Badak nodded, stepping forward to pat Daz Bones on the shoulder before tossing him a Blood-Donating Dandelion. "From now on, I'll just call you Bones. Press this dandelion on your wound, and it'll heal immediately."
"Yes, boss. Isn't using such divine medicine on a minor wound too wasteful? Just bandaging it would heal in a few days."
Daz Bones hesitated to use the precious dandelion.
"Don't worry about saving them. I've got plenty," Badak said, pulling out a handful of dandelions and handing them over.
"See? Lots. Take these too. Our companions make these dandelions themselves.
When you run out, just tell me, and I'll give you more."
"This..." Daz Bones was stunned.
He could clearly see that even after Badak took out a handful, his bag remained just as full, barely deflated at all.
This wasn't just "plenty"—this was an absurd abundance. And with the source in their companions' hands, the dandelions were practically endless, completely inexhaustible.
"Yes, boss."
Pressing the dandelion to his wound, Daz Bones watched as it healed at a visible rate.
He felt deeply that joining this crew was the right decision! Even if they tried to kick him out later, he wouldn't leave.
With such miraculous medicine, as long as he didn't die, even the gravest injuries could be healed.
He could grow stronger at an unprecedented pace, and soon, legends of him would spread across the seas.
"Alright, it's getting late today.
We'll set off tomorrow and introduce you to the others," Badak said, gazing at the distant sunset.
"Boss, what are the others like? Are they all strong?"
Daz Bones grew curious about the crew Badak had gathered.
After a moment of consideration, Badak replied, "They're still a bit green now, but each is a top talent in their own field.
In terms of pure combat strength, you're at the top of the crew, but if you're not careful, they can still trip you up. And fighting isn't their main role."
"I understand, boss."
The next day, Badak brought Daz Bones to the harbor and boarded the Handsome Monkey King.
"I came out alone this time, so I didn't bring the big ship.
I'll show you the White Dragon Horse later," Badak explained, noticing Daz Bones' curiosity.
"Boss, I didn't mean anything by it. I just thought a small boat like this would struggle on the open sea.
And we don't seem to have much supplies?" Daz Bones glanced around—there really wasn't much food, barely enough for a few days.
"Let me show you another trick!"
Badak spat out the Somersault Cloud, which enveloped the boat and swiftly carried them out of the harbor.
"Boss... you're a Devil Fruit user too?"
Daz Bones had thought he couldn't be shocked anymore, yet Badak had only revealed a fraction of his abilities.
He wondered what else Badak was hiding—and how much strength he'd actually used in their fight.
"Zoan-type Mythical. No big deal. Hold on tight—we're taking off."
Badak was just taking advantage of Bonis not knowing what a humblebrag was, otherwise he would have definitely earned himself a pair of eye rolls.
As the Handsome Monkey King lifted off from the sea and soared into the sky, Bonis no longer had the leisure to respond to Badak.
He simply stared down at the ocean below and exclaimed excitedly, "Boss, this is my first time seeing the sea from such a height! It's so beautiful!"
Badak merely smiled, thinking to himself that the novelty would wear off soon enough. But he kept that thought to himself—it was better not to ruin someone else's excitement.
...
Two days later, at the familiar harbor, Badak docked the Handsome Monkey King onto the larger ship, the White Dragon Horse, and began introducing Bonis to the vessel.
The ship was no longer in its original state.
Everyone had their own preferences, and they had made requests accordingly. Badak had hired shipwrights to carry out the modifications.
Now, aside from its basic functions, the ship boasted a fully equipped gym that everyone could use, a nursery for cultivating plants, a small playground—Leo and Mansherry's favorite spot—a spacious library, which Robin had specifically requested to be as large as possible, and a grand room decorated in Gothic style.
Perona had even wanted to remodel the entire ship in that aesthetic but was promptly vetoed by the others.
Before long, Robin and the others arrived upon hearing the news. Badak introduced them to Bonis.
Robin and the rest were all very friendly, and Bonis, aware of their extraordinary skills, didn't act arrogantly. He began to integrate into the group.
Badak nodded in satisfaction. "Since everyone's here today, I just remembered something—our team still doesn't have an official name.
Why don't we brainstorm and come up with a cool team name? What do you think—"
"Great idea! I think we should call it the Divine Needle Expedition!" Leo brandished his long needle and blurted out, cutting off Badak's suggestion of "How about the Tang Dynasty from the East?"
"No way! I think it should be the Ghost Brigade."
"How about the Dandelion Organization?"
"Why not the Omniscient Adventure Crew?"
"Steel... uh, Six Blades. Steel Six Blades." Bonis counted the number of people before confirming his suggestion.
"I can see everyone has strong opinions.
Let's draw lots." Badak took out the pouch of dandelions from his waist and placed it in front of everyone.
"I've used quite a few of these, so I'm not sure how many are left. Each of you take one—whoever picks the last one gets to name the team. I'll go first!"
"My turn."
Leo stepped forward and took one.
The others followed in the order they had spoken, plucking dandelions one by one until the result was clear.
"Awesome, I got the last one!" Mansherry jumped for joy, cheering.
"Aw, no Divine Needle Expedition then?"
"Tch, it's the Dandelion Organization? Well, it's not bad. Anything's better than Six Blades."
Perona was disappointed that Ghost Brigade wasn't chosen but relieved that at least Dandelion Organization sounded much better than Steel Six Blades.
Bonis didn't mind Perona's teasing and actually thought Dandelion Organization was quite fitting.
"Ah, what a shame we couldn't go with Omniscient Adventure Crew.
Badak, what name did you come up with?"Robin was really hitting a sore spot.
Although Badak found it odd that someone from the West Sea would choose the name "Eastern Tang Dynasty," he still felt it was a pity when the name was ultimately rejected.
Shaking his head, he said, "It doesn't matter anymore. From now on, we'll be called the Dandelion Organization.
We can also prepare our flag—a white dandelion on a blue background."
"Understood. I'll arrange for someone to handle it shortly."
"Good. Robin, how are things with the Night Wolf Gang? Has there been any outcome in the battle between the Fang Gang and the Flying Daggers Society? Any movements from the Capone Family?"
"Speaking of which, I do have something to report.
We all misjudged Capone Bege. This man is far more troublesome than we imagined.
The commotion he's been causing has nothing to do with territory expansion—he's been mobilizing members from various mafia families with the ultimate goal of executing decapitation tactics.
He wants to eliminate the heads of the other four mafia families directly."
"Oh, what a troublemaker. Isn't he afraid of things going south?"
Badak also recalled that this guy took pleasure in decapitating rival leaders, caring little about territory itself.