Chapter 11: If You Don't Make Money, Why Not Just Steal It?
The two brothers weren't stupid, especially Sam. That guy was cunning as a fox.
Some things are hard to see clearly when you're in the middle of them, but stepping back makes everything obvious.
Faced with Allen's casual question, Sam fell into deep thought. Soon, his expression darkened.
Yeah, if Captain Kuro wanted to disappear quietly, would he really let a bunch of pirates who knew his true identity roam the seas?
Probably... no, Kuro definitely wouldn't.
Given what he knew about Kuro's methods and style, the simplest way to tie up loose ends was to silence them permanently.
If that was the case...
Seeming to realize a certain possibility, Sam unconsciously clenched his fists. Beyond the disappointment in his heart, there was more bitterness and anger.
No wonder, with the plan's date approaching, he and his brother still didn't know the follow-up details.
This could only mean one thing...
They were on Kuro's kill list too!
Seeing his reaction, Allen didn't press the topic further.
A hint was enough. Let the Cat Brothers stew in their hatred for Kuro in the quiet of the night.
"By the way, how much would it cost to prepare two weeks' worth of supplies for the ship?"
Allen changed the subject, suddenly talking about the supply purchase for the next day.
Sam took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, calmed his mood, and then answered Allen:
"The ship's supply storeroom still has some. We haven't been in any fights lately, so weapons and medical supplies don't need restocking."
"Only food, fresh water, alcohol, and other basic consumables are left. About two and a half million Berries should cover us for half a month."
Allen listened silently, estimating in his mind. It was pretty close to what he expected. He then took out three stacks of Berries and tossed them to Sam.
"Here's three million Berries. Have the procurement list ready for me before we set off tomorrow morning. Handle the rest as you see fit."
"I understand, Captain."
Sam caught the money and nodded.
'Handle as you see fit' meant he was allowed some small maneuvers, as long as they didn't interfere with the main task.
More work, more pay. Nothing wrong with that.
...
The next morning, the first rays of sunlight broke over the distant horizon, crossing the vast sea to shine on this uninhabited island.
Allen walked out of the cabin and stood on the deck.
Having taken a bath and changed his clothes last night, he was no longer wearing the Marine uniform today.
He wore a black, tight-fitting t-shirt that outlined his muscular physique, paired with loose, white, wide-leg sweatpants.
With a broken sword and a worm wrapped around his neck, he could have cosplayed as Fushiguro Toji.
Standing by the ship's railing, Allen glanced at the shore, littered with pirates sleeping soundly in disarray.
Everyone had partied late into the night last night. Luckily, there wasn't much alcohol left on the ship, otherwise, the revelry might still be going on.
After a while, the Cat Brothers emerged from the cabin, and a few pirates on the shore gradually woke up.
Sam handed Allen a procurement list he had prepared the night before, then he and Buchi started arranging the crew to prepare for departure.
Allen scanned the list. It detailed a large amount of food needed for the voyage.
Staples included hardtack, flour, beans, etc.; various smoked meats and cured meats for protein; easily stored vegetables like potatoes, onions, and cabbage, pumpkin, and oranges to prevent scurvy.
Each item had the planned purchase quantity noted.
Additionally, fresh water, alcohol, milk, juice, vinegar, and other supplies took up nearly half the budget.
Most of the sailing supplies were similar to what he had during his Marine days, just lacking a more professional chef team. The pirates' culinary standards were slightly lower.
But the nutrition was relatively balanced, ensuring survival was no problem. A worthy experienced pirate crew.
Putting away the list, Allen headed towards the quarterdeck.
Being a Marine and being a pirate involved many different details of experience.
Luckily, he had commandeered a ready-made pirate crew. If it were the soldiers from the 153rd Branch Base, without a logistics department, many wouldn't even know how to make such a list.
...
Soon, the sobered-up pirates started bustling about, moving things onto the ship.
"Move it! Get everything on board! Don't blame me for being harsh if you delay and get punished."
Sam stood on the railing, giving orders.
The pirates were divided into three squads of about 25 men each.
Two squads, led by the Cat Brothers, were responsible for checking weapons, ammunition, and maintaining the ship's cannons.
One squad handled steering, the rigging system, and cleaning the ship. Allen put Karl, the white-turbaned pirate, in charge.
Each squad was further divided into five teams, each led by a team leader with four underlings. One of the five team leaders also served as the squad leader. This was the original structure of the Black Cat Pirates.
