One Piece: Power-Power Fruit

Chapter 31 Willing to Follow the Hero

Chapter Thirty-One: Willing to Follow the Hero

Amidst harmonious laughter and cheerful chatter, the Liberty set sail again for Mogu Town on Jaya Island. Unlike its previous quiet and deserted state, the deck was now filled with people. Although some still had bandages wrapped around their bodies, and although this ship wasn't theirs, everyone seemed to have grown accustomed to it; the smiles on their faces couldn't hide their happiness.

"Hahaha!! It's wonderful to meet you, sir! I've been wanting to see you for so long, and I never expected it to happen so soon. Sir, I toast you!!"

A scruffy-bearded pirate, holding a wine glass, shouted loudly at Mu Chong.

"A chivalrous hero, huh? Not bad, hahaha!! Come on, let's all join in!!"

Mu Chong rubbed his nose, muttered a few words to himself, then raised his wine glass high and called for everyone to join in.

"Roar!!"

"cheers!!"

All the pirates cheered, downing their drinks in one gulp, followed by a burst of hearty laughter.

"My lord, are you preparing to find companions to go to the new world?"

Suddenly, a pirate in the crowd shouted at the top of his lungs, and his question immediately drew everyone's attention to Mu Chong on the deck.

"Hahaha! Yes, yes! I want to find a group of interesting and like-minded partners to embark on an adventure on the high seas aboard the Freedom. As a man with dreams of sailing the seas, setting sail is a must!!"

Mu Chong picked up his wine glass again, downed the wine in one gulp, and laughed loudly.

"That sounds wonderful, my hero!"

"So, sir, are you also after the Pirate King's treasure?"

A single sentence from a pirate caused a huge stir; everyone's breath caught in their throats. The words left behind by the Pirate King before his death had always been the faith of pirates.

"Hahaha!! The One Piece, the treasure of the Pirate King Roger? Of course, it would be best to get it! But that's not my ultimate goal! In this world, on this sea, there are things far more worth the adventure than the One Piece!!"

"what??"

Is it more worth the risk than the One Piece?

"What could that be??"

Mu Chong smiled knowingly and didn't continue answering. Sometimes, leaving things unsaid is far more impactful than simply revealing the truth.

"Heroic sir? May I board your ship?"

Just as everyone was lost in thought, a pirate wearing gold-rimmed glasses suddenly stood up from the crowd, his eyes gleaming as he stared intently at Mu Chong.

His appearance completely shattered the tension among the pirates on deck. The next moment, fueled by alcohol, all the pirates frantically swarmed towards Mu Chong, begging to board the Freedom.

"Heroic sir, I know swordsmanship! Please let me aboard!"

"Me! Me! Me! I can mop the floor!!"

The once orderly deck instantly became noisy, and the scene was on the verge of getting out of control.

"Shut the hell up, all of you!!"

Mu Chong frowned slightly, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, as his Conqueror's Haki erupted from within him.

Click!

Like a mirror shattered by a heavy blow, all the scrambling pirates froze instantly, then it was as if a button had been pressed.

bang bang bang...

One by one, the pirates collapsed onto the deck, falling into a deep sleep. In moments, the entire deck of the Liberty was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

goodong...

The sound of swallowing nervously filled the air. Under the influence of Conqueror's Haki, apart from Slad and Schidek sitting next to Mu Chong, only three people remained standing in front of Mu Chong.

A burly man with a scarred face, a towering frame, and easily three meters tall! A silver-haired man dressed in samurai attire with a sharp sword hanging at his waist, and the pirate with gold-rimmed glasses who had just spoken.

"Damn it!! This aura?!"

"how is this possible?"

"Wow! This is truly unexpected. Only one in a million people possesses the aura of a king. The chivalrous hero is actually... truly worthy of being called him!!"

The pirate wearing gold-rimmed glasses slowly raised his forehead, a flash of white light appearing on the lenses, his face revealing undisguised surprise and anticipation.

"Hey, you three, not bad!!"

Mu Chong's lips curled into a slight smile as he looked at the three pirates, who were panting heavily and covered in sweat. He was secretly pleased; he hadn't expected that out of hundreds of people, there would actually be a few pirates who could withstand Conqueror's Haki.

"Phew!! My esteemed hero, have we passed your test?"

The man with a sharp knife hanging at his waist gritted his teeth, raised his forehead, and said to Mu Chong...

"Hey, hey, hey, I never said that the three of you could board the Freedom just because you didn't fall down. But the three of you are stronger than them, and I have high hopes for you. Perhaps you can help me. I wonder if the three of you are willing!!"

Mu Chong rubbed his nose, a smile still on his face, and looked at the three of them, saying...

"Ok?"

"What does the esteemed hero intend for us to do?"

Two of them looked at Mu Chong with curiosity.

"Oh? Aren't you curious?"

Mu Chong shifted his gaze to the silent pirate with gold-rimmed glasses beside him, sizing him up from head to toe.

boom……

"I, Hill Bott, am willing to follow the hero!!"

The pirate with the gold-rimmed glasses, Hill Bott, immediately knelt on one knee, lowered his forehead, and extended a gesture symbolizing his allegiance.

The smile that had been on Mu Chong's face vanished instantly, replaced by a serious expression.

Hill Bott's actions surprised everyone else; what kind of mindset would allow someone to make such a decisive decision?

"Uh! I, Baku, am willing too!!"

"I, Locas, am willing to follow the chivalrous hero!!"

The burly Baku and Locas, with their daggers at their waists, both realized what was happening and began to imitate Hill Bot.

Mu Chong looked at the three people kneeling on one knee in front of him, slowly stood up, and gently made a lifting motion with his right hand.

The three men involuntarily stood up again, their eyes widening in even greater surprise as they looked at Mu Chong, inwardly reassessing his strength once more.

"Since the three of you have already made this decision, I, Mu Chong, am not a petty person. However, I still have to say something in advance: the three of you will not all be on the Liberty, because I have more important things to entrust to you. I wonder if you will accept or not?"

Mu Chong crossed his arms in front of him, looking intently at the three surprised people, waiting for their answer.

"catch!"

"I am willing!"

"Whatever the chivalrous hero says goes!"

bang bang bang...

"Hahaha! Good, once we get to Demon Valley Town, you'll know what I'm going to do. Remember, those who follow me will not be bound by any rules, except for one thing: traitors, kill!!"

Mu Chong laughed and patted Baku on the shoulder, but as his words fell, a terrifying killing intent enveloped the three of them. At that moment, it was as if they were standing before the Grim Reaper, and anyone who touched it would die.

"Yes, sir!!"

……

The sun and moon shift, day and night reversed.

At dawn, on the vast, boundless sea, the Freedom was sailing steadily forward.

"That's amazing!!"

"I never imagined that even a hero like you is so powerful, still training so diligently!!"

On the deck of the Freedom, a group of pirates surrounded them, all looking at Mu Chong and Slad, who were training in the middle, and whispers of discussion filled the air.

"Damn it, I'm training just as hard as you are, why is everyone ignoring me?"

Slad listened with resentment to the praise around him, not a single word of it about him, and he felt incredibly frustrated.

"Meow!!"

"Hahaha! Keep practicing, and try to master 'Shave' by the time we reach Magic Valley Town! Otherwise, I won't let you come with me to the Sky Island!"

Ignoring the surrounding pirates' chatter, Mu Chong spoke seriously to Scar.

"Huh? No, I must go to the Sky Island!!"

Slade is training even harder!