"No, this is absolutely not acceptable!"
On the deck of the Oro Jackson-
The blond man with glasses and a long sword at his waist shook his head in refusal.
"This child looks to be only six years old. Are you trying to turn the ship into an orphanage? Roger!"
The blond man was none other than Roger's right-hand man, Silvers Rayleigh.
He undid the button on his collar, crossed his arms, and glared at Roger.
"But, Sakura-chan is a Ninja!"
Roger held Sakura up by her arms, presenting her like a child begging an old mother to adopt a small animal.
"Ninjutsu is super cool, isn't it?"
Seeing his captain acting willful again, Rayleigh looked pained.
God only knew what a huge mess it had caused when they found the baby Shanks in a pile of treasure and Roger overrode all objections to keep him.
A bunch of bachelors who hadn't even touched a woman had to take care of a baby… it was laughable.
For Shanks to have successfully grown into a fine young man nowadays, who knew how much effort Rayleigh had poured into it?
After all, this bastard Roger only needed to fight outside, while he, the vice-captain in charge of logistics, had to consider much more.
He let out a deep sigh, walked over to Sakura, and knelt down to crouch in front of her.
His gaze was severe as he met the girl's eyes, a sharp glint passing over his glasses, making his thoughts impossible to guess.
"Roger, children aren't suited to sail with us in the first place, let alone the fact this child is a girl."
"What's wrong with a girl, wom-"
Roger was about to speak, but Rayleigh raised his hand to cover his mouth.
"It was you who told Roger you wanted to join us, right? Why?"
Rayleigh, who had a deep understanding of his old partner by now, immediately guessed the key point.
As top-tier powerhouse on the seas and also possessing the qualities of a king, Rayleigh released his Conqueror's Haki.
His sharp gaze, passing through his glasses, locked firmly onto Sakura before him.
Roger, who is already a legendary pirate, was naturally the target of countless people's hatred.
Sending children to carry out assassinations was not uncommon on these seas.
If Sakura showed any guilty or abnormal behavior under his Haki...
Then the vice-captain of this legendary pirate crew would let her know why he had earned the title [Dark King].
"Be... because I also want to witness the vastness of this sea!"
Impacted by Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki, a somewhat dazed Sakura voiced the hope in her heart.
'-Why!'
'Why was it that an ordinary person like me, without any special bloodline, was relegated to being a background character everywhere?'
'Unremarkable in my previous life, laughed at in the Ninja World... and perhaps even in the future on the high seas, I might also be drowned in the waves.'
'In these spectacular worlds, not a single one had a seat prepared for the ordinary.'
'Well then, I would fight for it!'
From the moment she saw Roger for the second time, Sakura had already resolved to seize every opportunity to become stronger.
Sooner or later, she, Haruno Sakura, would also ascend to the world's highest stage, to compete with the many powerhouses galloping across the seas or the Ninja World!
And joining this legendary pirate crew was the admission ticket to start her own path to legend!
"I also want... to see the view from the summit!!!"
Sakura gritted her teeth, instinctively turning her willpower into a weapon.
The young child thus fiercely swung a non-existent sword at the powerhouse before her.
Boom-!
Haki roared, venting will.
The girl's slender body erupted with immense spirit, black lightning swirling around her.
Sakura raised her head, her pink hair flowing in the wind, her emerald-green eyes blazing with unyielding light.
The immature but extremely resolute newborn's Conqueror's Haki collided violently with Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki, countless streams of dark lightning surging and agitating.
The calm surrounding waters began to churn with waves, sea beasts and seabirds scattering and fleeing.
'Conqueror's Haki!!!'
The expressions of many Roger Pirates' members turned solemn.
Rayleigh also increased the intensity of his Conqueror's Haki, and an irresistible, domineering will became increasingly palpable on the ship.
Gradually, Sakura began to show signs of being unable to sustain herself under his pressure.
"Enough, stop it!"
Roger shouted, black lightning erupting as his Conqueror's Haki, standing at the pinnacle of the seas, intervened in the dispute between the two.
