Chapter 204: Which Women of the Sea Could Become Crew Members?

Aboard the Radiant Eclipse, as they left Whitebeard's territory:

Achievement Points: 726,845.

Surpassing 700,000 achievement points.

"Defeating Whitebeard added over 70,000 achievement points," Kuke noted. He wasn't particularly surprised or disappointed by the increase.

From the beginning, he had estimated that the growth wouldn't exceed 100,000 points. This result was within expectations.

"Before the battle, most people already thought I could defeat Whitebeard. If I hadn't defeated him in 45 minutes or if Whitebeard hadn't admitted his loss, the achievement points would have been even less."

The gap to reaching one million achievement points was shrinking, but acquiring new points was becoming increasingly difficult. Ultimately, this was because the Sun and Moon Pirates were already too famous, and people had become desensitized to their feats.

"If I had defeated Whitebeard right after setting out to sea, the increase could've been 200,000 or 300,000 points."

But if he had done that, subsequent victories against Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and others would yield almost no points. The order of events mattered. In the end, the total points wouldn't differ much.

"Gaining achievement points from pirates is unlikely for now. Winning once is impactful; winning again has no benefit."

"Finding new crew members is also becoming difficult."

Achievement points weren't only gained by accomplishing major feats. Increasing the number of crew members, improving their strength, and raising their bounties could all contribute to achievement points. But this method was no longer easy to exploit.

Kuke recalled the original series, thinking about notable female powerhouses who hadn't yet joined him.

Few. Very few.

"Sanji's sister Reiju, Perona, Bonney, Nami, Rebecca (Viola's niece), Carrot from the Mink Tribe, some of Charlotte Linlin's younger daughters, a few Navy women… Vivi?"

Kuke tallied them.

There were still a fair number, but they were scattered across the world. Many were also quite young at the moment.

"I wonder how many achievement points becoming the Pirate King would bring?" Kuke speculated. He shook his head. Likely not much. From Shakky, he had already learned that talk of him and the Sun and Moon Pirates becoming the Pirate King was a hot topic worldwide. People seemed to have already accepted it as inevitable.

The idea that Kuke would achieve the Pirate King title seemed certain to everyone. If he succeeded, it wouldn't cause much of a stir or shock—thus, it wouldn't yield many achievement points. This was one downside to being overly famous. Previously, his rapid rise had caused achievement points to skyrocket, but now that fame had peaked, earning more points was proving difficult.

In the eyes of others, whatever the Sun and Moon Pirates accomplished no longer felt extraordinary. Even if they immediately claimed the title of Pirate King, it would seem unremarkable. The Sun and Moon Pirates had already become the undisputed favorites to succeed.

"The World Government and Navy are my best bet now," Kuke mused. Apart from them, other forces and events were unlikely to yield significant achievement points.

"Perhaps going into hiding for a few years could help. The turnover rate for lower-tier pirates in the sea is quick. A few years later, achievement points might be easier to earn again," Kuke thought, brainstorming various ways to accrue points.

Ultimately, his next course of action would involve playing a game with the World Government.

"Viola, what are the World Government and Navy up to?" Kuke asked.

"They've been stationed in one area for several days, not returning or advancing further," Viola reported.

Kuke frowned. Why were they lingering in the initial seas of the New World?

From his perspective, the presence of the Five Elders and the entire Navy's elite forces in the New World could only mean they were planning to target him. Since they hadn't appeared during his battle with Whitebeard, he assumed they'd be lying in ambush, either at the site of his anticipated battle with Shanks and Mihawk or at the final island reachable by Log Pose, Lodestar Island.

Both possibilities were highly plausible. However, regardless of their chosen strategy, they should have taken action by now, rather than staying put and doing nothing.

"What are they worried about? What are they afraid of?" Kuke pondered.

It didn't seem likely they'd abandon their mission and return halfway through.

Drumming his fingers on the table, Kuke thought deeply for several minutes. The World Government's elite force wasn't moving, so Kuke couldn't act rashly either. Their current location was too close to Mary Geoise. At regular ship speeds, they could return in just a few days. And in a world filled with various abilities, travel could be even faster—Brûlée's Mirror-Mirror Fruit, Kuma's Paw-Paw Fruit, or Shiki's Float-Float Fruit could drastically shorten the journey. What took days for regular ships could take mere hours, or even less, with such powers.

If Kuke invaded Mary Geoise, he couldn't afford for these forces to return. Their presence would make uncovering Mary Geoise's deepest secrets far more difficult.

Initially, he had hoped they would advance into the depths of the New World, far from the Red Line, where even special abilities wouldn't allow for a swift return. But now that they weren't moving, Kuke's plans couldn't proceed smoothly.

Kuke began analyzing the situation from the perspective of the Five Elders. What concerns might they have? What might they be considering?

One major question stood out: Could they annihilate the entire Sun and Moon Pirates?

Another consideration: The safety of Mary Geoise.

Yes. Kuke's thoughts became clearer.

"They're uncertain if I'll head to the final seas to claim the Pirate King's title. They're afraid of wasting time and resources, afraid of leaving Mary Geoise defenseless for no reason. That's why they're holding back."

Beyond this reasoning, Kuke couldn't think of any other justification for the World Government's inaction.

"If that's the case…" Kuke stood up.

"Prepare to set sail for Lodestar Island."

"Lodestar Island?"

In an instant, all the crew's eyes turned toward him.

"Are we heading to conquer the final route and claim the Pirate King's title?" Charlotte Linlin, who had been devouring cake, paused for once. For her, this was a matter even more important than eating.

"So, does this mean I'll officially be a member of the Pirate King's crew?" she mused. Not being the Pirate King herself, being part of the crew was the next best thing.

Gion furrowed her brows slightly. "Kuke, we're still missing two Road Poneglyphs."

Without those two, they couldn't chart the route to the final island. Achieving this by brute force was impossible, as history had repeatedly shown. It would only result in getting lost at sea.

"We just need the world to believe we're heading to become the Pirate King."

That was the real goal.

"The World Government?" Shakky immediately guessed. Her heartbeat quickened. Finally, they were about to take this step. Where Captain Rocks had failed, would her new captain, Kuke, succeed in achieving what Rocks couldn't?

"Set sail!"

The Radiant Eclipse, carrying the world's most renowned Sun and Moon Pirates, made a grand departure toward the depths of the New World.

The Radiant Eclipse's movements weren't concealed in the slightest. Being the center of the world's attention, it wasn't long before someone spotted the ship at sea or noticed it passing by islands and nations.

Before long, all eyes in the New World turned their gaze toward them.

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DONT FORGET POWER STONE 

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