"One Piece: I, the Strongest Intern of the Roger Pirates"

"Brother Yi! Can I ask you something? Why do you never move in a straight line when you attack? Isn't a straight line the shortest distance? That's the fastest way to get to your target, right?"

Shanks, panting heavily, still respectfully asked Fang Yi, who was standing nearby.

Buggy, who was lying on the ground, also turned his head to listen in.

"You're not wrong. A straight line is the shortest distance, and in combat, it's often the most efficient and effective way to attack. But maybe it's because I'm a ranged fighter—whenever I move through open areas where I can easily be seen, I instinctively avoid going in a straight line. I guess it's just an old habit of mine. I always feel safer that way."

Fang Yi chuckled as he answered.

Ever since Shanks and Buggy had overheard Fang Yi's intentions, the two of them had started proactively hanging out with him.

Now, except for the times when Fang Yi was practicing his archery alone, the rest of their training sessions were done together as a trio.

Shanks and Buggy had even fully accepted Fang Yi as their leader within their little group, going to him first whenever they had questions, rather than seeking out Rayleigh.

Fang Yi didn't know why these two had suddenly changed their attitudes, but having two loyal companions wasn't a bad thing at all.

"I see! Brother Yi thinks ahead!"

Shanks nodded in admiration, clearly convinced.

"Buggy, have you finished resting? If you're ready, let's go again!"

Fang Yi grinned as he called out to Buggy, who was still lying down.

"Hmph! I've already figured out a way to counter your move from earlier. Watch me this time!"

With a swift kick-up, Buggy jumped to his feet, full of confidence.

Bang bang bang…

Thud thud thud…

As soon as Buggy stood up, the three of them were at it again, engaging in another chaotic brawl—not a one-on-one duel, but a full-on free-for-all.

That evening, after finishing his training, Fang Yi returned to his cabin for a shower. As he came out, he decided to try his luck with a ten-pull on the system's lottery.

Nowadays, he doesn't spin the wheel every two days anymore. After all, skills didn't always appear on the wheel, and even if they did, it wasn't guaranteed that he'd win anything good. Pulling when there was nothing worthwhile was just a waste.

Today's wheel featured a fragment of the Sun-Chasing Bow. He only needed one more fragment to complete it. So, even though there were no skills on the wheel today, he figured it was worth a try. He still had nearly twenty lottery tickets in his inventory, and spending ten wouldn't hurt.

"Congratulations, Host! You have obtained…"

"Congratulations, Host! You have obtained: Sun-Chasing Bow Fragment ×1!"

"Congratulations, Host! You have obtained…"

Staring at the results, Fang Yi was momentarily stunned. He had only pulled to test his luck, not expecting to get the final fragment.

He'd already prepared himself for disappointment. It had just been a shot in the dark—but somehow, it worked.

Based on his experience, the last piece was always the hardest to get. It reminded him of that certain shopping app from his previous life—the kind that always seemed to make you chase after the last item.

But surprises always came unexpectedly.

Opening his inventory, Fang Yi quickly combined his ten Sun-Chasing Bow fragments. In an instant, a fully assembled bow appeared in his hands.

Sun-Chasing Bow: A finely crafted bow that allows its wielder to shoot farther and faster, granting the courage to chase the sun itself.

"What a fine bow!"

Fang Yi's eyes lit up with excitement as he admired the weapon in his hands. Even without drawing it, he could feel a gentle warmth radiating from the bow's surface.

However, his excitement soon turned into frustration.

He couldn't use the bow right now—there was no way to explain where it had come from.

So after admiring it for a while, Fang Yi reluctantly stored the bow back into his inventory.

His system inventory could only store items produced by the system. The bow he was currently using—crafted by Yamon—couldn't be stored because it wasn't from the system.

He figured that once they reached the next island, he could find an excuse to wander off alone, then return with the bow in hand and simply claim he bought it there. That would solve the problem.

Boom!

Just as Fang Yi was checking the other items he'd pulled, a loud explosion suddenly rang out, startling him. He quickly rushed out of the cabin and headed for the deck.

"What's going on?"

Upon reaching the deck, he immediately found Shanks and Buggy, both looking thrilled, and asked.

"No idea! Looks like that merchant ship over there just fired at us!"

Buggy laughed loudly, clearly eager for a fight.

"A merchant ship fired at us?"

Fang Yi doubted his ears. He looked up at the pirate flag fluttering proudly on the mast—completely intact—and couldn't help but feel speechless.

They were pirates. Normally, only navy warships or particularly bold pirate crews would attack them.

But to be attacked by a merchant ship? That was a first.

"Most likely, it's a merchant ship that was already hijacked by pirates. They probably didn't have time to raise a pirate flag, and we just happened to run into them."

Rayleigh chuckled nearby as he explained.

Many pirates, after looting merchant ships, would seize the vessels themselves. Many merchant ships were superior to pirate ships in quality. Pirates often refitted captured merchant ships into new pirate ships to save on shipbuilding costs.

