This was also why Luo Yan hoped to become a Wind Favored One as soon as possible. Becoming a Wind Favored One wasn't for the slight increase in combat power; low and mid-Sequence potions actually didn't offer much advantage in this world. Not to mention facing a devil fruit ability user, even against someone who hadn't eaten a devil fruit, victory wasn't guaranteed.
What he yearned for was the Wind Favored One's ability to control wind and fly. Currently, without any equipment, he could operate in the sea for nearly an hour.
Once he became a Wind Favored One, he would be able to fly, and his underwater activity time would also exceed an hour. This way, in the East Blue and the first half of the Grand Line, even if he couldn't win a fight, escaping would be very easy, almost unstoppable.
Three days later, Luo Yan set sail from the island, heading west, with a send-off from his neighbors and friends.
The ship was not large, only about ten meters from bow to stern, divided into two decks, capable of accommodating six or seven people.
It wasn't that he didn't want a bigger ship. In fact, when this ship was being built, someone had proactively asked if the ship was a bit small and could be made larger, but Luo Yan refused. The reason was simple: if the ship were any larger, he wouldn't be able to control it.
As a Sequence 7 Navigator, he could use water-based magic to influence currents to a certain extent, allowing him to control a ship with relative ease, but there was a limit. Although this ship wasn't his absolute limit, he still needed to leave himself some leeway.
His idea was simple: since this ship could accommodate six or seven people, he would switch to a larger ship once he recruited six crew members. He never intended to use this ship indefinitely.
The ship drifted at sea for half a month without a clear destination, simply heading west.
Luo Yan sat cross-legged beside a beach chair on the foredeck, with a fist-sized astrology orb in front of him, its base adorned with various gemstones and crushed diamonds.
He closed his eyes, muttering incantations, his hands continuously rubbing the surface of the astrology orb.
"Someone suitable to be my crew member, someone suitable to be my crew member, someone suitable to be my crew member..."
After reciting it seven times, a flash of light passed over the surface of the astrology orb. Luo Yan opened his eyes, slowly exhaled, then ignored the astrology orb, got up, and lay on the recliner, his face looking a little haggard.
"Ha... I need a real astrologer. Before that, I also need a ship doctor, a shipwright, a chef, a helmsman..."
Luo Yan murmured in an almost inaudible voice. He had initially thought of letting things happen naturally, not having a strong desire for crew members, thinking it was all up to fate—if he met them, he met them; if not, there was no rush. He believed his main energy should be focused on getting merman blood. But after only three days at sea, he changed his mind.
The difficulty of operating a ship alone far exceeded his imagination. It wasn't about overly complicated procedures, but rather how exhausting it was. As only a Sequence 7, he didn't have enough spirituality to continuously control the currents to accelerate the ship.
Then there was the food. He had brought a lot of provisions for the voyage, but they were all long-lasting items like cured meat, smoked meat, sausages, and a good amount of rice and flour. However, limited by his cooking skills, these things weren't very tasty.
So, on the seventh day, he could no longer bear it and began actively searching for crew members. Finding crew members on the vast ocean was not an easy task. The method he could think of was divination, using it to determine a general direction, and then heading that way.
However, the Tyrant Pathway was not adept at divination. This pathway emphasized 'recklessness' and simply didn't involve such things. Fortunately, Luo Yan had prepared for this. He had a mystical item evolved from the Sequence 7 Astrologer Beyonder characteristic of the corresponding pathway, which could perform relatively accurate divinations. Yet, after so many days, he still hadn't divined the whereabouts of someone who could become his crew member.
Luo Yan closed his eyes and began to visualize Ultraman entering meditation to restore his spirituality. He didn't stir until the scorching sun had passed and was setting in the west. He then turned over and once again rubbed the astrology orb. He planned to perform a few more divinations before dinner. After all, he had just rested well and his spirituality was still abundant. Dinner was also a form of rest, so he might as well use his spirituality, especially since he was so eager for crew members.
Luo Yan didn't hold much hope for this divination, as the process had been the same for the past few days, with no results so far.
However, just as he finished silently reciting the incantation for the seventh time, a scene appeared in his mind.
It was a ship sailing in the night, a Marine Warship. But the image was very blurry, as if intentionally obscured, only allowing him to distinguish that it was a Warship; nothing else could be seen.
"Got it!"
Luo Yan suddenly opened his eyes, an unconcealable joy on his face. But this joy quickly subsided, and he gradually began to frown.
"A Warship, tsk! Why a Warship?"
Luo Yan fell into a dilemma. Even if it were a pirate, or even a relatively famous great pirate, he would dare to directly snatch people. After all, the pirates active in the East Blue were basically not strong; Arlong the Fish-Man was already the ceiling. But he really didn't want to steal from a Warship.
It wasn't that he was afraid of not being able to defeat the Marines. Since the pirates active in the East Blue weren't strong, it meant that the Marines dispatched there wouldn't be strong either. But he didn't want to set sail as a pirate, at least not before becoming a Sequence 4, he didn't want to be on a bounty list. If he stole a Marine ship here, being on a bounty list would be a certainty.
"Hiss~~! This is too much of a pain in the ass."
Luo Yan took a deep breath, still undecided. Offending the Marines was something he was unwilling to do, but giving up like this was also something he was unwilling to do.
After much deliberation, he refocused his gaze on the astrology orb, a slight curve on his lips. Since he couldn't make up his mind, he would first divine and see.
The sun gradually set below the horizon. A Warship bobbed up and down on the waves. A Marine Colonel, wearing a hood decorated with two small ears and with six long whiskers on his face, stood at the bow, gazing at the night sea. Behind him, several Marines were busy tidying the deck.
Generally speaking, such a Warship would be equipped with a relatively large number of Marines, not only because driving the ship required many people, but also to ensure sufficient combat strength in case of encountering enemies.
But this time, Colonel Nezumi only brought just enough people to operate the ship. Firstly, this sea area was relatively safe for him. Secondly, he had another business deal this time and it was not convenient to bring too many people.
"Hehe! If all goes well, this trip will bring in a lot of Beri!"