"Then should I go back and talk to our captain?" Thiessen asked tentatively.
Larson smiled and said, "You don't need to go back; we can just sail the boat over. Everyone is heading there anyway, so we'll just be on the way together."
Thiessen thought to himself, I'm afraid our captain won't be as cooperative with you as you think, but reason told him it was better not to voice that concern.
"How about Larson?"
At that moment, a familiar voice rang in Thiessen's ears. He turned and saw Rayleigh approaching from a short distance away. It seemed that Rayleigh had purposely left earlier to give Larson some space.
Larson smiled and patted Thiessen on the shoulder. "Haha, this fishman brother has agreed to lead the way for us."
Rayleigh also smiled and said, "Then we really owe him a big thanks!"
Thiessen was nearly in tears, wanting to refuse but too afraid to do so.
Rayleigh noticed Thiessen's expression and tried to comfort him. "Don't worry, we won't do anything to you."
For this pirate crew, which was known for "escaping" from them, Rayleigh treated them a bit more specially than other pirate groups. It was a rather strange feeling for Thiessen.
He nodded cautiously. "I understand, I understand."
He and his companions knew better than anyone that the Roger Pirates didn't kill indiscriminately. If they had, they wouldn't have been left alive in the first place. The fact they were still breathing was proof of the Roger Pirates' mercy.
However, the real reason Thiessen was so scared now was that the Whitebeard Pirates were here. He didn't know much about the Whitebeard Pirates, and that made him fear the worst this time around.
"By the way, how was the food Thatch made earlier?" Rayleigh asked, nodding in approval. "It was delicious. I still don't know how you came up with that."
Larson smiled but said nothing. He had simply copied the dishes from his hometown and couldn't take credit for inventing them.
Standing here, Larson could see Whitebeard and Roger laughing not far away. Their expressions made it clear they were satisfied with the food Thatch had prepared as well.
Larson couldn't help but feel a little moved. Whether it was Whitebeard or Roger, they seemed to have handed all the decision-making over to him for now, while they relaxed with drinks, confident in leaving everything in his hands.
At this moment, Larson felt more like the captain of both pirate crews. He could now make decisions for both the Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates.
Of course, all of this stemmed from the deep friendship between Whitebeard and Roger. It was Roger's trust in Whitebeard, and Whitebeard's great faith in Larson, that allowed him to take on such a responsibility for both crews simultaneously.
The Oro Jackson and the Whitebeard Pirates' ship slowly sailed toward the Little Knife Pirates.
Onboard the Little Knife Pirates' ship, when Captain Xiaodao saw the Roger Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates getting closer, he was so terrified he stood frozen in place, unable to move.
"Captain, what should we do?"
Everyone aboard the ship was panicking, unsure of what to do next. The sight of the approaching Roger Pirates triggered their memories of the fear they'd felt that day when they had barely escaped from their grasp.
"Don't panic!"
Despite being scared out of his wits, Xiaodao forced himself to stay calm.
He said, "We don't have to do anything. If they wanted to kill us, it'd be easy for them. They wouldn't bother talking to us."
It had to be said that Xiaodao finally showed some smarts in this tense moment.
Suddenly, Xiaodao spotted a familiar figure aboard the Oro Jackson.
"Captain!" Thiessen stood on the Oro Jackson and waved toward Xiaodao.
"Thiessen!" Seeing Thiessen safe and sound, Xiaodao couldn't contain his excitement.
If Thiessen was unharmed, then perhaps they were safe too.
Xiaodao turned to his crew, excitement filling his voice. "Don't worry, everyone. Go ahead and carry on with your tasks."
Hearing their captain's words, the crew visibly relaxed and stepped aside.
As the ships drew closer, Xiaodao could see more clearly. He spotted Thiessen standing aboard the Oro Jackson and recognized several other familiar faces.
Rayleigh... Roger... Gaban... these were the men whose mere presence had almost scared him to death. In addition, he saw a white-haired, strong man with a beard and an imposing presence, along with a very handsome middle-aged man.
That must be Whitebeard and Larson.
Thiessen told himself this in his mind, growing more and more nervous. These were all legendary figures, men who could stand alone at the top of the pirate world, and now they were gathered here together.
"Killing them is as easy as crushing an ant—no, even easier than crushing an ant!" Xiaodao thought to himself, trying his best to appear friendly. With a stiff expression, he looked toward the people on the Oro Jackson, which wasn't far off. "Hey, everyone!"
...
No one replied to him. The silence made the air feel awkward and heavy.
Larson and the others had actually heard Xiaodao from the ship, but they simply chose to ignore him. After all, not everyone was worth their attention.
"Captain, let's set off together!"
Luckily, Thiessen's response came quickly, saving Xiaodao from further embarrassment.
But Thiessen's words nearly made Xiaodao lose his composure.
"Set off together?!"
Xiaodao's eyes widened, thinking there must be something wrong with his ears.
"You've got to be kidding!"
It had taken all his courage just to stand there in the presence of Whitebeard and Roger, and now Thiessen was suggesting they continue the journey together! That was more terrifying than death itself.
Meanwhile, the Oro Jackson had already overtaken Xiaodao's pirate ship. Thiessen, still aboard the Oro Jackson, saw that Xiaodao hadn't moved yet and waved. "Captain, hurry up and follow along!"
On the pirate ship, Xiaodao forced a smile that looked worse than crying. "Thiessen, I just remembered I have... a few things to take care of. How about I don't come along? You all go ahead. Just... make sure to ask the adults to spare me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiaodao turned around and began frantically signaling to his crew to turn the ship around and sail away. He'd rather escape now than continue on with both the Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates.
Thiessen stood frozen in disbelief aboard the Oro Jackson.
Larson, who had been observing, shifted his gaze to the Little Knife Pirates and said calmly, "Follow us."
Xiaodao, who had just been about to turn his ship around, suddenly froze. He had wanted to leave because he thought Larson and the others wouldn't care about someone as insignificant as him. But now that Larson had spoken, he didn't dare disobey.
In truth, Larson didn't care about Xiaodao. Whether he stayed or left wouldn't make a difference to them. However, they still needed to rely on Thiessen, so naturally, Larson had to show some consideration for Thiessen's feelings.