Chapter 10: The Friendship Between Men is Simple

When they saw Izou struggling, completely overwhelmed, the Sixteenth Division was shocked.

"No way, no way."

Their squad captain wasn't a match for this guy?

Until the result came out.

Seeing their squad captain lying on the ground, the entire Sixteenth Division fell silent.

"This..."

"Oh my!"

"Who is this guy?"

"He actually defeated our captain?"

"Someone pinch me, am I dreaming?"

The members of the Sixteenth Division swallowed hard.

In an instant, all eyes focused on Lin Yan.

Who was Izou?

The Sixteenth Division Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates.

With a bounty of 510 million Berries, he was renowned across the seas, a top-notch fighter.

As they had said before, in the Grand Line, any faction would have to show them respect.

They thought this was going to be a one-sided crushing by their captain.

Unexpectedly, the tables turned.

Their captain was one-sidedly crushed by Lin Yan.

Everyone was taken aback.

Izou, whom they had high hopes for, had fallen!

The members of the Sixteenth Division were overwhelmed with emotions, taking a while to process what had happened.

...

Izo lay on the ground in a "大" shape, panting heavily.

Though he lost the match, he wasn't discouraged.

Instead, he laughed, "Ha—hahaha!"

He was satisfied.

He thoroughly enjoyed the fight.

To be honest, private fights were banned within the Whitebeard Pirates, and outside, he couldn't find a suitable opponent.

Gradually, Izou's skills began to rust.

Now, seeing Lin Yan, he was naturally eager to spar with him.

And Lin Yan's strength did not disappoint him.

Even when he gave it his all, he was no match for Lin Yan.

Lin Yan's strength was evident.

This battle was exhilarating and satisfying.

It made Izou admire him even more.

This Lin was really strong!

As for Lin Yan.

As Izou fell, Lin Yan walked up to him.

Seeing Lin Yan's actions, the members of the Sixteenth Division tensed up, afraid that Lin Yan might do something outrageous.

Lin Yan ignored the surrounding stares and asked Izo, "You're not from the Battle Axe Pirates, are you?"

He had already noticed.

If the Battle Axe Pirates had this kind of strength, how could they be just a small, unknown crew in the New World?

"We're indeed not."

Izou, lying on the ground, smiled faintly, "My name is Izou, the Sixteenth Division Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates!"

"My name is Izou, the Sixteenth Division Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates!"

At this point, Izo revealed his identity.

"Izou?"

Lin Yan paused.

He suddenly realized.

Damn it.

He knew this guy in women's clothing looked familiar.

He was from the Whitebeard Pirates!

Actually, this wasn't Lin Yan's fault.

He had been in the One Piece world for a year.

And during that year, he was almost constantly fishing.

He had forgotten most of the original plot.

Let alone some irrelevant characters!

The brain's capacity is limited, after all.

Who remembers all that stuff?

"Ding, congratulations host, your mission has been updated!"

"Mission Two: Within ten days, defeat three enemies with a bounty of three hundred million."

"Current Progress: Defeated the Sixteenth Division Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, Izo, with a bounty of 510 million, Mission Progress [1/3]."

"Completing the mission will reward: 20 bait!"

Suddenly, Lin Yan's mission was updated.

In a muddled state, he completed one-third of it.

Seeing this, Lin Yan's previously calm heart started to glow.

This counts as... hitting the mark by luck?

"Why are you looking for me?"

Because he completed a third of the mission, his mood soared.

Lin Yan smiled and asked Izou.

"To be honest, I came to thank you for saving the townspeople, and I'm also very interested in you."

"But that's not important anymore. Lin, shall we have a drink?"

Izou, standing up awkwardly, dusted himself off.

"A drink?"

Hearing this, Lin Yan looked at Izou.

Who would turn down a free party?

Everyone hates freeloaders, yet everyone loves freeloading!

"Sure!"

He agreed without hesitation.

The members of the Sixteenth Division immediately started preparing in the town.

To avoid disturbing the peace, Izou specifically took Lin Yan onto his ship.

Onboard, the Sixteenth Division warmly welcomed Lin Yan.

Drink after drink was poured into Lin Yan.

As a top fighter in the New World, these drinks were nothing to Lin Yan.

Seeing that Lin Yan was both skilled and could hold his liquor, and that he was a person of character—graceful and amiable, like a spring breeze, straightforward in his speech, and unpretentious—others were increasingly drawn to his actions and demeanor, their interest growing even more.

Friendship among men can often be this straightforward.

The crowd began to cheer, echoing each other, their calls for drinks becoming increasingly lively. They all tried to drink with Lin Yan, who accepted everything with a smile.

Thus, a lively banquet resounded across the deck of the Sixteenth Division!

...

The next morning.

The sun shone brightly, illuminating the sky.

Standing on the deck as the captain of the Sixteenth Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, Izou looked somewhat downcast and conflicted.

Should he issue the invitation or not?

Initially, he intended to invite Lin Yan to join the Whitebeard Pirates. But the problem was that he didn't win against Lin Yan. In fact, he was badly beaten, unable to find his bearings!

It was quite the case of trying to show off and failing miserably.

Given the circumstances, was it appropriate to still issue an invitation?

Izou scratched his head in distress. However, after careful consideration, Lin Yan's strength was evident. Regardless of whether it was appropriate or not, he had to try.

