Facts proved once again that the way the Straw Hat crew handled things never disappointed anyone.
This grand division of spoils lasted a full half hour.
During that time, dozens of Devil Fruits and hundreds of billions of Beli were distributed by Red and Usopp.
Even though the sight made Nami grind her teeth in the back, once she understood that this was the hard-earned loot the Supernovas had wagered their lives for, she ultimately could only wipe away silent tears as she watched Red wave his hand grandly—winning thunderous cheers and blazing loyalty from the Supernova pirate crews.
Among them, the two who contributed the most to this operation were one who could help an entire crew remove slave collars—Law—and another who could shelter freed slaves—Capone.
Red allocated seven Devil Fruits to one of their crews and eight to the other, and additionally gifted each of them a fine blade of the Ryo Wazamono grade.
Although most of these Devil Fruits were ordinary Zoan-types, with only the occasional Paramecia mixed in…
And although Red didn't distribute a single one of the powerful Devil Fruits stolen from Saint Saturn's experimental facilities on the laboratory level…
When the Supernovas saw the scene before them—like a wholesale fruit market of Devil Fruits, and piles of Beli that looked no different from scrap paper…
Even someone as ambitious as Law couldn't help but be deeply moved.
At the very least, in that moment, they all understood one thing clearly:
Following the Straw Hat crew would never leave them at a loss.
…
…
"All right. Since no one has objections to their share, it's time to move on to the next phase of our operation."
Snap.
Red suddenly snapped his fingers. The pirates who had been clamoring noisily a second earlier fell into dead silence.
In an instant, pairs of eager eyes turned toward Red—like soldiers awaiting their general's command, perfectly synchronized.
Seeing this, Red smiled in satisfaction.
"I believe everyone here understands just how serious the incident we caused a few days ago really was," he continued.
"By now, the outside world should be in absolute uproar because of our actions…"
"And your names have already spread across the entire sea."
At this point, the corner of Red's mouth lifted sharply.
"So…"
"Rejoice, everyone!"
"From this moment on, your names will be recorded in history!"
"And more people will call you by the name—heroes!"
Boom!
The instant Red's words fell, Usopp behind him and Capone—who had somehow appeared at Red's side—suddenly began to swell violently, transforming respectively into a massive castle and an enormous warehouse nearly equal in size.
The gates and doors opened at the same time.
A crowd of people with vacant expressions and unfocused eyes streamed out of the two gigantic structures, following prior instructions as they moved toward a corner of the clearing.
Scattered at first, but in an extremely short time, they gathered into several thousand people.
Among them were many with unusual traits—the Three-Eye Tribe, Longarm Tribe, Longleg Tribe, Mink Tribe…
All kinds of races were present.
Of course, the majority were still ordinary humans.
Even after three days of rest, their consciousnesses had yet to fully escape the memories of torture inflicted by the Celestial Dragons.
That was only natural.
For people who had once been enslaved…
Three days was long enough to break a normal person into the kind of thing the Celestial Dragons preferred.
Yet three days was also very short—because even after escaping that hell, their souls still clung to the habits formed there.
"These people shouldn't be strangers to you."
Red spoke again, drawing the curious gazes of the Supernova pirates.
With a grin, he continued, "As you can see, these are some of the poor souls you rescued three days ago."
"I'm sure you're wondering why I suddenly brought them here…"
"Because this is your next mission!"
Whoosh!
Red thrust out his hand, pointing at the freed slaves as he declared to the Supernova crews:
"Escort them home!!!"
"…?!"
The Supernovas' faces filled instantly with confusion.
Law stepped forward directly, asking in puzzlement,"Boss Red, we understand the idea of saving people all the way through…"
"But isn't setting sail at a time like this a bit too risky?"
"As you said, this is when the world is watching this incident most closely. Even if these people won't betray us, their families and friends might…"
"Oh? Are you saying that if something's dangerous, you won't do it?!"
Before Law could finish, an overwhelming pressure suddenly descended like a mountain above everyone's heads—hovering just a hair's breadth away.
The threat was unmistakable.
The elegant vice-captain who had been calmly dividing spoils moments ago now looked like a king from the dark world, gazing down on everything with absolute dominance.
"I remember… not long ago, you were all lawless, unruly pirates, weren't you?"
"What?"
"Was storming the Celestial Dragons' holy land the ultimate dream of your voyages?"
"Now that you've done it, are you already planning your retirement?!"
Under Red's imposing gaze, the pirates choked back their breath, not daring to make a sound.
"Remember this."
Red's voice rang out again—
This time, directly within their hearts, their minds, their souls.
"You are pirates! Pirates who stake their lives on the sea in pursuit of freedom and adventure!"
"If you think that after a single attack on the Celestial Dragons' holy land you've already achieved everything and can live out your days in peace…"
"I'll respect your choice!"
"But people like that are no longer worthy of standing with us!"
"Don't worry. Even if you choose to quit right now, I won't do anything to you. You can even take all the Devil Fruits and Beli I gave you."
"I simply… don't want spineless cowards around me!"
Whoosh…
As his words ended, Red withdrew the spiritual pressure at once and swept his gaze over the crowd with an indifferent expression.
His words echoed like a tolling bell, striking heavily against every person present.
"All right. Make your choice."
Red fell silent, waiting.
…
…
Eyes flickered among the pirates, tension and anticipation thick in the air.
Then—
"What a joke!"
A slightly hoarse female voice rang out from the crowd.
Jewelry Bonney shoved past her companions and strode straight up to Red.
"You promised to take me to find Kuma!"
"Until you keep that promise, don't think I'll let you off!"
