Splash...
A black messenger bat flew in from afar and landed on the railing of the Isel, cawing as it alerted the others.
"Hmm, what's that sound? Oh, is that... something for the captain?"
Just then, while checking the situation at the stern, Singh suddenly heard a strange creaking sound. Startled, he went over to investigate and saw a black bat standing there, pointing with its wings at the letter tied to its body and creaking to remind him. Singh was very surprised, so he went over, untied the letter from its body, and asked it a question.
"Quack..."
Although the bat couldn't make human-like sounds, it still squeaked and nodded in agreement.
"Okay, I'll show it to the captain. Is there anything else you want to say?"
Singh nodded and continued in reply.
"Quack..."
The bat shook its head, then spread its wings and flew into the sky again.
"Hmm, what a strange bat! Oh no, I need to get the letter to the captain right away..."
Singh looked at the bats flying high into the sky, scratched his head, and said in a silly voice. After a while, he remembered that he had to quickly show the letter in his hand to his captain, so he immediately ran over and presented the letter to Luo Chen.
"3001..."
"3002..."
"3003..."
At this moment, Luo Chen was doing basic training in the training room when he heard Singh's call. He stopped swinging the Giant dumbbell and looked towards the door.
Splash...
"Captain..."
Singh hurriedly opened the door to the training room and called out to him.
"Hmm... what's wrong? Why did you rush over to call me? It's not lunchtime yet!"
He was somewhat surprised to see this normally calm and composed man so flustered, and asked in return.
"No, Captain Luo Chen, I have something important to discuss with you. Look, this is a letter delivered by a messenger bat. It seems to be meant for you to see, but I rushed to bring it to you without opening it..."
Singh shook his head, directly denying his question, and then handed the letter in his hand to Luo Chen.
"Hmm, let me see..."
Luo Chen took the letter from Singh, opened it, and read it carefully. Unexpectedly, his expression became increasingly astonished. After reading it, he breathed a sigh of relief and then said to Singh with a serious expression.
" Singh, quickly go and call everyone outside to the platform. Tell them I have something to tell them..."
Luo Chen closed the letter, held it tightly in his hand, and looked up at him, speaking.
"Yes, I'll go get them right away!"
Seeing Luo Chen's serious expression, Singh didn't ask why, and simply answered before going out to inform the others.
"Then I should prepare myself and inform them of this shocking news regarding my appointment as a Shichibukai, which was announced by the government!"
Luo Chen stared at Singh's hurried departure for a long time before finally snapping out of his daze, clutching the letter in his hand and muttering to himself.
He then picked up a towel from the nearby boom bar, wiped the sweat from his body, and left the training room to discuss the matter with his companions outside.
A little while later, everyone gathered on the deck at Singh's call, waiting for Luo Chen to announce something important to them.
"Hey, Singh, didn't you say the captain wanted us to gather here because he had something important to announce? Where's the captain? Are you just messing with us?!"
George stood there, extremely anxious, and asked.
"No, the captain did send me to call you all together. He should be here soon. Just wait a little longer, George, there's no need to be in such a hurry..."
Singh shook his head and explained to him, offering words of advice.
"Alright then, since it's the captain's idea, I'll wait a little longer and see what he wants to announce!"
George, hearing Singh's advice and seeing everyone's eyes on him, knew this wasn't the time to be impulsive and could only stay there and wait for Luo Chen to arrive.
clatter...
clatter...
clatter...
Click...
A moment later, footsteps sounded, and then the cabin door opened. Luo Chen walked out and looked in their direction. George and the others immediately straightened up and waited quietly for him to announce the important news to them.
"Well, you're all here. That's perfect. Now that everyone's here, I'll begin announcing this important news, the one that just came from the government."
After Luo Chen walked over and saw that everyone had arrived, he picked up the letter and began to explain the matter directly.
"Just now, Singh received a message bat from the government on the ship. It brought this, which contains an important invitation for me to become one of the Shichibukai, and also includes several bounty posters. Please pass it around and give your opinions on whether I agree to take on the position of Shichibukai!"
