At first, when the bar owner saw this great pirate, he was somewhat fearful and nervous. But after Rojen said one sentence, the atmosphere instantly became lively.
"Boss, are you reluctant to give me a drink?"
When he said this, Rojen had a smile all over his face. He had none of the imposing manner he showed when facing the Marines. Instead, he looked like he was simply greeting the uncle next door.
"Hahaha, how could that be?" The boss was also a fairly bold person, and Rojen's words made him burst into laughter.
"Rum, or brandy? Something stronger is best suited for you fellows who sail the seas."
"Oh? Boss, you know your stuff, too?" Rojen asked curiously.
"Of course. I get quite a lot of pirates here!" The boss skillfully began promoting his alcohol to Rojen.
Rojen accepted the recommendations with a smile and ordered some of every kind.
The other customers in the bar watched Rojen chatting enthusiastically with the owner and realized that this great pirate was nothing like the terrifying figure from the legends. In the end, they gathered their courage and joined in as well. Once they started talking, they discovered that this great pirate was no different from them at all.
"Rojen, I heard that on your way here, a whole bunch of pirate crews were so scared of you that they didn't even dare move and made way for you."
Someone asked.
"Hehe, actually, I didn't do anything at all. They were just scaring themselves." Rojen shook his head and smiled bitterly.
"Look, I've got two eyes, two ears, one nose, and one mouth. How am I any different from you?"
That line made everyone in the bar burst into laughter. They felt this great pirate was completely unlike the rumors, funny, humorous, and without the slightest bit of arrogance.
"This is what a true great pirate is like!"
Someone sighed in admiration.
They had also met those guys in West Blue with bounties exceeding ten million, but every single one of them strutted around arrogantly, quick to curse and hit people. None were as approachable as Rojen.
Rojen told everyone amusing stories, while they introduced him to West Blue and the situation on Trosky Island. Just as they were chatting happily, a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boy in the corner suddenly gathered his courage and tugged at Rojen's sleeve.
"What's wrong, little Sora?"
The boy was called Sora, the bar owner's son.
"Brother Rojen, I also want to be like you and become a pirate when I grow up. Is that okay?"
Young Sora looked at Rojen with anticipation.
The others stopped their conversations and watched the scene with smiles.
Rojen was slightly stunned by the question, then reached out and patted Sora on the head.
"You want to be a pirate, Sora? Of course you can. Pirates are the bravest warriors on the sea!"
Hearing this affirmative answer, Sora clenched his fists excitedly.
"But being a pirate is very dangerous. First, you have to decide whether you have enough courage to face those dangers."
Rojen said seriously.
Everyone nodded in agreement. These days, being a pirate was far more dangerous than being a Marine.
"I do! Brother Rojen, I have courage!" Sora shouted loudly.
At that moment, the bar owner heard the commotion and hurried over. He grabbed Sora and smacked him hard on the butt.
"You little brat, you still want to be a pirate? Just wait till I deal with you!"
The crisp smack rang out clearly, and tears instantly burst from Sora's eyes, causing everyone nearby to laugh loudly.
Rojen shook his head at the sight.
"A man's determination to face the sea is something nothing can stop!"
He continued drinking with the crowd.
Meanwhile, as little Sora was getting spanked by his father, he still shouted toward Rojen:
"Brother Rojen, when I grow up, I'll come find you! I want to join your pirate crew!"
That only caused the bar owner to use even more force, making Sora howl in pain.
One day later, on the seas of West Blue, in the waters near Trosky Island,
"What's that? Such a huge bird!"
Pirates sailing on the sea happened to see a shadow gliding overhead.
They could clearly tell that the shadow covered an enormous area. Even though it was several hundred meters away from them, it still looked unbelievably gigantic.
"What a huge beast!"
The pirates aboard the pirate ship exclaimed in amazement.
Just as they had finished being surprised, in the very next second, they saw that the giant bird soaring in the sky was suddenly diving downward, rapidly flying toward them.
"That bird is coming down, its direction is straight at us!"
The crew members were horrified.
Three seconds later, as the giant creature drew closer and closer, they could finally clearly make out its appearance.
"Damn, that's no bird, it's a dragon!!!"
A legendary creature had appeared alive right before their eyes, terrifying the pirates to the extreme.
"Get ready to jump into the water! If that thing attacks even once, our ship will be smashed to pieces!"
The captain roared loudly, his face turning pale.
But what shocked them even more was that the dragon, with a wingspan of a hundred meters and breathing scorching flames, simply stopped in midair once it reached directly above their ship.
"Hey, do any of you know which direction Trosky Island is?"
A human head poked out from behind the dragon's back.
The pirates on the ship were dumbfounded.
What the hell? There was actually someone riding on the dragon's back?
Almost instinctively, one of the crew members pointed in the direction of Trosky Island.
"Thanks!"
The man waved his hand, then patted the dragon beneath him.
"Darling dragon, let's go!"
"Roar!"
Accompanied by an angry dragon's roar, the man and dragon quickly shot upward into the sky, disappearing from everyone's sight.
"Holy crap, I'm not seeing things, right?"
"A dragon rider?!"
"Damn, that's way too cool!"
When the pirates realized that the dragon was actually being ridden by someone, excitement and envy instantly surged through them.
"That guy is so lucky. I'm so jealous!"
"Who wouldn't want such an awesome mount?!"
Eighteen minutes later, screams erupted at the harbor of Trosky Island.
Someone had arrived riding a dragon from across the sea. This shocking sight instantly sent the people of Trosky Island into an uproar.
A dragon, a creature of legend, actually existed. Even more unbelievable was that someone had managed to control it and turn it into a personal mount.
How incredible was that?
The Marines quickly rushed over. When they saw the man sitting on the dragon's back, all of them became tense.
"The first one has arrived." Talos muttered softly with an ugly expression.
Thinking back to that bastard Rojen mentioning that he was waiting for companions, Talos naturally understood what was happening.
Jason figured out Rojen's location as quickly as possible and dragged Gabriels along as he rushed there.
Five minutes later, outside the bar, amid the noisy chatter of the crowd and the shocked cries of the nobles, Rojen slowly turned his head and saw the large man standing beside the dragon, his face full of excitement.
"Captain! I'm here!"
The honest-looking big man was even more burly and sturdy than four years ago, his entire body radiating explosive strength.
He looked like the toughest of tough men.
But at this moment, this tough guy had a face covered in tears!
(End Of This Chapter)
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