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Although Noir had rescued many people from Mary Geoise, only a few chose to join his pirate crew.
They had witnessed firsthand the brutal intersection of blood and evil. Now, most simply desired a peaceful life as ordinary people.
Noir wouldn't force them into anything they didn't want. After all, everyone had their own path in life...
After a simple survey, many were quickly eliminated from the pool of potential recruits.
Young children couldn't join. Most of the frail women didn't want to join either. And there were those who longed to return to their families, a task Noir promised to help them with.
In the end, only about five hundred people decided to join.
But that was fine. Noir was content. Strength lay in numbers.
Don't think that strong individuals don't need subordinates. They simply possess enough power, like Mihawk, to operate without assistance in battle.
However, many things become inconvenient. As seen in the original story, Mihawk's domestic skills, from cooking to cleaning, were born out of necessity due to his solitary life.
Shanks and Luffy's crews also followed the elite route, but they still had a sizable number of followers who could prove invaluable in critical moments.
A list of those willing to join was presented to Noir. He glanced over it, getting a general idea of their skills and backgrounds.
As expected, the giant siblings, Nylph and Manlyph, were on the list. Many others had prior experience as pirates; some even had bounties on their heads.
This discovery made Enel envious. Despite his power, he still didn't have a single Beli bounty on his head.
Surprisingly, a few even possessed Devil Fruit powers.
Most were Zoan users, with a handful of Paramecia users whose abilities seemed rather peculiar.
With the crew members mostly decided, Noir moved on to the main topic of the meeting. "So, what do you all think our pirate crew should be called?"
Silence blanketed the room. After a long pause, Conis timidly suggested, "Can't we just call it the Noir Pirates?"
Noir silently agreed. That was the name he had in mind too.
But Enel immediately objected, his voice filled with excitement. "No way! A pirate crew shouldn't be named after a person!"
"I say we call it the Thunder God Pirates!"
Wyper glanced at him impassively. "How about the Blood War Pirates?"
"Too crude," Lucci countered. "I believe the Justice Pirates has a better ring to it."
Enel scoffed. "Calling a pirate crew 'Justice' sounds ridiculous! Mine is better!"
Wyper spat in disgust. "Your name is just glorifying yourself! Stop messing around!"
Enel's eyes lit up. "So you do think I'm the Thunder God?"
Wyper: I think you're insane.
As Enel and the others got into the discussion, the rest of the crew started to voice their own opinions.
Conis, watching the growing excitement, mumbled dejectedly, "I think a simple name would be better..."
Kalifa comforted her. "This is what they call a man's romance. We wouldn't understand."
Nearby, Noir approached Robin, seeking her opinion.
Robin pondered for a moment, her hand stroking her chin, a hint of pride in her voice. "How about the Darkness Devil Pirates?"
Kalifa and Conis stared at her, wide-eyed. "Why did things suddenly get so sinister?!"
Noir's lips twitched, speechless.
After hours of debate, Noir decided to put an end to the discussion. "We'll call it the Underworld Pirates."
"In a way, all of you are survivors who escaped death from the underworld. Let's make the world remember our new names, our rebirth!"
Though the name wasn't particularly catchy, the Captain's word was final. The crew, after some thought, readily accepted it.
And so, thanks to Noir's terrible naming skills, the Underworld Pirates were officially born!
Noir hadn't anticipated his crew's naming abilities would be even worse than his own.
He should have hired Zoro to do it. After all, the swordsman had a knack for coming up with impressive names.
He could just shake his head and spontaneously rap...
Well, not rap, but recite lines of poetry.
Noir then moved on to the third item on the agenda: designing the Underworld Pirates' flag.
This task didn't take long. As mentioned before, the people Noir had rescued were a diverse and talented bunch.
A few skilled seamstresses and artists quickly produced a draft for the crew's approval.
The design featured a stark white skull with sharp angles, its hollow sockets seemingly glowing with a faint red light. The skull was framed by a menacing gate.
The eerie gate, adorned with strange patterns, was wide open, as if beckoning people into the depths of hell.
Noir and the crew were quite pleased with the design.
The more intimidating the pirate flag, the better, as far as these rough and tumble pirates were concerned!
With the flag and crew name settled, Noir, with a grand gesture, sent Wyper and Enel back to Water 7 to order a massive new ship.
The Ark Maxim was only slightly larger than the Thousand Sunny. Fitting five hundred people on board was practically impossible.
And so, Wyper and Enel, those two country bumpkins who had never held so much Beli in their lives, nervously clutched their treasure chests as they set sail back to Water 7.
Though Noir had some reservations about sending those two, he had no better options.
Robin and Conis couldn't go. The new recruits were unfamiliar with Water 7.
Lucci's identity had already been exposed by Iceburg. Returning there would risk further complications. So, sending these two simpletons was the best course of action.
At least their strength compensated for their lack of intelligence.
The first grand meeting concluded. Noir assigned tasks to his crew and then began working on his own secret agenda.
He pulled Blueno aside, whispering, "Come with me."
Lucci, who was nearby, paused. "Do you need my help?"
Noir smiled and shook his head. "No, I just need Blueno to give me a lift."
Goosebumps erupted on Blueno's skin. A chill ran down his spine.
Lucci seemed to understand. "It's the second day. Are you going to execute another Celestial Dragon?"
Noir chuckled and nodded. "Sengoku is searching for me all over the world. We can't even show our faces."
"But! I need to provoke him further. A man is most vulnerable when he's impulsive."
Lucci raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. "What are you planning?"
Noir grinned mischievously. "The most dangerous place is the safest, and the safest place is the most dangerous..."
A plan of reckless audacity was born…
Under a clear, starlit sky, Mary Geoise, still recovering from the chaos Noir had unleashed, buzzed with activity.
Atop a charred and towering spire, the air rippled as a familiar Air Door opened –
A gleeful cry echoed from within:
"Hee hee hee!"
"Yours Truly is back!"
...
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