Laffitte's expression shifted for a while. In the end, he picked up the small wooden box and hurried out of the tavern.
Only after Laffitte had been gone for a long time did the tavern owner and the other customers cover their heads and slowly get back to their feet.
"What just happened to me? Why does my head hurt so much? It feels like I suffered some kind of mental shock."
Conqueror's Haki!
After Roy obtained the training manuals for the three forms of Haki from the core warehouse, he had practiced them carefully according to the contents.
With Roy's current aptitude, he naturally possessed the talent of a king. On top of that, with his genius-level martial training talent, Roy had very easily mastered all three forms of Haki.
Back in the tavern, aside from Laffitte, everyone else had been knocked unconscious by the slight amount of Conqueror's Haki Roy released.
As for the fruit Roy left for Laffitte, it was precisely the Mythical Zoan Griffin Fruit Roy had previously obtained from the core warehouse.
Laffitte was already skilled at navigation. Combined with the Griffin Fruit, which could sense weather conditions, it could practically be said to suit him perfectly.
Moreover, griffins possessed an eagle's head and wings. In the original story, Laffitte also had wings and the ability to fly. In a way, this could also be considered a special kind of fate.
...
After parting with Laffitte, Roy arrived on a small boat.
"Who are you?"
The person on the small boat was a tall, muscular bald man dressed in a monk-like martial artist's outfit. There were snake patterns on both sides of his chest, and the character for "one" was tattooed on his chest.
At this moment, he was staring warily at Roy, who had suddenly appeared on the boat.
"Daz Bonez?" Roy looked over the other man's appearance and confirmed it.
"Have you already eaten the Dice-Dice Fruit?"
Roy glanced at the arm Daz had already turned into a blade, then withdrew his gaze and said, "I heard you're quite a famous bounty hunter in the West Blue. I'd like to invite you to join my pirate crew. What do you think?"
"Are you talking nonsense? I'm a bounty hunter."
Daz Bonez sneered, then took two steps back.
After all, this man who seemed faintly familiar, as if Daz had seen him somewhere before, had suddenly appeared in front of him. It was still somewhat eerie.
"I see. Actually, I was forced into becoming a pirate too... Take a look at this and you'll understand."
As Roy fooled him, he tossed him a newspaper.
Daz took it very cautiously, then quickly skimmed through it. Immediately afterward, his eyes widened. He suddenly raised his head, looked at Roy, and said word by word, "You're Freedom Hero Roy?"
"Freedom Hero? More people call me a heinous criminal, though." Roy smiled.
Daz took a deep breath. He had never expected that he would meet such a major figure today, and that this major figure would even invite him personally. His heart was pounding violently.
The corners of Roy's mouth rose into a smile. Daz had already been shaken.
One had to know that Daz was originally a famous bounty hunter in the West Blue, also known as "the Killer." Later, he joined Baroque Works.
At that time, although Crocodile's Baroque Works was a secret agent organization, it had not been wanted by the authorities. Strictly speaking, it was still a company.
Only after Crocodile's deeds were exposed was Daz wanted and then thrown into prison.
Later, when Miss Goldenweek went to rescue the core members of Baroque Works, Crocodile alone was unwilling to leave in such an undignified manner. As for Daz, he loyally stayed by Crocodile's side.
As for Bon Clay and Galdino, the Candle Man, they were imprisoned later.
Everyone liked loyal people. Roy was no exception.
Daz's dream was to become a hero, so from the very beginning, he had chosen to become a bounty hunter instead of a pirate.
At this moment, when he saw a true hero—Freedom Hero Roy—appear before him, he became excited.
At the same time, he filled in the blanks on his own. Roy's misleading claim that he had been forced to become a pirate made Daz imagine far too many reasons behind it.
From there, the rest became much easier. Roy's future pirate crew gained another capable officer.
Roy left Daz a swordsmanship training manual taken from the core warehouse, then departed.
Daz was extremely loyal to his boss. He was so loyal that he would rather give up his own dream of becoming a hero and follow his boss, Crocodile, into prison.
Coincidentally, Roy also knew someone else with the same degree of loyalty as Daz.
That person was in the East Blue.
In a town on a certain small island in the East Blue.
Every household along the street had shut its doors. On the street, two groups of people were fighting and killing each other like street thugs from Roy's previous life, wielding crude, rusty blades and all kinds of weapons.
Bang!
Among one of the groups, a young man who looked to be only in his teens was holding two tonfa-like weapons with iron balls attached to their ends, slaughtering his way through the crowd.
He wore a jacket with a red snake pattern, and his trousers matched the jacket. Underneath, he wore green clothes, and a patterned bandanna was tied around his head. He looked thin and frail, but his strength was exceptionally tenacious.
Everyone struck by his iron-ball tonfas spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground, unable to get back up.
Gradually, under the assault of the man wielding the iron tonfas, the opposing group was quickly beaten back again and again, then scattered and fled the scene.
"Pah. Boring."
The thin young man slung the iron-ball tonfas over his shoulder and spat at the scene with disdain.
"Hahaha! Well done, Gin! As expected of the strongest fighter in our gang. With you here, we'll definitely take over all of Moor Town!"
From within the crowd, a man who looked like the boss walked over to Gin while laughing loudly, then slapped him hard on the shoulder twice.
However, what answered him was Gin's pair of cold eyes.
"This place is too boring. You aren't qualified to be my boss either. All that talk about going out to sea in the future was nothing but lies. You only wanted to use me to help you take over this territory. I'm going out to sea. I'm going to find a real man who can conquer the ocean."
After saying that, Gin carried his iron-ball tonfas and left without looking back.
The boss was left with a bewildered expression. After thinking for a long time, he still did not have the courage to say anything harsh. He could only watch helplessly as Gin left.
"Where are you planning to go?"
After Gin left the town and walked into a dense forest, a calm voice sounded beside his ear.
(End of Chapter)
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