"Join you? Are you a fake Marine?"
Raymond chuckled and sheathed his sword. "No, I'm a genuine Marine Lieutenant. However... my brand of justice requires some special 'helpers'!"
"You mean, you, a Marine, actually want to recruit me!?" Kuro was in disbelief. He had roamed the East Blue for so many years, and this was the first time he had seen such a strange Marine.
"That's right. If you're willing, I can get you into the Marines. Or, when I hold a high rank in the future, I can even get you a position as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
"The Seven Warlords?" Kuro lay on the floor, panting slightly. "Do you have any idea what you're saying? A mere Lieutenant like you..."
"Believe it or not, it's up to you. I don't want to explain too much. Today, either I take you back to claim credit for your capture, or you agree to join me!"
"Heh, do I have a choice... I can join you, but I can't leave with you right now!"
At the same time, a notification immediately popped up on the panel in Raymond's vision.
[You have recruited Kuro. The Potential Breakthrough function has been unlocked. The rules are as follows:]
[Potential Breakthrough: When the captain and crewmates train, they will accumulate a certain amount of Potential Points and Skill Points. The captain can freely distribute Potential Points, but Skill Points can only be allocated to the captain's skills.]
[Crewmate Limit (1/4)]
[Raymond (97/100) Kuro (101/104)]
[Potential Points: 10]
[Skills: Swordsmanship LV3, Observation Haki LV1, Navigation LV1 (Upgradeable)]
[Skill Points: 2]
[Current Kuro loyalty is low (10). When loyalty reaches zero, this crewmate will be lost.]
"I see! This makes the mechanics of the [Great Pirate System] much clearer!
[Pirate-like Actions] and [Crewmate Recruitment] are the two main components. The former is for acquiring skills and enhancing physical fitness, while the latter is for breaking through potential limits and upgrading skill levels. The two go hand in hand; neither can be neglected!" Raymond had a moment of realization, but after only a few seconds, his focus returned to Kuro.
He was perfectly clear on the reason for Kuro's low loyalty.
The guy hadn't been pushed to a dead end yet. He was still fantasizing about plundering the Kaya family's fortune and living out the rest of his days in peace in Syrup Village!
Raymond had no designs on the Kaya family's fortune.
It wasn't that he disliked money, but he had his own bottom line.
While he was unscrupulous in his methods, it was only when his own interests were at stake.
He wasn't so depraved as to harm an uninvolved civilian like Kaya.
However, he wouldn't stop Kuro's plan either.
Because with the protagonist's crew involved, it was destined to fail anyway.
Only when Kuro's supposedly flawless plan fell apart and he lost everything would he follow Raymond with unwavering devotion!
I'll stick to the original plan: first go to Shells Town to land the finishing blow, then come back to pick him up...
With his mind made up, a meaningful smile touched the corners of Raymond's lips.
"Alright. I'll come back for you in about two weeks. I hope you'll be ready by then!"
Hearing this, Kuro was surprised.
He had already prepared himself for negotiations, even willing to offer Raymond half of the fortune. He never expected the other man to agree so readily.
As one of the rare intelligent people in the world of One Piece, Kuro immediately caught a hint of something akin to pity in Raymond's eyes, which made him feel inexplicably uneasy.
"You... you don't actually think I'll fail, do you!?"
Raymond paused his steps and tilted his head slightly. A shadow covered half his face, revealing only the faintest hint of a smile. "Failure? Who knows? But... if it really comes to that, remember the promise I made you."
Kuro's heart sank. He vaguely sensed that Raymond seemed to have foreseen some kind of future, but he absolutely refused to believe his perfect plan could have a flaw.
"Think whatever you want!" he snorted coldly.
"Fine, I'm leaving. I'll leave this for you to handle!" Raymond gestured to the corpse on the floor and the dining room, which was a complete mess from the aftermath of their fight.
Kuro waved his hand. "You don't need to worry about this level of cleanup!"
Raymond said no more, pushed the door open, and quickly disappeared into the night.
Kuro stood by the window, gazing at the sea in the distance, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the tabletop.
"This guy... just what kind of person is he?"
...
It was 8 PM by the time he returned to the warship. Raymond ordered the crew to work in two shifts and set sail for Shells Town immediately.
He then eagerly returned to his quarters, opened the system, and directly added the 10 [Potential Points] to himself.
[Captain Raymond's Potential Points have increased!]
[Raymond (97/110)]
At the same time, a warm current instantly swept through his entire body. Raymond could clearly feel his muscle fibers rapidly reorganizing. Although this change didn't alter his physical strength, it mysteriously made his body feel "younger."
It was as if a sapling had finally broken free from the giant rock pressing down on it, gaining the space to grow without restraint!
"What a marvelous feeling. Just 10 [Potential Points] can bring about such a significant change...
Next, it's time to test the rate at which I can acquire Potential Points..."
The 2 [Skill Points] could currently only be used to upgrade [Navigation]. In the Marine system, every warship was equipped with a dedicated navigator, so improving [Navigation] was of little use to Raymond. It was better to save them for later.
With this in mind, Raymond closed the system interface, turned, and went out onto the deck. He drew his sword and began to practice his swordsmanship.
According to the system's prompt, when the captain and crewmates trained, they would acquire [Potential Points] and [Skill Points] based on the specific situation.
For the past two years, although Raymond hadn't trained with the same obsessive dedication as he did during his recruit days, he had never slacked off.
But today, the feeling was completely different.
With every slash, he could clearly feel the precise exertion of his muscles. The trajectory of the blade cutting through the air seemed to be etched into his mind.
After training like this for a long time, Raymond suddenly sheathed his sword, looked up at the bright moon, and couldn't help but think back to his time as a new recruit.
Back then, he had clearly worked so hard, spending all his time training, aside from eating and sleeping.
But among the recruits in his class, there were always one or two geniuses. They could effortlessly master techniques that he had to practice desperately to learn, and they could easily suppress him in every combat drill.
It was then that he truly understood that people are different. You fight desperately to catch up, thinking you've reached the engine, only to suddenly realize you've just made it to the tail of someone else's train.
But now, things were different...
He looked at his own hands, the flames of ambition burning in his eyes.
Talent? Racial differences?
Before him now, these so-called insurmountable chasms were merely numbers waiting to be surpassed!
He would break through this barrier! He would ascend to the center of power in this world! And he would make all those geniuses who once looked down on him only able to gaze up at his back