Chapter 168: Crew Name x Flag x Route

The currents surging toward the peak of Reverse Mountain were ferociously turbulent, serving as the first challenge for pirates attempting to enter the Grand Line.

Each year, more than half of the pirate crews and ships perish at this very entrance.

To withstand the fierce upward current, the helmsman's role was critical.

Jim was the ship's helmsman, though before boarding, he had never learned anything related to steering a ship.

Yet, within a month, he had become proficient in the craft.

His capability stemmed from his strength and solid foundation.

Even so, crossing Reverse Mountain was a perilous feat.

When the mast ship finally made it over, Maude let out a breath of relief.

If the ship had capsized, he and Lafitte could have ensured everyone's safety, but the large sum of Berries stored onboard would have been lost.

That money was intended to fund the purchase of a better ship.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly.

The mast ship surged down the descending current toward the sea below, with fierce winds and sea spray crashing against its stern.

"Beyond this point lies the Grand Line…"

Facing the icy wind, Maude silently gazed at the calm sea ahead.

The greatest treasures in the world—those worth pursuing—were all within reach on this grand ocean encircling the world.

As long as they climbed step by step toward the summit, money, women, power, strength—

Anything they desired would be theirs for the taking.

What Maude sought most was the strength to stand unshaken at the summit.

Only with such immense power could he, like the towering Red Line behind him, remain unyielding to any external force.

Maude's eyes fixed firmly on the horizon.

The others shared his gaze.

"The first step toward the summit."

"Delicious food!"

"To destroy everything perched so high above!"

"Countless exquisite ingredients…"

Riding the downward current, the mast ship successfully passed through the channel and arrived at the exit near Twin Capes.

This area marked the endpoint of the ocean current channel. On the mountains on either side stood identical lighthouse structures, giving the location its name: Twin Capes.

However, the lighthouses held little practical significance here.

Beneath one lighthouse, on a rocky outcrop, sat a small round table and a sun chair.

An elderly man wearing glasses and a floral shirt reclined on the chair, seemingly napping. Beside him, a glass of cold water and a folded newspaper rested on the table.

The man's name was Crocus, once the ship's doctor aboard the Roger Pirates. He now served as the lighthouse keeper of Twin Capes and the caretaker of the whale, Laboon.

Crocus opened his eyes slightly, glancing at the mast ship emerging from Reverse Mountain.

There was no pirate flag flying atop the mast.

"Not a pirate ship? That's rare. Also…"

Crocus subtly used Observation Haki, brushing over Maude and his crew like a soft breeze.

Their strength wasn't bad.

Crocus mused silently.

Jim and Bailey remained unfazed by the observation, but Maude, Lafitte, and Gaya noticed immediately.

"That old man must be Crocus, right?" Gaya whispered.

"Yeah," Maude confirmed.

"Lafitte, bring the ship over. Jim, fetch two barrels of wine from the storage room."

Upon receiving Maude's orders, Lafitte and Jim sprang into action.

The mast ship slowly approached the rocky outcrop beneath the lighthouse.

Crocus, watching the ship's movements, sat up slightly, his sharp gaze fixed on Maude.

"This kid… looks familiar."

Thinking for a moment, Crocus glanced at the folded newspaper on the table.

"Ah, that's right. I saw a report about him in the papers recently. His name was Bacardi Maude, wasn't it?"

Under Crocus's watchful eyes, the mast ship dropped anchor.

With a splash, Jim threw the anchor into the sea, then hoisted the barrels of wine onto his shoulder.

Led by Maude, the group approached Crocus.

"What do you want?"

Crocus straightened, his expression stern and his presence exuding an air of authority like a general preparing for battle.

Gaya's amber eyes gleamed with interest as she observed Crocus's restrained yet razor-sharp aura.

As expected from someone who once shared a ship with Gaban, the sheer presence emanating from this old man spoke volumes about his past.

"Hoho," Lafitte chuckled, leaning lightly on his cane.

Maude motioned for Jim to set down the wine barrels, then smiled at Crocus.

"We've heard about you from Sol and Gaban."

"Oh?"

Hearing the names of familiar comrades, Crocus raised an eyebrow.

Surprised, he let out a sigh of relief, patting his chest lightly and joking, "I thought you'd come to pick a fight. Nearly gave me a heart attack."

The intimidating aura he exuded instantly vanished.

"…" Gaya closed her eyes, her expression unreadable.