Many pirate crews used similar organizational methods. With the current number of men, Allen saw no need to change it.
When anchored, one squad would stay to guard the ship. While sailing, the three squads would take turns having one or two teams on night watch.
Later, when the crew expanded and had more specialized personnel, he would consider reorganizing them into functional divisions using the Marine system.
Allen sat on the second-floor railing, looking over the nautical charts.
Below him, busy pirates came and went, occasionally glancing up at him sneakily.
They felt their new captain was a bit hard to figure out.
No rousing speeches, no talk of grand ambitions. He just let them have a wild party.
He didn't even show up at the party from start to finish, only having a meal with the Cat Brothers.
It seemed like he didn't plan on having much interaction with them. This style felt somewhat similar to the old Captain Kuro.
But it had only been a day. Who knew what the future held.
The pirates each harbored their own private thoughts.
During the work.
Through whispers, the pirates gradually learned they were heading to West Plum Town for supplies, then setting sail for the floating restaurant, Baratie.
Sam intentionally spread the news, even letting it slip that the money for the supplies came from Allen.
Soon, after everything was packed, the ship slowly left the shore under Allen's command.
No rousing mobilization speech. Allen still had plenty of things to plan. After giving the order, he returned to the captain's quarters.
...
By high noon.
The ship arrived at the island where West Plum Town was located. Under Allen's direction, they found an uninhabited coast to dock.
Sam took a small team, jumped off the ship, and headed to town at top speed to contact black market merchants. He gave them the procurement list and a deposit, agreed on a meeting point, and returned.
About two hours later.
Standing inside the captain's quarters on the second floor, Allen saw through the window a merchant convoy arriving at the coast with several horse-drawn carts of supplies.
Sam went down to handle the handover. After checking the supplies and confirming everything was in order, he paid the balance and had his men move the supplies onto the ship.
Seeing the dozen or so large wooden barrels filled with rum, the pirates' eyes gleamed with excitement, working with renewed vigor.
...
On deck, Allen came out. After the supplies were loaded, he gave the order to set sail again. The dark red pirate ship slowly pushed through the water, leaving the shore.
"Everyone! I assume you all know where we're headed by now!"
On the quarterdeck, Allen stood by the second-floor railing and shouted to the pirates on the main deck:
"That's right! It's the famous floating restaurant of the East Blue, Baratie!"
"Captain, are we going to raid Baratie?"
"I heard the food there is the best in the East Blue!"
"How come I heard the chefs there are really fierce?"
"Yeah, I heard the owner of the floating restaurant was a famous pirate back in the day. Don't know if it's true."
Hearing Baratie, the pirates below started chattering.
Seeing this, Allen slowly grinned and said:
"We're going there to eat. Last night's party probably wasn't enough to let everyone enjoy themselves fully, right?"
"This time, I'm taking you all to see the sights! We'll book out the entire Baratie! We'll have another grand feast to our hearts' content!"
Hearing Allen's words, the pirates below couldn't contain their excitement.
"Really, Captain?! That's Baratie!"
"I heard eating there is crazy expensive! You're not pulling our leg, are you, Captain?"
"Yeah, boss! Our pockets are completely empty! Don't leave us there washing dishes to pay off the debt!"
"HAHAHAHA!!"
The pirates below burst into laughter, showing their true rogue nature.
Allen also flashed a bright, toothy grin, sneering in a mocking tone:
"Look at you lot, so pathetic! A bunch of idiots! If you have no money, don't you know how to steal it?!"
"Baratie is full of rich people, each one a walking treasure chest!"
"After living the hunter-gatherer life for so long, you haven't forgotten how to use the tools you eat with, have you?"
Allen loudly mocked.
Hearing they were going to rob someone, the pirates seemed injected with adrenaline, their eyes instantly burning with fanaticism.
"HAHAHA! Who do you think you're looking down on, Captain?!"
"We've been waiting for this day!"
"Right! In a couple of days, let the captain see we're not some tame little kittens!"
"Woo—! Woo—!"
The fervor on the ship instantly ignited. The pirates raised their swords and cheered in unison, punctuated by the occasional loud whistle.
Allen looked on with satisfaction at the scene on the deck.
He knew what pirates wanted. He knew what these long-suppressed desperadoes craved.
The easiest way to make these underlings accept him was to let them do what they wanted to do. A few times, and acceptance would come naturally.