"Ugh~~"
The disgusting taste of the Devil Fruit made Stussy frown slightly, but she endured the nausea and ate the entire Mirror-Mirror Fruit.
York turned to look at Dragon.
"Aren't you going to pick one?"
Dragon was startled.
"Me?"
He was somewhat caught off guard, not expecting this.
"I just joined, and..."
York didn't give him a chance to continue, grabbing the Logia Hurricane Fruit and tossing it directly at him.
"Are you looking down on me?!"
York's tone suddenly became arrogant and confident.
"From the moment you agreed to join my pirate crew! You are already my partner!"
"For partners! I give ample trust!"
"As for what you said earlier, that if I can't fulfill my promises, you would leave my side..."
"If I can't even keep my own promises! Being deserted by friends and family would be only natural!!"
"Now, as your captain, I order you!! Eat that Devil Fruit!!"
Dragon fumbled to catch the Hurricane Fruit York threw, listening to his words, and fell into silence.
He looked at York's confident smile.
This man's magnanimity exceeded his imagination.
Not only did he generously take in a stray dog like him, but he also gifted him a top-tier Devil Fruit without any doubt.
Such disregard for gains and losses, full of trust, and the confidence to completely win him over—Dragon had never seen anything like it in his life.
Dragon had to admit, at this moment, he really had the thought of dying for York.
His eyes flickered. After a long mental struggle, Dragon said in a deep voice: "Captain York! Let's drink sworn wine!!"
York raised an eyebrow, looking at Dragon with a smile.
"Are you sure? Once you drink the sworn wine, you can't just leave whenever you want easily!"
Dragon nodded slightly.
"I've made up my mind!"
"I just joined the crew and haven't made any contributions, yet the captain gifted me such a top-tier Devil Fruit."
"The only thing I can repay the captain with is loyalty!"
Hearing this, York's expression became solemn.
He knew very well that Dragon's words sounded nice.
But if his future actions didn't meet Dragon's expectations, he might still leave at any time.
Of course, with the bind of the sworn wine, given Dragon's character, he would inevitably pay a corresponding price before leaving.
Similarly, Kaido was actually the same.
These guys with Conqueror's Haki all had their own wills. If he couldn't win them over psychologically, they would sooner or later seek their own paths.
"Alright, since you insist, let's drink!!"
"Kaido, you too!"
...
The sworn wine ceremony in the pirate world didn't have as many tedious etiquettes as the triad ceremonies in York's previous life, but it had what was necessary.
A large wine bowl, into which everyone preparing to swear brotherhood had to drip a drop of blood.
This time, only York, Kaido, and Dragon were swearing brotherhood, so the bowl didn't need to be too big; a larger bowl from the tavern kitchen sufficed.
The key was that the wine with blood needed to be divided into three parts, ensuring everyone got a bowl.
Then came the witnesses.
At least one person, with no upper limit.
This task was perfectly suited for Shakky, Stussy, and Gloriosa.
Finally, after making a vow never to betray and drinking the blood wine, they needed to smear their blood on a gold coin and throw it into the sea, requesting recognition from the legendary great pirate Davy Jones.
Just like that, the entire sworn ceremony was completed.
From now on, whether it was Dragon or Kaido, if they wanted to leave York's pirate crew, they would have to go through a similar ceremony again.
Otherwise, York had the right to break their arms and legs.
If they weren't even willing to accept broken limbs, they would face York's endless pursuit.
Theoretically, any new pirate crew they joined would have no qualification to shelter them in this matter.
Of course, these were mainly moral and righteous constraints, targeting those who valued morality and righteousness.
If it were someone like Blackbeard from the original timeline, who valued neither morality nor righteousness, the binding force would be almost zero, depending purely on who could fight better.
Returning to the tavern.
Only now did Dragon truly regard the Hurricane Fruit as his own, opening his mouth to bite into it.
Seeing Dragon eat the fruit, York turned to look at little Teach.
He originally wanted to take this opportunity to give the Dark-Dark Fruit directly to Teach.
But perhaps because the kid was too young, he had fallen asleep directly.
"Forget it, give it a few more years. This kid is too young now; he might not appreciate my kindness."
"By the way, Captain York, what's our pirate crew's name?"
After completing the sworn ceremony, Dragon had no psychological burden calling York captain anymore and couldn't help asking about the crew's name curiously.
Hearing this, the others also cast curious glances at York.
Indeed, they still didn't know their pirate crew's name.
"Our pirate crew doesn't have a name yet, but I suggest we just call it the Fallen Pirates!"
Gloriosa suggested with a smile: "Since York's title is Lord of Depravity, Fallen Pirates fits perfectly!"
Shakky agreed: "I think it's not bad!"
Stussy also expressed approval: "I think it works too!"
Kaido expressed a different opinion.
"Worororo, I prefer Evil Pirates!"
Seeing this, Dragon also put forward his suggestion.
"How about Paladin Pirates?"
"York's ideal isn't simply to be a villain. Since we want to feed everyone in the world, we need a nicer name. It shouldn't be a name that reeks of evil as soon as it's heard."
York nodded slightly upon hearing this.
"Dragon has a point!"
"But Paladin Pirates feels a notch lower compared to the Celestial Dragons' Holy Knights."
"So I decided, our pirate crew's name will be—"
"Red Flag Pirates!!" (Red Banner Pirates)
With that, York took out the pirate flag he had prepared long ago from his chest.
A pure red flag with a skull in the middle, surrounded by rice ears and wheat ears on the left and right.
"Red Flag?"
Hearing York's words, a trace of confusion appeared on everyone's faces.
"Doesn't sound very domineering."
"Sounds like a small-fry pirate crew name..."
"Is there any special meaning?"
York's mouth couldn't help twitching; these people really didn't understand his romance.
So he gave another reason.
"Wait until the Red Flag covers the world! Horses tread through the Holy Land to enjoy cherry blossoms!"
"I don't plan to take the elite route of having only a dozen people in the pirate crew in the future! I'm taking the path of hegemony!"
"So the importance of the flag is greater than the pirate crew's name!"
"Imagine the scene where red flags are raised all over the world in the future!"
"And the Red Flag's enemies are the Marines and World Government flying white flags!"
Corresponding images emerged in everyone's minds following York's description.
"Feels... actually quite good..."
"Although the name sounds ordinary, as long as we are strong enough in the future, it really makes no difference."
"Well, you're the captain, you have the final say."
"Even the flag is made; our opinions have no reference value anyway."
Just like that, everyone successfully accepted the name Red Flag Pirates. The Red Flag Pirates were thus officially declared established in the tavern of Ohara.
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