"Of course, I'm not going to be cold and unreasonable either. In the future, if any of you render meritorious service, I definitely won't be stingy with rewards. Whether it's treasure, training manuals, Devil Fruits, famous blades, or a reasonable request, as long as you truly contribute to the pirate crew, I'll keep my word.
"After all, I seized quite a haul from the Celestial Dragons' estates in Mary Geoise. Otherwise, they wouldn't have added a condition that doubles my bounty if I'm captured alive."
So that was it!
Only then did everyone suddenly understand. No wonder such a strange condition had been listed.
Their respect and worship for Roy deepened even further. In this world, who else could seize treasure from the Celestial Dragons?
No one but their captain!
Firm discipline paired with rewards was a basic method of management. Judging from their expressions, it seemed to be quite effective.
"Then, now that we've decided the pirate crew's name, next comes the true face of the crew—the pirate flag! Brothers, is anyone good at drawing?"
Everyone fell silent.
They all looked at one another blankly.
Drawing?
Putting aside the fact that the Fish-Men were all aggressive fighters with simple minds and strong bodies, the other slaves had also been tormented under the Celestial Dragons' enslavement for too long. Basically none of them had any skill in drawing.
As for the few people Roy had newly recruited—Burgess, Gin, and Daz—it was obvious that none of the three were suited for drawing either.
That left only—
"Ahem. I do have a little talent for drawing. Let me do it!" Yasopp coughed twice, then took on the job.
The Straw Hat Pirates' flag had been drawn by Yasopp's son, Usopp. Aside from inheriting Yasopp's talent for sniping, Usopp had also inherited a bit of his artistic talent.
"Yoh ho ho. Although I'm not especially skilled at drawing, I can still help out," Laffitte said, also stepping forward.
"Captain, what should our pirate flag look like?"
"Like this…"
Some time later, a black pirate flag was raised on the mast of the dragon-headed ship, which would now be called the Thunder God.
On the flag was a huge, grinning skull. Normally, a skull like this would have two crossed bones beneath it, but under the skull on this flag were two crossed bolts of lightning—one blue and one yellow!
This was the flag of the Thunder God Pirates!
A pirate flag was the faith of all pirates. As everyone looked at that flag, their hearts surged with emotion. They felt as if some place inside them had finally settled down.
They were no longer drifting without a place to belong.
"Then, from today onward, the Thunder God Pirates are officially established!"
On the Thunder God, everyone had gathered together. Roy stood in a high position, swept his gaze around the group, and spoke in a low voice.
"Oh!"
Smiles appeared on everyone's faces. Some people even shed hot tears.
Those tears held their yearning for the sea, their thirst for freedom, their pursuit of dreams, and the feeling that they had finally gained a place to stand in this world.
After all, most of the slaves were people who had already been abandoned by the world.
"Then there's no need to wait for a better day. Today, the Thunder God Pirates set sail!"
"Yes, Captain!"
At the end of the Sea Circle Calendar year 1504, the Thunder God Pirates officially raised their sails and set out.
Meanwhile, in Loguetown, the Marines who had already faintly guessed Roy and the others' identities reported the matter to their superiors in Loguetown. After an investigation, they finally discovered who he was.
The man called Roy was none other than the heinous criminal who had caused havoc in the Holy Land Mary Geoise two years earlier—the man the Celestial Dragons, the World Government, and Vice Admiral Borsalino had searched for bitterly, yet still found no trace of after he vanished without a trace!
And today, that notorious criminal Roy had finally founded a pirate crew and begun his journey across the sea!
The Marine colonel in charge of Loguetown did not dare delay in the slightest. He immediately picked up a Den Den Mushi and began reporting the matter to his superiors.
Thus, a few days later, the news that the heinous criminal Roy had reappeared, founded the Thunder God Pirates, and officially begun sailing the seas was spread across the Four Blues by News Coos.
In East Blue, young Ace took a newspaper from Makino. As he looked at the news printed on it, he silently thought to himself:
"Roy nii-san has finally gone out to sea? Then I can't fall behind him either. In the future, I definitely have to go out to sea too. But if I want to set sail, I'll have to become stronger first. I need to properly train with the books Roy nii-san left behind."
"No wonder he has that kind of strength at such a young age, enough to break through the guards. The Thunder God Pirates… I see. It should be a Logia-type Devil Fruit."
After all, Whitebeard had fought on the sea for so many years. He still had at least that much experience.
"Yeah. Based on the analysis, it should be the power of the Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Pops, should we…"
"Should we what? Even if it's a Logia, setting out to sea in such a high-profile way is a slap in the World Government's face. Everyone is watching to see what the World Government will do.
"The World Government definitely won't let this go. It's inevitable that they'll send powerful forces to hunt them down. A Logia doesn't mean invincibility. The young are still a little too spirited. Let's wait until they truly reach the New World."
…
At Marine Headquarters, Sengoku looked at the news in the newspaper with a headache. Sitting on the sofa to the side was Borsalino, who had just as much of a headache—perhaps even more.
Beside the sofa, Garp was eating senbei while sleeping with his eyes closed.
"Honestly. I didn't expect that after lying low for two years, he would still choose to go out to sea. Well, this is fine too. At the very least, he has completely exposed his whereabouts right under our noses. Borsalino, you should know what to do."
"Naturally, I know," Borsalino replied. His eyes remained fixed tightly on the photograph in the newspaper.
"For the past two years, this old man has been hounded quite terribly by the Celestial Dragons. Now I can finally complete the mission and get some proper rest."
Hearing him say that, Sengoku nodded.
Then he looked over at Garp, who was already snoring there, and his anger flared.
"Hey! Garp! How long are you planning to sleep, you bastard?!"
At the Holy Land Mary Geoise, inside a meeting room, the Five Elders had gathered.
"I see. So it was the Rumble-Rumble Fruit? No wonder he had the confidence to dare act in the Holy Land Mary Geoise," said the white-haired Elder expressionlessly.
(End of Chapter)
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