Eust decided to use the Black Bear Pirates’ ship as material for Lilith’s next evolution, making good use of the spoils of war and planning ahead.
Upon inspection, he found that the pirate ship was indeed suitable for Lilith’s next evolution.
The internal modifications could be done gradually after Lilith completed her ship form evolution.
With only four members currently in the crew—essentially just Eust and Lila—the evolved ship wouldn’t be fully utilized immediately, giving them time to convert it into their ideal living environment.
Eust planned to design the new ship form for eight crew members. Converting a ship that could hold twenty to thirty people to one for eight would ensure a comfortable living space.
If space still felt inadequate, further adjustments could be made for fewer crew members, or Lilith could continue evolving.
Lilith was truly an exceptional choice for a ship, with nearly limitless potential for evolution. Eust valued Lilith greatly.
For the energy required for Lilith’s ship form evolution, Eust had a new idea: trading with the island residents for food to supply Lilith.
Although Eust was known as the fishing king, he currently lacked the ability to hunt near-sea kings, let alone larger, stronger sea kings.
As Lilith’s ship form evolved, it would require more energy. Eust, preferring to avoid excessive effort, could solve this with Berries. After all, any problem solvable with money wasn’t a real problem.
For now, Eust could still provide the necessary energy for Lilith without much trouble.
…
In the evening, Eust and his crew attended the bonfire party hosted by the island residents.
Because Eust agreed to return the stolen goods and accepted their gratitude, the islanders no longer feared him.
In fact, some children even followed Eust, calling out “Pirate Hunter Eust,” which made him very happy.
“Haha, I, Pirate Hunter Eust, am quite a notable figure now.”
Eust’s moment of pride was quickly dampened by Lila’s disdain.
“Eust, stop dreaming. You probably emphasized your title so much that the kids started calling you that. Once we leave this island, who will even remember the name Pirate Hunter Eust?”
“Lila! I previously took down the Blue Wolf Pirates. People must know about that. I, Pirate Hunter Eust, will be famous across the seas.”
“Eust, I believe you’ll be famous someday, but for now, you’ve only captured two bounty pirates. Your name has a long way to go before it becomes well-known.”
“Alright, Lila, don’t discourage me. We were just chasing the Black Bear Pirates. Once we capture more bounty pirates, I’ll become famous in no time.”
“I initially didn’t care much about fame and even found it troublesome. But later, I realized a reputation might attract suitable crew members. By then, we can screen them and find new companions. That’s why I want to make a name for myself as a pirate hunter.”
“Fine, as long as you don’t get too full of yourself.”
“Meow, meow meow!”
“Alright, even Sunny has spoken. I guess I’ll stop being vain.”
…
After attending the bonfire party, Eust and his crew returned to the Lilith ship, bringing a lot of food for Lilith to taste.
Even though Lilith had grown used to being alone, Eust, Lila, and Sunny still felt guilty leaving her behind and always brought food back to her.
For Lilith, food meant energy and was her favorite.
Lilith seemed to enjoy tasting different foods, but when asked if she had taste buds, she said she didn’t. Consuming different foods was more of a psychological pleasure.
This made Eust, who had gradually distanced himself from the kitchen, breathe a sigh of relief. If Lilith also sought gourmet food, with her appetite, they’d need a massive amount of provisions!
Lilith’s energy consumption had two parts: one-time investments, like evolving ship forms and new abilities to modify the ship’s layout, and regular energy consumption for autonomous navigation.
Though one-time investments seemed significant, they were just that—one-time. Over time, regular energy consumption accumulated more.
To catch up with the Black Bear Pirates, they heavily relied on Lilith’s autonomous navigation speed, which also consumed considerable energy.
If Lilith became a “gourmet,” Sunny’s two “personal chefs” would be extremely busy.
Regarding Eust’s plans, he decided to stay on Field Island for two days. Once Lilith completed her new ship form evolution, they’d leave and start a new adventure.
Eust planned the route with Lila, setting the next destination as Loguetown, the starting point of the Grand Line and where Pirate King Roger was executed.
Eust’s goal wasn’t to enter the Grand Line but to see if he could meet Luffy and his crew.
If they couldn’t meet them there, encountering them in the East Blue would be impossible, which would be embarrassing for Eust, who had boasted about being friends with Luffy’s crew to Miss Kaya and Merry.
Eust was confident that if he met Luffy, they could become friends, just as he had with Koby, Shano from the Baratie Sea restaurant, and others. Luffy’s natural charisma made it easy to befriend him.
But if Eust’s crew didn’t meet Luffy’s, they couldn’t become friends.
Eust didn’t know if Luffy’s crew had reached Loguetown yet or if they had already left. He could only hurry to Loguetown and hope for the best.
At least the pirate world Eust lived in was much larger than he had initially imagined, with sea areas several times bigger than in his impression.
With the presence of variables like Eust and Storm Swordmaster Shano, who knew how things would unfold?
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