Vice-captain of Whitebeard pirates

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"Hey, what are you doing?"

Roberta stepped forward, clutching a stick in her hand.

The Jem people behind her were all stupefied. Brother, if these three ships are really bad guys, what are you going to do with a stick?

Jem noticed that as the three ships approached, the boatmen who had been working on their ships quickly lowered their heads, pretending not to notice anything. They were acting like mice cowering at the sight of a cat.

That's it?

A chill ran down Jem's spine as he considered turning around and heading back home. He didn't feel safe at all.

"Roberta, put the stick down," Jem said, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. It'll be fine if these three ships aren't here to cause trouble, he thought. But if they are, a stick won't do anything!

"Don't worry," Roberta replied, giving Jem a reassuring look. "The Navy branch isn't far from here. Even if they are pirates, they wouldn't dare try anything."

Jem, however, wasn't so sure. If we wait for the Navy to arrive, we'll have been eaten by fish, bones and all.

At that moment, a man stepped out from the lead ship. Rayleigh smiled as he looked over at them from his boat.

"Don't be nervous. We're not bad people," he said.

Roberta, still on guard, narrowed her eyes. "Then why are you stopping here?"

Rayleigh replied, "We heard you're headed to Yerug Island. We'd like to ask if you could show us the way. Don't worry, we'll ensure your safety along the way."

Roberta's wariness only grew at his words. "How did you know we were going to Yerug Island?"

Rayleigh gestured towards Jem. "I overheard your conversation back on the island."

Roberta glanced back at Jem, unsure of what to do. She couldn't tell whether Rayleigh and his crew were good or bad. They were still close to the Navy branch, so bad people typically wouldn't dare to cause trouble here. That was why Roberta felt so confident.

But out at sea? If they were killed and thrown into the ocean, no one would know.

Roberta wasn't looking for trouble. She quickly rejected Rayleigh's request but tried to do so without offending him. "No, but if you need directions, I can show you the way. You don't need to follow us."

She hoped that if they genuinely needed to go to Yerug Island, they wouldn't bother them anymore.

Rayleigh thought for a moment and smiled. "Alright, I appreciate that. It won't trouble you too much?"

"It's no trouble," Roberta said. It's just giving directions, she thought. What's so strange about that?

But she still felt something was off about him.

Just then, Rayleigh suddenly leaped over from his ship. Before Roberta or Jem could even register what had happened, Rayleigh was already next to them. In a swift motion, he grabbed Jem, hoisted him onto his shoulders, and carried him back toward the ship. It was a kidnapping, right in front of their eyes.

Jem was speechless.

Roberta stood frozen, her mouth agape.

"Help! Help!" Jem shouted, his voice trembling. "Roberta, help me! Call the boatmen, get them out here, and save me!"

Inside the cabin, Kaido and his group heard Jem's cries. Kaido's face twisted in anger. "Shut up!" he growled. They had been hiding this whole time, and now this idiot was trying to call them out!

Roberta was just as stunned. "W-what are you doing? I'm warning you! Don't try anything! There's a Navy branch right behind us, and I'll call them if you do!"

Damn it!

Kaido clenched his teeth, fuming in the cabin. If the Navy got involved, their cover would be blown. They'd not only have to deal with the fallout from the Whitebeard Pirates but also fend off the Navy's pursuit.

Rayleigh, still smiling calmly, spoke to Roberta from the deck. "Relax. As long as you guide us, I won't harm your brother."

"Roberta! Help me!" Jem cried, his voice breaking.

Roberta's mind raced. He glanced around, searching for Kaido and the others or the boatmen, but they had all disappeared without a trace. The deck was deserted. Where was everyone?

What happened to the boatmen? Roberta's heart sank. How did they all vanish when I turned my back?

But Jem's desperate pleas pulled Roberta back into the moment.

"Alright, alright! I'll show you the way!" Roberta relented, realizing there was no other choice. Without any backup, they were powerless against Rayleigh and the three ships.

He prayed that Rayleigh was telling the truth and that all they wanted was a guide.

Rayleigh grinned. "I'm sorry, but you'll still need to be tied up. For precaution's sake."

Jem's eyes widened in terror as Rayleigh pulled out a rope. "W-what are you doing? I already agreed to show you the way!" Jem stammered, panicking.

Rayleigh gave him an apologetic smile. "Don't worry. I'll untie you once we reach the island."

"Don't come near me! Don't—!" Jem shrieked, trying to back away.

When Roberta saw the scene unfolding on the boat, black lines of frustration appeared on her forehead.

She glanced at the figures standing on the three ships opposite them, then at her own boat, and finally searched for the boatmen—who, as expected, were nowhere to be found. Roberta sighed and decided to pretend as if she hadn't seen anything.

"All right," Rayleigh said after tying Jem up. Standing on the bow of his ship, he turned to Roberta. "It's time to set off. We'll follow your boat from behind."

Roberta's face turned ashen as she walked into the cabin without uttering a word. When she opened the door, she found the missing boatmen—Kaido's men, disguised as ordinary workers—all hiding inside!

Surprised, Roberta exclaimed, "Everyone, come out with me and rescue Jem!"

The disguised members of the Kaido Pirates, embarrassed, lowered their heads at Roberta's command.

Awkwardly, Queen stepped forward. "Uh, boss, sorry. Our captain... he's sick. We need to take care of him."

"Sick?" Roberta raised an eyebrow.

Queen's large frame shifted, revealing Kaido sprawled out on the cabin floor, looking unusually weak.

