Chapter 15: The Crew System Activates

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"Welcome aboard, Chief petty officer Tashigi! Oh, wait..."

"Now it's Pirate Tashigi!"

After hanging up the call with Sengoku, Kyle immediately extended a welcoming hand toward the pitiful-looking Tashigi, officially inviting the swordswoman he had successfully tricked into joining his crew.

The bewildered young woman stood frozen for a long moment before finally coming to terms with reality. With a hesitant expression, she reached out and shook Kyle's hand.

"Pl-Please take care of me, Captain Kyle."

"Heh."

Having successfully recruited his first crew member, Kyle immediately opened the system backpack and focused his consciousness on the character card of Rukia.

The next second, an exhilarating pop-up window appeared.

**[A crew member meeting the requirements has been detected. Would you like to load the character card—Kuchiki Rukia?]**

Below the message were two options: **[Yes]** and **[No]**.

Clearly, Tashigi had now been recognized by the system, making her eligible for template loading.

However, Kyle didn't rush to load the character card right away.

After shaking hands with Tashigi, he led her to the deck.

At this moment, the morning sun was just beginning to rise, and the ocean waves ebbed and flowed.

Under the sunlight, layers of waves rolled into golden crests.

The salty sea breeze brushed against them.

Alone on the ship, just the two of them—a man and a woman.

Facing the distant sea, Kyle, like a seasoned mentor, spoke with his back to her:

"Tashigi, now that you've joined my Twilight Pirates, from this moment on, we are family!"

"By pirate tradition, we should throw you a welcoming party."

"But considering our current circumstances, we'll have to postpone it for now."

"Uh... I-I don't mind, actually. It's fine even if there's no welcome party..."

Tashigi, now reunited with her beloved sword, Shigure, hugged it tightly, speaking timidly.

Knowing that Kyle's true identity was a Navy spy, she no longer cared about being deceived by him.

Instead, she worried that her poor performance might have made Kyle dissatisfied with her.

But the thing she feared most was about to happen.

Just as Tashigi finished speaking, Kyle, who had been gazing at the ocean, suddenly let out a loud roar.

"That won't do at all!"

He turned around, pointing at Tashigi as he lectured her.

"Since you've chosen to be a pirate, you must abide by the pirate code!"

"From today on, forget all those rigid habits you developed in the Navy. Stop being overly polite to everyone—you must exude the majesty of a pirate!"

"B-But..."

Tashigi, confused, raised her hand to ask a question.

"Aren't we just Navy officers pretending to be pirates? Do we really need to take it that far?"

"Nonsense!!!"

Kyle pounded the ship railing with his fist.

"What do you think espionage is!?"

"You think it's some childish game where we pretend to be a married couple raising a kid!?"

"..."

Diga, who had just arrived, froze mid-step, feeling like he had walked in at the wrong moment.

"S-Sorry! I understand now!"

Tashigi flinched at his outburst and immediately bowed to apologize.

"Stand up straight!!!"

Kyle grabbed her wrist and pulled her upright.

"Remember this! From today onward, you are a pirate!"

"You must act just like those criminals you once captured!"

"Arrogance and audacity should be your nature! Greed and desire should be your identity!"

"Even when facing your former superiors and colleagues, you must fully embrace your role as a pirate!"

"We are spies! We are agents! We are shadows hidden in the darkness, unrecognized by the world!"

"If you don't want your incompetence to jeopardize the Navy's critical operations, you better learn how to be a real pirate!"

"Do you hear me!?"

"…Y-Yes, I hear you!"

"Louder! I can't hear you!"

"YES, I HEAR YOU—!!!"

Summoning all her courage, Tashigi took a deep breath and shouted.

"Good! Now that's the spirit!"

Seeing Tashigi's current state, Kyle's face broke into a satisfied smile.

He wasn't intentionally making things difficult for her.

The truth was, Tashigi was simply too kind and gentle.

In countless anime and novels, there were always moments where the heroine's kindness ruined a mission or compromised a plan.

To prevent Tashigi from making such mistakes in the future, Kyle decided to give her an early wake-up call.

Of course, these things wouldn't change overnight, but he had plenty of time to train her.

Kyle patted Tashigi on the shoulder.

"I hope you remember what I told you today."

"Alright, enough idle talk. It's time to get to business."

A look of anticipation flashed in Kyle's eyes.

"I think it's time for you to understand the structure of our Twilight Pirates."

With that, he waved at Diga, who was standing nearby.

Diga, who had been watching the scene unfold, quickly ran over.

Kyle crouched down so he was eye-level with Diga, then introduced him with a smile.

"Now, let me introduce you to another member of our crew..."

"This is our pirate ship, the **Diga**, and its ship spirit—**Little Diga!**"

"Hello, Sister Tashigi!"

Little Diga lifted his hooded face and smiled up at her.

"A ship... spirit?"

"You mean... the legendary kind?"

Hearing Diga's introduction, Tashigi's eyes widened in astonishment as she stared at him.

Kyle chuckled.

"That's right! The legendary ship spirit!"

"But Diga isn't just any ordinary ship spirit."

"Not only can he control the ship's direction and speed, but he also possesses the **Storm-Storm Fruit**, granting him the power to conjure storms!!!"

As he spoke, Kyle glanced at the position of the sun before giving a command.

"Diga, a new day has begun. Set sail for the next island—it's time for us to resupply."

"And let's also send our Navy friends a little hint, so they don't actually lose track of us."

"Aye-aye, Captain!"

Little Diga saluted energetically before vanishing from Tashigi's sight.

The next second—

A powerful gust of wind surged forth, filling the sails of the **Diga**.

The ship's sudden acceleration startled Tashigi, making her stumble as she nearly lost her balance.

Feeling the roaring wind and the rocking ship beneath her feet, Tashigi adjusted her glasses, utterly dumbfounded.

Ship spirits were already the stuff of legends.

And now, she had encountered one with a Devil Fruit power...

This was simply too shocking!

Was this what it meant to be part of an elite intelligence agency directly under the Fleet Admiral?

This organization was truly full of hidden powerhouses!

Because of Little Diga's unique nature, Kyle's image in Tashigi's mind grew even more impressive.

But that was just the beginning.

What was about to happen next would completely shatter Tashigi's worldview!

As she struggled to maintain her balance, a large hand suddenly reached out, steadying her by the arm.

Kyle smiled and said:

"Now, it's time for me to introduce myself properly..."

"You already know my name..."

"Kyle—special agent under Fleet Admiral Sengoku, captain of the Twilight Pirates, and the wielder of the **Imagination-Imagination Fruit**!"

"I have the power to bring fantasies to life!"

The **Imagination-Imagination Fruit** was Kyle's way of explaining his system.

It wasn't that he wanted to keep secrets from his crew.

It was simply easier to attribute his abilities to a Devil Fruit—it made them easier to accept and understand.

He smiled at Tashigi and said:

"Since you're now part of our crew, let me give you a gift from the world of imagination!"

With a single thought, Kyle selected **[Yes]** on the system prompt.

A red streak of light shot from his inventory, merging with Tashigi's body.

In an instant, strange energy surged through her.

At the same time—

Memories that were never hers flooded her mind.

Slashes, punches, movements, spells…

Though she had never learned them before, she suddenly understood them perfectly.

"I… am a **Soul Reaper**?"

Tashigi stared at Kyle in confusion, seeking answers.

But Kyle wasn't able to respond just yet.

He was still immersed in the system, studying the newly unlocked **Crew System**.

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