"Ugh!! It's finally here..."
After waiting on the ship for a long time and growing impatient, Luo Chen finally saw several figures approaching from a distance. They were his companions. Overjoyed, Luo Chen stood up and waved to them.
"Hey, I've been waiting for you guys here for ages!!"
"Hmm, that's Captain Luo Chen. He's back on board so quickly?"
As she walked briskly with Catherine and met up with George and the others Lulith saw Luo Chen waving at them from the ship in the distance and was immediately puzzled.
"Hmph, that guy probably only came back so quickly to seek refuge. He caused such a huge mess on the island and then dumped his belongings on us. That irresponsible captain, just wait and see how I teach him a lesson!"
Catherine, who was walking beside her, snorted after hearing her words and said coldly.
"Hehe, only you, Sister Catherine, dare to speak to the captain like that. We wouldn't dare complain..."
George, standing to the side, felt embarrassed when he heard Catherine so directly point out Luo Chen's mistakes and show no fear of his strength.
Meanwhile, Singh and their new recruit, Monbuma, chose to remain silent and refrain from uttering any words.
Finally, after a while, the group managed to get back to the ship. As soon as they boarded, Luo Chen came over to greet them with a big smile.
"Hahaha, you're finally back! I've been waiting for you for so long! Welcome back, everyone!!"
Luo Chen walked over and greeted them with a smile.
Thump...
"Hey... what are you doing, Catherine? Why are you hitting me on the head the moment we boarded the ship? Don't you know that as a crew member you should respect the captain?"
Before Luo Chen could even approach them to offer his greetings, Catherine gave him a sharp rap on the forehead, instantly creating a large bump. Luo Chen quickly covered his head in pain and complained in bewilderment.
"Hmph, you dare say that? Since you know the principle that crew members should respect the captain, then you haven't forgotten what a captain should do, have you? You caused a huge disaster in Macaron and then abandoned us crew members to take the blame while you ran back. Is this what a captain should do?"
Ignoring Luo Chen 'Luo Chen pained expression, Catherine crossed her arms and mercilessly began to berate him.
"Uh... well, you guys are fine, aren't you? Besides, I know that with your strength, Limon's men can't do anything to you, so I came back to wait for you without worry!
Hey Catherine, don't be angry. Getting angry will ruin your beauty, won't it?
However, I still want to apologize to you. I'm sorry, it's all my fault as captain for taking it upon myself to decide to fight Limon without explaining the whole story to you, which has implicated you. I am very sorry for this, and please forgive my dereliction of duty as captain."
Seeing that Catherine and the others also looked rather grim, Luo Chen understood that the trouble he had caused on the island had affected his crew. Although the matter was not a big deal to them, if it was not explained clearly, it might affect the friendship among the crew. So he sincerely bowed and apologized to them.
"Uh, it's alright, Captain. This isn't your fault at all, and I don't hold any grudges against you. Get up quickly!"
Seeing his captain, Luo Chen, bow and apologize to him and his crew so solemnly for this matter, George was deeply moved and overjoyed to be able to follow such a captain. He quickly stepped forward and pulled him up.
"Yes, that's right, George is right. Captain Luo Chen, we didn't care about this at all, there's no need to feel so apologetic. Get up..."
"Yes, Captain Luo Chen, there's no need for us lowly crew members to bow and apologize. The moment you saved our lives, I, Singh, swore to dedicate my life to you and do everything in my power for your dominance!"
When Lulith and Singh saw Luo Chen bow and apologize to them, they were deeply moved, especially Singh, a usually taciturn and loyal man, who was so excited.
"Alright, alright, we forgive you for this. Just don't do it again next time. At least let us know before you act so we can be prepared."
"By the way, George!! Is the magnetic storage for the Log Pose complete?"
After being interrupted by others, Catherine's anger gradually subsided, and she forgave Luo Chen. Then she changed the subject and asked George how the storage of the Log Pose was going.
"Yes, that's almost done. The magnetic field on Macaron Island has been stored up. We're just waiting for the captain's order to set sail for the next island at any time."
