"Oh! The Captain's back! Looks like the enemy's been dealt with!"
The pirate who had been chatting with Fang Yi suddenly grinned and looked toward the bow of the ship.
"Yo! Kid, what are you doing out here?" Fang Yi turned around just in time to see Roger returning with the others, laughing heartily as they brought supplies back on board.
"Well, you guys did save me. I just came out to see if there was anything I could help with," Fang Yi replied with a polite smile, sneaking a glance at Rayleigh, trying to hide the excitement in his heart.
Earlier, he had tested something—he had secretly made contact with several of the pirates who stayed aboard the ship, but none of them had triggered his check-in system, not even when he asked them to pat him on the shoulder.
So, he began to suspect that only famous characters from the One Piece world would work for his system.
And on Roger's ship, aside from Roger himself, the most famous person was naturally Silvers Rayleigh.
However, Rayleigh seemed especially sharp when it came to people staring at him. He noticed Fang Yi glancing at him repeatedly and casually returned a smile, which startled Fang Yi a little.
"Wahahaha! Is that so? But you know we're pirates, right? The people we just fought were Navy officers. Are you really okay with that?" Roger laughed loudly upon hearing Fang Yi's words.
Fang Yi gave an awkward smile and replied, "Well… these days, it's not like bad guys have 'bad guy' written on their faces. And not everyone who calls themselves a hero is truly just either. If possible… I'd like to join you."
"Join us?" Roger looked at him in surprise. "You want to become a pirate?"
"That's right. I don't have anywhere else to go, after all." Fang Yi nodded firmly.
This wasn't a sudden decision. Before Roger and the others had returned, Fang Yi had already learned from the other crew members that they were currently in the New World, the second half of the Grand Line.
However, it seemed they were still unaware of the Road Poneglyphs or anything about the final island yet.
Of course, it was also possible they already knew something but hadn't told him.
If this were the East Blue, or even just the early parts of the Grand Line, Fang Yi would have immediately disembarked, found a place to lay low, and slowly developed his abilities using his system.
But here, in the dangerous waters of the New World, sticking with Roger and his crew was the safer option for now.
"I see…" Roger thought for a moment, then nodded. "Well, I guess we have no choice. All right, I'll allow you to stay aboard!"
"Wait… Roger! No way! He's too young!" Just as Fang Yi was breathing a sigh of relief, thinking he'd successfully secured his spot, Rayleigh suddenly spoke up.
"It's fine, Rayleigh! Exactly because he's still a kid, we can't just abandon him," Roger waved his hand dismissively, smiling as he spoke.
Seeing Roger's attitude, Rayleigh didn't argue further. He simply gave Fang Yi a glance, his eyes showing a trace of pity.
After all, being a pirate wasn't as glamorous as it seemed. Sure, they looked carefree and unrestrained, but they constantly faced the threat of stronger enemies. One wrong step could mean their entire crew being wiped out.
Sometimes, even a violent storm could destroy a pirate crew overnight.
Though Fang Yi had now officially boarded Roger's ship, his status was nothing more than a trainee crew member.
Given his young age, he obviously wouldn't be participating in battles anytime soon. Roger and Rayleigh had already decided he would simply stay aboard for now, and maybe when he grew older or if an opportunity arose, they would let him leave safely.
Thus, Fang Yi successfully settled in on the future Pirate King's ship, though only as a trainee for now.
A few days later, Fang Yi finally figured out the full details of his system.
By interacting with certain specific individuals, he could check in once per day on them and receive lottery tickets as a reward.
Currently, aboard the Roger Pirates' ship, there were only three people he could check in on: Roger, Rayleigh, and Scopper Gaban—meaning he could get three tickets every day.
As for the lottery wheel, it reset every night at midnight, and the prizes on it also changed after each reset.
So, Fang Yi's current strategy was simple: stockpile as many lottery tickets as possible and wait for desirable prizes to appear before using them all at once. That way, he could maximize his chances of getting what he wanted.
Also, the skill he'd drawn on the first day did work exactly as he'd hoped—it could be leveled up.
Every time its effect was triggered, the skill gained experience.
These days, he spends most of his time pestering Rayleigh to teach him swordsmanship. Most of the crew aboard used swords, so Fang Yi chose to train with a sword too. However, whether it was due to his lack of talent or his young body, his progress was painfully slow.
The ship's sharpshooter, Peterm, often joked that Fang Yi should learn to shoot instead. He had noticed that Fang Yi's attacks sometimes landed in bizarre, unavoidable ways.
That day, Fang Yi was cleaning the deck. As a trainee, he'd always volunteer for chores like this to make a good impression on the crew.
"Captain! Island spotted ahead!"
Suddenly, the lookout called excitedly from atop the mast.
