Very soon,
Lucky Drake brought Haito and the other two to the second deck.
Up here was a small room where Captain Red usually trained his muscles whenever he had free time.
"Haito, what happened to you guys?"
"And the commotion downstairs—was that caused by you?"
"Don't make such a mess on the ship. We don't have money for repairs, you know!"
Captain Red spoke in his usual honest, simpleminded tone, showing none of the authority a captain should have.
"Captain, it's all because Lucky Drake is trying to rebel!"
"I brought two brothers to check on him, and he suddenly went crazy for no reason! Not only did he attack us out of nowhere, he even wants to replace me as vice-captain of the Thunder Pirates!"
The moment Haito saw Captain Red, he immediately reversed the story and bit back at Lucky Drake.
"Hah… hahaha…"
Lucky Drake covered his face with one hand, peeking between his fingers at Haito with a sharp, icy gaze.
"Haito, you really are a shameless little rat, aren't you?"
"Didn't you say I didn't dare kill? Believe it or not, I could kill you right now."
Seeing Lucky Drake's sudden sharpness and killing intent, Haito's face instantly turned pale.
But he was betting on Captain Red believing him—
After all, Red was a musclehead.
What would he know about analyzing things?
At that moment, Red put down the barbell he was using to train his wrists and looked at Lucky Drake very seriously.
"Lucky Drake, you seem a little different from before."
"Tell me, what really happened?"
"If you attacked your crewmates for no reason, I won't forgive you."
Hearing this, Lucky Drake realized Red wasn't as stupid as he looked.
He was rough on the outside, but not completely brain-dead.
So Lucky Drake said, "Captain, people change. Everyone grows."
"As for what happened just now, you can ask those two directly."
He looked coldly at the other two pirates and sneered:
"If you tell the truth, I won't hold anything against you. But if you follow Haito's example and slander me… you've already witnessed my strength, haven't you?"
The two pirates were completely intimidated by Lucky Drake's aura. They gulped hard and turned toward Captain Red.
"C-Captain… it was Haito who tried to cause trouble for Lucky Drake. He attacked first and tried to kill him… but he couldn't beat Lucky Drake."
"You—you two…"
Haito nearly vomited blood from anger.
"Captain, you see?! Lucky Drake is threatening them!"
"And he's been hiding his strength all along! I suspect he's a Marine spy planted on our ship!"
"A spy?" Red frowned.
"Yes! Definitely a spy! Every time we plundered ships, he refused to kill the resisting survivors. He must've been leaving clues for the Marines!"
Haito thought he was brilliant, convinced this argument was flawless.
Let's see Lucky Drake explain that!
Seeing how desperate Haito was, Lucky Drake calmly smiled.
"Captain, do you really think the Marines would send a spy to infiltrate the Thunder Pirates? Are we worth that trouble?"
"And if I were a spy, why would I stay undercover for two whole years?"
"I simply believe that even pirates shouldn't slaughter the innocent."
Hearing this, Captain Red nodded thoughtfully.
"Hmm… Lucky Drake makes sense."
"But Haito, although you're good at scheming, I don't like how you always insist on killing unarmed people."
"I told you before—those weaklings only need to be scared off."
Haito's jaw dropped.
"Captain… you actually believe him?!"
Red took a deep breath.
"I've been turning a blind eye to your actions because you're a member of the Thunder Pirates. Times are hard, and I didn't want to throw you away."
"But I didn't expect you to turn your blade on a crewmate who has fought beside you. I'm disappointed."
"Haito, when we reach the next island, you'll get off.
From now on, Lucky Drake will be the vice-captain."
"Heh… Captain, you'll regret this!"
Haito sneered coldly. "If it weren't for my schemes and guidance all these years—burning, looting—you'd never have reached a five-million-Berry bounty!"
"Captain, a guy like him doesn't deserve mercy. Why bother dropping him off at an island—"
"Let me just toss him into the sea and let fate decide!"
Lucky Drake had heard enough.
He would not let a treacherous person like Haito walk away unscathed.
He stepped forward, grabbed Haito by the collar, activated a bit of internal energy—
And hurled him straight into the ocean.
Captain Red didn't stop him.
If fate wanted Haito dead, so be it.
Red then said with a stern expression:
"All of you remember this—members of the Thunder Pirates are brothers who live and die together. I won't tolerate crewmates fighting each other!"
"Yes, Captain!"
"All right, go prepare a banquet. We'll celebrate Lucky Drake becoming the new vice-captain."
"Captain, we're on it!"
The two pirates who weren't thrown overboard hurriedly ran off in relief.
"Lucky Drake, stay here. I need to discuss something with you."
Red's expression switched back to his goofy, big-lug smile.
"What is it, Captain?" Lucky Drake asked.
"Well, since Haito is gone, I wanted to ask… do you know how to plan things?"
Red scratched his head awkwardly.
"Hehe, even though I'm the captain, you know I'm big, strong, and not too good at thinking… so what should the Thunder Pirates do next?"
Lucky Drake thought for a moment, then replied:
"Captain, that's simple—we leave the East Blue and enter the Grand Line, becoming real pirates!"
"Okay… but specifically, how?"
"Acquire money, fight battles, grow stronger, and recruit more crewmates."
Red blinked. That sounded so complicated…
"Lucky Drake, how about you handle the planning? I'll fully support you!"
Lucky Drake smiled—this was exactly what he wanted.
"In that case, let's defeat the Alvida Pirates first. We can take their money to fund our operations."
"The Alvida Pirates?"
Lucky Drake nodded.
"Yes. I heard that woman is fat as a pig and often appears near the waters of Windmill Village. We can go check."
"Good! I won't hold back against other pirates."
Three days later—
The Thunder Pirates arrived at the waters near Windmill Village.
Another half a day of sailing, and they would reach the entire Windmill Island.
Windmill Island—Luffy's hometown.
Though Lucky Drake had no idea if Luffy had set out to sea yet.
After all, the East Blue didn't use the Sea Circle Calendar; only the Grand Line followed that timeline.