Setting sail

The next morning, at nine o'clock.

By the time Lind arrived at the harbor, every member of the Seventh Division was already there.

Lind had no intention of leaving anyone behind to guard Hachinosu this time. The Seventh Division had no particularly valuable possessions there anyway.

He also intended to shift the Seventh Division's future focus to the base Rocks had assigned them.

The Seventh Division's base was in the first stretch of the New World. Together with Shiki's base, one on either side, it stood right on the border between the territories controlled by the Rocks Pirates and the Navy.

Lind was heading to the base partly to consolidate his rule and intimidate the surrounding pirates and kingdoms, and partly to help the Golden Lion withstand pressure from the Navy.

Both Lind and the Golden Lion could make ships fly, giving them tremendous mobility. They were perfectly suited to this kind of work, since they could simply flee if the Navy surrounded them.

Of course, despite the immense pressure the base faced, the benefits were obvious. There was plenty of money to be made.

After all, a large portion of the trade between the New World, Paradise, and the Four Seas had to pass through Lind's territory.

Whether through taxes or plunder, there would certainly be no shortage of wealth. The kingdoms under his control were also far richer than those deeper in the New World.

At the same time, this was the first area pirates from the Grand Line passed through after entering the New World, making it easy to plunder other pirates or recruit more men.

The only thing to consider was that, beyond his own formidable strength, he would need plenty of manpower to keep the surrounding region firmly under control. After all, there were quite a few brainless pirates out there.

Every important island needed a garrison to guard against pirate raids.

Rocks arrived shortly after Lind reached the harbor. The other Division Commanders had already set sail ahead of Lind, either to carry out missions or return to their bases.

"Wahahahaha! Lind, looks like you're all ready!" The Seventh Division's high spirits put Rocks in an excellent mood. Before he even reached Lind, he greeted him with a booming laugh.

"Your task this time won't be easy. There might not be any powerful opponents, but intimidating such a vast stretch of sea is no simple matter!"

"You can't be softhearted like before. You'll have to spill enough blood to keep those bastards in line!"

Clearly, since Rocks had never seen Lind kill anyone, he was a little worried that Lind wasn't ruthless enough to cow all the troublemakers in his territory.

"Hahahaha! Don't worry, boss. I hate hassle. If I can settle things with my fists, I certainly won't waste my breath! I only handled those Navy men that way because anything else would've been a bother. Don't forget, I'm a pirate too!" Lind's expression remained unchanged as he explained with a smile.

Lind felt he was far better with his fists than with complicated political maneuvering, if his telekinesis proved unable to intimidate those fellows.

Although Lind disliked killing, Kunpeng and Autumn were every bit as sharp as Oto and Kogarashi.

"Wahahahaha! Then I've got nothing else to say! I hope everything goes smoothly this time. Don't disappoint me!"

After hearing Lind's explanation, Rocks said no more. He smiled and patted Lind's shoulder, choosing to trust him.

Anyone who possessed Conqueror's Haki was a born king. Rocks believed a mere base would pose no problem for Lind.

"All right, get aboard. Your crew's been itching to leave!" Rocks waved a large hand, signaling that it was about time for Lind to depart.

"Hahahaha! All right, boss, I'm off. Wait for my good news!" Lind gave Rocks a clasped-fist salute, then turned and flew toward the Wanderer!

Back aboard, Lind looked at his eager subordinates and wasted no words. He swept his hand forward.

"Set sail!"

At Lind's command, the sailors began guiding the Wanderer slowly out of the harbor, heading toward their base.

For once, Lind didn't have to control the Wanderer with telekinesis. He finally felt like a captain!

"Calvin, I'm leaving the Wanderer in your hands!" Lind casually pulled over a chair with telekinesis as he instructed Calvin beside him.

Only recently had Lind discovered just how talented his subordinates were. Calvin, whom he had assumed was purely a fighter, was actually a gifted navigator too!

He might not compare to Nami, the future Weather Queen, but after talking with Calvin, Lind had gained a rough understanding of his abilities. He was definitely a first-rate navigator.

In fact, if not for a sudden tragedy in his family, Calvin might never have become a fighter at all. He would still have been pursuing his dream of becoming a navigator in the Flower Country!

"And there's Great Kun. You can have him scout ahead for you!" Lind suddenly remembered his very first subordinate.

For the past two months, Great Kun had remained in human form while training alongside Lind, so much so that Lind had almost forgotten he had a pet seagull.

"Haha, thanks, boss! I'll get to work, then! You can leave the Wanderer and Great Kun to me without a worry!"

Calvin was deeply moved by Lind's trust. Before Lind could say anything else, he left to carry out his duties as navigator.

The journey to their base was peaceful.

Even when they occasionally ran into bad weather or pirates foolish enough to get in their way, Lind didn't need to act personally. His subordinates handled everything with ease.

Seeing how capable each of his subordinates was, Lind even began wondering whether he would need to do anything himself once they reached the base.

His men alone should have been enough to deal with all those troublemakers.

Come to think of it, I still have two Devil Fruits. If I let Axel and the others eat them, their strength would probably improve quite a bit!

But neither fruit seems particularly powerful. Giving them to my officers would be a bit of a waste of their talent!

As usual, Lind lay in his chair, staring out at the sea while thinking through his plans for after they reached the base.

His officers were still in a somewhat awkward position strength-wise. Each was quite capable, but it would still be difficult for them to hold their own like the All-Stars and Sweet Commanders serving the future Four Emperors.

Even Lind himself couldn't yet claim that he could defeat Yonko First Mates like King and Katakuri.

Lind still had a long way to go before he could truly settle down and develop his territory in peace. He was still in the early stages of building everything up, and would probably have to take action personally quite often.

If only I could get a few more powerful Devil Fruits. Then Axel and the others would have a real chance of reaching the level of the All-Stars, and they'd be strong enough to keep everything under control in my place, Lind thought.

It all comes down to God Valley. That'll be a great opportunity to fleece the Celestial Dragons. Maybe I can seize the chance to steal quite a few good fruits.

And there's Rocks's treasury. I wonder if he'll leave behind any powerful Devil Fruits after he dies.

As for the Devil Fruits that appeared in the original story, the timing made their whereabouts highly uncertain, but Lind still wanted to try his luck.

"Boss, Great Kun spotted a Navy fleet while scouting ahead just now. How would you like us to handle it?" Axel's voice interrupted Lind's thoughts.