You can read ahead up to 15 chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
Rojen, meanwhile, wore a smile on his face. Even though it was only one portion of the total, he himself already had 1.5 billion in his system balance.
A gentleman loves wealth, but acquires it through proper means.
At his current level of strength, the occasions where he needed to summon possessions had already become quite rare. With Admiral-level power combined with a Six Paths clone, although the clone's overall combat ability was only around the peak of a Vice Admiral, even against the top pirate crews of the New World, he dared to clash with them head-on. Although he still did not fully understand the strength of those great pirates such as Kaido and Big Mom, he possessed an inexplicable confidence in himself.
"Saving up some balance… maybe I can attempt a huge summon someday."
He had almost never experimented with summons costing over a billion. What kind of soul would be summoned, even he had no idea.
There were far too many uncertainties within the system. Would the summoned figure far surpass everyone he had previously called forth, or would it remain roughly within the same level? Before actually trying it, he simply could not know.
Of course, this was not the time to think about such matters.
After leaving the warehouse, a grand banquet was already waiting for them. Led by Briels, the group arrived at an immense training ground within the military base.
People bustled back and forth, arranging tables and chairs, moving barrels of alcohol, and placing dishes onto the tables.
Without question, this was a banquet on an enormous scale. More than fifty thousand people were attending. The band and musicians had already entered the venue, and soft yet lively music continuously echoed through the air.
"Haha, a banquet! That's my favorite thing!"
Jason strode forward and immediately joined the festivities.
The Nether Soul Pirates quickly blended together with the people of the island. They slapped hands with one another, drank large cups of liquor, and devoured food in huge mouthfuls. The atmosphere was extraordinarily lively.
"Benefactor, stay here a few more days so that we can properly entertain you all."
Briels said with a smile.
Rojen clinked cups with him, then shook his head and smiled.
"We have to leave tomorrow. The people suffering hardships in the East Blue are not limited to Abiles Island alone."
"Even if we can't go everywhere, since we're passing by, we might as well lend a hand."
"Benefactor's virtue and kindness are truly admirable. Briels is full of respect."
Briels raised his cup solemnly and drained it in one gulp.
"Some things, if others won't do them, then I'll do them myself. It has nothing to do with kindness or moral virtue."
Rojen replied with a smile.
"Briels may not understand, but I support Benefactor."
The old man was rather childlike, filled with passionate spirit. At this moment, it was as though all the suppressed fervor within him had finally been released. He drank heavily and ate meat in huge bites. His tolerance and drinking capacity were no less than those of young men.
The banquet lasted from the afternoon all the way until the crescent moon hung high overhead. Only then did the sounds of everyone's snores begin to echo throughout the enormous training ground.
At dawn the next day, Rojen bid farewell to the people of Abiles Island.
Just as Rojen had said in the beginning, his original goal had not been so purely about helping others. Rather, it was about sowing seeds, planting the seeds of pirates one after another. Roger had initiated this great era, but it still required additional fuel to truly boil over and become an unstoppable trend.
But after experiencing the gratitude of tens of thousands of people, Rojen's emotions had become complicated.
He suddenly wanted to sincerely help these suffering people. Since he had encountered them, how could he simply pretend not to see?
A person should always hold onto certain principles, shouldn't they?
He was not some saintly Holy Mother, but neither was he a cold-blooded killer with a heart as hard as stone. He was simply a living, breathing human being.
If he saw an elderly woman crossing the street, he would help support her. If he wasn't tired while riding a bus, he would offer his seat to others. He was an ordinary person who longed for freedom and admired truth, kindness, and beauty.
And that, too, was the pursuit shared by most of humanity.
As the [The Logan] departed under the watchful gazes of the people of the Ablis Islands, it slowly left the island behind and sailed into the deep sea.
With this departure, the legend of East Blue began, and seed after seed was quietly planted.
One week later, on the Ablis Islands,
"Hey, you damned brat, where do you think you're going?!"
"Get back here right now, you little punks!"
"Don't act recklessly! Calm down first!"
At the harbor, more than a dozen people were chasing one another around. Running in front were youths between seventeen and twenty years old, while those behind them, looking anxious and exasperated, were middle-aged adults, seemingly their parents.
"Haha, stop chasing us already! We've already decided to set sail!"
"We're going to become pirates, follow in Big Brother Rojen's footsteps, and help the people in this world who deserve help!"
"We're definitely heading to the Grand Line!"
"That's right! One day, when we meet Big Brother Rojen out at sea, we'll join his pirate crew and become members of Nether Soul!"
The voices of the youths rang out one after another, filled with passion and vitality. Their parents, chasing behind them, wore complicated expressions. Their hearts were reluctant to let them go, yet they could no longer bring themselves to stop them.
After all, what could possibly stop a man's dream of heading out to sea?
Freedom was a right every person was born with.
"You little bastards, be careful out there! No matter what happens, don't throw your lives away at sea!"
In the end, the parents cursed through their tears.
"Get lost already! And once you leave, don't come crawling back home!"
"If you do come back someday, then make something of yourselves first!"
"We're not asking you to become someone like Lord Rojen, but at least don't disgrace yourselves!"
The young pirates bowed respectfully toward their parents, then resolutely turned around and steered their wooden boats out into the sea.
They did not know what the future held, nor what dangers awaited them, but at this moment, their hearts were free.
Scenes like this had been constantly unfolding ever since Rojen began sowing his seeds.
In Orange Town, the pirates attacking villagers had been completely wiped out by Rojen's group.
Out at sea, an underworld chamber of commerce had been blown apart by a single punch from Jason.
In Banana Town, the bandits causing chaos had been beaten into miserable retreat by brave pirate warriors.
All of these events caused the reputation of the Nether Soul Pirates to spread rapidly throughout East Blue.
And all of this had happened in merely one month.
The security situation across East Blue had improved dramatically, more effectively than even the Marines had managed.
Such developments filled the civilians with joy and reassurance, but they made the Marines' expressions turn ugly.
At the East Blue branch's highest command center,
Bang!
A heavy slam echoed through the room as a Vice Admiral with a square, rugged face roared in fury.
"What exactly are Rojen and his crew trying to do?!"
"Are they trying to become Marines? Running around everywhere doing good deeds and making a name for themselves?!"
"Do they even understand their own identities? They're pirates! Pirates!!"
There was nothing inherently wrong with the Nether Soul Pirates doing good deeds and crushing criminal forces, but damn it all, didn't that just indirectly highlight the incompetence of the Marines?
Under Marine rule, East Blue still contained so much suffering and darkness. The situation on the Ablis Islands in particular was especially horrifying.
What made the Marines' faces even uglier was hearing that the island had already put up signs declaring that Marines were forbidden from entering, and that all contact with Marines was prohibited.
What kind of damned humiliation was this?!
And because of all this, the Marines hated Rojen's group to the bone.
Pirates rising to fame by stepping on the Marines' reputation, this was the first time they had ever seen something like it, yet they had absolutely no way to stop it.
(End Of This Chapter)