[U.T] Ch 32: As Expected?!

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"Vice-captain, huh…"

Hearing Usopp's words, Nami, Zoro, and Luffy all turned to look at Luen.

Now that she thought about it, Nami realized Luen had already been doing the job of a vice-captain this whole time.

Zoro didn't object either. It was Luen who helped him clearly see the path to achieving his ambition. He respected Luen's strength, sure, but more than that—he respected his vision.

So if Luen were to become vice-captain, Zoro had no complaints.

But ultimately, the decision came down to Luffy, the captain.

Zoro and Nami looked at Luffy.

Luffy blinked.

He still remembered when Luen first joined them. Right from the start, Luen had supported his dream of becoming the Pirate King.

He even took on a title that matched the Pirate King's right-hand man—like "Dark King" Rayleigh—but Luen called himself "Sky King."

And on their journey so far, it was thanks to Luen that Zoro and Nami ended up joining the crew.

Luen had proven himself completely reliable. Honestly, he was the perfect person for the vice-captain role.

But still…

Luffy looked a little hesitant.

"It's too early to talk about a vice-captain," Luen said, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Huh? Why?" Nami asked curiously. "Wouldn't having a vice-captain make it easier to command the crew during battles? People would respect the chain of command more too."

Even though she was technically just a temporary member right now, the Straw Hat crew currently only had four core members: Zoro, Luen, Usopp, and Luffy.

But to Nami, there was no better candidate for vice-captain than Luen.

Even someone as well-known as "Pirate Hunter" Zoro in the East Blue followed Luen's lead. Most of the battle strategies so far had been Luen's calls too.

"It's not about becoming vice-captain and then earning your crewmates' respect," Luen said calmly. "It's about earning everyone's respect first—and then becoming vice-captain."

Zoro smirked at that.

As expected of Luen.

"So cool…" Usopp said in awe, staring at Luen like he was glowing.

This was what a real pirate should be.

"Besides," Luen continued, "Luffy hasn't gathered all his crewmates yet. Until everyone's onboard—and everyone recognizes me—there's no point in talking about vice-captains."

He looked over at Luffy again, still smiling.

That, he thought, was probably why even in the original timeline—after defeating both Kaido and Big Mom and becoming a Yonko-level crew—Luffy still never officially named a vice-captain.

Luffy treasured his crew too much. He respected every member—even those who hadn't joined yet.

Until everyone was there, until every voice had spoken, Luffy would never appoint a vice-captain. That's just the kind of guy he was.

"Shishishishi! Luen, I'm so glad I made you my crewmate!" Luffy laughed, beaming from ear to ear.

That had been his dilemma all along—naming a vice-captain before the whole crew was assembled felt like it was disrespecting the ones who hadn't joined yet.

To him, crewmates weren't subordinates—they were equals. They were family.

And what Luen had just said—"It's not about becoming vice-captain and then being recognized, but about being recognized by everyone first—that's what makes someone vice-captain"—was exactly what Luffy had been thinking.

Once all his crewmates were together, and once they all agreed—that person would become his vice-captain.

[Received strong approval from Monkey D. Luffy. Bond strengthened. Trait load progress increased.]

The "Sun God (Super-Gold)" trait moved forward another step.

Luen smiled slightly.

"Look at Luen being all cool and reliable. You're the captain, Luffy. Try acting like it once in a while," Nami said with a sigh, her eyes glinting slightly after hearing Luen speak.

"But I am reliable when it matters! Luen said so!" Luffy puffed out his chest proudly.

"You're quoting Luen to make yourself sound good. How does that make you look like a captain?" Zoro muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Eh?! Really?!" Luffy's face froze.

Luen couldn't help but laugh a little. "C'mon, give him a break. Everyone's here because we believe in him."

Luffy might act careless most of the time, but when it truly mattered, he was someone you could absolutely count on.

That's what made his charisma so special. Before setting sail, each member of the Straw Hat crew had their own dreams.

But eventually, they all picked up a new one—to help Luffy become the Pirate King.

Luen joined the Straw Hats not just because of the traits he could gain from them, or because it made growing stronger easier by sticking with Luffy…

It was also because he genuinely admired the kind of person Luffy was.

"Luen…" Luffy looked touched.

"Don't spoil him too much," Nami said with a sigh.

"But Luen, how do we find those pirates?" Usopp asked anxiously, his mind still on the safety of his village.

"The Black Cat Pirates are now led by Kuro's former first mate," Luen explained. "A guy with a 9 million berry bounty—'Hypnotist' Jango."

"If Kuro's planning to use them to attack this place, then he has to go through Jango. They'll need to meet up to finalize their attack plan."

"And Jango's… a pretty weird guy. He draws attention without even trying. If he's already in the village, he won't be hard to find."

Luen chuckled.

Thanks to knowing the original plot, it was easy for him to reverse-engineer things and deal with the Black Cat Pirates before they became a problem.

"Amazing! You're totally like a strategist or something!" Usopp said, eyes shining with admiration.

Even back when they first met, Luen had instantly seen through his tall tales.

Luen really was the real deal.

"Alright! Let's go find this Jango guy and take him out!" Luffy shouted, already rolling up his sleeves and rushing out the door.

"…Do you even know what he looks like?" Zoro asked, grabbing the back of Luffy's shirt and yanking him back.

"Crap! I forgot that part!" Luffy yelled, clutching his head.

"I'll handle Jango," Luen said, standing up. "You guys stay here and talk with Merry about the pirate ship plans."

With a 9 million berry bounty and hypnosis abilities, Jango might be able to give him something useful, Luen thought.

"Don't worry, Mr. Luen! I'll do my best to build you all a great ship!" Merry said earnestly from the side.

Merry wasn't just Kaya's butler—he was like a mentor and a friend.

He was beyond grateful to Luen and the others for saving Kaya from Kuro's scheme.

He had to give it his all to build them a proper pirate ship.

In fact, the Going Merry had been a project of his since childhood—he started designing it twenty-two years ago. It was practically complete, just needed a few tweaks to meet their needs.

"I'm looking forward to it," Luen replied with a smile.

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