**Chapter 10: So Poor You're Still Being Choosy!**
Next, under Allen's lead, the former Black Cat Pirates held a small celebration.
At first, they were a bit reserved, but following Allen's orders, all the liquor in the ship's stores was brought out. Seventy-some people ate and drank their fill.
As the night deepened and after several rounds of drinks, the pirates finally let loose completely—singing, dancing, arm in arm, starting a wild party on the shore of this deserted island.
Having been inactive on the seas for three years, they had been repressed for too long.
Before setting sail, Allen felt they needed a chance to vent and cut loose.
He himself did not participate in the festivities.
A sudden change of captain meant the pirates always needed a period of adjustment. His presence would only make them more timid and restrained.
Loyalty wasn't something achieved overnight. For the short term, he just needed his subordinates to obey orders.
And to achieve that, managing the Cat Brothers was much easier than managing the mixed bag of over seventy pirates.
Allen instructed his men to prepare some food and drink in the meeting room, then called the Cat Brothers to the ship's supply storage.
Opening the door, a stuffy, stale smell hit him.
Allen waved his hand with a disgusted look, then stepped inside with the Cat Brothers.
*Thump—thump—thump.*
A worn-out oil lamp emitted a dim, yellowish light, barely illuminating the corners. The floorboards beneath their feet occasionally let out a *creak* as if protesting the weight.
Allen's gaze swept over the small, bare room.
After large quantities of food and drink were taken away for the celebration, only a handful of ship repair materials and a few boxes of daily necessities remained, almost all draped with cobwebs.
The whole room exuded a revolting smell.
The smell of poverty!
"To think you were once a rather famous pirate crew in the East Blue. You guys are living pretty miserably."
Allen couldn't help but comment.
Sham and Butchi rubbed the backs of their heads awkwardly.
Could they be blamed? Back then, Kuro was around.
Not only could they easily plunder villages and other pirate crews, but even when Marines came, they'd leave behind both ship and men.
Without Kuro, they were like tigers with their claws and teeth filed down. While not weak in the East Blue, they were far from powerful.
Moreover, Jango was extremely low-key in his actions. Unless they encountered absolute trash, they would always flee rather than fight, as if afraid others would know they were still active.
Since Kuro left, the crew's income plummeted, yet the pirates retained their old habit of spending extravagantly, leading to a constant state of expenses exceeding income.
About a year ago, they completely exhausted the treasure accumulated from before. Most of the time since, they survived by fishing and hunting, only setting sail to plunder occasionally when they couldn't hold out anymore.
Understanding their situation, Allen could only shake his head helplessly.
They seemed pretty pitiful, but it wasn't that bad. One could only say life wasn't comfortable, but at least survival wasn't an issue.
There were many pirates worse off than them. Just ask the underlings of Alvida—they probably lived more repressed than a lovestruck fool every day.
Being a pirate wasn't some noble profession to begin with. For a bunch of people struggling to survive, being forced to change their way of life didn't necessarily mean it would be better than before.
While picking up the blade to become aggressors, they also went from being under Marine protection to being hunted by Marines.
Even trash like Morgan would attack pirates appearing in his jurisdiction. The hundreds of branch bases in the East Blue weren't all run by guys like Captain Rat.
...
"Sigh~ Poor or not, life goes on."
Allen sighed, then asked: "Which nearby islands can we resupply at?"
"The closest would be Plum Town. There are black market merchants there. But... we have no money on the ship. And..."
Sham shrugged awkwardly:
"There are two Marine bases in the Moonlight Archipelago. One of them is on the island right next to Plum Town. Wouldn't that be a bit..."
Allen knew what he meant and waved his hand.
"No need. I have some money. We'll set off before noon tomorrow to procure supplies, then we're heading to the Baratie restaurant."
"The Baratie? Are we going there to eat, boss?"
Triggered by the keyword, Butchi's eyes lit up.
Sham, however, was a bit surprised.
He thought Allen was going to take them to plunder a town. He didn't expect him to spend money to provide for them. In his understanding, this was simply unbelievable.
Allen had no choice about this; it was like this in the early stages of starting up.
"Going to a restaurant is, of course, to eat. And also to see if we can recruit a few chefs with good skills."
Allen grinned, answering Butchi.
This made a smile spread across Butchi's face too.
Next, Allen rummaged through a few more boxes. They held ship supplies like gunpowder, cannonballs, spare sails, and rigging.
Finally, in a corner, he found a wooden chest that was locked and sealed with wax.
Before he could ask, Sham stepped forward and spoke up.
"This is Captain Kuro's stuff. It contains some of his old clothes and weapons."
*Crash!*
Without needing further words, Sham violently ripped open the chest lid with a claw, cleared away the wood splinters, and stepped back behind Allen.
Allen looked inside. On the right side of the chest lay a black captain's coat, a captain's hat on top, and a stack of folded clothes beneath.
On the left side of the chest were two sets of "Ten-Bladed Cat Claws." The edges showed clear signs of use, apparently discarded by Kuro in the past.
There was also a small amount of gold and jewelry, not much. Judging by the quantity, it wasn't hard to guess these were accessories Kuro used to wear.
Allen picked up the gold and jewelry, then said to the Cat Brothers:
"These two sets of Ten-Bladed Cat Claws can still be used if polished. Take them if you want. Toss the rest into the sea."
Sham and Butchi glanced at each other, then stepped forward happily, each picking up a set of the claws. The quality of these weapons was far better than the ones they currently used.
Although a bit long, they should adapt quickly since they already used cat-claw gloves as weapons.
As for the fact that Kuro used them...
When you're this poor, you don't get to be picky!
After taking inventory of the storage supplies, Allen took the Cat Brothers back to the meeting room to eat. From the two, he learned more about the Black Cat Pirates' past, including Kuro's plan.
As officers on the ship, the Cat Brothers knew a bit about this, though not the full picture.
The other pirates only knew they were going to raid Syrup Village in a couple of days.
As for Kuro's plan to eliminate them after the plan succeeded, even Jango probably didn't know, let alone the Cat Brothers.
But Allen pointed it out directly.
"Do you think Kuro, after seizing that wealthy family's fortune, would come back to continue being a pirate?"
After asking this, Allen fell silent, focusing on using his knife to cut the meat on his plate.
Sham and Butchi stopped what they were doing, staring blankly at each other.
A few seconds later, Sham turned to Allen, his tone uncertain.
"He probably wouldn't... Captain Ku... he expressed that he was tired of being a pirate."
"Mhmm, Jango also said Kuro wanted to live under a new name and have a stable life," Butchi nodded in agreement.
Allen speared a piece of meat, put it in his mouth, looked up, and asked while chewing:
"Then what about you guys? Keep following Jango as pirates?"
"Letting a bunch of pirates who know his true identity run around... he doesn't sound like that kind of person, does he?"
His throat rolled as he swallowed the food. Allen picked up a bottle, poured himself a glass, tilted his head back and downed a full cup. Then he started cutting his meat again, focused.
Leaving the Cat Brothers to look at each other in bewilderment.