"Captain!!" Nami glanced at Ryuuto, her voice filled with joyful surprise.
"I can't believe it! Me, Nami, getting to train under the Dark King Rayleigh!"
Nami couldn't help but feel a swell of delight.
Then, she threw herself before Rayleigh, exclaiming, "Please teach me Haki!"
"Such an energetic young lady!"
Rayleigh helped Nami to her feet. Though he had agreed to Ryuuto's request to teach her Haki, the problem was that he wasn't a very good teacher.
Naturally free-spirited and undisciplined, he was already plotting to just explain the theory a couple of times, give a quick demonstration, and then let her figure the rest out on her own.
Ryuuto, oblivious to Rayleigh's inner thoughts, was still thrilled for Nami.
While Ryuuto himself could use Haki, his own awakening of Observation and Armament Haki had been dependent on his Call the Wind and Rain ability. He would certainly explain the principles of tempering one's spirit to Nami beforehand, but the specific training methods would have to come from Rayleigh.
If Ryuuto knew Rayleigh was planning to take a hands-off approach, he would have lamented, "No wonder it took Luffy two whole years just to learn the basics of the three types of Haki. Look at Teacher Kaido—a few short months and he had his student using Ryuo and Conqueror's Coating. You're just not a good teacher!"
With Nami's training settled, Ryuuto turned his attention to preparing for the system's long-term quest.
[Side Quest 1: Establish the Justice Guild]
...
Time passed quickly, and with the fall of night, the day came to a close. Rayleigh had also taken up residence in the abandoned auction house.
In the early morning, Ryuuto assigned everyone their tasks as usual.
The newcomer, Rolle, would follow Foxy and continue setting up the auction house. Buggy and the others would keep promoting the auction. As for Nami, she had a new mission...
Accompanied by Rayleigh, she was to take the Beri they acquired yesterday to the black market and purchase some famous swords and other weapons.
Ryuuto was confident that with the blessing of the Luck-Luck Fruit, her haul would be substantial.
As for Ryuuto himself, he headed alone to Grove 17. Today, he planned to establish the Justice Guild in the port where a large number of ships were docked.
His journey toward Grove 17 was smooth. His reputation had already spread throughout the vicinity of Grove 18, so no one dared to cause him trouble.
Strolling into Grove 17, he was greeted by the sight of dozens of pirate ships. The area, both on and off the ships, was teeming with pirates. As a result, a bustling street had formed not far from the port.
The street was lined primarily with shops selling food and low-quality weapons.
This was Ryuuto's target. He planned to establish the Justice Guild right here.
Walking down the street, he was surrounded by crudely dressed pirates of all sorts, and the shouts of shopkeepers filled the air.
"Freshly caught sea fish!"
"Delicious and cheap fruit!"
"Tasty sushi!"
"Come and see, come and have a look..."
"We have all the weapons you need right here!"
The cacophony of advertisements assaulted the eardrums of everyone present. What pirate, fresh off their ship, could resist such temptations without rushing into a shop to spend lavishly?
"Quite the lively place," Ryuuto remarked to himself. Finally, at the end of the street, he spotted a vacant shop.
"Excuse me, are you looking to rent this shop?"
After he had been standing at the entrance for just two minutes, a blue-haired man with a shrewd look in his eyes rushed up to him.
"Yes, I am. What's the rent?"
Ryuuto glanced at the location. While it wasn't the best, it was the only vacant shop on the street. He nodded and confirmed his interest.
"Sir, if you want to rent it, the price is 10 million Beri a year," the shrewd, blue-haired man said, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Fine. I'll take it."
Ryuuto didn't even haggle. He tossed the man a large bag of gold coins and rented the place on the spot.
Once the contract was signed, the shrewd, blue-haired man departed.
Ryuuto surveyed the shop. Aside from a single door, the ground floor was completely open, about twelve meters long and eight meters wide. Constructed entirely of wooden planks, the first floor was bare and empty.
*Creaak...*
Ryuuto climbed the wooden staircase to the second floor.
The second floor had some basic furnishings, divided into a living room and a bedroom. The living room contained only a few lonely tables, while the bedroom held a simple, 1.5-meter-long wooden plank bed.
"The conditions are a bit rough."
Ryuuto sighed, then took out a Den Den Mushi to call Foxy.
A short while later...
"Captain, I brought the lumber you asked for!"
Foxy ran up to Ryuuto, panting, and dropped a large pile of wooden planks on the floor.
Behind him was his subordinate, Hamburg, carrying an even larger load of wood.
"Build a counter right here," Ryuuto said, pointing to the spot facing the entrance. Then, gesturing to the side wall, he continued, "And over here, build a massive frame."
This was Ryuuto's initial layout. He would sit behind the counter, and anyone who entered could see all the bounty posters displayed on the side wall.
"Yes, Captain! I guarantee it'll be done!"
Having spent the last few days renovating the auction house, Foxy was now quite adept at such simple construction tasks.
Ryuuto also picked up a plank and began to carve it.
"Justice Guild!"
As Ryuuto finished, the four characters were emblazoned on the plank in powerful, flowing strokes.
Before long, Foxy had finished his work as well.
"Alright, next is to hang up the sign," Ryuuto thought. He walked outside, leaped effortlessly into the air, and nailed the wooden plank above the doorframe.
Having done all this, Ryuuto eagerly focused his consciousness, checking his mind for the system notification.
*Vmmm...*
"Huh? What's going on? The quest isn't complete!"
Ryuuto checked twice, but there was no system prompt. He couldn't help but feel confused.
"Captain Ryuuto, are we really establishing a Justice Guild here? What is this guild for?" Foxy asked while Ryuuto was still pondering the issue.
Ryuuto then briefly explained his plan.
"What?! Putting bounties on Marines?!"
Foxy's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Ryuuto.
"And you're putting bounties on other pirates, too!"
Foxy was completely stunned. This... this was nothing like what he had imagined.
"Putting bounties on Marines, I can sort of understand... but we're pirates ourselves! What's the deal with putting bounties on other pirates?"
Foxy's mind raced with chaotic thoughts.
Unfortunately, Ryuuto offered no further explanation.
"You're my subordinate. If I have to tell you everything, what use are you to me? Your job is to understand my intentions and follow my lead!"
Setting Foxy aside for the moment, Ryuuto had a more pressing problem to solve.
"Why hasn't [Side Quest 1] been completed?"
Ryuuto looked around the rented shop, wondering what he had missed.