"Well said."
Someone behind Gin suddenly clapped in approval. Krieg roared in annoyance, "Who's there?"
"Me. Ye Chen, captain of the Grim Reaper Pirates!"
Ye Chen walked out of the jewelry store carrying a case of money.
"Captain, I..."
Gin turned around, his face full of guilt. After one look at Ye Chen, he lowered his head in shame. Ye Chen waved it off. "It's fine. We can collect the bounty later. A man should never back down, no matter what. You did well. Looks like this bunch is pretty arrogant."
Ye Chen did not choose his companions for their strength. He cared more about their character and will.
Lucci was bloodthirsty by nature and ruthless in a fight. He would stop at nothing to achieve his goals and never give up. Ye Chen admired both his fighting spirit and his resolve. From the moment they met, Ye Chen had decided Lucci would be his first companion.
Kuina was not yet eleven. Though she was a young girl, she was fiercely devoted to swordsmanship and had resolved from childhood to become the greatest swordswoman. Her determination to pursue her dream and the way of the sword far surpassed that of many men.
Gin had gone to sea alone. When illness left him weak and bedridden aboard his ship, he had still fought a powerful enemy to the death without retreating. That fighting spirit, more fearsome than any demon's, had made Ye Chen see him in a new light.
That was Ye Chen's standard for choosing companions. They might be weak for now, but with such unyielding spirit and resolve, they were sure to make the world remember their names forever.
Ye Chen had experienced the cruelest, most terrifying side of this world. Neither he nor the companions he chose would