"Squad captain?"
Sweetheart Queen waved her hand with a wry smile.
"With my strength? No way I can be a squad captain."
"Honestly, I still don't understand why Chris set that rule for the crew."
Betty flicked her cigarette butt into the sea and muttered.
"There's no deeper reason. Chris simply believes in his own strength—nothing more."
"No matter how the squad captains rotate, it won't affect his position as captain. That's how confident he is."
She looked ahead, toward the figure currently training.
Chris was standing firm, gripping "Crimson" with both hands, swinging it steadily again and again.
After identifying it, Chris confirmed the blade was a Supreme Grade Sword, and named it—Crimson.
Whoosh—
At last, Chris completed his daily task of ten thousand swings.
Next, Crimson began to shrink until it turned into a small red dagger, which Chris hung around his neck.
"Every time I see that, it feels like magic…"
Sweetheart Queen sighed as she watched the blade shrink.
"A weapon can eat a Devil Fruit too? I still can't believe it."
Betty shrugged, saying casually,
"Nothing surprising. The sea is full of mysteries—you'll get used to it."
Suddenly, the alarm sounded from outside.
"Alert—"
"Town ahead detected… Town ahead detected…"
It repeated a few times, as always.
Sweetheart Queen stood up with a smile.
"Let's go ashore and buy some makeup! And some cute clothes too!"
"Chris will probably keep training—he never gets off the ship. Let's go."
Betty glanced at Chris. He was now lifting a heavy barbell, clearly not planning to disembark.
"Not this time. He's coming with us."
Baccarat smiled gently as she looked at the busy man.
"Chris, our good fortune is back again."
"Then let's go."
Chris dropped the barbell with a thud and strode toward the door without hesitation.
Sweetheart Queen blinked in curiosity.
"Baccarat, your intuition kicking in again?"
Baccarat gave a soft nod and a calm smile, saying nothing more.
"Good fortune, huh… I wonder what it'll be this time?"
A rare trace of anticipation appeared on Betty's pretty face.
Soon, they all arrived on deck.
"Boss, teach me how to fish, will ya?"
Padon dropped his fishing rod as soon as he saw Chris, hopping excitedly toward him.
"Looks like we've hit another lucky spot—wahahaha!"
Burgess laughed the moment he saw Chris emerge.
Doc Q, coughing as he lay on the deck, added,
"Hope we meet a strong new crewmate… I want that squad captain contest to start already."
"I'll teach you when there's time."
Chris glanced at Padon perched on his shoulder, then leapt down toward the town.
"The captain's always so direct—not a single extra word,"
Burgess chuckled, grabbing Doc Q and Stronger before jumping down after him.
Ten Minutes Later
Chris stood at the western harbor, quietly facing the deep blue sea.
He had already swept through the entire town using his Observation Haki.
Nothing seemed unusual.
Still, he believed in Baccarat's intuition—he must be missing something.
Just then, he overheard some fishermen nearby talking:
"What's the Navy doing here all of a sudden?"
"Who knows. Not our problem."
"No joke though, I caught a glimpse of that female officer—damn, she was intense. The soldiers looked scared stiff."
"She's Vice Admiral Momousagi from Marine Headquarters! Y'all seriously don't know who that is? Unreal!"
"Don't care if she's Momousagi or Momo-whatever—it's none of my business."
"But the warship headed north. Maybe there are pirates over there? Meh, not my problem."
At that moment, Chris understood.
That 'good fortune'—was Vice Admiral Gion, Momousagi!
Whoosh—
Chris vanished instantly, heading straight to find Baccarat.
In Town
"Let's hit the next store—I still haven't shopped enough!"
Sweetheart Queen stepped out of a boutique, hands full of bags.
Betty exhaled a puff of smoke and shrugged.
"You girls go ahead. I need to grab some cigarettes."
Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of them.
"Baccarat, pause for a second—I need to talk to you."
Chris placed Padon on the ground and said calmly,
"Stay here. Don't wander off."
Then he led Baccarat aside.
"What's the boss up to now? Why didn't he take me with him?"
Padon tilted its head in confusion.
Sweetheart Queen rolled her eyes.
"Isn't it obvious? It's a secret. Duh."
Betty watched Chris leave, frowning slightly as she analyzed the situation.
"Must be something serious. Otherwise, he wouldn't keep it from us."
"After all, Chris isn't the type of guy to act like that lightly."
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T/N:
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