The Friendship Between Men Was This Simple

"My name is Izo, commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Sixteenth Division!"

At that moment.

Izo revealed their identities as well.

"Izo?"

Lin Yan froze.

He suddenly looked up.

Damn it.

No wonder that cross-dressing guy in front of him had looked so familiar.

So after all this time.

He was actually a member of the Whitebeard Pirates!

Actually.

It was not Lin Yan's fault.

He had already been transported to the Pirate World for an entire year.

And throughout that year.

He had spent almost all his time fishing, fishing, and fishing some more.

He had forgotten nearly all the original story's plot that was worth forgetting!

Not to mention some irrelevant characters!

His brain capacity was limited to begin with.

Who could remember that much?

"Ding! Congratulations, Host. Your mission has been updated!"

"Mission Two: Within ten days, defeat three enemies with bounties of 300 million!"

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

"Mission reward: 20 bait!"

All of a sudden.

Lin Yan's mission had updated.

Somehow, he had already completed one-third of it.

Seeing this.

A spark lit up in Lin Yan's previously calm heart.

Could this be...

An accidental success?

"Why were you looking for me?"

Having completed one-third of the mission, his mood soared as though the clouds had parted and he had shot straight into the heavens.

A smile appeared on Lin Yan's face as he asked Izo.

"To be honest, I came to thank you for saving the town's residents. At the same time, I was very interested in you."

"But that no longer matters, Lin. Shall we have a drink?"

Izo got up from the ground in a bedraggled state and dusted himself off.

"A drink?"

Hearing that, Lin Yan gave Izo another look.

A free banquet.

How could Lin Yan possibly refuse?

Everyone hated freeloaders, yet everyone loved freeloading!

"Sure!"

He agreed without another word.

The Sixteenth Division members immediately went into town to make preparations.

To avoid disturbing the residents.

Izo specifically brought Lin Yan aboard his ship.

On the ship.

Everyone in the Sixteenth Division gave Lin Yan a lively welcome.

Cup after cup of liquor was poured into Lin Yan's stomach.

As one of the New World's top powerhouses.

This much alcohol could not trouble Lin Yan.

Before long.

Lin Yan had drunk a whole swath of people under the table!

The friendship between men was this simple.

Seeing that Lin Yan could fight, could drink, and was also a man of true temperament.

Refined and easygoing.

Like a spring breeze.

He spoke directly, without beating around the bush or dragging things out.

Everyone else was drawn in by Lin Yan's manner and conduct.

They became even more interested.

The crowd began cheering.

One after another, they egged each other on.

The calls for drinks grew ever more enthusiastic.

They all kept pouring drinks down Lin Yan's throat.

Lin Yan accepted every challenge.

And so.

A lively banquet.

Rang through every corner of the Sixteenth Division's deck!

The next morning.

The rising sun blazed like fire, illuminating the sky.

Izo, commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Sixteenth Division, stood on the deck.

He looked somewhat dejected, his face filled with hesitation.

Should he invite him or not?

At first.

He really had come intending to invite Lin Yan to join the Whitebeard Pirates!

But that was precisely the problem.

If he had defeated Lin Yan.

Then inviting him afterward would have been perfectly reasonable.

The problem was.

He had not beaten him.

Instead, he had suffered a crushing defeat, the kind that left him utterly disoriented!

It was like trying to show off, only to get utterly wrecked instead.

Under those circumstances.

Should he still extend the invitation?

Would that be appropriate?

Izo scratched his head in frustration.

But after thinking it over carefully.

Lin Yan's strength was right there for all to see.

Whether it was appropriate or not.

He had to give it a try.

From what he had learned during yesterday's banquet.

Lin Yan did not belong to any faction for the time being.

A powerhouse like that.

Even if he did not extend an invitation, countless others would surely rush to do so in the future!

Why let a prize fall into someone else's hands?

If he had never encountered him, then so be it.

But now that he had.

He could not let this opportunity slip away no matter what!

"Lin, I believe you remember that from the very beginning, I wanted to invite you to join our Whitebeard Pirates!"

"Are you interested in the Whitebeard Pirates?"

The moment he said that, Izo could not help feeling a little nervous.

Hearing Izo's invitation.

Lin Yan paused. "Join your pirate crew?"

As a One Piece fan.

Who would not be interested in the Whitebeard Pirates?

"Of course! If you have any requests, feel free to name them. I will do my utmost to satisfy you!"

Realizing that he had not sounded sincere enough, Izo hurriedly added another sentence.

Seeing how nervous Izo was.

Lin Yan immediately laughed. "That doesn't seem like the style of Izo, commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Sixteenth Division, who came to challenge me so confidently before!"

"So... will you agree?"

Izo broke out in a cold sweat.

"In principle, I refuse..."

Lin Yan gave Izo half an answer.

As an excellent tradition of Blue Star, there was no need to explain what "in principle, I refuse" really implied.

He was practically rubbing his thumb against his index and middle fingers as a hint.

Unfortunately.

Izo was a straightforward person.

After hearing "in principle, I refuse," he failed to catch the hidden meaning.

He thought Lin Yan had rejected him.

Izo lowered his head in disappointment. "I... see. I respect your choice!"

The invitation had not succeeded.

Izo still respected Lin Yan's choice!

Seeing Izo give up so easily.

Lin Yan sighed.

These people were all too straightforward.

It seemed he could not beat around the bush with them.

He smiled slightly, then changed his tone. "However... it's not impossible for me to agree. If you can meet my conditions, I wouldn't mind going with you!"