Roberta stared, stunned. "What happened to him?"

With exaggerated emotion, Queen wiped away fake tears. "Our captain's seasick. He needs rest."

"Seasick?" Roberta almost burst out laughing. A boatman, seasick? Does that even make sense?

Seeing the incredulity on Roberta's face, Queen quickly added, "It's indirect seasickness. Don't worry, a little rest and we'll be good to go. We won't delay anything."

Roberta's fists clenched as she tried to suppress the urge to yell. Taking a deep breath, she said, "We've been hijacked! There's a group outside who's forcing us to guide them. I need you all to help me drive them off."

Sorry, we can't do that, Kaido and the others thought silently.

With a weak cough, Kaido spoke, "Don't worry. Once I've recovered, I'll take care of them."

Roberta's shoulders relaxed at this. "I'm counting on you, Kaido."

"Mhm," Kaido muttered. His only focus was getting Roberta to leave quickly. If they stayed hidden too long and the Whitebeard Pirates caught wind of their presence, it would all be over.

"Oh, one more thing," Roberta said, turning back as she reached the door. "I'll need you all to sail the boat."

"No problem at all, that's our job!" Queen replied, relief washing over the group as they finally saw Roberta out.

Once she was gone, Queen, King, and the others gathered around Kaido.

"Captain, what's our next move?" King asked.

"We have no choice but to wait," Kaido said, feeling trapped. The seasickness excuse had been a bluff to keep Roberta off their backs, a convenient way to stay hidden without arousing suspicion.

Kaido hadn't anticipated this level of bad luck. His original plan had been simple: do something big and retreat to the New World. But instead, he had bumped into the Whitebeard Pirates. Worse, he couldn't figure out why the Roger Pirates were here as well.

If it had just been the Whitebeard Pirates, Kaido might've considered escaping by taking to the skies. But with both the Whitebeard and Roger Pirates present, any hope of fleeing was gone.

In a low voice, Kaido continued, "They only know who we are. We stay hidden here, no exceptions. The rest of you go back out and keep pretending to be boatmen—act normal, do your jobs. Above all, don't let them discover we're hiding here."

He glanced around sternly. "As long as we remain unnoticed, we'll wait until we reach Yerug Island and slip away quietly."

"Understood!" the crew responded in unison.

Meanwhile, aboard the Whitebeard Pirates' ship, Rayleigh had returned.

"How did it go?" Thatch asked, along with Whitebeard, Roger, and the others, all focusing on Rayleigh.

Rayleigh replied calmly, "It's done."

Thatch exhaled in relief. "Well, that means we'll be able to find Yerug Island."

The expressions of the others were mixed, a collective sense of finally settling in.

In truth, Thatch hadn't originally planned on intercepting Jem and Roberta's ship. After all, there were plenty of people in the East Blue headed for Yerug Island. Anyone they came across at sea could likely point them in the right direction.

However, the development of events went far beyond what they had anticipated.

They stopped three ships one after another at sea, all attempting to reach Yerug Island. These ships came from different directions, yet the disturbing part was that they were all heading to different destinations. What left them most perplexed was that these three ships each pointed them toward three distinct locations!

Each of the ships reported a different position. By this point, Larson and the others had grasped the gravity of the situation.

One of the crew remarked, "So these people heading to Yerug Island don't even know the exact location!"

As it turned out, when rumors of a mysterious treasure on Yerug Island began to spread, certain individuals deliberately circulated false directions to prevent too many competitors from flocking to the island in search of the treasure.

The rumor spread like wildfire, and before long, Yerug Island was associated with dozens of different locations. No one could distinguish which one was the true path and which were mere fabrications.

Reyleigh , still uncertain, asked, "Larson, how do you know these people are heading in the right direction?"

Larson explained, "Before all this chaos broke out, Yerug Island was just a small island in the East Blue. Sure, some might spread false information, but they can't change where the island is. The people we just encountered learned of this mess through the same newspapers we did, but what we need is someone who knew its location from the very start.

Back in the tavern, I noticed that the guy named Jim seemed well-connected. My hunch is that he's a local, someone who's lived on that island for years. He's probably one of the original residents of Yerug Island. If they didn't already know the true location, they wouldn't have set out to find it at all."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

Still skeptical, Reilly asked, "But did you really need to tie him up? Wasn't that a bit... excessive?"

"Well, wasn't it worth it if we finally found someone who knows the way to Yerug Island..." Larson replied in a faint tone.

Tying up someone who's supposed to lead the way did seem a little unethical, no matter how you looked at it. But with Yerug Island at stake, these concerns were brushed aside.

"You think they might be up to something?" Gaban asked as they followed Roberta's ship.

"Don't worry," Larson shook his head. "That man's just a regular fisherman. Even if he threatens us with the Navy, he's likely just bluffing. As long as he's confident we won't harm him, he won't cause us any trouble."

"Captains, here's the barbecued pork!" Sazi announced, carrying a large plate to the group.

"Smells delicious!" Reyleigh said, savoring the aroma. "Larson, you sure know how to live it up out here on the sea!"

Larson grinned. "Enough talk, dig in!"

"Ah, by the way," Larson added, turning to Reyleigh . "Make sure to call the guy we tied up, too."

"Why is it always me doing the ordering around here?" Reyleigh grumbled.

Larson chuckled and turned to Planck, "You handle it."

Planck sighed and reluctantly walked off to comply.

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If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 80+ chapters at patreon.com/Darkphoenix11

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