Moya's Ambition

Aboard the pirate ship Miss Love Duck.

The pirates stared at Moya, who sat in the captain's chair. Among the remaining crew, there was fear and resentment, but above all, submission.

Because among the pirates left on board, those who had fiercely opposed him just moments ago were now nothing more than corpses.

As a modern man from the twenty-first century, Moya understood the importance of centralized power.

Now, on this ship, Moya was the sole, absolute leader.

"Next, I will arrange your duties."

"From now on, Dis will be my messenger. Absolute obedience to my orders is your only path to survival."

Moya issued his first directive with a blank expression.

"The East Blue is a very weak sea. If you don't want to die, then behave and listen carefully, or I will show you exactly what cruelty means!"

Moya continued slowly, his face dark and gloomy.

Although Moya felt it unnecessary to explain much to these low-IQ lackeys, he still decided to give them a pep talk; after all, he still needed them to sail the ship and do the labor.

"In the future, I will defeat pirates with bounties of ten million, twenty million, fifty million, even one hundred million. I will become incredibly powerful, and when that time comes, gold, treasure, women, and Beli—we will have it all!"

"But if you yourselves remain this weak, you will never have the chance to enjoy it. For the weak, death is simply a common occurrence."

Moya said coldly; he felt not a shred of affection for these pirates.

The pirates seemed frightened by Moya's speech and began to panic.

Dis, quick-witted, was the first to shout: "Become stronger! We swear to follow Captain Moya to the death!"

Immediately, the rest of the pirates began to echo him fervently: "Become stronger! We swear to follow Captain Moya to the death!"

Moya gave Dis an appreciative look; he hadn't promoted him for nothing.

He also realized the benefit of the generally low intelligence of people in this pirate world—it was truly beyond words!

Moya waved his hand, signaling for silence.

"Since everyone is so enthusiastic, as your new captain, I will do my best to lead you to a life of luxury!"

"From now on, we are officially renamed the Moya Adventure Group. We will no longer be pirates!"

Moya declared loudly. While he desperately craved strength and wanted to leave his mark on this world, playing it safe was a strategy. For now, Moya did not want to be a wanted pirate or face the Marines head-on.

"Captain, what does 'Adventure Group' mean? Does this mean we won't be raiding anymore? Then how will we eat or get what we need?"

One lackey asked, scratching his head with one hand and raising the other.

"From now on, we will make a living by exploring for treasure and raiding other pirates or bounty hunters! Follow me, and I will show you what a spectacular life is!"

Moya answered with forced patience.

The crew remained silent, feeling uneasy and distracted. Moya saw it on their faces, but he didn't care.

"Next is the modification of our ship. Get that pink heart off the sail, for heaven's sake! Can the shipwright change the duck head on the bow into a dragon head?"

Moya shouted.

"Captain, we don't have any extra canvas, only paint. The shipwright can carve the duck head into a dragon head, but it might end up a bit smaller," Dis replied. He had been in charge of miscellaneous tasks before and was familiar with the shipwright.

"Fine. In that case, paint the entire sail red and put the two golden characters 'Moya' in the center."

"Change the bow to a dragon head, paint it blood-red, and make sure the dragon scales are drawn well! Start working! And rename the ship 'Yanhuang', painting the name on the hull in gold."

Moya decided and shouted out his orders.

"Yes, Captain!" the lackeys responded loudly.

The ship became a scene of busy renovation...

At this moment, Moya asked the navigator: "Do you have a nautical chart of the East Blue? Do you know the routes?"

"Uh, Captain, I only know the locations of the larger islands. We haven't been to most of them," the navigator said hesitantly, a cold bead of sweat sliding down his forehead, his breathing stifled.

Moya looked at the busy crew, then turned to face the vast ocean. He didn't answer the navigator, instead gripping the railing with both fists and staring into the distance.

"Luffy, since it's come to this, don't blame me for stealing your opportunities. You know, if a man doesn't look out for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him."

I won't be your babysitter just because of the influence of some anime.

Besides, my only slight advantage is my knowledge of your adventures.

Without a system or any cheats, what right does Moya have to be a babysitter for the protagonist's crew?

A flash of ruthlessness, mixed with a touch of determination, crossed Moya's eyes.

On the busy ship.

Moya issued an order to the navigator.

"Prepare the information for Marine Branch 153, Orange Town, Syrup Village, Baratie, Cocoyasi Village, and Loguetown immediately. I need you to be able to navigate us to these locations with precision!"

The navigator was startled; Marine Branch 153 and Loguetown were both heavily garrisoned by the Marines.

However, he dared not refuse, for Moya was staring straight at him, making his scalp tingle with dread.

"Understood, Captain. I am familiar with most of these locations. I will go check the details now and guarantee the task is completed!"

