"The Marine Headquarters?" Rogu asked, glancing at his interlocutor.
"What will happen to Moonlight Village?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'll sort it out. After that, I'll go to Marineford to train," Lester replied. A spark of hope lit up his eyes at the mention of Marineford. "I'll find a new life there!"
"Uh-huh. Good luck to you," Rogu said, finishing his last spoonful of food. He wiped his mouth, then looked back at Lester.
"Are you leaving already?" Lester asked, a little confused.
"Obviously," Rogu answered.
- Well... okay. Even though you refused to join the Marines, I hope you'll live a decent life.
Lester's words sounded too emotional, and he became slightly embarrassed. Then, clearing his throat, he added: "After all, the village chief wants to see you back to Moonlight Village safe and sound."
Rogu nodded: "Then you too, try to build a good life."
Lester's face darkened.
"What do you mean, 'then try to build a good life too'? Why does it sound like he doesn't care?" he thought indignantly.
But Rogu continued to stand motionless, looking at him, which only increased Lester's confusion. "You said you were leaving. Why are you still standing there?"
"Hmm... I think you should get your men out first. He needs to lock the door," Rogu pointed at the bar owner. He was standing to the side, holding a huge padlock in his hands and smiling awkwardly.
Lester blushed, quickly gathered his men and hurried out.
The carriages standing at the entrance were loaded with all the bar owner's belongings. Behind them was a whole caravan with supplies of fresh water and food.
Lester stood nearby, watching as the owner locked the bar door. Then he looked at Rogu, who was already sitting in one of the carriages, his arms crossed and his eyes closed, as if he had completely shut out the outside world.
For some reason, this irritated Lester.
"Hey!" he shouted.
Rogu opened his eyes and looked at him with complete bewilderment.
- You are heartless and ungrateful! - Lester blurted out angrily. - We are about to part! We may not have known each other for very long, but we still managed to leave vivid impressions on each other. Is it really that hard to say a few words before parting?
Rogu blinked in confusion: "Didn't we already say goodbye?"
- Great! So this is all my fault, huh? - Lester, seething with anger, almost jumped up on the spot. - Now tell me that I'm acting like a woman and nitpicking!
Rogu nodded seriously.
"Damn it!" Lester nearly burst with rage. At that moment, the carriage in which Rogu was sitting slowly moved off, obeying the whistle of the coachman.
When Rogu and the others were finally out of sight, Lester finally couldn't take it anymore and shouted at the top of his voice: "The next time we meet, I'll beat you half to death!"
"Have you heard any strange sounds?" Rogu asked the bar owner sitting next to him.
He shook his head: "No. What happened?"
"I thought someone was going to beat me up," Rogu said thoughtfully, rubbing his ear. "Well, it doesn't matter. It looks like we'll be spending a few months together. What should I call you?"
"Captain, call me Cindy," he replied, smiling so widely that his beard seemed to blossom.
Rogu nodded: "You mentioned that you know the sea routes well?"
"Yes, Captain. Is there a place you want to go?" Cindy asked, looking at him enthusiastically.
- Hmm... Do you know where the village of Syrup is? - asked Rogu.
"I don't know. But it's not a problem. If we have its name, we'll quickly find its location," Cindy said confidently.
Rogu was pleased with this answer and nodded: "Okay. Then the questions about the route are up to you."
Cindy nodded vigorously, and Rogu closed his eyes again, lost in thought. Of course, he wasn't going to go to that village for Usopp's sake. In fact, the reason was different. After all, right now, Captain Kuro was doing his "role-playing show" in that very village. And if memory serves, this Kuro was a pirate with a reward of 16,000,000 beli. And given the peculiarities of his system, Rogu came to the conclusion that catching this guy could be a very profitable business. Sixteen million times two is already thirty-two million. And if you add to that the bonus in the form of a coin for a live capture... rounding up, it comes to almost forty million!
That's why Rogu decided to first go to Syrup Village to meet Captain Kuro and "discuss" this deal with him.
"Although, probably, before that we'll be able to get something else..." he said, opening one eye and glancing briefly at Cindy, who was sitting next to him, tensely straightening up.
The town of Low was quite small, which meant that the port was just a stone's throw away. Therefore, their carriage had not even had time to travel for a few minutes before they were already there.
Rogu didn't even have time to open his eyes when Cindy asked: "Captain, where is our ship?"
With a heavy sigh, Rogu finally opened his eyes and looked around the port. Then he calmly pointed his finger: "Over there."
"Hmm... somehow it seems familiar," Cindy muttered, squinting. "Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"No," Rogu snapped. "It's her."
"But this is the ship of those pirates you caught yesterday!" Cindy exclaimed.
"That's right," Rogu confirmed calmly. "The pirates were caught, and prisoners can't have ships. Now it's mine."
Rogu had settled this situation yesterday, before his meeting with Lester. According to the rules, successfully capturing a pirate brings the hunter not only the reward for his head, but also all the criminal's property. The Marines did not object to Rogu's desire to take this ship.
Cindy looked a little taken aback. Everything that was happening seemed completely different to him than he had imagined.
"What about the team?" he asked cautiously.
"Teams?" Rogu thought for a moment, then pointed at Cindy and himself. "There she is."
- Just the two of us?! - Cindy was shocked. - The two of us will control such a huge ship?! That's impossible!
"Impossible?" Rogu was surprised. He really didn't understand anything about this matter. Before he came to this world, he had no experience working with ships, and even after that, no one had bothered to teach him.
"No, well... it's theoretically possible," Cindy admitted, scratching the back of her head. "But it would be extremely inconvenient. Especially in emergency situations, like during a storm. Because if something happens, the two of us simply won't be able to handle it."
"I see," Rogu nodded, accepting the information. Then he asked another question: "And what to do then?"
- Hmm... - Cindy thought for a moment, then smiled. - No big deal. First, you need to find people who can help you move your things onto the ship. Then you can hire sailors right here on the dock. It's not difficult, but you'll have to pay them. They're unlikely to agree to go with you to the Grand Line, though, if that's your ultimate goal...
Cindy glanced at Roga, who looked at him with complete incomprehension. Then, sighing, he said decisively: "Okay, Captain, don't worry. I'll take care of everything myself!"
"Then it's all on you," Rogu said seriously, clapping him on the shoulder. At that moment, he realized that agreeing to Cindy's request to join him had been one of the smartest decisions he'd ever made. No one had warned him that going out to sea was such a headache!
"Damn it, Luffy tricked me!" he said, sadly realizing that he was still a complete newbie in this world of the sea...