The Great Voyage: The Props Master on the Straw Hat Ship

The Sake-Sake Fruit? I certainly don't want to become that giant sake barrel!

As for Bondi Wald's Momo Fruit, so many people already have it, it's pointless, and besides, he doesn't want to make his sword bigger...

"Take your time choosing over there."

Link saw Shiryu frowning in thought and couldn't help but chuckle.

"There's no rush. If you don't find the right person here, you can choose carefully on the next battlefield."

Having said that, he ignored the thoughtful "753" and looked at the elderly but still elegant Ryder.

“Every crew member, even those pirates who join the crew, still receives a welcoming ceremony.”

He looked at Ryder's wrinkled face and said, "Shiliu's welcoming gift was a suitable ability, so Ryder, what about you..."

"Hehehe, I don't need that kind of thing~"

Although he was laughing, everyone could hear the formulaic and distant quality in Ryder's laughter.

The only person he cared about was Brooke; given his reclusive personality, which he couldn't change in a short time, he didn't want to have any contact with anyone else.

Don't rush to refuse!

Link smiled. "What I'm giving you is exactly what you need right now."

Seeing Ryder's dismissive attitude, Link took out a gourd and chuckled:

"It's your past years and youth!"

Ryder's formulaic smile froze on his face.

~~~~~~~~~

Besides being reclusive, Ryder also had a deep-seated worry in his heart.

That is, one's own aging body.

He loathed his current state and his aging body.

With an aristocratic air and the belief that "elegance never goes out of style," Ryder firmly believes that his current appearance is simply hideous.

Therefore, after escaping from prison, he went to Sleeping Town by researching various historical records, where he found what he was looking for.

The Mythical Zoan type of the Bat-Bat Fruit: Vampire Mode!

It is possible to restore oneself to a youthful state by consuming the blood of others!

It could be said that Ryder's aged appearance and decaying body were a major worry for him.

Therefore, he did not refuse after Link presented him with something that could solve his problems due to old age.

This was the first time Ryder, who had always been aloof, had accepted a gift from someone.

"Is it true that drinking just one cup of this magical spring water can restore a year's worth of youth and vitality?"

Ryder looked at the gourd in his hand and, without any hesitation, poured all the blue spring water inside into his mouth.

Having already witnessed the wonders of Link's gadgets, Ryder had no doubt whatsoever about the gadgets Link produced.

Most importantly, the feeling he got from his Observation Haki was that these springs were not only harmless to him, but actually very beneficial!

Then there's nothing to say.

Confident in his Observation Haki, Ryder drank the entire gourd of [Fountain of Age].

Then~~

"It actually recovered?!?"

The immediate effect left Ryder looking at his hands, which had lost some of their age spots, with disbelief in his eyes.

"It has recovered almost ten years of life..."

Feeling the reactions within his body and the power gradually gathering, a hint of excitement flashed in Ryder's eyes.

"And I don't feel any side effects at all!!"

He no longer has to worry about his age!

"This is just the weight of ten years..."

Link laughed and said, "In the future, there may be more of these fountains that restore the passage of time."

"Who knows, maybe one day in the future, it will be able to completely restore you to your youthful state~"

He joked there.

Ryder: "..."

"Then I'll look forward to that day, hehehehe!!!"

He gave Link a deep look, but said nothing more.

Link definitely has a lot more of this magical Water of Time in his possession.

Ryder could also sense this.

Link, however, only granted him the ability to regain ten years of his youth.

Although it did help him regain his youth, the amount was carefully controlled.

The boarding ceremony marks ten years of memories.

The meaning of this "props master" vice-captain couldn't be clearer.

Give yourself a little treat first, let yourself savor the taste of regaining your youth.

Then, once you've taken the bait, if you want more of this magical water of time...

Either work for the Straw Hat Pirates, or achieve some merit and accomplishments.

In short, I will never again give myself this magical water of time so easily.