"…" Lafitte discreetly tucked his cane behind him.

A few minutes later.

The round table now bore a few extra glasses and a plate of salted, dried meat strips.

"Who would've thought?"

Crocus raised a glass, carefully studying Maude and Gaya.

He hadn't expected that Sol and Gaban would mentor two promising juniors who now sailed together.

To witness this scene with his own eyes was certainly a joy.

"Still, you're quite unconventional. You've neither named your pirate crew nor designed a pirate flag, yet you've already crossed Reverse Mountain."

Setting his glass down, Crocus glanced at the mast ship anchored nearby.

In all his years here, he'd never encountered a pirate crew like Maude's.

Hearing Crocus's remark, Lafitte couldn't help but look at Maude.

This had been on his mind for some time as well.

Despite being pirates, they lacked a flag and even a crew name, with their captain seemingly indifferent to the matter.

Maude genuinely hadn't cared much about such details, planning to decide after upgrading their ship. However, it seemed that goal would take longer than expected.

Noticing Lafitte's gaze, Maude smiled apologetically, feeling a bit guilty.

"Why not settle these matters today?"

"Agreed."

Lafitte responded immediately.

Gaya and Jim, on the other hand, appeared indifferent.

Crocus glanced at Maude, inwardly marveling at the young man's nonchalance.

Here was someone with a 100-million-Beri bounty, yet they hadn't even conducted the basic formalities of establishing a pirate crew.

Life truly offered endless surprises.

Maude pondered for a moment before suggesting, "How about the Dark Crow Pirates?"

Lafitte's enthusiasm deflated instantly, his expression unreadable.

Gaya seemed to contemplate the name before glancing at Maude's flintlock pistol, also named Dark Crow.

Jim, munching on dried meat, didn't seem to mind the name either.

"Great name!" Bailey gave an exaggerated thumbs-up while silently lamenting the choice.

Ignoring Bailey's theatrics, Maude observed the others' reactions.

"Not a fan?" Maude asked.

"Pick something else," Lafitte replied wearily.

Maude nodded. "Then how about Night Crow?"

"…"

"No? How about Cold Crow?"

"…"

"Black Raven?"

"???"

In under a minute, Maude rattled off more than ten names, none of which satisfied him.

"Why is naming something so hard?" he muttered.

An awkward silence filled the air.

Unable to bear it any longer, Crocus offered some advice, speaking like a wise elder: "Keep it simple. You'll find that many things aren't as difficult as they seem."

"Simple, huh…"

Inspired, Maude suddenly brightened.

"You're right. Let's just name it after me."

"The Maude Pirates?"

Lafitte raised his hands in quick approval, eager to end the ordeal.

And so, with Lafitte's lead, the crew's name was decided.

Next came designing a pirate flag to officially set sail from here.

Although the ship lacked materials for a flag, Crocus had some to spare, saving them a lot of trouble.

"If it's a pirate flag, then the background should feature crossed swords and guns. Adding a touch of bloodstains on the skull would enhance its menacing aura,"

suggested Maude, outlining his design idea.

The group had no objections—

but who would draw it?

Everyone exchanged glances for a few seconds before Maude proposed, "Let's all give it a try."

Ten minutes later,

the ground was littered with several pirate flags that were downright unbearable to look at.

"Gaya, this one… it looks like a kitchen knife."

"Ah, I guess I got carried away while drawing."

"…"

"Lafitte, aren't maps supposed to have crisp, clear lines? How did you manage to make it look so abstract?"

"Hoho."

"…"

"Bailey, go sit over there and stop wasting materials."

"???"

"Crocus-senpai, I understand your enthusiasm for joining in, but why do the skull's eye sockets have flowers in them?"

"That's a representation of character—like the peacock flower on my head."

"…"

Maude discarded their works without hesitation and slapped his own sketch onto the table.

"Take a good look—this is what a proper flag should look like."

The group leaned in to examine it.

"It's crooked."

That was their unanimous verdict.

To be fair, Maude's flag was decent overall, but the skull's horizontal axis was undeniably skewed, tilting to one side.

"Never mind. Let's just make do with this."

"So casual!?"

Crocus stared at Maude in surprise.

In that moment, he felt as though he'd witnessed a new dimension to Maude's character.

Lafitte, however, didn't complain this time. After all, Maude's flag was the most presentable one among the lot.

"Jim hasn't drawn his yet, has he?"

Bailey suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone's attention.

