New Pirate Crew

Mark's second demand made Daisy cast him a sidelong glance.

Without a moment's hesitation, the Golden Eagle answered, "I choose the second one!"

There was a way to survive, so why choose death? Besides, joining a pirate crew would not cost it anything.

"Wise choice!"

Mark's invitation for the Golden Eagle to join might have seemed hasty, but he had actually taken a liking to its potential.

It possessed the power of golden lightning. The upper limit of that power was already impressive; even among Devil Fruit abilities, it would have been considered a strong one. If not for his Dark-Dark Fruit power, he might have fallen to its lightning.

After killing Bock and the others, his physique in the first stage had already risen to ★. Energy had filled every star, and he only needed enough energy to break through into the next stage.

Yet he had still nearly fallen into its hands.

Not to mention, this was an ability without side effects.

He had also noticed that its wings and body were both powerful, so its overall strength was likely considerable.

It could speak and possessed decent strength. Most importantly, it looked good enough.

If it disobeyed, he could always use it as emergency rations. What was not to like?

"Do you have a name?"

"Yes!"

"What is it?"

"Chiu Chiu!"

"Change it to Mouth Cannon."

"Emmmm..."

When Mark left the slaughterhouse, there was now a Golden Eagle at his side.

After simply buying some beef and pork, the two humans and one beast arrived at where their ship was docked.

After storing the supplies in the cabin, they raised the sails and departed Clode Town.

Only long after Mark had left did the pirates of Clode Town discover that their boss and the White Ghost Pirates' key members had all been killed.

In an instant, all of Clode Town erupted.

The White Ghost Pirates had been completely wiped out in Clode Town. And when an old pirate crew fell, a new pirate crew would rise alongside it.

But that had nothing to do with Mark anymore.

Smack!

Chiu Chiu was sent flying by Mark's slap.

"Take your filthy wings off my grilled meat. Wash those wings before you eat. How many times have I told you?"

"Ah, Captain, don't be angry! The grilled meat smelled so good that I forgot. I'll go wash them right away!" Chiu Chiu hurried off to wash its wings.

It was worth mentioning that birds in this pirate world could use their wings in place of hands when eating, and Chiu Chiu was no exception.

Seated at the dining table, Chiu Chiu hugged a huge piece of grilled meat and gnawed on it. As it ate, it said, "Captain, the food you make is just too delicious."

This Mouth Cannon Golden Eagle had integrated into Mark's pirate crew very quickly.

Mainly because Mark's cooking was simply too good. Chiu Chiu could not resist the temptation of such delicious food, and it planned to cling to Mark's pirate crew for the rest of its life.

"By the way, Captain, what is our pirate crew called?" After swallowing the last bite of grilled meat, Chiu Chiu suddenly asked.

Hearing that, Mark froze mid-meal.

He really had not considered 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 Cocoyasi Village's matters first before discussing the pirate crew's name.

His mind was currently filled with Cocoyasi Village and that Marine rat. He wanted nothing more than to rush over and kill him immediately.

After Daisy finished eating, she ordered Chiu Chiu, "Chiu Chiu! Wash the dishes when you're done!"

Chiu Chiu's eagle eyes widened.

A moment later, it seemed to remember something, and its momentum deflated.

"Yeah, yeah..."

It could not be helped. It held the lowest status on the ship.

After Mark finished eating, Chiu Chiu carried the tableware of all three people and noisily washed it in the sink.

To the west of Cocoyasi Village stood a large estate. It was enormous and connected to the sea; it was the headquarters of the Arlong Pirates.

"Nami is back..."

With orange hair, a blue-and-white striped shirt, long shapely legs, large eyes, and a figure that was already beginning to develop, the girl arrived before the octopus fish-man. Nami wiped the sweat from her face and revealed a faint smile.

"Hachi, is Arlong here?"

"Brother Arlong is in the hall!" Hachi said.

"Alright, thank you, Hachi!" After thanking him, Nami adjusted the bundle on her back and headed into the hall where Arlong was.

At that moment, Arlong and several core officers were idling in the hall. Seeing Nami arrive, Arlong burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Nami is back. What did you bring in this time?"

Nami placed the bundle from her back before Arlong.

"There are eight hundred thousand Berries here. I still need fifty-three million four hundred thousand Berries 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. After confirming there was no problem, Arlong let out a thunderous laugh.

"Nami, we fish-men are the people who keep our promises best. As long as you gather one hundred million, we will leave Cocoyasi Village. Of course... about the sea charts..."

"Don't worry about the sea charts. The newest portion is nearly finished." The moment Nami finished speaking, she turned and left.

The blue fish-man walked to Arlong's side and asked in a low voice, "Brother Arlong... once Nami gathers one hundred million, are we really letting her go?"

Arlong grinned, his sharp teeth flashing with a bloodthirsty gleam.

"Lato, do you think I care about that one hundred million? What I care about are the sea charts! With sea charts, what wealth could we not obtain in East Blue? But Nami... I really would hate to let her go!"

The blue fish-man gave Arlong a deep look and said nothing more.

Arlong still appreciated Nami greatly. Her ability to draw sea charts, along with her innate talent as a navigator, made Arlong favor her immensely.

"What a pity... she isn't one of us fish-men... She cannot submit to me completely, so I can only kill her!"

For subordinates who would not obey, what did it matter if they were core officers? Arlong did not care in the slightest.

The empty room was littered with sea charts everywhere.

Nami sat crouched on the floor with her arms wrapped around her knees, holding a photo album in her hands as she stared blankly at the people in it.

The person in the photo was a gentle woman. At either side of her stood a little girl, one with blue hair and the other with orange hair.

The three of them were smiling happily.

Yet the faint crack across the frame seemed to convey some meaning.

The woman in the photo was Nami's adoptive mother, and also the person Nami 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 forcing her at gunpoint, 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 gripped the photo album harder, her body trembling slightly.

Tears dripped from her eyes.

"Bellemere..."