Luffy smiles, "Hey, do you want to be my crewmate?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't accept your invitation." Xiang En took a sip of his drink, then pointed to Kagura, who was sampling a drink with Chopper, and smiled at Luffy:
"She ate one million Beli worth of food last meal. If I bring someone like her aboard, I'm afraid she'll starve all of you to death in a few days."
"Hmph!" Kagura heard him criticizing her. Her small face puffed out in anger, and she shot him the middle finger while still eating. Xiang En didn't indulge her and quickly returned the gesture with a finger flick.
One million Beli?
Luffy was a little confused. He had no concept of money, so he didn't understand Xiang En's reason for refusing. Just as he was about to say something, someone clapped a hand over his mouth.
The person who struck was Nami.
The instant she heard the figure "one million," Nami sped over like an afterimage.
"He already refused! Why are you still pestering him, you idiot!" Nami roughly gripped her Captain's neck with her arm, stifling his voice, her own voice sounding extremely frantic.
She couldn't be blamed for being so hasty.
The ship already had one Captain who could eat the equivalent of twenty people's portions in a single meal. If they brought on another glutton who could eat one million Beli worth of food per meal, Sanji might work himself to death, but the bigger problem would be whether the pirate ship could continue to sail smoothly.
"It looks like you two are getting along quite well."
Just then, Rayleigh walked out of the pub's storage area, tossing out two bottles of liquor—one to Zoro and one to Xiang En.
"Good liquor," Zoro's eyes brightened. He opened the bottle cap and immediately began drinking.
Xiang En wasn't as rushed. He held the bottle, examined it for a moment, then turned his back to shield himself from a certain gluttonous little girl who had pounced over, and tucked the liquor into his pocket.
"No drinking for minors."
He casually delivered another forehead flick to Kagura, which once again elicited an adorable "Ouch!" from the girl.
Xiang En raised an eyebrow, feeling a little satisfied with Kagura's reaction. As expected of a body enhanced with 5% Yato bloodline, it's a solid reaction every time.
Shakky glanced at Rayleigh, her tone hostile: "You old man, you've almost drained this warehouse of liquor."
Rayleigh didn't speak. He raised an eyebrow, gave a big wave of his hand, and with a swoosh, pulled out a large stack of banknotes from his pocket.
These were the spoils he and Xiang En had acquired from the human auction house vault.
"Did you win this at the casino?" Shakky looked at him in surprise, then quickly shook her head, stating definitively:
"It looks more like it was stolen."
Rayleigh: "…"
Rayleigh's Storytelling and a New Dream
The next few dozen minutes in the pub were dedicated to the Dark King's storytelling session.
For most people in the pub, this would be an unforgettable memory in the future, so the Straw Hat crew, including Luffy, listened very intently.
"My partner, I will not die."
"You want my treasures? If you want them, you can have them! Go search for them! I left all the world's treasures in that one place!"
When the story reached the part where Roger willingly went to his execution, the emotion in the pub peaked. Luffy was filled with longing, Zoro took a big gulp of liquor, Sanji inhaled deeply from his cigarette... and the outwardly tough but inwardly emotional Franky shed tears.
As for Kagura, being a foreigner, she listened vaguely, occasionally tugging on Xiang En's sleeve to ask about some of the terms in the story that she didn't understand.
"Xia-chan, let's go find One Piece! If we do, I definitely won't ever starve again!"
After listening, Kagura suddenly slammed the table, looked up at Xiang En, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, making it hard for anyone to say no.
Great, another one has been sucked in.
Xiang En clutched his head, frustrated, unsure how to explain to her that Roger's "world's treasures" weren't necessarily just money.
Fortunately, there was another idiot in the pub who had also been sucked in.
"I'm definitely going to find One Piece first! I'm the man who's going to become the King of the Pirates!"
Luffy also slammed the table. The tabletop trembled, producing an even louder sound. He stared firmly at Kagura.
Kagura didn't back down. She placed her hands on her hips, raised her head, and looked down disdainfully:
"Arae! What are you acting arrogant about, you stinky kid? Why are you so sure you'll find it first?"
"I'm telling you, the ones who will find One Piece first are me and Xiang En. Then Xiang En will be the man who becomes the King of the Pirates, and I'll be the Pirate King!"
Huh?!!!!
This statement not only short-circuited Luffy's already not-so-bright brain but also caused a sudden silence in the entire bar.
Everyone tacitly turned their attention to Xiang En.
Why is everyone looking at me?
Xiang En instantly broke out in a cold sweat, feeling the stares from those around him become strangely suggestive.
No, guys! I'm really not a lolicon! You have to believe me!
"You bastard!" Sanji lunged forward and grabbed Xiang En's collar. Anyone could see his face was red with jealousy.
"How can you go out to sea with a beautiful, vibrant girl! I'm a pirate too, what part of me is inferior to you?! This is awful... awful!"
By the end, his face was streaked with hot tears, and he knelt on the floor, pounding the ground as if lamenting the injustice to the heavens.
"Is it really... necessary to be this sad?" Xiang En asked, looking bewildered.
Although he had seen this scene with Sanji before and remembered how he had laughed heartily watching it on TV, experiencing it up close now felt like watching a humorous play—and ironically, it made him want to laugh even more.
Just as Xiang En was about to burst out laughing, Nami intervened again.
"Stop embarrassing us here, you idiot!"
She knocked the crewmate who was disgracing them unconscious with one punch and dragged him away.
The commotion put an end to the argument between Kagura and Luffy. Of course, it was also likely because Shakky had served each of them a fresh drink.
Everyone quieted down to listen to Rayleigh discuss the crew's plans.
Parting Ways: A New Path
Time flew by, and the sun began to set in the west. When the evening light streamed through the windows, it signaled the time for farewell.
The Straw Hat crew decided to follow Rayleigh's plan: hide on the island from the Marines for three days, and then, after Rayleigh finished coating their pirate ship, they would meet up and head to Fish-Man Island.
"So, little brother Xiang En, where do you two plan to go next?" After saying goodbye to Luffy and the others, Rayleigh immediately prepared the necessary equipment for the coating process and asked Xiang En before leaving.
"Hmm... I want to build a ship," Xiang En mused for a moment, a smile appearing on his lips.
"Eh? You've already decided to set sail?" Rayleigh looked surprised. He then looked at Xiang En, then glanced at Kagura who was still drinking, and offered a gentle word of caution:
"Little brother Xiang En, I understand a young person's eagerness to go to sea, but with just the two of you, you might not even be able to get a ship started, much less crew it, right?"