Mark's second demand made Daisy look at him sideways.
Without hesitation, the Golden Eagle replied, "I choose the second one!"
There was a way to live, so why choose the road to death? Besides, joining a pirate crew would not cost him anything.
"A wise choice!"
Mark's invitation to the Golden Eagle might have seemed hasty, but he had actually taken a liking to the other party's potential.
The power of golden lightning had a high ceiling to begin with. Even among Devil Fruit abilities, it would have been considered a powerful one. If not for his Dark-Dark Fruit power, he might have fallen to that lightning.
After killing Pock and the others, his physique had already risen to ★ in the first stage. Energy had filled all the stars, and he only needed enough energy to break through into the next stage.
Yet he had still nearly suffered at the Golden Eagle's hands.
What was more, this ability had no side effects.
Mark had also noticed that the Golden Eagle's wings and body were both extremely strong, so his overall strength was probably impressive as well.
He could speak, had decent strength, and most importantly, he looked presentable.
If he ever became disobedient, Mark could always use him as emergency rations. What was not to like?
"Do you have a name?"
"Yes!"
"What is it?"
"Chiu Chiu!"
"You'll be called Mouth Cannon from now on!"
"Emmmm..."
When they left the slaughterhouse, Mark had a Golden Eagle by his side.
After simply buying some beef and pork, the two humans and one bird headed to where their ship was moored.
After storing the supplies in the cabin, they raised the sail and left Clode Town.
It was only long after Mark had left that the pirates of Clode Town discovered that their boss and the core members of the White Ghost Pirates had all been killed.
In an instant, all of Clode Town erupted.
The White Ghost Pirates had been completely wiped out in Clode Town. When an old pirate crew fell, a new one would rise alongside it.
But that had nothing to do with Mark anymore.
Smack!
Mouth Cannon was sent flying by a slap from Mark.
"Get your filthy wings off my grilled meat. Wash those wings before you eat. How many times have I told you?"
"Hey, Captain, don't be angry! The grilled meat just smelled so good that I forgot. I'll go wash them right now!" Mouth Cannon eagerly ran off to wash his wings.
It was worth mentioning that birds in the pirate world could use their wings in place of hands when eating, and Mouth Cannon was no exception.
Sitting at the table, Mouth Cannon hugged a huge piece of grilled meat and gnawed on it. As he ate, he said, "Captain, the food you make is seriously delicious."
This Mouth Cannon golden eagle adapted to Mark's pirate crew very quickly.
The main reason was that Mark's cooking was simply too good. Mouth Cannon could not resist the temptation of such delicious food, and he planned to cling to Mark's pirate crew for the rest of his life.
"By the way, Captain, what is our pirate crew called?" Mouth Cannon suddenly asked after swallowing the last bite of grilled meat.
Mark froze halfway through eating.
He really had not thought about that. He had been at sea for several days, yet his pirate crew did not even have a name.
"Let's talk about it in a few days. I haven't decided yet!" After thinking for a moment, Mark decided to settle the matter of Cocoyasi Village first before discussing the pirate crew's name.
His mind was currently filled with Cocoyasi Village and that Navy rat. He wished he could rush over and kill him immediately.
After Daisy finished eating, she ordered Mouth Cannon, "Mouth Cannon! Wash the dishes when you're done eating!"
Mouth Cannon's eagle eyes widened.
After a moment, he seemed to remember something, and his momentum deflated.
"Yeah, yeah..."
He had no choice. His status on the ship was the lowest.
After Mark finished eating, Mouth Cannon carried the tableware for all three of them and washed it in the sink with a splash.
To the west of Cocoyasi Village stood a massive estate. It was enormous and connected to the sea, serving as the headquarters of the Arlong Pirates.
"Nami is back..."
A girl with orange hair, a blue-and-white striped shirt, long beautiful legs, large eyes, and a figure that had already begun to develop came before the octopus Fish-Man. Nami wiped the sweat from her face and smiled faintly.
"Hachi, is Arlong here?"
"Brother Arlong is in the hall!" Hachi said.
"Okay, thanks, Hachi!" After thanking him, Nami adjusted the bundle on her back and headed into the hall where Arlong was.
At this moment, Arlong and several core officers were idling around in the hall. When they saw Nami arrive, Arlong burst into laughter.
"Ha ha ha! Nami is back. Did you bring in anything this time?"
Nami set the bundle from her back in front of Arlong.
"There are eight hundred thousand Beli here. I still need fifty-three million four hundred thousand Beli to reach one hundred million! Arlong, you remember what you said, right? That I could leave the village once I gathered one hundred million?"
With a casual wave of Arlong's hand, a blue Fish-Man stepped forward, opened the bundle, and checked its contents. Once he confirmed there was no problem, Arlong let out a deafening laugh.
"Nami, we Fish-Men are the best at keeping our promises. As long as you can gather one hundred million, we'll leave Cocoyasi Village. Of course... as for the sea charts..."
"Don't worry about the sea charts. The newest portion is almost finished." As soon as Nami finished speaking, she turned and left.
The blue Fish-Man walked to Arlong's side and asked in a low voice, "Brother Arlong... are we really going to let Nami go after she gathers one hundred million?"
Arlong grinned, his sharp teeth gleaming with a bloodthirsty chill.
"Lato, do you think I care about that one hundred million? What I care about are the sea charts! With those charts, what wealth could we possibly lack in East Blue? But Nami... I really can't bear to let her go!"
The blue Fish-Man looked deeply at Arlong but said nothing more.
Arlong did appreciate Nami. Her ability to make sea charts, along with her innate talent as a navigator, made Arlong think highly of her.
"What a pity... she isn't one of our Fish-Man Tribe... Since she can't submit to me completely, then she can only die!"
As for subordinates who refused to obey, even if they were core officers, Arlong did not care in the slightest.
Sea charts lay scattered everywhere in the empty room.
Nami sat on the floor with her arms wrapped around her knees, holding an album as she stared blankly at the people inside it.
The person in the album was a gentle woman. On either side of her stood a little girl, one with blue hair and one with orange hair.
All three of them were smiling happily.
Yet the faint crack across the frame seemed to convey some meaning.
The woman in the photograph was Nami's adoptive mother, and also the person Nami loved and respected most. She had once been an upright Marine.
But when Arlong arrived, everything changed.
Nami still remembered that in Bellemere's final moments, with Arlong pointing a gun at her, she would rather sacrifice her life than deny that Nami and Nojiko were her daughters.
"Nami, Nojiko, I love you!"
Those final words had been deeply etched into Nami's heart.
Nami tightened her grip on the album, her body trembling slightly.
Tears streamed from her eyes.
"Bellemere..."