Vice-captain of Whitebeard pirates

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To inquire about and confirm the authenticity of the mysterious island, they couldn't just ask anyone on the street. There were specific places to gather information.

The tavern was the best place for this, as it had the most foot traffic every day, making it the easiest spot to hear the latest news.

Larson and the five Whitebeard Pirates walked for a while before they found a tavern.

As they were about to enter, Larson hesitated, still concerned. "Should we get cloaks to disguise ourselves?"

He was worried they'd be recognized the moment they walked in.

After all, among the five of them, even the one with the lowest bounty was over a hundred million berries, so few people wouldn't recognize them.

In reality, both he and Whitebeard were somewhat safe. While their bounties were high, the Whitebeard Pirates had only been established recently, and Larson hadn't been sailing for long. Even though Whitebeard had been with the Rocks Pirates before, their fame wasn't yet on the same level as Roger's, who was currently dominating the New World.

After all, it had only been a year since Roger and Garp brought an end to the Rocks Pirates.

But just then, Rayleigh smiled after hearing Larson's concerns. "Don't worry. We're not at the point where everyone knows our faces."

Larson pondered Rayleigh's words for a moment.

He understood what Rayleigh was getting at. While the Roger Pirates were indeed powerful and well-known, this reputation mainly extended to those in the pirate world.

The truth was, while everyone in the pirate and navy circles knew about the Roger Pirates, the average person didn't even know such a crew existed.

The same applied to the Whitebeard Pirates. To be blunt, ordinary people didn't care about the bounties of pirates out at sea. They only cared about how to get by day to day. People's ambitions differed, and their attention naturally shifted toward different priorities.

Larson sighed. "I'm really embarrassed by how I acted earlier."

Gaban smirked and teased Larson. "But you're more famous with the Navy than any of us."

After all, Larson was the only one who had ever managed to force the Navy into retreat.

Larson grinned. "That's not exactly something to be proud of."

"But you're not one to be scared," Rayleigh said with a smile.

"Haha, of course not! With the captain backing me, why would I be afraid?"

The group rolled their eyes, recalling the time Larson fought a Sea King. With strength like his, not even Whitebeard needed to step in.

"Alright, let's head in."

To avoid drawing too much attention, they all entered the tavern one by one.

Larson lingered behind. After they had all gone inside, he frowned and rubbed his tired eyes.

This damn Sharingan!

"Larson?"

Whitebeard noticed him standing at the door and called out.

"Oh, I'm coming!"

Straightening up, Larson quickly composed himself and followed them inside.

Once in, they chose a relatively inconspicuous corner to settle down.

Rayleigh called out, "Five glasses of wine, please!"

"Coming right up!"

The tavern owner brought over five drinks.

Though they came to gather information, that didn't stop them from enjoying a few drinks in the process.

Besides, of the five here, only Larson wasn't a big drinker. For the rest, coming to a tavern without drinking would've been pointless.

Several minutes later...

"Ah, that's the stuff!"

Whitebeard downed his drink in one gulp, still looking unsatisfied.

In front of them were several empty barrels, the result of Roger and Whitebeard's drinking contest. Rayleigh and Gaban clinked their glasses together nearby.

Larson sighed helplessly. "Don't forget why we're here."

They were supposed to be gathering information, not just drinking.

But the others didn't seem to care. It was as if they'd decided to leave everything to Larson while they continued enjoying themselves.

Reluctantly, Larson accepted their "trust" and took on the responsibility alone.

After sitting there for a while and listening to the chatter around him, Larson still hadn't caught any mention of the "mysterious island" or the "ability to control Sea Kings."

He was starting to think this whole thing might have been a wild goose chase. Otherwise, why would there be no word of it in such a busy town?

"Hey, did you hear what happened on Yerug Island?"

"You mean the one that's been making all the noise lately?"

At that moment, a conversation from a group of people in the distance suddenly reached Larson's ears. He immediately became alert, listening carefully.

He wasn't sure if Yerug Island was the mysterious island mentioned in the newspaper, but it was the first time in a long while that he had heard someone bring it up.

Straining to hear, Larson realized the group was deep in discussion.

"I heard the island is trying to attract some kind of Sea King. Is that true?"

Hearing this, Larson felt a surge of relief. As expected, they were talking about the island. He continued to listen intently, hoping to pick up any useful information.

"I'm not sure if it's true, but I know a lot of people have headed there."

At that point, another person chimed in.

"Why would they go? Didn't the Navy warn everyone it's dangerous and told people to stay away?"

That's where the Sea Kings gather now, and it's definitely dangerous for ordinary folks.

"Are you stupid? Why do you think the Sea Kings are gathering there? There's got to be some treasure drawing them in!