Seeing that Catherine had turned the conversation to him, George took out the Log Pose from his pocket, glanced at it, and nodded in response.
"Alright, everyone, let's... set off!!"
Hearing that the record was full, Luo Chen snapped out of his reverie and shouted with great enthusiasm.
Catherine and the others nodded in acknowledgment to him.
"Alright, everyone, listen to my command, let's go Singh, you go to the mainmast and lower the sail. Catherine, you keep an eye on the course. Mr. Monbuma, you prepared dinner earlier, and I'll go steer the ship... Everyone, get moving!!"
Seeing that everyone had entrusted him with the decision-making process, George assigned tasks to each person and then prepared to begin.
"Oh!!"
Everyone except Luo Chen responded in agreement and then began to carry out their respective missions.
"Hey, wait a minute, George, what about me? What's my job as captain? You didn't assign me any tasks!!"
Seeing that everyone else had set off and was leaving Luo Chen standing there aimlessly, he couldn't help but ask in annoyance.
"Oh!! Captain Luo Chen, your job is simply to enjoy the scenery from the ship and be ready to handle any emergencies. You don't need to worry about the rest; we crew will take care of it. Just relax and watch the Isel set sail smoothly!!"
George turned around and said something to him before crawling into the cabin to steer the ship.
"... While it will certainly be much easier not having to do anything, I feel a little uneasy. Are you deliberately excluding me?"
Oh well, since my crew doesn't need my help, I'll just sit here and relax. Being a lazy bum isn't so bad!
After saying that, Luo Chen lay down on the splint, looked up at the blue sky and white clouds, and lay there like a salted fish without dreams, and fell into a deep sleep.
Under the orderly control of the crew, the Isel slowly left Macaron Harbor and headed out to sea. Although the crew was having some trouble operating the ship, seeing it sail smoothly towards the next island under their skillful maneuvering filled them with joy, making them forget their fatigue and smile.
Splash...
As they sailed out of the port, a fleet led by Katakuri, flying the Big Mom Pirates flag, was slowly approaching them a few nautical miles away. At that moment, Catherine and her crew were caught up in the joy of setting sail and did not realize that danger was approaching.
Splash...
In another direction, a few nautical miles away from the Isel, Jack the Drought, one of Kaido's All-Stars, rallied a dozen pirate ships to form an allied fleet under his leadership, preparing to encircle and annihilate Luo Chen and his group.
clatter...
Shortly after Luo Chen and his crew set sail and left the port, a figure arrived in the darkness. Using the dim lights, the figure searched the ship for a long time but could not find Luo Chen Pirates's vessel or any of them. This made Phil, who had come to follow George and his companion, feel somewhat disappointed, and he looked at the sea ahead with a dim gaze.
"What's going on? The Luo Chen Pirates have all disappeared! Have they already set sail? My luck is really terrible! They've slipped away from me time and time again! What should I do? Should I follow them now? Maybe they haven't gone far!!"
... Okay, it's decided. Let's set off now to catch up with them. Even if we fail again, we'll wait for them on the next island. Let's go! Luo Chen Pirates, just you wait! I, the South Blue Champion Fighter Frank D. Phil, am coming to find you! Don't run away like before this time!!"
After watching for a while, Phil finally made up his mind to continue tracking their movements and find the Luo Chen Pirates.
Phil then found a small sailboat next to the ship, big enough for only one or two people, jumped aboard, lowered the sail, grabbed two oars, and slowly rowed over.
"Hmm, what's wrong? I think I just saw someone standing here, where did they go?"
... Wait a minute, could it be... Oh no, my boat! Stop right there! You ship thief, give my boat back right now!!"
Just as Phil stepped onto the boat and rowed to catch up with Luo Chen and the others, a drunken fisherman staggered over from the dock.
He noticed that the person he had just seen standing there was no longer there. Thinking it was just a drunken illusion, the fisherman went to check his boat. Suddenly, a bad feeling flashed through his mind, and he quickly ran to the shore where his boat was moored to confirm if it was still there.
