After boarding the ship, Roy immediately tore down the damned pirate flag and tossed it into the sea.
Watching the tattered flag slowly sink beneath the waves, he began muttering to himself—after all, talking to yourself was better than going crazy from boredom when alone.
"This flag's ugly as fuck. What's with the giant bear paw? That kind of taste… Might as well rename the crew to the 'Bear Invasion Pirates.' Captain Bear One, Vice-Captain Bear Two, and Navigator Baldy Strong. Yeah, sounds about right."
The mention of a navigator made Roy's head ache. Drifting aimlessly across the ocean with no destination, no sense of direction—it was maddening. If he had a navigator, he could chart a proper route toward the Grand Line.
"Right! The tavern!" Roy suddenly remembered that after completing the quest [Kuzan's Invitation], a new Tavern System had been unlocked.
Tavern? The word instantly reminded him of a feature in the old RTS game Warcraft III—a place where you could recruit heroes... for a price, of course.
He activated the tavern. A holographic interface appeared in front of him, displaying a dimly lit room that looked barely big enough for three dwarves to stand in. If anyone tried to lie down, they'd probably get wedged sideways.
[Tavern] – Here you can recruit any follower you desire... for a price!
(Randomly summon one character from the World of Warcraft or DNF universe as your follower. After all, what's a Lord without loyal subordinates?)
"Wait, a price? What is it... green hair? Or baldness?" Roy snarked.
[Note: Each summon costs 5,000 Holy Light Points.]
"Five thousand?!" Roy's face darkened. "I'd rather go bald—or green! At least those give me stat boosts…"
Ding!
[Recruitment Token detected. You are eligible for one free summon. Would you like to use it now?]
"Do it!" Roy clicked without hesitation. He didn't expect much—free pulls were always trash. He had no illusions of luck; this was going to be another bottom-tier summon. If he got a squawking Bonoboman or an "Unawakened Mage," that'd already be better than nothing. Hoping for anything top-tier like Captain Eggroll or Second Idiot was pure delusion.
He muttered, mimicking shady mobile games, "Young man, did you top up? Spend some cash and maybe you'll pull something decent!"
Hell, some games were worse. You'd pull from the tavern and the system would proudly announce: Congratulations, you got... a pair of dirty socks!
He wasn't hopeful—but the next scene brought a rare glint of excitement to his eyes.
[Please choose a follower class]:
[Navigator – Plots your course and avoids dangerous routes.]
[Chef – Cooks meals for your team.]
[Doctor – Self-explanatory.]
[Shipwright – Repairs, builds, and upgrades ships.]
[Combatant – Comes in all flavors: tank, melee DPS, ranged DPS, healer—pick your poison.]
Roy didn't hesitate for a second—he selected Navigator.
A burst of golden light exploded as the tavern doors creaked open. Three cards materialized in front of him, backs facing up. The design looked exactly like those classic Hearthstone card backs.
Roy raised an eyebrow. "A three-card choice? You've gotta be kidding me."
[Ding! You may view the contents of all three cards. However, once you do, they will be reshuffled.]
First card flipped:
[Jack Sparrow]
Roy: "...Huh???"
"System, are you SURE this guy is from World of Warcraft or DNF? Because he sure as hell feels Caribbean to me."
[Ding! Host, your thoughts are impure. What do you mean by Caribbean?]
Roy: "...乛乛"
Whatever. Might as well keep reading.
[Jack Sparrow – A master navigator with unmatched charting and seafaring skills, superior to anyone in this era.]
[Special Ability: [Against the Current] – Doubles ship speed and maneuverability. Automatically avoids all non-human hazardous weather events.]
[Combat Potential: Vice Admiral]
*(Combat Tier Reference:
Others < Vice Admiral < Rear Admiral ≤ Warlords ≤ Emperor's First Mate ≤ Admiral ≤ Emperor < Five Elders < Monkey D. Luffy
Note: Do NOT mess with the protagonist unless you have a plot armor of your own. Unlocking protagonist-tier plot armor requires the achievement: [Damn the Celestial Dragons].)
"Holy crap," Roy muttered. "That passive is busted! And he's just the first option? This might be my luckiest day."
Second card flipped:
[Gangplank – The Scourge of the Sea]
Roy: "...System. You SURE this guy is from WoW or DNF?"
[Yes, Host.]
"Pretty sure he's from League of Legends, though…"
[Host, you're mistaken.]
"Whatever, I'm not arguing. I don't care where he's from—just that he's strong."
[Gangplank – Moderate navigation skill. For a self-proclaimed Sea Overlord from Arad, normal sailing is child's play.]
Roy: "...Wait, Arad has an ocean?"
[Special Ability: [Cannon Barrage] – The ship is equipped with infinite-range, high-damage cannons. Automatically targets enemies.]
[Combat Potential: Admiral]
"Whoa... An Admiral-level unit?! So if I recruit him, I get that strength?"
[Negative. He still has to grow.]
Roy nodded. Still, two solid choices. While Jack Sparrow beat Gangplank in navigation, Gangplank's combat strength was monstrous. You don't just get Admirals like they're on sale at the market.
In Roy's mind, a cinematic unfolded:
Marineford War. Roy stands before Whitebeard's body.
"Please, everyone, as the great Lord of the Holy Light, I ask you to stop. I've come to give Whitebeard a proper burial."
Just then, Kizaru moves to strike. Plank pulls his pistol.
"Kizaru, don't even try it. Back when I was robbing nobles and terrorizing the Noxian Navy, you were still wearing diapers. One step closer and I'll put a hole in that pretty face."
Kizaru: "Scary~"
(Disclaimer: All the above was fantasy.)
Third card flipped:
[Queen Azshara – The Naga Empress]
Roy sighed in relief. Finally, a real WoW character.
[Azshara – The Queen of the Naga. She knows nothing about navigation—but it doesn't matter. The ocean is her domain. She can take you anywhere.]
Special Abilities:
1. [Siren's Song – Commands an entire Naga tribe to rise from the depths and serve the host.]
3. [Nazjatar – The Mobile City – A mobile undersea capital permanently exists beneath the host's ship. (Think of it as a moving Dragon Palace if you never played WoW.)]
3. [Ten Commanders – Azshara's ten elite commanders join the host's faction.]
[Combat Potential: Twice that of an Emperor's crew.]
Roy's jaw dropped. "What the hell?! Final boss energy right here!"
[Twice the power of an Emperor crew means that, at full maturity, she can match the combined strength of TWO Yonko pirate crews. For comparison, Plank's max potential is only Admiral-level.]
Roy finally understood. This wasn't just summoning Azshara. It was summoning her entire city, army, and command structure. It even came with real estate.
I NEED her, Roy thought, daydreaming of running along the beach with Azshara under a golden sunset.
Once the three cards finished their reveal, they flipped back face-down and reshuffled.
The Hearthstone-style card backs reappeared before him.
He clasped his hands together. "For Azshara... for Nazjatar… Please let me pull her. I don't just want a crewmate—I want a girlfriend too."
Without hesitation, he tapped the third card.