Chapter 8

"Captain, what do we do..."

Burgess and the others all turned to Chris, shouting anxiously.

Chris ignored them and took a step forward.

His gaze sharpened.

"Get lost..."

An overwhelming force erupted from him in an instant.

The air trembled, faint ripples spreading through it.

Silence.

The entire world fell quiet.

Every Sea King froze.

Cold sweat ran down their enormous heads.

They stared at Chris in terror.

Splash~~

With a rush of water, the Sea Kings plunged into the sea and fled.

"Keep moving!"

Chris called out without turning around.

The whole ship erupted.

"Long live Captain Chris~~"

"With the captain here, I'm not afraid of anything! Charge..."

"Incredible! Captain, you're unbelievably strong..."

"'Get lost'... Captain, that was so cool! Aaaah~~"

"Captain Chris, I'll follow you for the rest of my life! Sob..."

Burgess watched Chris from behind. The longer he looked, the more he admired him, until he burst out laughing.

"So this is the Conqueror's Haki the captain told us about. It really is powerful! Weehahaha..."

Doc Q showed a rare look of respect. He even stopped coughing as he smiled and said, "That's our captain. He's won me over."

Baccarat silently watched that commanding figure, an unreadable glint in her eyes.

Belo Betty turned to Burgess and asked curiously, "You called that Conqueror's Haki. Is that what Chris just used?"

"The captain said before that there are three kinds of Haki in this world."

Burgess explained rapidly, his face alight with excitement.

"Anyone can train in the first two. The third, Conqueror's Haki, depends on a person's natural gifts."

"The captain said Conqueror's Haki is incredibly rare. Only one person in a million has it."

Burgess looked at Chris from behind, his voice full of admiration. "I thought the captain was just talking."

"Turns out he's even stronger than I imagined! Weehahaha..."

Doc Q nodded, looking solemn.

"The captain is different from the rest of us. We can't compare."

"With a boss like him, our names will spread across the entire sea. Cough, cough..."

Belo Betty furrowed her brows and murmured, "Conqueror's Haki..."

"To think such a powerful force exists in this world. It's unbelievable."

She looked at Chris and smiled faintly, her heart full of emotion.

No wonder Chris has the nerve to change the world. He really does have the strength.

I'm sticking with you as my captain. I can't wait for the day you defeat the Celestial Dragons.

Baccarat smiled, her voice certain. "When I chose Chris, I knew one thing clearly."

"He's no ordinary man. He's destined to make a name for himself."

"And now I know I made the right choice."

By then, everyone aboard had given Chris their wholehearted loyalty. He was truly their captain...

(Everyone, there haven't been many flowers or rating votes. Could you send the author a few flowers? Thank you all! ︿(￣︶￣)︿)

Chapter 8

(Received another tip, so here's a bonus chapter.)

The Chris slowly pulled up along the island's shore.

"From the look of it, no one's visited this island in a long time."

Belo Betty surveyed the towering trees and plants she couldn't name. In such an overgrown place, the conclusion was hard to miss.

"Time for an adventure? I'm looking forward to this."

Burgess laughed, his face bright with excitement.

"Let's go take a look!"

Chris leaped down onto the ground.

"There's a huge rock over there. Let's check it out!" Baccarat pointed into the distance with a smile.

Roar~~

A roar suddenly came from deep within the island.

A huge tiger sprang out, its eyes cold and its sharp teeth gleaming.

It was hunting for a meal.

"Maybe I can't handle a Sea King, but you? You're another story."

Burgess grinned disdainfully, pushed off the ground, and shot toward the Giant Tiger like an arrow, throwing a punch.

Bang! The Giant Tiger howled, collapsed, and passed out.

"Captain Burgess is amazing!"

The underlings applauded and cheered.

Chris paid no attention to Burgess's fight. He headed straight for the boulder.

A treasure lies within. Let the worthy claim it.

The carved words were bold and powerful, giving off a piercing Sword Energy.

"Why do those words feel so sharp? It's like being pricked by needles."

Belo Betty took one glance at the writing on the boulder, then hurriedly looked away, afraid to stare any longer.

Baccarat nodded. "I feel it too. Whoever carved those words must be incredible."

"That person's swordsmanship must be extremely powerful," Doc Q said with certainty.

"A Great Swordsman."

Chris gave them his answer, then headed deeper into the island.

Burgess didn't care about any of that. Grinning, he said, "Forget the rest. The treasure's what matters."

Belo Betty looked at Baccarat, admiration on her face.

"You called it. There really is good luck waiting for us here."

Baccarat smiled, her voice light and pleasant. "Let's hope the treasure isn't disappointing. I'd hate for us to have come all this way for nothing."

The group continued slowly into the island...

After an unknown amount of time, they passed through the brush and trees, and the view ahead opened up.

Across a broad, empty stretch of ground stood an ancient Palace.

"So there really is treasure! Weehahaha..."

At the sight of the building, everyone understood what they had found.

Smiles spread across their faces, their anticipation rising.

Just then, a voice came from the Palace.

"This is my territory. You're not allowed near it."

The voice was quiet, young, and pleasant to hear.

Everyone froze.

Everyone except Chris was stunned.

"What was that?"

Belo Betty exhaled smoke and looked around, but saw nothing unusual.

Baccarat smiled. "Judging by the voice, it must be a little animal."

"An animal that talks. How interesting."

Doc Q lay on Strong's back, wearing a strange smile.

Chris walked forward and said calmly, "Little one, you're quite strong. Come out to sea with me."

"There's plenty of delicious food out there, and lots of fun things to see. Don't you want to take a look?"

Whoosh~~

A small animal jumped out in front of the Palace and asked curiously, "Is it really fun out there? Can you take me with you?"

It was a young tanuki wearing a pink shirt and blue pants. Its oversized tail was pale gold.

It was Pato.

"Oh!"

Baccarat's eyes lit up when she saw Pato. "A little tanuki! How cute."

Belo Betty lowered her sunglasses and gave the animal a once-over, looking unimpressed.

"And here I thought it was something special. It's just a young tanuki."

Burgess burst out laughing. "Captain, that little animal can talk! There must be more to it than meets the eye."

Chris stepped up to Pato, his expression calm. "The world outside is more exciting than you can imagine. You'll see once you go."

"If you ever get tired of being out there and want to come back, I'll bring you here."

With that, he left Pato alone and walked toward the Palace entrance.

Pato's little eyes lit up. Full of excitement, Pato bounced after Chris and called out in a bright voice.

"Boss, don't leave me behind! You have to take me with you..."

"It's so boring here! I want to go to sea and have fun, and eat lots of delicious food! Heehee~~"

Belo Betty shrugged and turned to Baccarat. "Your Devil Fruit Ability really is incredible."

"With you around, everything Chris tries to do goes smoothly. Nothing gives him any trouble."

Burgess nodded in agreement.

"Baccarat's ability is unbelievable. Whatever the captain does, he'll have good luck on his side."

Doc Q coughed and said, "That little animal would be fascinating to study. Truly remarkable."

"Doc Q, don't you dare."

Baccarat glared at him. "If you treat such a cute little animal and end up killing it, you'll have me to answer to."