Otherwise, out of all the islands in the sea, why would they be circling just that one?"

Larson nodded slightly. What they said made sense. This trip wasn't in vain, as he now knew from their conversation that many people had already headed to the island.

Just then, someone said in a hushed tone: "I heard a ship from the naval branch in our town just left port."

"Isn't that normal? Why's that a big deal?"

"Do you know where it went?"

"You mean..."

"And it's not just here. Navy ships from several nearby towns have also set sail!"

Larson frowned. Was the Navy involved in this too? It seemed like the situation was more serious than he had initially thought.

At that moment, Larson noticed a group of burly men walking through the door. As soon as they entered, they loudly called out: "Jim! Where'd you run off to, kid?"

A man in the tavern stood up. "I'm here."

Larson observed that this man had been one of the people discussing the mysterious island earlier.

The burly man barked, "Quit drinking and come with me, now."

Jim, looking confused, asked, "Where are we going in such a hurry?"

The big man replied, "Stop asking questions. Just come along."

Jim made sure to say goodbye to the group he had been chatting with: "I'll be back soon. We can keep drinking later!"

"Haha, sure thing, come back quick."

Watching Jim leave with the burly man, Larson's instincts told him something was off.

After some thought, Larson turned to Whitebeard and the others. "I think something's fishy about that guy who just came in."

Whitebeard and the others looked confused. "Someone came in just now?"

Larson's forehead twitched in frustration. Have they been drinking so much that they've completely forgotten why they're even here?

"Never mind."

Larson sighed. "I'll head out. You guys stay here, but seriously, stop drinking. We've got plenty of time for that later. Now's not the time to slack off."

Whitebeard and Roger simply smiled and waved their hands. "Relax."

Judging by their expressions, Larson had a feeling they would resume drinking the moment he left.

To be honest, they probably didn't take this matter seriously. Maybe it was because they had seen so many bizarre things that even the appearance of a mysterious island didn't faze them.

But Rayleigh and Gaban were different.

Both of them reassured Larson: "Leave this to us."

Larson nodded in appreciation and slipped out of the tavern quietly.

Jim and the burly man left in a hurry, and by the time Larson stepped outside, he could only make out their fading figures in the distance.

Quickly, he followed after them, making sure to keep a safe distance—not too far, not too close.

After walking for a while, the two men stopped. Larson noticed they were deep in conversation.

Closing his eyes, Larson activated his Haki, focusing on the distant voices. Despite the distance, their conversation came through clearly.

"Hurry up and pack. We need to leave right now!"

"Do you really need to rush?"

"Do you have any idea how many people are heading to Yerug Island right now? If we're late, we won't catch up with anything!"

"What about the ship?"

"The ship's ready. You're the only one we're waiting on. If you don't come, we're leaving without you."

"Alright then, let's get moving!"

Meanwhile, Larson hesitated, abandoning the thought of stopping them to ask for more information.

He had sensed the urgency in their conversation, as if staying even a moment longer would cause them to miss something important.

What on earth is going on? Why is everyone heading to Yerug Island?

Could they really be willing to take such a huge risk for a treasure they aren't even sure exists?

As Larson made his way back, he noticed the town was becoming livelier.

People were talking about the treasure on Yerug Island, as if the news had spread across the world in no time at all.

Returning to the tavern, Larson found Reilly sitting there with a grim, serious expression.

"You're back, Larson."

Reilly glanced up as Larson walked in.

Larson returned to his seat, noticing that both Whitebeard and Roger had stopped drinking.

"Well, did you find anything?"

rayleigh asked, "A lot of people are talking about the treasure on Yerug Island."

As rayleigh spoke, Larson could hear whispers from nearby tables.

It was as if the news of the treasure had somehow leaked out, igniting conversations everywhere. Even more people had already set sail for the island.

At that moment, a smile of excitement spread across Roger's face. "This is turning out to be even more interesting than I thought!"

His curiosity had clearly been piqued.

Whitebeard added, "What are we waiting for, then? Let's set out before the rest of them."

Neither he nor Roger were particularly interested in the treasure itself. It was the thrill of the event, the growing excitement, that had captured their attention.

Larson stood up, realizing that his reason for gathering information had changed. He had originally come to find out what was happening, but now it seemed they were going to Yerug Island regardless—just a bit later than the others.

As Larson and the others got up to leave, a Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.

All eyes turned to Larson, who frowned and said, "You go ahead."

"Alright, we'll head back to the ship and wait for you."

Whitebeard and the others left without hesitation.

Larson moved to a quiet corner before answering the call.

After a brief pause, he heard Tsuru's voice on the other end of the line: "Larson..."

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If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 80+ chapters at patreon.com/Darkphoenix11

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