merely surviving is significant mercy from Larson and Whitebeard.

Observing the pirates diving into the water, Whitebeard joked, "I thought you would recruit them into our pirate crew."

"Our pirate crew doesn't simply accept every bit of trash," Larson replied calmly.

Whitebeard nodded in understanding. He valued humanity over mere strength. Just earlier, he had shown disdain for Dimo's actions, especially how he had bowed and quickly submitted to them.

If Dimo had fought against Whitebeard instead, Whitebeard might have respected him, spared his life, and invited him to join their ranks.

Once the pirates jumped into the sea, they scrambled onto the small boat that Larson and Whitebeard had initially used. It was unclear whether that two-meter-long boat could support their weight, but without a ship, it would be difficult for them to reach land.

Nonetheless, neither Whitebeard nor Larson cared about the fate of these pirates. Whitebeard was accustomed to piracy, having long cultivated a callous attitude toward human life.

Larson was similarly indifferent. After living in this world for more than twenty years and guarding the village for over ten, he had witnessed the deaths of dozens, if not hundreds—he and Whitebeard already possessed countless lives on their consciences.

After hoisting the Whitebeard Pirates' flag on their new ship, Larson and Whitebeard could finally call something their own!

"Haha, all right!"

Seeing the flag flutter proudly, both Whitebeard and Larson felt a swell of pride in their hearts!

Larson suddenly asked, "Newgate, do you want to be the King of this sea?"

Whitebeard froze for a moment, then Larson continued, "If that's what you want, let's take this as our goal."

Whitebeard fell silent.

Larson waited patiently.

Only the small pirate in the corner trembled with fear.

"Larson..."

Whitebeard sighed, "To be honest, I'm not interested in any of the things you just mentioned—neither treasure nor kingship. I did not know what I sought until I met you. The three months I lived with you on that island were the most relaxed and happiest times I've ever experienced. It was then I realized what I truly wanted."

Larson suddenly grew anxious at this revelation, worried Whitebeard might declare, "Larson, be my son!"

Fortunately, Whitebeard's next words allowed him to breathe again.

Whitebeard gazed at Larson with intense eyes. "I could feel that you didn't harbor any ill intentions toward me. You made me feel like I had family beside me. What I want, Larson, is a family. I want everyone together to feel like one big family. I just want more family members, Larson. When I have relatives, you can be their father along with me!"

Larson's expression grew a little awkward. "That's your own idea; don't drag me into it."

"Gurararara!"

Whitebeard laughed heartily. "Brother, don't forget you are the vice-captain of the Whitebeard Pirates!"

Larson sighed helplessly. "Fine, I suppose that makes you the captain."

He pretended to be sorrowful, saying, "Oh, I initially wanted to witness the day you became the King of the Sea."

Whitebeard grinned widely.

Larson understood that Whitebeard had lost his home at the age of eight, leaving him alone for many years. It was no surprise he longed for a family.

Larson turned to the small pirate lurking in the corner. "You, come here!"

The pirate approached cautiously, knees trembling as he knelt before Larson and Whitebeard. "P-please spare me, my two fathers!"

He had evidently overheard their conversation.

Larson felt a mix of emotions, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Relax; we didn't plan to kill you if we kept you on the ship."

The intimidating presence of Larson and Whitebeard made the small pirate tremble uncontrollably.

Larson instructed, "You'll be our navigator and take us to the nearest town."

The pirate nodded quickly, "Yes, yes!"

Suddenly remembering what the pirate had said earlier, Larson squinted and declared, "I'm only giving you one chance. If you lead us astray, I will toss you into the sea for the sharks."

Hearing this, the pirate nearly burst into tears. "Sir, I'm not sure either!"

Larson's frown deepened. "Aren't you the navigator? What do you mean you're not sure?"

The pirate answered carefully, "I've only looked over a few maps and got a compass, and then they made me the navigator, but sometimes I need to make several corrections to get to the right place..."

Larson inhaled sharply. "Then why did they still dare to use you?"

"Cough, cough."

Whitebeard interjected, "I know why."

At Larson's glance, Whitebeard explained, "For a pirate, a navigator is essential, but being a navigator requires more than skill; the most crucial factor is talent. Generally speaking, navigators are a rare commodity."

The small pirate nodded eagerly, agreeing that even though he lacked skills, he was still deemed valuable due to the sheer scarcity of navigators.

At that moment, Larson finally understood why Whitebeard came to find him more than a year after the Rocks Pirates were destroyed. Based on Whitebeard's insight, he had probably been lost at sea for over a year!

After thinking for a moment, Larson told the small pirate, "You have three days to take us to the nearest town."

"No, no, no! One day is enough!" The pirate responded with enthusiasm. "There's a small town on the island I was on before. I just have to take you two adults there right now!"

Larson paused for two seconds. "So, does that mean you'll have to make several corrections to get back to where you were?"

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If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 50+ chapters at patreon.com/Darkphoenix11