"Good. Thank you for your hard work." Moya placed a hand on the navigator's shoulder and said with a look of satisfaction.

Now it was the navigator's turn to be flattered; after all, Alvida had only ever beaten and scolded them. He couldn't help but feel a touch of emotion.

This sudden gesture gave the navigator a flicker of resolve to follow Moya.

But would Moya ever care about such a nameless pawn?

Watching his crew busy at work, a growing ambition surged within Moya's heart. Everything was finally falling into place; he was now a captain in his own right.

However, he also knew that in this world, the only true authority was power.

Thus, he immediately began to train his physique and his Slip-Slip Fruit abilities.

At the same time, Moya contemplated his future path. Being a pirate was not a viable career for now; his strength was insufficient to withstand the bulk of the Marine's combat power.

He couldn't join the Marines either, as they generally didn't recruit people with unknown origins. Moya was a transmigrator—where would he get a legitimate identity?

As for the later World Military Draft, it was likely a measure of last resort by the World Government, but the identities of those recruited would be thoroughly vetted and investigated. Fujitora's sense of justice was not to be trifled with.

Therefore, Moya could only act as an adventurer, similar to a bounty hunter. As for why he wouldn't officially become a bounty hunter?

Moya simply didn't like the title! It would offend too many pirates.

This was his philosophy of "keeping a low profile."

For now, he just wanted to survive as an adventurer who didn't offend anyone.

As for what would happen once he became powerful? Who could say!

But if he encountered pirates, he would still strike without mercy.

Moya activated his Devil Fruit ability, feeling the changes it brought and pondering the direction of its development.

Developing a Devil Fruit ability essentially boiled down to a few aspects: displacement, offense, defense, utility, and the unique, bizarre abilities exclusive to the fruit.

Regarding displacement, Moya intended to evolve from Fast Slide to instantaneous sliding, or perhaps even spatial sliding—it wasn't impossible.

Another factor was the distance of the slide.

Moya believed he could eventually develop these capabilities.

For defense, Moya prepared to train in sliding away blunt weapons, bullets, and artillery fire, and even sharp blades. He aimed to reach a point where he could even slide away the effects of other Devil Fruit abilities.

For utility, Moya wanted to develop something like the flag of the Flake-Flake Fruit, rendering the entire ground frictionless so that enemies would have no leverage to stand on.

He also considered something like the Bubble-Bubble Fruit, making the enemy's body so slippery that they couldn't hold weapons or even stay on their feet.

However, all of this required extensive practice and development.

As for offense, Moya hadn't yet thought of any specific means of attack, which frustrated him to no end.

Regarding the bizarre extensions of his power, Moya suddenly realized he had become quite handsome—a passive effect of the Slip-Slip Fruit.

If he could develop it to be as charming as the Love-Love Fruit of the Empress, it would be truly terrifying.

Even if he couldn't attract everyone regardless of gender or age, at least increasing his favorability with women would be a plus.

Moya thought about it, and his heart rate accelerated involuntarily. There were plenty of talented women out there, after all.

Wasn't the ultimate goal of striving for success to enjoy life?

To reproduce, and to better pass on everything he had built.

Therefore, beautiful women were also quite important.

Wealth, Companions, Techniques, and Territory! Wealth meant resources, fortune, and money to build a faction.

Companions meant family, love, and friendship—people who could help him, or help him reproduce and carry on his legacy.

Techniques meant Devil Fruits, swordsmanship, martial arts, and Haki—the methods to strengthen himself.

Territory meant the land he ruled, allowing him to acquire more resources.

The more he thought, the more Moya felt his goals were too numerous. But a fat man isn't built in a day; one must take the path one step at a time.

Moya comforted himself with this thought, though deep down, he secretly longed to be like Blackbeard—to become a Yonko in one fell swoop. Just thinking about it was exhilarating!

"Memory Slide Technique of Slip-Slip Fruit" was one such bizarre extension of his Devil Fruit.

This ability would be the most powerful auxiliary skill for Moya as he grew stronger.

In the future, drawing on his experience living in the information-exploding era of the twenty-first century, he believed he would develop more and more bizarre abilities for his fruit.

A day passed quietly.

"Captain, the Yanhuang has finished its refit. We are ready to set sail at any time!" Dis reported.

"Alright, navigator, target: Marine Branch 153, set sail!! Full speed ahead!"

Moya commanded loudly; there really wasn't a single second to waste.

"Yes, Captain!" the navigator replied.

"All hands, hoist the sails!! Set sail!!"

The Yanhuang slowly stirred, moving forward toward its destination...

Moya stood at the bow, gazing into the distance of the sea, his fists clenched tight, his eyes revealing absolute determination as a whisper escaped his lips.

"Luffy, I want crewmates with potential, too!!"