With fierce momentum, Bonney reached out as if to grab Red by the collar.
But her hand froze halfway.
Her bright, determined eyes flickered slightly. In the end, she didn't dare cross the line and merely snorted.
"It's just escorting people home, right?!"
"I know it's not a good time for you to move freely…"
"But when I get back, you have to take me to Kuma!!!"
"No problem~"
Despite being shouted at, Red smiled sincerely at the fiery girl.
"Don't worry. Based on the intelligence Robin gathered in Pangaea Castle, the plan to further modify Kuma was forcibly halted due to some unexpected issues."
"After what we did, Saint Saturn probably won't have time to bother with Kuma anytime soon."
…
Hearing this, Bonney's eyes instantly turned red.
She clenched her fists, then slowly relaxed them, turning back to Red and asking,
"So… do we go recoat the ships now?! Fish-Man Island should have shipwrights who can do it, right?"
"Easy there~"
Seeing Bonney ready to move immediately, Red raised a hand to stop her.
Smiling, he turned his gaze to the other Supernovas.
"At least… wait until everyone makes their decision, so we can divide the work properly."
…
Under Red's gaze, the pirates' eyes flickered again.
Then Law—who also needed the Straw Hats' help—stepped forward.
"Tch, Bonney beat me to it."
He sighed softly, standing before Red.
"Compared to the others, I'm actually the least worried. After all, our ship is a submarine that can travel beneath the sea."
Law smiled lightly, aligning himself with Red's will.
With Law and Bonney taking the lead, the other Supernovas quickly followed.
"Fate tells me… if I back out now, regret is guaranteed."
"Hey, Lord Red, you're really underestimating me, Apoo! Do I look like the type to take money and not do the job?!"
"Hmph, you're just unhappy you didn't get enough."
"Heh, aren't you the same, Urouge?"
"And that bastard Capone—using his Devil Fruit to take the express lane."
"Look at that short guy's position. He was probably the first among us to decide."
…
…
The Supernova captains gathered before Red, meeting his expectations with burning eyes.
Even Drake—who carried a Marine background—hesitated for a long time before finally stepping forward.
He knew exactly what this step meant.
But recalling what he had seen in Mary Geoise three days ago…
The justice in his heart gnawed at him like serrated teeth.
If the light he sought wasn't truly light…
Then why not immerse himself fully in darkness, and seek the place where light blooms from within it?!
In the end, Drake made a decision that betrayed his hidden identity.
…
…
"Boss Luffy, Boss Red…"
"Please allow us… to join under the Straw Hat Pirates!!!"
On the clearing.
With Apoo's enthusiastic coordination, what should have been a simple declaration of resolve suddenly turned into a full-fledged initiation ceremony.
Law and Bonney accepted the cups of wine handed over by Apoo in a daze, watching as Hawkins steadily poured Wine of Fealty into his own cup with straw-woven arms.
What… just happened?!
They stared blankly at Apoo and the others, who had suddenly become "one of the Straw Hats."
How did things suddenly turn out like this?!
They couldn't figure it out at all.
At this moment, it wasn't just Law and Bonney—even Luffy and Red, inexplicably seated in positions of honor, were completely bewildered.
To be fair, Red did intend to bring the Supernovas under his banner.
Leaving aside their crews, their personal potential alone was well worth investing in.
Even someone like Apoo—prone to betrayal—had potential rivaling that of official Straw Hat members.
What Red hadn't expected was…
He'd only followed his usual routine—sweet reward, harsh slap, then another sweet reward…
And before he could even hand out the second carrot…
Encouraged by Apoo, the Supernovas somehow launched a sworn-brotherhood wine ceremony in front of several thousand freed slaves.
Among pirates, the Wine of Fealty was an extremely solemn ritual!
This wasn't the same as simply joining a powerful pirate crew.
Once the wine was drunk, it meant placing one's life entirely in the hands of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Even someone as slippery as Apoo wouldn't dare violate the rules bound by the Wine of Fealty.
Because the consequences of betrayal were far beyond imagination—
It would be a betrayal of the entire pirate class, and invite hatred from pirates everywhere.
At that point—pirates, Marines, the World Government, civilians…
Someone despised by all would be utterly isolated by the world.
It could be said that even someone like Blackbeard—who could raise a blade against his own father—wouldn't lightly betray the Wine of Fealty.
Unless the payoff was truly astronomical.
…
…
"To take in a group of Supernovas this easily… that really saves me a lot of trouble."
Watching Apoo preside over the entire ceremony like a master of ceremonies, Red's lips curled upward as he sighed inwardly.
Beside him, a bewildered Luffy held up his cup, frozen in place as if time itself had stopped.
This wasn't his first time drinking sworn-brotherhood wine—he wasn't clueless.
But this wasn't what Red told him yesterday?!
Weren't they supposed to play good cop and bad cop?!
This scene wasn't in the script at all!
Luffy could only look toward Director Red, hoping to get the next "cue" from his eyes…
Thankfully, Director Red didn't abandon his dim-witted actor.
From Red's gaze, Luffy quickly received new instructions.
Glug—glug—
The Supernovas downed their Wine of Fealty in rapid succession, as if afraid they'd be disliked by the Straw Hats if they were even a moment too slow.
At that moment, Red raised his bowl together with Luffy, eyes gleaming.
"Welcome aboard, Supernovas~"
"W-welcome…"
Luffy copied him.
The next second, the two of them lifted the bowls to their lips and drained the wine.
And thus—
The Straw Hat Grand Fleet expanded once more, welcoming seven future world-shaking—
Seven true calamities!!!
(End of Chapter)