The clamor of the port gradually subsided, the remaining Black Shark Pirates thugs and some Marine soldiers scattered in disarray, and the air was filled with the heavy smell of blood and gunpowder.
Roger kicked away a pirate who, not knowing what was good for him, tried to ambush him, shook the blood from his sword, and grinned, revealing two rows of pearly white teeth: "Kuhahaha! This isn't fun enough, Rayleigh!"
Rayleigh sheathed his sword, his gaze behind his spectacles sweeping over the chaotic battlefield, finally resting on Kael, who was leaning against the wall, unconscious. His tone was calm: "You want to pick someone up?"
"Kuhahaha! This kid is amazing!" Roger strode over to Kael, unceremoniously lifting him with one hand. "That Fruit ability, and that desperate ruthlessness, they suit my taste!"
Rayleigh looked at Roger's excited expression, helplessly rubbed his forehead, and sighed, but didn't say much more.
He knew his Captain too well; once he made up his mind, ten Sea Kings couldn't pull him back.
Just like how he, Rayleigh, was taken, ship and all, with just a few words back then.
"Nigero! Marine reinforcements are probably coming soon, we shouldn't stay here long!"
Roger carried Kael, called out to Rayleigh, and the two of them nimbly leaped onto a sailboat docked at the edge of the pier, which wasn't much better than the Black Shark Pirates' dilapidated ship.
After an unknown amount of time, Kael slowly woke up to a swaying motion.
Dazzling sunlight streamed through the porthole of the cabin, a little blinding.
He moved, and a tearing pain shot through his ribs, making him gasp.
"Hiss… I survived?" Kael looked around, finding himself lying on a simple hammock. The cabin was small, but quite tidy.
"Yo, you're awake, kid!" A hearty voice sounded above his head.
Kael suddenly looked up and saw an enlarged smiling face; it was the young Roger!
He was sitting cross-legged on a nearby wooden barrel, holding a half-eaten piece of meat on the bone, grinning at him.
"Did you save me?" Kael struggled to sit up.
"Kuhahaha! It was nothing at all! I am Gol D. Roger." Roger waved his hand indifferently, then pointed at Kael's ribs. "Your injury, Rayleigh has already given it a simple treatment. Yabai na, you dared to confront a whole ship of pirates by yourself, and almost wiped them out. What kind of Fruit ability is that? It's quite interesting, can it shatter things?"
Kael looked at Roger's eyes, which seemed to see through everything, and his heart tightened. He knew that hiding things in front of such a legendary figure had little meaning.
"Kael, Aaron Kael, Paramecia-type Boba Fruit." He tried to make his voice sound calmer.
"Paramecia-type?" A hint of surprise flashed in Roger's eyes, then turned into intense interest. "Sugoi! To have such strength and courage at such a young age, very good, very good!"
He tossed the bone in his hand aside, clapped his hands, then looked at Kael with burning eyes, a highly infectious smile spreading across his lips: "Little Kael, I've taken a liking to you! Are you interested in sailing with us? To see what this great sea truly looks like!"
Roger extended his hand, a broad and powerful palm, calloused from years of holding a sword.
The invitation came so suddenly, yet so naturally.
Kael's heart pounded uncontrollably.
Fake Succubus: High-heeled stockings, long legs, slender waist.
Real Succubus: Comrade, are you willing to change the world with me?
Damn, the legendary Succubus Roger is making his move; anyone who can resist is like the latter.
He looked at the undisguised admiration in Roger's eyes and the grand ambition that seemed to embrace the whole world, and a surge of hot blood rushed from the bottom of his heart.
He forced himself to sit upright on the hammock, even though the wound in his ribs still sent waves of sharp pain, but his gaze was exceptionally firm.
"I…" Kael took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly with excitement, yet exceptionally clear, "I yearn for freedom! I yearn to see a broader world! I yearn to possess the power to achieve my dreams! If… if I can be with you all…"
He didn't finish, but his longing for adventure, his yearning for the unknown, and that spirit subtly resonating with the "freedom" radiating from Roger, had clearly been conveyed.
Roger's smile became even more brilliant, his eyes shining with extraordinary light.
Rayleigh, who had been silently standing at the cabin door, wiping his sword, now looked up, his gaze lingering on Kael for a moment, then turning to Roger, nodding imperceptibly.
"Kuhahahahahahaha!" Roger suddenly burst into a deafening laugh, filled with exhilaration and triumph. He grabbed Kael's outstretched hand and squeezed it hard.
"Good! Well said!" Roger's voice was like a grand bell. "From today onwards, Kael is the third crewmate of our Roger Pirates!"
"Third?" Kael was stunned for a moment.
"That's right!" Roger proudly patted his chest, then pointed at Rayleigh. "Me, Captain Gol D. Roger! That guy over there with the glasses, First Mate Silvers Rayleigh! Plus you, exactly three!"
Kael looked at the future Pirate King before him, who was now laughing like a child who had received a beloved toy, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions.
Is this Gol D. Roger?
There was no legendary inscrutability, no deliberately created kingly majesty, only that heartfelt grandeur and unrestrainedness, and an indescribable charisma.
He was like a huge luminous body, easily igniting the enthusiasm of those around him, making people involuntarily want to follow him, to venture with him, to witness those magnificent miracles.
Just from this brief encounter, Kael had already deeply felt Roger's unique leadership charm.
"Welcome aboard, Kael." Rayleigh also walked over, giving Kael a slight smile. Although still somewhat composed, it lacked the initial scrutiny.
"Please guide me in the future, Captain Roger, Mr. Rayleigh!" Kael said solemnly, his excitement and anticipation almost overflowing.
A legend was about to set sail from this small pirate ship.