After Long Ring Long Land came Water 7.
Aside from drinking with Tom-san and copying his Pluton blueprints while he was unaware, Roy also recruited two fairly skilled shipwrights before heading toward the next destination.
Roy's ideal shipwright was none other than Tom-san, but just like Heracles, Tom had no intention of going out to sea.
However, once Tom was framed by Spandam, if Roy stepped in at that moment, then even if Tom did not want to become a pirate, he would have no choice but to become one.
In the original story, Tom was gravely injured and no one saved him. Even the few members of the Roger Pirates might have been restrained from acting because of some rule, but Roy had no such taboo now.
Roy was extremely fond of Tom as a shipwright, not to mention that Tom also had two apprentices with quite impressive talent.
After that, the group passed through the Florian Triangle, where Moria had not yet settled. Along the way, they greeted a skeleton and casually revealed a little news about a certain whale, then left while the other party was overwhelmed with emotion.
During the Thunder God Pirates' journey, aside from the large-scale battle they encountered on Little Garden, everything else was basically smooth sailing. Everyone's confidence swelled like never before.
They were utterly convinced that Roy would lead them to the final island, Laugh Tale!
And so, while everyone was filled with confidence, they arrived at the midpoint of the Grand Line: the Sabaody Archipelago.
On the Sabaody Archipelago, an old acquaintance was waiting for Roy.
At the Sabaody Archipelago, beneath a tree, a tall figure wearing a bear-eared hat was holding a book and reading it seriously.
"They should be arriving soon. The Thunder God Pirates. Roy."
Kuma raised his head and looked toward the coastline, then stood up.
He had not gone directly to the Thunder God before because he had been helping Roy investigate the intentions of the World Government and the Marines, as well as the series of actions they planned to take against the Thunder God Pirates next.
This was Kuma's greeting gift and his boarding gift.
Previously, Roy had given his crew members greeting gifts because he had taken the initiative to invite them himself.
Kuma, however, had chosen for himself after evaluating Roy and Dragon, without anyone inviting him.
He had already decided to board Roy's ship.
Kuma had gone to meet Dragon once and discovered that although Dragon's ideas were good, he was too idealistic. He thought of matters too simply and too optimistically.
Perhaps that was the lingering flaw that would later lead to the Tyrant's tragedy.
After thinking it over, and after seeing the news that Roy had killed Borsalino, Kuma immediately decided to join Roy's side.
If one wanted to put the goal of changing the world into practice, ideals spoken aloud were not enough. One also needed the capital to support them all the way forward.
That capital was overwhelming power.
Without a doubt, Roy had already displayed his powerful strength. As for Dragon, at present, even at the absolute most, he was only about equal to Borsalino, who had been killed by Roy.
And now that Kuma had made his decision, he would absolutely not regret it.
After gathering the Marines' information as his boarding gift, the paw pads beneath Kuma's feet moved slightly, and his entire body instantly vanished from the spot.
...
"Let's welcome our new crewmate, Kuma!"
Roy shouted, and everyone raised the cups in their hands, joyful smiles appearing on their faces.
This was a banquet specially held for Kuma after he came to join Roy.
Although Kuma had a bold and imposing appearance, his heart was delicate and gentle. However, when others came to toast him, he still accepted without hesitation and drank a cup of…
Juice.
There was no helping it. Kuma had quit drinking, after all.
The people aboard the Thunder God Pirate ship were now all men who had experienced life-and-death struggles, so they would not fuss too much over something like that.
When everyone had drunk about enough, Kuma, who had remained sober the entire time, finally said to Roy, "At present, the Marines have formulated a Seven Warlords of the Sea plan. It will definitely be announced in the near future. I plan to use this as an opportunity to make contact with the World Government."
"You mean you want to become one of the Seven Warlords and act as a mole?" Roy put down the cup in his hand and looked at Kuma.
"Kuma, have you ever worked undercover before? Do you have any experience infiltrating an organization?"
"No, but I can—"
"Pwahahaha!"
Before Kuma could finish, Roy's laughter cut him off.
Kuma did not get angry either. He simply watched Roy quietly until he finished laughing, then waited for what he would say next.
"Someone has to do it," Kuma said in a deep voice.
"Mm. Maybe. But that person is absolutely not you."
"Why?" Kuma asked, puzzled.
"Because of your Devil Fruit ability." Roy spread his hands and said, "I've already thought about your position and job.
"You are the absolute best logistical support personnel and the best ship's doctor. You have to understand, the Paw-Paw Fruit's power to repel everything can completely be used to deliver supplies to civilians when they suffer from natural disasters or oppression from those above them. You can also transfer them to other islands.
"And you can use your fruit ability to repel illness, pain, and exhaustion, treating civilians that way. In the future, this will definitely greatly improve our image in the eyes of the people. When the time comes to oppose the World Government, our supporters will rally behind us everywhere!"
The more Roy spoke, the more excited he became.
Kuma was absolutely one of the most perfect ship's doctors in Roy's mind.
Having him serve as the Thunder God Pirates' ship's doctor was simply too suitable!
Moreover, just as Roy had said, Kuma was such a convenient logistical and medical support member. And yet, in the original course of things, he had actually been sent to do undercover work.
How poor did someone's judgment have to be to waste him like that?
It seemed the family of the world's worst criminal really had inherited a surprisingly low strategic IQ.
After Kuma heard Roy's words, he was visibly stunned. Even with his glasses covering his eyes, the change in his expression was extremely obvious.
Then Roy saw Kuma raise his head toward the sky. Looking at the flock of birds flying across the horizon, he murmured again and again, "So I never understood myself all these years? No wonder I failed and was toyed with by those nobles. So I was the foolish one…"
Roy: "..."
Had he struck Kuma a little too hard?
The group celebrating on the ship also clearly sensed the strange atmosphere.
Even someone as carefree as Burgess could clearly feel the gloomy pressure around Kuma.
Kuma had shut down.
(End of Chapter)
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