His rampant Conqueror's Haki was neither as young and rebellious as Sakura's, nor as seasoned and domineering as Rayleigh's.
Like the sky that encompasses all, a kingly aura enveloped them both, forming an intangible field that effortlessly erased the will carried within their Haki.
-To enforce orders and prohibit actions is the beginning of the kingly way.
"Don't be so serious~ Rayleigh."
Roger stepped forward, placing himself between Rayleigh and Sakura, and reached out to ruffle the girl's hair.
"Look how cute this kid is, there's no way she could be an assassin."
"Strictly speaking, Ninjas are assassins!"
Pushing aside the strands of hair stuck to her forehead with sweat, Sakura answered seriously.
"I'm trying to stick up for you here, and what kind of assassin has this kind of spirit?!"
Roger was so choked up by the girl's bluntness that he rolled his eyes.
He subtly increased the pressure of his hand, mussing up Sakura's neatly styled hair.
"I just... didn't want to lie to you." The girl lowered her head.
Seeing Sakura's rare display of vulnerability, Roger quickly brought her closer to Rayleigh.
He wanted to use her current appearance to plead with his devilish vice-captain.
"You bastard, it's precisely because you always act recklessly that I have to play the bad guy here!"
Seeing him like this, Rayleigh clutched his forehead in pain.
Being stuck with a captain like this meant who knew how much more suffering lay ahead.
"Anyway, welcome aboard... uh?"
"Haruno Sakura!"
"Sakura-chan."
The corner of Rayleigh's mouth lifted, and he reached out to shake Sakura's hand in welcome.
"Yosh, to celebrate our little Ninja joining us, crew-"
Roger deliberately drew out his words, building anticipation among the crew members.
Rough or gentle faces alike focused on their captain, waiting eagerly.
"Let's have a party-!!!"
"Oh!!!"
A joyful atmosphere filled the Oro Jackson. The chef uncle broke out the ship's reserves.
All sorts of strange pirates took turns challenging Sakura with alcohol, only to be defeated one by one.
"You idiots, of course you can't outdrink her when you're using alcohol against her juice!"
Roger held a wooden cup, laughing heartily and slapping his thigh.
"Drink, drink it all, Uncle Sunbell! Are you raising fish in there?!"
The young girl, capitalizing on her inability to drink alcohol, held her juice aloft, looking down on all challengers.
"Brat, don't get cocky! Just wait until you can drink, then you'll get yours!!"
The fishman, Sunbell, his face already flushed red, raised his wooden cup, drained the dark red liquor inside in one go, then swayed and collapsed onto the floor.
"Wahahahaha!"
This was the first time since arriving in this world that Sakura laughed so freely and unrestrainedly.
Amidst the girl's clear laughter, the musician Jacksonbanner played a cheerful tune.
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho~
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho~
Going to deliver Binks' Sake~
Following the sea breeze! Riding on the waves~
Far across the salty depths! The merry evening sun~
The birds sing as they draw circles in the sky~
Farewell to the harbor, To my old hometown~
Lets all sing out with a Don! As the ship sets sail!
Sakura's body swayed to the rhythm of the pirates' singing, and a plate of barbecue was placed in front of her.
The girl looked up to see a certain tsundere middle-aged blond uncle adjusting his glasses.
"After drinking so much juice, you should eat some meat too. Otherwise, you'll have acid reflux when you sleep tonight."
"Oh, Uncle Rayleigh, did you know tsundere is out of style now?"
"Shut up!"
Sakura looked at Rayleigh with teasing eyes, then picked up the plate and devoured the grilled meat in big mouthfuls.
Seeing the girl eating with such gusto, the surrounding pirate uncles offered her their portions of grilled meat one after another.
This was the first time that Sakura experienced the treatment reserved for the youngest child in the family during the Thanksgiving.
"This is really nice...."
Amidst the laughter and joy, Sakura, who hadn't drunk a single drop of alcohol, felt strangely intoxicated
[Notice, Achievement Unlocked: Roger Pirates Apprentice. Obtained 40 achievement points.]
[Notice, Sufficient achievement points have been collected. Activate crossing function?]
'No!'