As for Baichuan, after failing to put up the full crew recruitment notice, he simply forgot about it and never gave it another thought. Over the next several days, he wandered around Laye Town eating, drinking, and making merry, poking his head into the strongholds of all the major powers.
But for Riddle, who had returned to the ship early, it was a different story. Every day, a stream of people showed up at their pirate ship for interviews. When the crowd first appeared, Riddle's mind went blank. He thought they were under attack.
Eventually, amid all the chattering from the arrivals, Riddle finally pieced together what was happening. Still, he didn't dare make decisions for Baichuan. Recruiting crew was the captain's job, after all.
Even those who failed the interview didn't dare complain. They simply didn't have the strength to make a fuss. So they waited bitterly beneath the Silver Pirate Ship day after day, hoping for Baichuan to return.
Some of these people were spies sent by the various powers; others hoped to latch onto the Silver Pirate Ship and rocket to fame. Those with genuine skill and talent seemed few and far between.
The truth was, not long after Baichuan put up the recruitment notice, all the major factions had already caught wind of it. They'd dispatched their more capable underlings to the Silver Pirate Crew to sniff around.
They wanted to know if the notice was real or if the Silver Pirate Crew was up to some scheme.
If it turned out to be true, getting their own people recruited would be ideal. Even if they weren't chosen, they'd lose nothing. And if the Silver Pirate Crew was planning something, they could take precautions in advance.
Baichuan, however, was completely oblivious to everything happening on his ship right now. Strolling along, he held a bag stuffed with snacks he'd bought all around town. His other hand wasn't idle either, constantly fishing out treats and popping them into his mouth.
He was walking in the direction of his pirate ship. He'd been enjoying himself on this island for five days; it was time to set sail for the next one.
As he walked, he noticed an awful lot of people blocking his path, and every one of them was looking at him with glittering eyes, as if they'd spotted a glowing treasure.
"Are civilians these days really so bold? They see a pirate and aren't even scared?"
Baichuan wondered to himself, baffled. Did these people have some idea about him?
At last, he spotted his ship. But what was with the dense, buzzing crowd gathered beneath it?
"Could those crewmates have done something so outrageous that people came looking for payback?"
And some of them had actually brought tents! Were they planning to settle down here?
"Look, the captain of the Silver Pirates is back!" someone shouted suddenly, standing up and pointing at him, voice brimming with excitement.
The moment those words rang out, the drowsy, listless mob instantly sprang to life. Right then, they were like a pack of wolves, and Baichuan was the meat in their eyes.
"Captain Baichuan, we're here to join you!"
One person took the lead, and the rest surged forward, charging straight at Baichuan.
"Judging by this ruckus, the captain must be back."
Euristine sat perched on the ship's railing, a thin cigarette dangling from his lips, watching the uproar below.
Euristine and Jora had returned the day before yesterday, and they'd been just as startled by the spectacle at first. It was only after hearing Riddle's explanation that they understood what was going on.
The crowd had behaved well enough over the past two days, but all that low murmuring and buzzing was still incredibly annoying. If Baichuan hadn't come back soon, they were ready to chase everyone off.
"What's going on?" Even Baichuan was stunned. He wasn't afraid, exactly, but it was his first time being rushed by a mob like this. It felt dangerous, the kind of situation that could easily turn into a stampede.
So Baichuan decided to act before they got any closer. He instantly unleashed his Conqueror's Haki.
It swept over the entire crowd in an instant, and just like that, they all collapsed.
"What just happened?" Sallar and Euristine, witnessing this for the first time, were utterly shocked. How had all these people fallen unconscious in the blink of an eye?
"I know, I know." Riddle seized the chance to show off his knowledge.
"That's Conqueror's Haki. They say only one in a million people has this kind of aptitude."
Riddle hurried to explain because he knew Jora knew too, and he wasn't about to let Jora steal his moment.
"So that's Conqueror's Haki."
Euristine and Sallar nodded in understanding. Both of them already had a basic grasp of Haki, so they easily followed Riddle's explanation.
"I never knew the captain's strength was this incredible."
This was the first time either of them had seen Baichuan make a move, and it had to be on ordinary townsfolk, of all people.
In a flash, Baichuan returned to the ship.
"What exactly did you lot do? Why are so many people here to settle scores with me?"
Hearing this, the crew immediately felt that Baichuan was being completely unreasonable. What did he mean, "what did we do"? This whole mess was his doing!
"Captain, Captain, it's like this…"
Riddle quickly filled him in on the situation with the crowd. Only then did Baichuan remember: on his very first day on the island, he had indeed posted a recruitment notice in a tavern.
But after sitting there for a while and seeing no one pay it any attention, he'd gradually forgotten all about it.
"Oh, so that's what happened. I thought no one would come, so I didn't bother."
Baichuan said, then glanced at the unconscious townsfolk sprawled on the ground, a slightly troubled look on his face.
"Alright, we'll do it this way. Have them come interview with me one by one, in the order they wake up."
Baichuan instructed Riddle.
"Leave it to me, Captain," Riddle thumped his chest in assurance.
Then Baichuan turned to Jora and said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have scolded you like that the other day."
Baichuan's apology startled Jora, and took everyone else on the ship by surprise too. The captain's personality was clearly not what they had imagined.
Even after sailing together for so long, they still hadn't fully figured Baichuan out.
Baichuan was like a treasure; the deeper you dug, the more surprises you uncovered.
"Captain, you don't need to apologize. I'm the one who should be sorry," Jora said, flustered by the unexpected kindness.
"From now on, I'll definitely fix my bad habits, train hard, and strive to become a pillar of support who can lighten the captain's burden someday."
Jora spoke with utter seriousness.
He'd done a lot of thinking these past few days. Even Riddle's strength had improved noticeably since they boarded, but Jora himself seemed to be stuck in place. He knew it was his own problem.
"Good. As long as you have that resolve. I expect we'll soon face the Marines and powerful pirates again. I hope by then your strength will be enough to hold your own."
"Don't worry, Captain. I will."
Hearing Baichuan's encouragement, Jora grew even more fired up.
"Who knew the captain had such a way with winning people over."
As onlookers, Riddle and the others saw Baichuan's actions with perfect clarity.
/-\
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