Hearing that, Fang Yi and the others suddenly understood—they had mistaken the enemy for merchants.

But when they boarded the ship and engaged in close combat, they realized the vessel was indeed a merchant ship.

"Captain!"

Rayleigh's face darkened as he looked toward Roger.

"It's a slave ship!"

"Ah… so it is."

Roger lowered the brim of his straw hat, partially obscuring his expression, and nodded.

"Looks like they mistook us for pirates trying to rob them, so they struck first."

"What now?"

Jabba looked toward Roger, awaiting orders.

Normally, slave ships operated under the protection of powerful factions. As pirates, it wasn't always wise to provoke those kinds of enemies.

But upon hearing Jabba's question, Roger simply placed a hand on his hat, his mouth curving into a wide grin.

"Sink them."

"Aye aye, Captain!"

The surrounding crew all responded with grins of their own, as if they'd been expecting this from the start.

"Bastards! Do you even know who we are? How dare you attack us?!"

Just as everyone was preparing for battle, a man who seemed to be the leader of the opposing ship shouted arrogantly at them.

"So noisy. Peterm, shut him up,"

Rayleigh said with a smirk, his tone full of disdain.

"Understood, Mr. Rayleigh."

Peterm, the sniper, calmly raised his rifle and aimed.

The enemy captain's face changed drastically the moment he saw Peterm's movements, immediately trying to flee.

Bang!

A gunshot echoed, followed by a burst of blood. The would-be escapee dropped dead on the spot.

That shot was like a signal.

Rayleigh and Jabba led the crew in launching a full assault on the ship.

"You two, stay behind me! Don't wander off! Listen carefully—unless I give the order, don't leave my side!"

Fang Yi quickly pulled Shanks and Buggy back from the charging crowd and ordered them sternly.

"It's just a merchant ship. What's the big deal?"

Buggy scoffed, clearly unfazed.

"If you can't follow orders, then stay on the ship! Apprentices don't get to pick and choose! Well? Can you do it or not?"

Fang Yi didn't bother arguing. He simply asked directly.

"Fine, fine! I'll listen to you, since you're the boss for now! But mark my words—when I become the boss, I'll make you stay behind while I go after all the treasure!"

Buggy pouted, but reluctantly agreed.

"Good. Shanks, keep an eye on Buggy! You two don't need to fight—just stay behind me!"

Fang Yi finished speaking, then immediately jumped onto the enemy ship, leading the way.

As apprentices, they were supposed to stay on the ship during battles against pirates or marines.

But since this was a merchant ship raid, everyone could join in—unless they simply didn't want to. Any treasure looted—aside from the portion required to be handed over to the captain—could be kept as personal property.

Roger rarely bothered robbing merchant ships, so this was Fang Yi's first time participating in such an operation.

Still, after nearly three months aboard the ship, Fang Yi had already familiarized himself with the unspoken rules of piracy.

"Hurry up, get over here!"

Once Fang Yi reached the enemy ship, he didn't immediately jump into the fighting. Instead, he secured the passageway so that Shanks and Buggy could safely board.

"Watch out!"

Still midair, Shanks spotted an enemy sneaking up behind Fang Yi for a backstab. He and Buggy were still airborne and unable to help, so he shouted desperately to warn Fang Yi.

But Fang Yi had already noticed the attacker the moment they appeared. Despite facing Shanks and Buggy, he'd been focusing most of his attention on his rear.

So before Shanks even finished shouting, Fang Yi had already begun to turn.

By the time Shanks' warning reached his ears, an arrow had already pierced the attacker's heart.

"You okay?"

Shanks and Buggy quickly landed and rushed over, concerned.

"I'm fine. Stay with me. We're not heading toward the captain—follow me to the ship's cabin!"

Fang Yi replied calmly, holding his bow as he led them straight toward the cabin area.

He knew full well how destructive Roger could be in battle.

In fights like this, the key wasn't defeating enemies, but staying far away from Roger and the others. Otherwise, they could easily be caught in the crossfire.

Hearing Fang Yi's words, Buggy's eyes lit up. He suddenly realized that following Fang Yi wasn't such a bad deal after all.

Let the others fight! We should focus on finding the treasure first!

Shanks, however, looked hesitant. It was clear that he wanted to stay and help the crew fight rather than go searching for loot.

"Shanks! Move!"

Fang Yi shot him a sharp glare and barked the order.

After a moment of hesitation, Shanks reluctantly followed. He had promised to follow Fang Yi's orders before they boarded, and no matter how unwilling he felt, he would keep his word.

But Fang Yi's real reason for heading toward the cabin wasn't to look for treasure like Buggy thought.

He just wanted a chance to split up with the two of them later, so he could quietly take out the Sun-Chasing Bow and start using it openly.

What they didn't know… was that this wasn't just a merchant ship—it was a slave ship.