"It seems this first mate is surprisingly more cunning than his companions..."

Ryder glanced lightly at Luffy and the other Straw Hat Pirates members once more.

"This pairing reminds me of the Roger Pirates, Roger and Rayleigh~"

He chuckled to himself.

Undeniably, Ryder believed Link had used some underhanded tactics.

However... he didn't feel disgusted; in fact, he even felt a bit of enjoyment in it.

Having a reasonable person around is not necessarily a bad thing, as it allows him to slowly study and get to know the Straw Hat Pirates and the "toolmaker" vice-captain.

"Let's go!!"

After the two announced their joining, Shiryu and Ryder both received the answers and things they wanted.

Luffy himself didn't seem to have much of a reaction.

Things like "brother's wine," "boarding ceremony," and becoming a subordinate.

In his mind, this simply meant that they were helping to rescue Ace.

He didn't care at all what would happen next.

Luffy immediately clenched his fists, intending to call everyone to leave.

"Wait a minute~"

Just then, another call to stop was heard.

"Who is this?!"

The building tension was interrupted once again, and even Luffy couldn't help but roll his eyes and complain, "Is this ever going to end?!"

He looked in the direction of the sound and was momentarily stunned.

Not only him, but also his partners and crew members had the exact same expression as him.

Among these people, Robin showed a slight look of surprise.

"boss?!"

She said it instinctively, then shook her head...

No, or rather, it was her previous boss.

"Huh? It's rare that Straw Hat Boy and Nico Robin still remember me..."

The man stroking the golden hook slowly emerged from the darkness.

"That person is..."

Sabo sharpened his gaze. "The one who instigated the rebellion in Alabasta was the previous Shichibukai!!"

"【Crocodile】, Crocodile!!"

Even inside the prison cell, one could still feel the aura of a powerful and ruthless figure emanating from him.

"What?! It's this guy?!"

With just one glance, Luffy recognized the sand crocodile and immediately pouted, showing no sign of liking it:

"That bastard caused great harm to Vivi's country!!"

"What do you want to do again?"

He said irritably.

"It's nothing, it's just a matter of the winner taking all, there's not much to say."

Crocodile's face still bore that gloomy smile. "How about we make a deal too?"

"Let me out, and I'll go rescue Fire Fist Ace for you..."

"I don't want to!!"

Having heard this sentence at least three or four times, Luffy immediately bristled and refused.

Why should I accept help from someone like you?!

He raised his eyebrows there.

"So, this deal is off?!"

Crocodile, on the other hand, calmly glanced at him before turning his gaze to Link, who was standing behind Luffy.

His eyes gradually darkened.

"I never really hoped you would release me, but there's something I just have to say!"

Crocodile first stared at Link, then looked at Robin.

"The historical texts within that underground palace certainly don't contain what you two are saying, do they?!"

After being tricked by Link and imprisoned in this underground prison, Crocodile, instead of calming down, reflected on his mistakes and came to this conclusion.

"Ah, that's true~"

Link readily admitted it, and then, under Crocodile's increasingly cold and knowing 1.6-inch face, calmly said:

"It does indeed contain information about the ancient weapon [Pluto], but so what?!"

He said softly, "Eight hundred years of storage and unused use, even if the facilities are still functional, they are ultimately beyond repair. Who knows if they still possess their original power?"

"Moreover, powerful figures like Whitebeard and Shiki can easily destroy an island!!"

"If one relies on external means to reach that level, then one will ultimately fall short of those people, let alone reach the summit of this ocean."

"Anyway, all I know is that the Pirate King Roger didn't rely on any of the so-called Ancient Weapons; he conquered the seas entirely through his own strength."

After saying that, Link looked away from Crocodile, leaving half of the latter's face in darkness, lost in thought.

"Crocodile..."

After glancing at him, Ivankov whispered something to Link.

“I do have something on him, and we can borrow his power.”

There's no need for that.

Link smiled and shook his head at him.

~~~~~~~~~