But as she spoke, Catherine herself lost confidence, because she knew who the pirate who appeared there later was: Jack the Drought, another powerful figure under Kaido the Four Emperors. Facing two extremely powerful enemies at the same time, even if she knew Luo Chen's strength well and was confident in him, she could not feel at ease. For a moment, she, like everyone else, gradually lowered her head, looked down at the splint on the ground, and remained silent.
A somber atmosphere once again permeated the scene. Everyone remained silent, staring dejectedly at the planks on the ground, their thoughts unreadable.
Wow...
clatter!!
"What's wrong? Why are you all gathered together looking so gloomy?"
Just as everyone's morale was low, Howling Wind came from the sky, followed by Luo Chen's questioning voice. Their mood instantly brightened and they turned around to see him flapping his wings and returning to the ship, looking at them with a puzzled expression.
"Wow... that's great, Luo Chen! I thought you weren't coming back!!"
Catherine had spent the most time with him and gradually developed feelings for him that went beyond friendship. When she saw Luo Chen return safely, she immediately shouted excitedly and rushed into his arms, hugging him tightly while murmuring something to him.
"..."
Seeing this, the others exchanged glances and stepped back a few paces, choosing not to interfere in their conversation.
"Hmm...!? Alright, I'm back safe and sound. Sorry to have worried you all..."
Seeing this, Luo Chen didn't know where to put his hands. After a while, he gently patted her back to comfort her.
"Alright, get up, Catherine. Don't make a fool of yourself. She's the vice-captain and leader of the Luo Chen Pirates, you can't be crying like this..."
Seeing that her emotions had stabilized somewhat, Luo Chen spoke up again to comfort her.
"Um..."
Hearing this, she finally realized what was happening, quickly got up and pushed Luo Chen away, tidied her makeup which was ruined by tears, glared at Lulith was secretly laughing to the side, and then stood aside as if nothing had happened.
"Oh dear, did I arrive at the wrong time? Should I come back later so you can catch up properly first?"
Just as the others were eager to express their joy to Luo Chen, another voice interrupted them. Phil appeared before them like a flash of Blue Light, teasing them with a smile.
"No need for that. Come over here quickly, it's a good opportunity to introduce yourself to everyone. From now on, we'll be sailing together, partners who entrust our lives to each other!"
Luo Chen shook his head, gesturing for him to come over, and then spoke to the others.
"Partners? Captain, you're not going to recruit other people to join us again without our permission, are you?"
George, who was standing next to him, glanced at Phil and then spoke to Luo Chen.
"Haha, how could that be? I'm actually asking for your opinions now."
Oh, right, let me introduce him. His name is Phil, Champion Fighter from the South Blue. He helped us at the auction on Supomachi Island before, and just now he helped me escape from Katakuri and Jack the Drought. He can be considered a great benefactor of our Luo Chen Pirates.
I'm planning to invite Phil to join our team. Would you agree?
Luo Chen raised his hand to deny George's statement and earnestly asked everyone for their opinions and views.
"Oh, I don't think I said I wanted to join you guys, did I?"
However, since Captain Luo Chen has extended such a sincere invitation to me, it wouldn't be good to refuse. But whether you can convince me to join your crew depends on your true abilities.
I personally admire strength, and the strong rule. Let's have a match. If you lose, I'll unconditionally join you. But if you lose, then you'll change your banner to my name, and it'll be called the Frank Pirates. What do you think? Isn't that a better name than your Luo Chen Pirates? Gurararararara~"
While Luo Chen was seeking opinions from the others, Phil also spoke up, arrogantly addressing them.
"Hmph, arrogant fool! Do you think you can defeat the captain with your paltry strength? With your attitude, I don't agree to you joining us. Otherwise, we'd be arguing and fighting all the time. What do you say?"
George, who was impulsive and easily angered, was instantly enraged when he heard Phil dare to so arrogantly challenge his respected captain. He shouted angrily at him.
"Gurarararar, it seems like whether I join your gang or not isn't up to you. Before anyone else has even spoken, you, a mere foot soldier, have already jumped in. What about your captain and first mate? Or are you planning to seize all the power as captain yourself?"
It seemed as if they were born to clash with George. George couldn't stand him, and Phil couldn't stand this impulsive man with a personality as explosive as gunpowder, and he didn't dare to argue with him at all.
"You..."
Hearing this, George was speechless and couldn't help but raise his right hand, wanting to teach this ignorant newcomer a lesson.
"Gurarararar, what? Are you going to make a move? Well, I guess I'm just acting in self-defense. For Mr. Luo Chen, it's not unreasonable for me to teach this newbie a lesson, is it?"
When George challenged him to a duel, Phil naturally refused to back down, agreeing to get into a fighting stance and turning to look at Luo Chen before asking a question.
"No, stop! George, put away your abilities, and Phil, you too. If you want to test my strength, we can find a place to spar, but now is not a good time. We haven't completely gotten rid of Katakuri and his men yet. Let's get out of here in the Isel first, and we'll talk about the rest later."
George, especially you need to quickly plan out the specific flight path for us. We'll have plenty of time to compete with Phil, so go and do your job first!
Luo Chen shook his head and rejected their suggestion, ordering George to plan the route for everyone and guide the Isel to set sail correctly.
"Yes..."
Seeing that his captain had spoken, George had no choice but to obey orders and direct the crew to head in the direction he had planned.
"Gurararara, very good. You were able to resolve the conflict between the crew members with just a few words, and the crew members are very obedient to you. You have the ability to make decisions and command respect. I just don't know if your strength is up to par. If you can make me submit to you in terms of hard power, then what's wrong with me following you?"
Phil, who witnessed Luo Chen's decisive intervention to stop the conflict between the two, felt a slight sense of satisfaction with Luo Chen and thought to himself.
Splash...
Shifting our gaze to the other side, above the fleets soaring alongside Katakuri, dozens of seagulls pulled a carriage to a steady stop. Inside, Morgans's head protruded from the carriage window, holding a video bug in one hand, recording all the events that had occurred and broadcasting them to the screens in the conference hall of the World Government's Five Elders and the Marine Headquarters.
"Hehehe, I wonder what the Navy's expression will be when they see these images? Hehehe, Pirate Luo Chen, you're really making me more and more interested in you guys."
I knew something big was going to happen when Katakuri came to the Sabaody Archipelago to gather information about you, so I followed him. I didn't expect to witness such a spectacular show; even Jack, one of the All-Stars under Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, joined the battle!
Although you didn't defeat them, the fact that you were able to hold out against those two, especially Katakuri, for so long and ultimately escape their encirclement unscathed is quite remarkable.
So it seems you're one of the chosen ones too. Of the dozen or so pirates gathering on Sabaody Archipelago, only the Straw Hat Pirates can rival you. Hehehe, let me see how far you can go in the end...
After filming the battle, Morgans turned off the video bug, a mysterious glint in his eyes, and then chuckled. He then commanded the seagulls beneath him to fly back to their dwellings to organize the intelligence and report it in its entirety.
Snap...
"You've all seen the footage Morgans sent, right? What do you think of that guy this time? Is he up to the job of Shichibukai?"
On the large conference table, Sengoku slammed the photograph Morgans had sent him onto the table, sat up, glanced at everyone, and asked.