Sure enough, there was only an empty rope used to moor the boat, lying scattered on the ground. His fishing boat was nowhere to be seen. The fisherman quickly looked up and strained his eyes, only to see a small boat, faintly visible in the night, slowly disappearing from his sight.
The fisherman couldn't take it anymore and shouted, hoping it would stop, but it was just wishful thinking. The small fishing boat drifted further and further away under Phil's powerful waving, leaving the drunken fisherman staring ahead, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Captain, wake up! Come and eat!"
Meanwhile, after the Isel sailed smoothly out of the port, the group put down their work and went out to the dining room inside the ship. Singh came over and saw Luo Chen lying on the ground fast asleep. He squatted down and shook his shoulder to wake him up.
"Hmm...? Is it time for dinner?"
Luo Chen, who was fast asleep, slowly woke up at Singh's urging. He looked at him with sleepy eyes and asked.
"Yes, it's lunchtime! Captain, get up and let's go eat!"
Singh nodded in response, then reached out and pulled up the half-dazed Luo Chen, helping him to stand up and clear his head. After a while, Luo Chen regained some consciousness and walked into the dining room with Singh.
"Oh, Captain, you're awake! Come and eat! This is a meal specially prepared by Chef Monbuma; you'll eat your tongue off!"
George sat at the dining table opposite him as he entered, took a big bite of a bone-in piece of Poseidon in one hand, and mumbled something to him.
"Oh, um, wait, Chef Monbuma? Speaking of which, I just saw a new face board the ship, but I didn't have a chance to ask who he was because we were preparing to set sail. Perfect timing, let me introduce myself now, Chef Monbuma? You're also joining our team, right?!"
Luo Chen walked in and casually replied, but then noticed something was wrong. He looked at the figure busy beside the small kitchen and said softly.
clang...
When Monbuma heard Luo Chen ask him to introduce himself, he put down the frying pan he was stirring and turned around to look at Luo Chen and the others.
"Oh, you must be Captain Luo Chen. It's an honor to meet you. Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm a resident of Macaron, and also a seasoned chef with quite a few awards to my name."
Today, I intended to win the grand finale of the Chef Championship and infiltrate Limon's mansion to assassinate him, but unexpectedly, your two crew members Lulith and Miss Catherine, came to invite me after learning about my culinary skills.
Originally, I offered to join your ranks unconditionally if you helped me kill Limon. However, after we had discussed and finalized the steps, your killing of Limon occurred, which solidified my decision to join you.
After defeating the soldiers who tried to stop us, we followed Miss Catherine and the others here. You already know what happened after that, so I won't go into details...
"So, are you willing to join us because of my killing of Limon?"
That's truly an honor! Welcome to Monbuma! From now on, we're comrades. No matter what you do at sea, we'll always be your strongest shield. The Luo Chen Pirates will always welcome you!
After listening to Monbuma's story Luo Chen stood up, walked to his side, and extended his hand to welcome him with a smile.
"Yes, thank you. I will definitely do my best for the Luo Chen Pirates, even if it costs me my life..."
Monbuma grasped Luo Chen's outstretched hand with one hand, and patted her chest with the other, making a solemn vow.
"Okay... everyone hurry up and let's get going, the food's getting cold!!"
George and the others applauded and welcomed Monbuma's arrival, then called out to the two of them to hurry over and join them for dinner. At this dinner table, everyone bonded with each other.
Bang...
Just as the group was halfway through their meal, a sudden cannon blast startled them awake. Enemy forces were attacking their ship, so they quickly put down their bowls and chopsticks, grabbed their weapons, and rushed out.
Bang bang...
As soon as they stepped off the deck, several more shells were fired and landed on the nearby sea, causing the Isel to rock violently, and several people nearly lost their footing and fell to the ground.
"What's going on? Why would anyone attack us? Haven't they heard of our reputation? Did some hotheads just decide to attack us on their own?"
Catherine was taken aback by the sudden attack and spoke out in disbelief.
"No, I'm afraid that's not the case. The other side probably already knew our identities before they opened fire on us..."
Luo Chen moved the binoculars away from his hand, shook his head, and gave a wry smile.