Seeing his reaction, Alan didn't bring up the topic again.
It was enough to touch on it; the brothers' resentment towards Kuro could brew slowly in the quiet of the night.
"By the way, how much would it cost to prepare half a month's worth of supplies for the ship?"
Alan shifted the topic, suddenly talking about purchasing supplies for tomorrow.
Sham took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to calm himself before replying to Alan: "There are still supplies in the ship's storage. We haven't had any battles recently, so we don't need to replenish weapons or medical supplies. Only food, fresh water, and alcohol remain as basic consumables. Around 2.5 million belly should be enough to last for half a month."
Alan listened silently, roughly comparing it to the estimate in his mind. It wasn't far from what he expected. He then took out three bundles of cash and handed them to Sham.
"Here's three million belly. Prepare a shopping list for me before departure tomorrow morning. Handle the rest yourself."
"I understand, captain."
Sham caught the money and nodded. Handling it himself meant he was implicitly allowed to make small moves, as long as they didn't interfere with the main task.
The more work, the more money; there was nothing wrong with that.
...
The next morning, the first ray of sunlight broke over the distant horizon, shining across the vast sea onto the uninhabited island.
Alan stepped out of the cabin and stood on the deck.
After taking a shower last night and changing clothes, he was no longer in his marine uniform today.
He wore a black, tight-fitting shirt outlining his muscular build on top, and loose, wide-leg gray sports pants below.
With a broken sword in hand and a strip of cloth around his neck, he could cosplay as Toji Fushiguro from Jujutsu Kaisen.
Standing by the ship's railing, Alan glanced at the shore, where pirates lay with their arms and legs spread out while snoring heavily.
They played and partied until late last night. Luckily, there wasn't much alcohol left on the ship; otherwise, the fun might not have ended yet.
After a while, Sham and Buchi came out of the cabin, and a few pirates on shore also gradually woke up.
Sham handed Alan the shopping list he had prepared last night, then, along with Buchi, began organizing the crew to prepare for departure.
Alan glanced at the list, which included a large amount of food necessary for sailing.
Staples included hard biscuits, flour, beans; for protein, various smoked meats and cured meats; long-lasting vegetables like potatoes and onions; and vegetables to prevent scurvy like cabbage, pumpkins, and oranges.
Each item had its planned purchase quantity noted.
Additionally, there was freshwater, alcohol, milk, juice, and vinegar, occupying nearly half the budget.
Most of the sailing supplies were similar to what he had used as a marine, just without a professional chef team, so the pirates' meals were slightly lower quality.
However, the nutrition was relatively balanced, ensuring survival was not a problem. No wonder it was a team of experienced pirates.
Alan put away the shopping list and walked up to the ship's bridge.
There were many differences between being a marine officer and a pirate, especially in experience.
Luckily, he had taken over a ready-made pirate crew. If he had brought marines from the 153rd branch base, many wouldn't even have been able to compile such a list without a logistics department.
...
Soon, the now-sober pirates began moving supplies onto the ship.
"Move faster! Get everything aboard. Don't blame me if I punish you for wasting time."
Sham stood on the railing while giving instructions.
The pirates were divided into three squads, each about 25 people.
Two squads were led by Sham and Buchi, responsible for checking weapons and ammunition and maintaining the ship's cannons.
The last squad handled steering and the sail system, and cleaning duties, which Alan let Karl take over.
Each squad was further divided into five teams, each led by a team leader with four subordinates.
One of the five team leaders also acted as the squad leader. This was the original Black Cat Pirates' organizational structure.
Many pirate crews distributed responsibilities similarly. Given the current number of people on the ship, Alan saw no need to change it.
One squad would stay behind to guard the ship while docked; during sailing, the three squads would rotate, each taking a night watch.
When the crew grew, and more professionals joined, he would consider reorganizing according to the Marines' functional system.
Alan sat on the second-floor railing studying the sea chart.
Below, busy pirates moved back and forth while occasionally glancing up at him.
They felt their new captain was unpredictable.
There were no inspiring speeches or discussions of grand goals. He simply allowed them to throw a party.
He didn't even appear at the party himself, only eating with Sham and Buchi.
It seemed he didn't intend to interact much with them, a style reminiscent of the former Captain Kuro.
But it had only been one day; what would happen later was still uncertain.
Everyone thought to themselves.
While working, everyone gradually learned that they were going to Sime Town to resupply, then to the Baratie.
Sham deliberately spread the word, even mentioning that Alan was paying for the supplies himself.
Soon after packing, the ship slowly departed under Alan's orders.
There was no rousing mobilization; Alan had plenty to plan, so he returned to the captain's cabin after giving orders.
...
By noon, the ship reached the island where Sime Town was located, and Alan guided it to a deserted coast to dock.
Sham led a small squad ashore to contact black-market merchants, handed over the shopping list and deposit, set a meeting point for the trade, and returned.
About two hours later, Alan stood in the captain's cabin on the second floor while looking through the window at a supply caravan with a few horse-drawn carts arriving at the coast.
Sham went down to handle the handover, counted the supplies, confirmed all was correct, paid the balance, and had the others load the supplies onto the ship.
Seeing a dozen large barrels filled with rum, the pirates' eyes lit up, and they worked with more vigor.