From what he gathered at the banquet yesterday, Lin Yan currently didn't have any allegiances. Such a strong person would surely attract attention in the future! The saying goes, "Don't let fertile water flow into another's field." If he hadn't encountered him, that would have been one thing, but since he did, he couldn't let this opportunity pass!

"Lin, as you may recall, I wanted to invite you to join the Whitebeard Pirates from the start!"

"Are you interested in joining us?"

As Izou extended the invitation, he felt somewhat anxious.

Hearing the invitation, Lin Yan paused. "Join your pirate crew?"

As a fan of the series, who wouldn't be interested in the Whitebeard Pirates?

"Of course, if you have any requests, feel free to ask, and I'll do my best to accommodate you!"

Thinking his previous statement wasn't sincere enough, Izou quickly added.

Seeing Izou so anxious, Lin Yan chuckled. "This doesn't seem like the confident Izou who came to challenge me, the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates' Sixteenth Division!"

"So, will you agree?"

Izou sweated nervously.

"In principle, I decline…," Lin Yan gave Izou a partial answer.

As per a common tradition, "in principle, decline" has its implications.

He almost gave a subtle hint by rubbing his thumb, index, and middle fingers together.

Unfortunately, Izou was straightforward.

Hearing the principle rejection, he didn't catch the underlying meaning and thought Lin Yan had declined him.

Izou lowered his head in disappointment. "Well... okay, I respect your choice!"

Though unsuccessful, Izou respected Lin Yan's choice.

Seeing Izou back away like that, Lin Yan sighed. These people were all straightforward.

He smiled and changed his tone, "But... it's not impossible to agree. If you can meet my conditions, I wouldn't mind going along with you!"

Upon hearing Lin Yan's agreement, Izou's eyes lit up.

"You... you agree?"

Izou's tone became urgent.

"Don't rush. I have conditions!"

Lin Yan shook his head, speaking slowly.

"What conditions? Just tell me!"

Thinking he might successfully invite Lin Yan to join the Whitebeard Pirates, Izou was ready to agree to any condition.

"The condition is simple!"

"What benefits do I get if I join the Whitebeard Pirates?"

Lin Yan raised an eyebrow at Izou, suggesting that he should understand.

"Benefits?"

Hearing Lin Yan, Izou quickly understood.

"Of course, there are benefits. The Whitebeard Pirates have been established in the New World for many years, and we have information on all aspects, treasures from the Grand Line, and even intelligence on One Piece."

"If you join, we can share all this with you!"

"This is the foundation of the Whitebeard Pirates!"

"Rest assured, as the captain of the Sixteenth Division, I promise you won't be treated unfairly."

Izou, sincere and solemn, assured Lin Yan, painting a grand future.

Lin Yan wiped his forehead. "Forget the information and treasures! Who needs those abstract things?"

"I'm just curious about the Whitebeard Pirates' benefits, like the monthly salary, insurance, and other practical matters."

Lin Yan showed a naive smile.

Straightforward, no fussing around!

"You... you aren't joking, right?"

Izou was stunned. Lin Yan cared about money? And insurance?

One would think that someone as strong as Lin Yan wouldn't care about wealth, status, or honors.

But since Lin Yan mentioned it, even though unsure, Izou hesitated briefly before firmly stating, "If you're willing to join, I'll go all out! Double salary, insurance, everything!"

Lin Yan gave him a thumbs up.

Despite his formidable stance, wielding the Thunder Fruit and possessing overwhelming strength, the truth was that after crossing into this world for three hundred and sixty days, how did he survive?

He had empty pockets and bare sleeves, without a penny to his name. He was so poor that an elderly woman came knocking on his door in the middle of the night, complaining that he was disturbing their rest.

Strangely enough, he wasn't making noise, playing around, or jumping up and down. So, how did he disturb their rest? Upon closer inquiry, he realized that his poverty was so severe that the mere sound of his rickety life kept the elderly awake at night.

At that moment, he was quite upset. From then on, Lin Yan understood the hard truth that one cannot survive without money.

"No going back on your word—double the salary and comprehensive benefits!" Lin Yan said seriously, fearing the other party might go back on his word.

"No problem!" Izou nodded earnestly, also afraid that Lin Yan might back out.

"That's more like it. How about something more substantial?" Lin Yan continued. "Alright, I'll join your Whitebeard Pirates!"

With Lin Yan's agreement, the members of the Sixteenth Division cheered. After all, everyone had witnessed Lin Yan's strength. With such a powerful person joining, the overall strength of the Whitebeard Pirates would reach new heights!

However, on the way back, Izou became a bit troubled. Was it really just the comprehensive benefits that made him want to join the crew? Izou felt this reasoning was a bit insubstantial.

He had recruited crew members using various methods—sometimes with threats, sometimes with promises of benefits, and sometimes leveraging the resources of the Whitebeard Pirates. But today, for the first time, he used comprehensive benefits to recruit someone.

And this person was exceedingly strong, far surpassing the ordinary division commanders. This situation was a bit unexpected!

However, since Lin Yan had agreed, Izou, wanting to avoid any unexpected changes, secured everything and immediately set the Sixteenth Division's ships on course back to the Whitebeard Pirates' base.

"Come on, I'll take you to see the Old Man!" Izou was thrilled to have such a strong person on board. But Lin Yan's expression turned a bit strange. This statement sounded a bit odd...