The Grand Line, the waters near Jaya Island.
Seven stood at the bow, constantly swinging the Plasma Longsword in his hand; he had a feeling that he was getting closer and closer to unleashing a Flying Slash.
When that time comes, the vice-Captain will also be in place.
That raised a question: what should the pirate crew be called? And the pirate flag... Seven deactivated the plasma sword and looked at Mihawk, who was at the helm. "Mihawk, you're well-educated. Help me come up with a name for our pirate crew."
Mihawk pursed his lips smugly: *You actually noticed that I'm well-educated?*
In fact, Mihawk had also just sensed that Seven was likely only a flash of inspiration away from unleashing a Flying Slash.
A Master Swordsman in less than half a month!
Such talent was worth nurturing into a swordsmanship rival.
He had the qualities of a king, cooked delicious food, knew how to brew wine, make sweet drinks, create Eternal Poses, repair ships, steer the boat, draw sea charts... Most importantly, as a former member of the Roger Pirates who had been to the Final Island, Seven was exceptionally young.
Having such a guy as a Captain really seemed to save one a lot of trouble.
At the very least, he wouldn't be a nuisance.
Unknowingly, Seven's "training" had been very successful, like a gentle rain silently nourishing the soil.
Just then, the Doctor, who had finished mopping the deck, came jogging over. "Captain, don't we already have a pirate flag? Why do we still need to think of a name for the crew?"
Seven pointed at the pirate flag hanging from the mast.
"You mean this? I snatched this ship in the East Blue and kept forgetting to take the flag down."
Since the issue had been identified, Seven pointed casually, and a bolt of electricity shot from his fingertip, instantly incinerating the pirate flag.
Seeing the high-temperature current start a fire, Seven couldn't help but remark, "The Mera Mera no Mi... even a dog wouldn't eat it."
"Now it's gone. If you can think of a name that satisfies this Captain, I'll consider unlocking your Sea Stone handcuffs."
On the surface, the Doctor's eyes lit up, but in his heart, he couldn't help but grumble: He clearly has the qualities of a king, yet he's so poor he doesn't even have a decent ship.
"Hey, News Coo."
Mihawk waved toward the sky; reading the newspaper every day was a mandatory course for a cultured person.
Once the News Coo landed on the deck, Seven took out 200 Berries. "Two copies, please."
The Doctor was full of nonsense and wasn't yet an official member, so naturally, he wasn't entitled to the pirate crew's benefits—free newspapers.
After tossing a newspaper to Mihawk, Seven lay down on a deck chair and took a glance, then immediately sat back up.
"Mihawk, do you know that bird-man Morgans?"
Mihawk also found it strange; the entire report didn't mention his name at all.
"Not well."
Seeing Morgans' praise for him in the newspaper, Seven clicked his tongue. "As expected of the president of the World Economic News Paper, I didn't even notice when he took the photos."
"The photos are good. Not only is the environmental color rendering spot on, but even the close-up shot captures seventy percent of my handsome face."
Seven didn't care about the exposure from the bird-man Morgans. He was already wanted by the World Government; now it was just one more charge.
One capital offense is a crime, and ten capital offenses are still just a crime.
If the World Government was so capable, they could grant him immortality—kill him once, resurrect him, kill him again... Seven wasn't worried that his actions would cause the other crew members to be targeted by the World Government; those guys valued their lives more than anyone and had gone into hiding long ago.
Only Vice-Captain Rayleigh and the former world's number one beauty, the catalyst of the God Valley battle, Shakky, were active in the Sabaody Archipelago.
However, Vice-Captain Rayleigh is a capable man who can handle more, so he probably wouldn't mind.
Right, Vice-Captain... Sabaody Archipelago, Rip-off Bar.
After the Roger Pirates disbanded, Rayleigh chose to live in seclusion here with Shakky, making a living by coating ships passing through.
Occasionally, when he ran out of money, he would even auction himself off.
But most of his free time, Rayleigh would spend at Shakky's bar, accompanying his lover for a drink.
At the wooden bar counter, Shakky, who still retained her charm, pushed the newspaper in front of Rayleigh. "A remarkable little guy has emerged from your ship."
"Nani? Is it Shanks?"
When Rayleigh saw the high-definition front page and the close-up, he froze in place, then burst into uncontrollable laughter, as if mocking his own poor judgment.
"Hahaha, it's actually Seven? Tsk tsk... Thunder God, so he ate a Devil Fruit."
Rayleigh stared at the Haki tearing through the sky in the newspaper, seemingly lost in memory.
"His Haoshoku has grown quite a bit stronger."
Among the three youngsters on Roger's ship—Seven, Shanks, and Buggy—everyone, including Rayleigh, had been most optimistic about Shanks.
Although Seven had awakened his Haoshoku early, his physical talent was completely incomparable to Shanks'.
As for Buggy... he was hard to evaluate.
"I really didn't expect that among the three youngsters, the first to become famous would be our little chef."
"Barzeb Seven."
Rayleigh was also first time knowing Seven's full name.
While with the Roger Pirates, Seven trained very hard, but his physical talent was too poor, which was why he became the only Non-combatant on the ship.
However, aside from combat talent...
Seven's talent in other areas could almost be described as terrifying. After studying with Jabba for only three days, he mastered the skill of drawing sea charts.
"I really miss the food that kid cooked."
Shakky rolled her eyes: Fine, fine, you're actually complaining that my cooking isn't good?
Go kneel on the washboard tonight.
"The World Government lost face this time. They'll either try to get it back from the little guy or settle the score with you old-timers."
Hearing this, Rayleigh drained his glass. "I'm going out to hide for a few days."
It wasn't that Rayleigh was afraid of the World Government or the Marines; he just didn't want his peaceful retirement to be disturbed... East Blue, Loguetown waters.
Over a month ago, Buggy and Shanks had a disagreement and parted on bad terms. Following a treasure map's guidance, Buggy began searching for treasure in the East Blue.
All to save enough money to form his own pirate crew.
That day, Buggy was lying on a small wooden boat he had just snatched, staring blankly at the sky.
"Shanks, you bastard!"
"You clearly inherited Captain Roger's will. You clearly said you'd take your own ship to Raftel in the future. Why did you change your mind?"
"I misjudged you, Shanks!"
Splat. A bird dropping landed with precision, causing Buggy to snap. He pointed at the sky and cursed, "You mangy bird, even you come to bully Lord Buggy!"
With a Chop-Chop Slap, Buggy captured the News Coo and grumbled as he took out the newspaper.
When he saw that familiar face on the front-page headline, Buggy was so excited that his body instantly split into countless segments, and his eyes welled up with tears.
"Se-ven!!!"
"Hahahaha! I knew I didn't misjudge you."
"A man like you is the one who should inherit Captain Roger's will! Seven!!!"
Buggy regained his fighting spirit and gritted his teeth as he picked up the oars. "Wait for me, Seven. I'm going to Paradise to find you now."
Driven by Morgans, the news that Barzeb Seven, a former member of the Roger Pirates, had attacked the World Government and kidnapped a World Government prisoner spread across the Grand Line and the Four Seas within a day.
Ironically, the World Government only learned of this news through the newspaper.
The value of "leaving no survivors" was still rising.