Flags, Undercurrents

There happened to be a ship model under construction, and it was suitably large. The fleet they had originally planned for seven thousand people required large ships, but to ensure they could handle the conditions of the Grand Line, they had also built quite a few slightly smaller satellite ships.

These satellite ships happened to suit pirate crews like Rogge's, with fewer members. If their crew expanded in the future, they could switch to a larger ship then.

That was for later. For now, they first needed a ship of their own, along with a pirate flag that belonged to them.

Shipwright Cook finally had a chance to show his worth. Cook's weapon, that massive hammer, was actually more like a shipbuilding tool. A Fish-Man's body was already the strongest weapon, and Cook had never used his hammer in battle. He only took it out while building ships, and he wielded such a huge iron hammer with surprising finesse.

Rogge and Jelly were going at it in front of the shipyard, the two of them fighting fiercely over some trivial matter.

"Are they going to be okay?" Ares, who had just joined the pirate crew, asked Ham as he watched Rogge and Jelly duel.

"They're fine, just two overgrown brats. Let's go buy some supplies. You'll probably need medicinal herbs, right? Once we set sail, all our lives will be in your hands," Ham said.

"You're joking. Once we board the ship and put out to sea, everyone is important. It's not a matter of whose life is entrusted to whom. We're all tied to the same fate. If one of us dies, it'll be hard for the others to survive too," Ares said.

"That makes sense. Hahaha, let's go shopping. We just came into a fortune." Ham laughed as he carried a case.

They truly were not short on money now. They had bloodied the Bloodhand Pirates' base and taken all the wealth inside. Ham had just completed a deal with several merchants, selling off all the Bloodhand Pirates' assets.

Brian, the captain of the Bloodhand Pirates, and his seven officers were already dead. No one would face retaliation for taking over the pirate crew's possessions, especially at such low prices. Merchants chased profit; they would never pass up an opportunity like this.

A bounty hunter had even come to them specifically and spent one hundred million Beli to purchase Brian's head and the others' heads, intending to take them to the Marines in exchange for their bounties.

Rogge waved his hand at this money-delivering gesture and gave the man a ship, telling him to transport all the corpses to the neighboring Marine fortress.

The money was already in hand anyway. Rogge did not care whether the man could collect the reward. They had killed those people; whether the Marines would pay up was not something he knew.

Ham and Ares went to buy the things they would need at sea: daily necessities, food, clothes, medical equipment, navigational equipment, and so on.

The reason Rogge and Jelly had started fighting was simple: the pirate flag. Now that they had formed a pirate crew, they had to have a pirate flag. A few days ago, when they ate the Devil Fruits, Rogge had already planned to raise a new pirate flag.

However, not one of the four of them had any talent for drawing, so the matter had been put aside. Now that they were on Thousand Lake Island, they could only hire an artist to design their pirate flag.

Jelly had originally planned to go with Ham and the others to buy kitchen utensils, but when he heard Rogge's pirate flag design, he could not resist coming over to listen in. The moment he did, his inner designer erupted, and he kept adding his own embellishments.

Watching the designed skull turn into a mass of vines, green ones at that, Rogge wanted nothing more than to strangle that bastard Jelly.

The two could not agree and quickly began fighting. The artist could only watch from the side, not daring to say a word.

He did not dare provoke these people. The largest pirate crew in the West Blue, which had occupied Thousand Lake Island for years, had been wiped out by just the four of them. Who would dare mess with them now?

"I don't care. We're using this one." Rogge pointed at a preliminary sketch.

"It's too messy. Nothing but weapons, all flashy and gaudy," Jelly said.

"Who exactly is the captain here, you or me?" Rogge glared at him.

Jelly shouted, "We're called the Asura Pirates. Since it's Asura, it needs to be more terrifying! You've got a skull with weapons all around it, like a flower. How is that supposed to work?"

"Then we'll cut some down. How about this? Arrange these weapons properly. Yes, like that—like wings. Wings made of weapons. Wings represent the longing to soar freely, but weapons symbolize force and war." Rogge pointed at the design.

"Huh, now that you put it that way, it really does look much better. Hey, come over here. Draw it for us." After hearing Rogge's suggestion, Jelly turned and called to the trembling artist standing off to the side.

The artist had heard everything they said. He came over and began sketching on the draft paper. Before long, a terrifying skull appeared, with a pair of wings made from all kinds of weapons behind it.

"Perfect." Rogge smiled.

"It does look much better this way. Way better than that chrysanthemum from before," Jelly could not help muttering.

"Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up and paint it on the pirate flag. I want to see how it looks." Rogge urged the artist.

The artist brought out specialized paints. Pirate flags were extremely important when sailing at sea, and pirate ships had to endure all kinds of harsh weather. The paints needed were different, and even the fabric itself had to be specially made.

After the pirate flag was finished, Rogge nodded in satisfaction. Next came the sailcloth. Since there were so many weapons, and the skull was not an abstract design either, it would take time to complete. Rogge and Jelly headed into town to buy supplies and pick up some food on the way back. Cook was still busy in the cabin, and they needed to prepare food for him.

While Rogge and the others were still resting on Thousand Lake Island and outfitting the ship they were about to sail, more than thirty pirate ships had docked at a deserted island not far from Thousand Lake Island. These pirate ships looked somewhat damaged, though a few were brand-new.

"The Bloodhand Pirates have been wiped out. Their strength surpassed our expectations."

Thirty-one captains gathered together again. Several people in miserable condition lay before their table, all of them members of the Bloodhand Pirates without exception.

"The Bloodhand Pirates' captain and officers are all dead. They weren't weak, but they were all killed—and brutally slaughtered at that."

"What do we do now? Do we keep going after them?"

"They only have five people, and three of them are Devil Fruit users. Those are the legendary devil's curses. Can we deal with them?"

"Are you saying you want to back down?"

"We don't want to back down, but we don't want to die for nothing either."

"It's simple. Don't fight them on land. Devil Fruit users fear seawater. We just have to engage them at sea and destroy their ship."

"Don't they also have a Fish-Man Tribe member?"

"What can one person do?"

"Then we'll wait for them at the entrance to the Grand Line."