After filling the last wooden barrel with water and placing it into the system backpack, Raiden Ei's water-fetching task was complete. She had already caught several wild boars in the mountain forest, so she could return now. She could hardly believe it when she saw the wild boars earlier; how could there be wild boars on such a large archipelago?
Walking swiftly through the mountain forest, Raiden Ei would also take bird eggs from any nests she saw in the trees. She didn't believe she could mess up even boiling a bird egg.
Returning to the cliff where they had landed, she was a bit curious to see everyone waiting for her there. Hadn't they said they were going to explore the island? Why were they back so soon?
"Why is everyone here? Weren't you supposed to be exploring? Are you back already?"
The others were not surprised to see Raiden Ei returning empty-handed. They all knew she could summon things out of thin air and must be a Devil Fruit User. Although they had heard that Devil Fruit Users were all poor swimmers, no one had actually seen it.
Haisier also felt a bit helpless. They had actually been prepared to venture out, but Raiden Ei's words from earlier had forcefully pulled back the feet they had already extended.
What was that about them still being ordinary people now and needing to act within their limits? This island had many poisonous insects and ferocious beasts, so they needed to be careful! If they were bitten by a small bug, no one here could save them. The ferocious beasts were also not something they could defeat now. They shouldn't overestimate themselves just because they had trained for a couple of days.
After hearing those words, how could they dare to wander around the island! Did they want to die faster? Just being able to enjoy the sea breeze on this cliff was already considered brave for them, let alone the fact that they had actually heard the roar of a ferocious beast earlier.
Haisier: "There are too many poisonous insects and ferocious beasts here, so we didn't go."
Raiden Ei nodded in understanding: "Oh, it's a good thing you didn't go. This place has the most venomous snakes. I saw about ten of them just now when I was looking for water. If you had gone, you definitely wouldn't have come back. Oh, and I also encountered a big tiger."
Nicola: "Was there really a big tiger! I saw a tiger before when watching a play. That big tiger was as big as the three of us combined!"
Gando looked disdainful: "How big are the three of you? Do you even weigh a hundred catties?"
Nicola bristled: "You fat slob, what do you mean by that! I'm telling you, I am the Young Miss of the Hillf Merchant Guild, and I've seen far more things than you have."
Gando: "This isn't your Merchant Guild."
Nicola pointed at Gando, about to argue: "You..."
Sang pulled Nicola back and comforted her: "Alright, alright, you are the Young Miss. Don't argue with an uncultured person like him, okay?"
Nicola still turned her head away angrily: "Hmph."
Everyone else watched this scene, not stopping it, treating it as entertainment. Life on the ship was very dull.
Gatt: "Miss General, have you collected all the supplies?"
Raiden Ei just nodded, and Gatt understood. He signaled Haisier to call everyone back to the ship, suggesting they set sail before noon. There was no point in staying here; it was better to leave this sea area sooner.
Haisier: "Since everyone is fine, let's all get on board!"
The four ruffians were the first to run onto the ship, shouting, "Let's go!" The others followed them onto the boat.
Raiden Ei stood next to Geer. She always disliked standing out; one might even forget about her if they didn't look closely. "Geer... Did you have any questions about yesterday's training?"
Geer immediately turned her head to look at Raiden Ei. Seeing that she was just walking and asking her without making any sudden moves, she relaxed.
She had been sensitive to movements since childhood. Even if someone casually twitched a finger, it would catch her attention. Sometimes, if someone moved too broadly, it would startle her.
Normal movements would not elicit any reaction from her.
"It's fine... Thank you for asking. I will come to you if I need anything."
"Good... You can spar with wooden sticks against Maiga and the others; that way, you will improve faster."
"Understood. Miss General, why are you paying such close attention to me?"
"You are a person with Talents. I want to recruit you to join my ranks."
"Miss General is already so strong; do you still need me as a subordinate?"
"What I need is the future you. Even now, I am not that strong. Compared to those famous powerhouses, I am still very weak."
Geer was silent, feeling conflicted. She had Mama and Papa, and her parents were just ordinary people like her.
She hadn't thought about achieving anything great, but if she hadn't met Raiden Ei this time, her life might have ended right there!
If she followed the incredibly strong Raiden Ei, she would surely become as strong as her in the future, which would allow her to protect herself and her parents. But if she left with Raiden Ei, what would happen to her Mama and Papa?
Seeing Geer not answering, she asked: "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"
Geer decided to tell the truth: "I still have Mama and Papa waiting for me to go back. I'm sorry."
Raiden Ei was also a bit unsure what to do. She hadn't considered this issue, but on second thought, that made it even more necessary for Geer to join her ranks.
How rampant pirates were in the One Piece world. Without strength, one couldn't protect their parents. Look at how many pirates had complete families, even though Geer wasn't a pirate.
Raiden Ei pulled Geer away from the crowd and walked to the stern of the ship. The others had heard the conversation just now, as they weren't far away.
They couldn't do anything about it; it was just that the ones with Talents weren't them.
Raiden Ei persuaded her: "Then you should even more so join my ranks. Otherwise, what will you use to protect your parents? Pirates are so rampant now! It will only get worse in the future."
Geer: "But, Mama and Papa must know by now that I was captured by pirates. They must be heartbroken."
Raiden Ei thought about it and agreed, but she couldn't take her away immediately. A reservation was possible: "Hmm, how about this: you go back first to spend time with your parents. When you are willing to set sail, I will take you with me then. Is that okay?"
"Is that allowed? I need to think about it some more!"
"It's fine, don't worry. But I have one condition."
Geer immediately became nervous: "What condition?"
"Your training cannot stop. After your body adapts, you must increase the training volume. I will be taking care of something big later that will probably take half a year to a year. Once I'm done, I will come find you."
Geer could only agree. A long time would pass, and she would probably be different by then compared to who she was now!
Raiden Ei was quite happy after settling things with Geer. She walked onto the deck toward the bow, took the wild boars she had killed earlier out of the system backpack, and told Gando to hurry up and get to work.
She, in turn, put the water back into the water storage room, though she only put half of it back; the rest was her own supplies.
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