After speaking, Luo Chen handed the letter along with several wanted posters to Catherine, instructing her to distribute them.
"Hmm... this is...,"
Catherine picked up the letter and read it carefully. Suddenly, she was shocked by a piece of information that appeared in it. For a moment, she was speechless and did not pass the letter on to anyone else.
"Hey, Sister Catherine, what's wrong? Why can't you speak? Could it be that the letter contained some terrible information?"
Seeing Catherine's astonished reaction, Lulith became curious and took the letter from her hand to look at it. Suddenly, Catherine's eyes widened, and she exclaimed in surprise.
"Huh, this, this is..."
"What's wrong? Why are you all so surprised? Is there some special record in it?"
Seeing Catherine and Lulith behave in such a way, George and Singh were both puzzled and looked at them with questioning eyes, asking them questions.
"Hmm, besides what the captain just mentioned about being invited to become Shichibukai, it also mentions the matter of Catherine's identity. I never imagined that Catherine was actually from the Celestial Dragons lineage, the noblest bloodline in the world, and the fiancée of Saint Orange, the heir to the Gustav Family Clan! Now I finally understand why you said Captain Catherine Luo Chen was wanted by the Navy because of you..."
After her initial shock, Lulith finally closed her mouth and began to explain to the two of them.
"What? Celestial Dragons? Really? Catherine is Celestial Dragons? But why did you join the Navy with your Celestial Dragons identity, and then defect and become wanted by the government and the Navy?"
George and Catherine, Celestial Dragons, joined the Navy and then, for unknown reasons, defected and became wanted. George scratched his head and voiced his doubts.
"That happened a long time ago. Just remember that I'm no longer a Celestial Dragons or a Marine. I'm just Catherine, the vice-captain of the Luo Chen Pirates. Let's not delve into anything else..."
Catherine shook her head, not intending to explain the reason to them, and changed the subject.
"By the way, Luo Chen, what are your plans? Will you accept the government's invitation to become Shichibukai? I want to ask you your truest thoughts. Don't be tempted by the letter's promise that if you accept the government's invitation, my family's crimes will be pardoned, and I can break off my engagement with Orange and regain my freedom. Just follow your heart!"
Catherine looked at Luo Chen, wanting to ask him what his thoughts were, whether he would accept or refuse.
"Yes, that's right. Captain, you don't need to feel any other pressure; just make your own decisions..."
After glancing at the letter, the others noticed a series of benefits promised to them by the government. While this tempted them, they didn't want to interfere with their captain's true intentions, so they asked him about it.
"Well, I'm still going to accept it. Although I'm not interested in all the benefits listed, I'm very interested in the part about agreeing to participate in the public execution of Whitebeard's Second Division Commander, Portgas D. Ace, two weeks later."
"I'd be more than willing to witness the world's top-level battle firsthand. I was even planning to join Whitebeard's crew if all else failed, but now that the government has brought it up, how can I let this opportunity pass me by? So, I'm sorry, but even if you all disagree, I will still agree to join the Shichibukai. I've stated my thoughts; what about yours?"
Seeing that they were all looking at him, wanting to know what he was thinking, Luo Chen paused for a moment, then spoke with a fanatical expression.
Snap...
"As expected, I knew a battle maniac like the captain wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip by. Since you've already made your decision, Captain, I have no choice but to agree!"
Seeing Luo Chen's enthusiastic and excited expression, it's clear that George, as one of the ship's old crew members, understands Luo Chen's personality quite well. He had already guessed this when he saw the notice about participating in the attack on the Whitebeard Pirates, and now it seems his guess has been confirmed. Therefore, he didn't refuse to express his support for Luo Chen.
"Yeah, me too..."
Seeing that he had made his decision, the others expressed their support. Soon, everyone reached an agreement, and he was also promoted to the position of Shichibukai. They then set off for the Sabaody Archipelago mentioned in the letter to meet the Navy they were to meet, and then boarded a warship to return to Marineford.