"Whoa! Finally, an island! Wahahaha… Full speed ahead, boys!" Roger grinned broadly as he walked to the bow, looking ahead with excitement.
Hearing this, Fang Yi curiously looked in the same direction, mop still in hand. He spotted a tiny black dot on the horizon—it would be his first time seeing an island in this world.
"Hey, Fang Yi! Planning to buy anything once we get ashore? If you don't have any Berries, I can lend you some," Rayleigh teased with a chuckle upon seeing Fang Yi's excitement.
"No need, thank you, Uncle Rayleigh," Fang Yi replied, his mouth twitching slightly.
Rayleigh was a good man, but he loved to tease Fang Yi, probably because Fang Yi was still just a kid.
Besides, if he borrowed Berries from Rayleigh, the other crewmates would swarm him like leeches and drain him dry, claiming it was "payment" for looking after him. He'd already fallen for that trick more than once these past few days.
Still, he knew they were just teasing him—it was their way of showing affection and acceptance.
"Wait! Captain, something's off!"
As the Oro Jackson approached the port and everyone prepared to disembark, Scopper Gaban, the ship's navigator, suddenly stopped everyone.
"What's wrong?" Roger looked at him in confusion.
As the third-ranking officer on the ship, known as the "Bronze" in their trio of "Gold," "Silver," and "Bronze," Gaban's words carried serious weight.
"Look at this," Gaban said, showing the Log Pose on his wrist for everyone to see.
"What the…? Is it broken?" Everyone was shocked to see the Log Pose spinning wildly and pointing nowhere.
"Impossible. Don't forget the iron rule: Even if you doubt your common sense, never doubt the Log Pose!" Gaban shook his head firmly.
"Looks like we have no choice but to ask the locals. I'm sure the islanders will know something," Rayleigh said, frowning slightly.
"Then that's the plan. Everyone, head ashore to gather information and pick up supplies. You few—stay behind and guard the ship," Roger ordered, pointing at several crewmates, including Fang Yi.
This was also his way of protecting Fang Yi. No one knew what danger might lurk on this island.
Before long, Roger and the others returned from a nearby tavern, having uncovered the truth.
"So… this island is already the final island?" Roger asked in disbelief.
"That's right. According to the locals, once you arrive here, the Log Pose becomes useless. There's no way to continue any further," Rayleigh confirmed, nodding.
"No way! This isn't the final island!" Roger said firmly. "If reaching it were that easy, why would it be called the 'final island' at all?"
"But… without the Log Pose, we have no way to continue," Rayleigh muttered after a long pause.
Silence fell over the crew.
The atmosphere became heavy, as if they had completely lost their sense of direction.
"Everyone… are you thinking of giving up?"
Suddenly, Roger grinned and spoke again, breaking the tense mood.
"There are countless pirates in this world, and I'm sure many have made it this far. But the true final island remains unreachable for all of them. Only those who can find the hidden final island deserve to be called… Pirate King!"
"Hah! If the Captain says so, how could we not follow him to the end?"
"Captain! Looks like we'll be the first crew to reach the true final island!"
Inspired by Roger's unshakable confidence, everyone broke into laughter, regaining their resolve to push forward at any cost.
"Captain, Mr. Rayleigh, back already?"
Back on the Oro Jackson, Fang Yi had been feeling a little bored when he suddenly spotted Roger and the others returning with supplies. He'd thought they wouldn't be back until at least tomorrow.
"Yeah! Rest up tonight, everyone's free to relax ashore. We set sail tomorrow morning," Roger said, smiling as Fang Yi ran over to help with the cargo.
"Yes, Captain!" Fang Yi quickly saluted in reply.
Normally, as a trainee, he wasn't allowed to disembark without permission. But since Roger had just announced that everyone could relax tonight, that naturally included him, too.
The next morning, Fang Yi stood on deck, watching as Water 7 slowly disappeared in the distance, letting out a soft sigh.
He had learned last night that this island was indeed Water 7—the furthest point the Log Pose could reach. Now, the entire Roger Pirates crew was at a loss, unsure how to proceed.
But this wasn't something a little trainee like him could solve. He was certain that with Roger and Rayleigh's capabilities, they would eventually discover the existence of the Red Poneglyphs and find their way forward.
There was no need for him to meddle or mention anything—they wouldn't believe him anyway.
Before leaving, he'd spent some of the Berries he'd earned by selling items from his system—like the standard longsword and casual outfit—to buy some small gifts for the crew.
Though the gifts weren't anything fancy, the crew was overjoyed to receive them. They genuinely liked this thoughtful little trainee.
That morning, Fang Yi once again successfully checked in with Roger, Rayleigh, and Gaban, earning three more lottery tickets.
After accumulating tickets for several days, he now had 14 tickets—but since the lottery wheel hadn't featured any skills recently, he had been patiently holding onto them.