"Jim, why don't you give it a try?"

Maude looked over at Jim, who was quietly munching on jerky.

Hearing Maude's words, Jim got up and walked to a table stocked with paints and fabric.

Bailey smirked internally as he watched Jim leave.

He had initially wanted to draw a flag himself, but Maude had unceremoniously booted him out.

Frustrated, he decided that if he couldn't participate in the drawing, he would at least monopolize all the jerky on the round table while the others were busy.

To ensure Jim didn't snatch any, Bailey had deliberately pointed out that Jim hadn't contributed yet.

Little did Jim know the lengths Bailey would go to secure his snacks.

As Jim reached the table, he picked up a brush, dipped it in paint, and started working on the canvas under the watchful eyes of the group.

Gradually, expressions of astonishment appeared on their faces.

Their gaze shifted from the half-drawn skull to Jim's hulking frame.

No one had expected Jim to possess such exceptional artistic skills.

In no time, Jim completed a pirate flag that could only be described as flawless.

The crossed swords and guns behind the skull were sharp and defined, exuding a palpable edge.

The finishing touch was the irregular bloodstain on the skull's forehead—not too much, not too little—just as Maude had envisioned, adding a chilling sense of danger.

"Impressive, Jim."

Maude couldn't help but praise as he admired the flag.

Lafitte and Gaya stared in amazement at the usually reserved Jim.

It was hard to believe that someone as burly as a bear could possess such delicate and precise artistic talent.

Hearing their heartfelt compliments, Jim allowed a faint smile to curl at the corner of his lips.

Finally, they had a pirate flag.

Lafitte immediately hoisted it up the mast above the crow's nest and returned to the shore.

Watching the flag flutter in the wind, he felt a sense of pride and emotion.

So, this is what it feels like to be recognized,

Lafitte thought silently.

Maude tilted his head back to examine the flag.

Though he wasn't particularly attached to the identity of a pirate, the skull flag undeniably added an air of prestige.

Not bad at all, he thought with a satisfied nod.

"Next, we need to get ourselves a decent ship—and soon,"

Maude mused aloud. "And then we'll give the ship a proper name."

As he spoke of names, his thoughts wandered, and countless possibilities began flooding his mind.

Lafitte overheard and glanced at Maude, his gaze settling on the space above Maude's head.

For a brief moment, it seemed as though a swarm of glowing "Raven" and "Crow" characters were flitting around Maude's head.

Pausing, Lafitte raised his cane and waved it back and forth over Maude's head, as if trying to swat them away.

"What are you doing?"

Maude frowned at Lafitte's odd behavior.

"A mosquito."

Lafitte withdrew his cane calmly.

"?"

Maude scanned the surroundings in confusion.

Lafitte wasted no time in walking back to the table, effectively ending the topic.

Nearby, Gaya let out a small chuckle.

The group sat back down, and after another round of drinks and conversation, Maude suddenly said,

"Crocus-senpai, there's something I'd like to ask you for help with."

"Go ahead," Crocus replied warmly.

It was rare for him to enjoy drinks and chatter with both old friends and promising youngsters, and he was in high spirits.

Maude tactfully broached the subject, "We don't have a Log Pose. Do you happen to have one?"

Crocus chuckled. "I do. It's just lying around collecting dust—you can have it."

"That's fantastic!"

Maude's face lit up with delight.

A Log Pose was indispensable for navigating the Grand Line, yet difficult to obtain in the Four Blues. Even those who had multiple often hoarded them for their own journeys.

Curious about Maude's choice of route, Crocus asked,

"Maude, which route are you planning to take?"

"About that…"

Maude glanced at Lafitte, who gave him a small nod.

Turning back to Crocus, Maude asked,

"Senpai, do you know of any routes with renowned shipyards nearby? The closer, the better."

"Hmm,"

Crocus stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"The closest notable shipyard would be the Thomas Shipyard on Leviathan Island. They specialize in serving new pirate crews entering the Grand Line, so their prices are steep."

"Leviathan Island…"

Maude exchanged a glance with Lafitte.

Money wasn't an issue; quality mattered most.

"Is this Thomas Shipyard reliable?" Maude asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," Crocus admitted, "but for a shipyard to thrive in a chaotic place like Leviathan Island, it must have some real skill."

"Got it."

Maude nodded, leaning toward choosing this route.

Securing a quality ship was essential for any journey ahead. And with an Eternal Pose, the specific route hardly mattered.

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