At this time, it was not only Asaq who was afraid; the other three were also shivering with fear.
But the source of their fear was something they had all figured out by themselves.
Because they had returned, Kronos wouldn't kill them at all.
After all, the ship still needed people to operate it, and the handymen were needed to do the work.
If they were killed, Kronos would need to find someone else to take their place.
That would undoubtedly be a hassle.
Seeing the four fall into silence, Kronos smiled, puncturing what they wanted to say but didn't dare to.
"Is it because of fear?"
One of the fundamental reasons why they had returned this time, as Kronos said, was fear.
And Kronos didn't intend to force these people into allegiance to him from the beginning.
The loyalty of these people was of no use to Kronos.
So Kronos didn't need to do them any favors at all.
He didn't even need to flatter them.
He just needed to make them fear him enough—fear him to the point where they were too afraid to disobey, too afraid to betray!
That was enough.
Looking at the four still silent, Kronos lost his initial interest.
What was so curious about a group of people who didn't even dare to answer?
Without waiting for the four to reply, Kronos turned and left the ship.
But as Kronos took a step away, on the shore below, Asaq, who was carrying a huge burden, gritted his teeth, suddenly raised his head, and shouted.
"No! I'm not afraid!"
Asaq shouted, but the people on the boat didn't respond. However, the three companions around him were immediately scared out of their wits by his sudden outburst.
Almost at the same time, the three of them looked at Asaq in horror and scolded in a low voice.
"Asaq!!"
"Dammit! Are you crazy?!"
"Do you know who you're yelling at?! You don't want to live anymore? Don't drag us into this!"
However, for the scolding of his three companions, Asaq was completely deaf!
At this moment, his eyes were extraordinarily firm.
On the deck, Kronos, who was about to leave, also stopped.
He slowly turned around, looked at Asaq again, and narrowed his eyes.
"What did you say?"
Seeing Kronos turn around, Asaq took off the burden from his back, looked at Kronos with a firm expression, and said again.
"I didn't come back out of fear!"
"I want to be your crew member!"
"For this, I am willing to be the knife in your hand, willing to do anything for you, follow you for life, and be loyal to you!"
With that, Asaq set his heavy burden aside and knelt directly in front of Kronos.
For this decision, Asaq was absolutely certain that he would never regret it!
When questioned earlier by Kronos, the silent Asaq recalled many things.
He remembered his time as a mediocre crew member in a previous pirate group.
He also remembered his days as a handyman on the Kamui Pirates.
The former had an easy start, but a bleak future.
The latter had a difficult start, but a bright future!
This was evident when they faced off against the hero Garp and Admiral Aokiji alone!
Looking at Asaq, who had knelt before him, Kronos was somewhat surprised.
Then, Kronos looked down at Asaq and said ruthlessly.
"My crew has no weaklings."
"And you are too weak."
Hearing this, Asaq raised his head and said firmly, "I will get stronger!"
At that, Kronos smiled.
He just looked at Asaq and smiled faintly.
"Then we'll talk when you get stronger."
Hearing Kronos' words, Asaq's body froze.
But before he could react, Kronos turned to Jiguo Yuichi and Wujogo.
"Five, fate one!"
"If you have time and are interested, you can give him some guidance!"
With that, Kronos turned and walked back toward the cabin.
Asaq, standing below, raised his head sharply after hearing Kronos' words.
At this moment, his eyes were filled with shock and disbelief!
Originally, he thought the captain wouldn't even give him a chance.
But now, it seemed like that wasn't the case at all!
The captain not only gave him a chance, but he also helped him!
At this moment, Asaq was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.
He nodded several times in the direction Kronos had left.
And beside him, the three companions were already stunned by the unexpected turn of events, their mouths hanging open.
"Ah… Asaq!!"
"Is this real?!"
"You... you became a trainee crew member?!"
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