Succubus of the Sea · Austin

On the dock, countless crewmen watched the farce with smiles, including Roger, Rayleigh, Gaban, and the others.

"What the hell!?"

Though he had no idea how this brat who had suddenly appeared knew Buggy's name, that did not stop him from being annoyed by such unwarranted familiarity.

"Do I know you? You come right up and go, 'Long time no see~'"

Turning red with anger, Buggy mimicked the way Austin had greeted him with a smile. His performance was so vivid that Shanks beside him doubled over laughing.

The other companions beside them could not help but throw their arms around one another's shoulders and laugh heartily.

"Don't say that, Buggy!"

Austin was thick-skinned too. Facing a ship full of top-tier experts from the New World, he showed no trace of timidity. He still wore a smile as he said, "My Observation Haki won't deceive me. We'll definitely become good friends in the future."

Austin's Black Long Hair nearly reached his waist. Though his face was still somewhat youthful, his handsome features were already apparent, and the smile on his lips was highly infectious.

His upper body was bare, faint scars and muscle lines visible. He wore simple military trousers and boots, with no extra accessories beyond the luggage slung over his shoulder.

Vice-Captain Dark King Rayleigh narrowed his long, slender eyes.

"Awakened Observation Haki at such a young age? And it seems to be a particularly special kind."

"Like Redfield's?"

Roger found it interesting and joined the conversation. He walked over, braced both hands on the ship's rail, and looked down at the long-haired brat on the dock with a smile.

"Hey! Brat, what did you come here for?"

"Of course, to join you guys!"

Austin, who knew these top experts' personalities very well, answered with a grin.

Please call him: Succubus of the Sea · Austin!

"Brat, why do you have to get on our ship?" The man who had hidden the Great Treasure at the end of the sea, Pirate King—Gol D. Roger—asked Austin with a smile.

As it happened, Austin knew the standard answer to that question.

"Hahahahaha... Of course, to turn this whole world upside down!"

"Hahahahahaha!!!!!!"

Hearing Austin say that with such a youthful face, Roger and Rayleigh were stunned for a moment. Then they exchanged a glance and burst out laughing together.

They both recalled the scene when they had first met, which had also been the original reason the Roger Pirates had been formed.

In this young man, they saw what they themselves had once been like.

"Hahahahaha! If you're not afraid of dying, then get on board!" Roger had an easygoing nature. Based solely on a good first impression, he waved his hand and agreed to Austin's request.

Rayleigh unusually raised no objections and simply indulged his captain's willful behavior.

But Gaban and the others at the side did not quite understand. They still felt it was rather sudden. "Hey, Captain, isn't our ship about to turn into a daycare for brats?"

"With such a willful captain, what can we do~" Some crewmen merely spread their hands, expressing both helplessness and acceptance.

Among the Roger Pirates, every crewman shared the same understanding.

They could laugh, drink, and roughhouse as much as they liked normally, but once the captain made an order or a decision, every crewman had to accept it unconditionally.

And that, too, was Roger's personal charm.

Watching this scene, Austin thought to himself, No wonder he had Golden Lion so utterly captivated. His charisma really is something else.

And so,

Austin successfully slipped aboard the Pirate King's ship as an apprentice.

Old Gick, once a lowly underling of Rocks who had returned home to become a town mayor after Roger and the others had smashed his crew apart, had just gotten home.

Still dreaming of raising a monster like Whitebeard or Golden Lion Captain, someone who could carry him to glory in the future,

he saw the house that looked as though it had been ransacked, along with the note on the table. He fell silent, then exploded from that silence.

"Roger, you *****"

Austin watched the coastline gradually recede. By the shore, there seemed to be a figure faintly jumping up and down.

Even though the range of his innate Observation Haki was insufficient, Austin could still vaguely make out that it seemed to be the old mayor.

"Oi! Goodbye! I'll take good care of myself!"

Seeing the old man hopping about to send him off, Austin assumed he could not bear to see him leave. He waved his arm just as hard, tears faintly welling in his eyes.

After all, they had lived together day and night for nine years. Even if you raised a dog, you would develop feelings for it.

"Usually so strict, but when I'm leaving, you finally decided to be gentle... You old man..."

Austin's actions caught Shanks and Buggy's attention. Seeing Austin looking somewhat sad, the two fellow apprentices walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't be sad. From now on, we're your family and brothers!" Shanks smiled sincerely.

"How can a man of the sea cry so easily, you idiot..." Buggy was sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, comforting him in a roundabout way.

Only Rayleigh, drinking nearby, had the corner of his mouth twitch slightly as he gave the "Old Era version of the three little ones" a strange look.

After thinking it over, he ultimately kept his teasing to himself.

With his Observation Haki, which could cross the Calm Belt without getting lost, it was naturally not difficult for him to sense what the old man on shore was shouting. It was roughly:

"Damn Roger, even killing a man's spirit doesn't mean you have to keep chasing him down to kill him! I #*#*..."

There also seemed to be something about someone's mother.

But since he was family of a new crewman, Rayleigh could not very well make a move. He simply pretended he had heard nothing.

"Roger, you #@**#, damn it... Hey! Austin, remember to put on a shirt from now on. Don't catch a cold!!!"

Old Gick shouted through gritted teeth, wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes, and watched the Oro Jackson vanish beneath the setting sun.

The sun and moon turned, and the sea breeze brushed gently by.

In the blink of an eye, several days passed.

Honestly, even though he had prepared himself mentally, life at sea was still more boring than Austin had originally expected.

An endless blue sea, Sea Kings that occasionally surfaced only to be put to sleep by the Conqueror's Haki aboard the ship, endless banquets, and endless cleaning.

If he did not have two companions to chat and joke around with, Austin felt he truly might not have been able to endure it.

"Hey, Austin, why are you slacking off again! And lying on my bed!"

The cabin door was suddenly kicked open.

Buggy, who had just finished cleaning the deck, charged in. He grabbed Austin by the collar and roared furiously, baring his sharp teeth.

"Don't be so serious, Buggy. How about I give you some compensation for your hard work?"

Austin, whose collar was being grabbed as he was shaken back and forth, did not mind Buggy's attitude in the slightest. Instead, he pulled several Beli from his pocket with a smile and stuffed them into Buggy's pocket.

Watching Buggy's eyes light up at the sight of money, Austin straightened his own collar. On this ship, Buggy was probably the only one who resembled a proper pirate—greedy, cunning, and loyal.

Each time, Austin only needed to pay a little money to appease Buggy.

That way, he could occasionally sleep in.

Just then, a young voice rang out from outside the room.

"Austin, Buggy! Get out here and train!"