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The rhythmic sound of Logan's footsteps made Dole's face flush with an unprecedented panic.
What exactly did this devil intend to do to her?
Logan's gaze lingered on the collar around Dole's neck, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
Who would wear something so bizarre around their neck if they didn't have a certain… preference?
Perfect. Definitely a little masochist.
She'd make a perfect first recipient for the Slave Mark.
He stepped in front of Dole and lifted his right hand. Slowly, a black mark began to form in the air.
Before Dole could even react, it pressed directly onto her forehead.
"Ahhh!"
The Slave Mark seared into her mind, engraving itself deep into her soul.
Dole screamed, her expression shifting wildly. A strange light flickered in her eyes as resistance slowly gave way to calm.
When she opened her eyes again, she stared quietly at Logan. Despite him being a pirate, she found herself strangely incapable of feeling any hatred toward him.
Instead, a sense of wanting to submit under his feet washed over her.
Was this just an illusion?
No, it wasn't.
Under the Slave Mark's influence, Dole truly wanted to obey Logan.
That was the power of the mark—it didn't change anything else about the person, but it ensured unconditional loyalty to its master.
Dole still remembered who she was: a Vice Admiral of the Navy, the highest-ranking officer at the G-14 Naval Branch.
Yet in front of Logan, she genuinely felt a desire to follow him without question.
"Dole!" A calm voice reached her ears.
Her body shivered instinctively.
A shadow of dark light flashed in her eyes, then faded.
"Master…" Dole murmured, gazing at Logan with a dreamy devotion.
The other women froze instantly.
"Master?!"
Wait, what just happened?!
Had she skipped a step somewhere?!
The women quickly snapped out of it and looked at Logan with mixed expressions.
Logan coughed lightly and laughed, "No need to stare. That's also one of my abilities."
Their expressions grew even more bewildered. Had he used it on them too?!
"Dole, from now on, don't call me 'Master.' Just call me 'Captain.' From now on, you're officially a combat member of the Logan Pirates," he said quickly, steering the conversation away before anyone could ask too many questions.
With the crew gradually expanding, roles aboard the Logan Pirates had started to take shape.
There were fourteen members in total: Koya, Nami, Nochigou, Machino, Karumen, Dasqi, Weiwei, Robin, Valentine, Golden Week, Sara, Laqi, Cornice, and Dole.
Chef: Karumen, Nochigou
Doctor: Koya
Brewer: Machino, Weiwei
Baristas: Valentine, Golden Week, Sara, Laqi, Cornice
Fighters: Nami, Dasqi, Robin, Dole
Fourteen girls, but only four fighters. Not exactly a promising ratio.
But Logan had no choice. Most powerful beauties were already serving in the crews of the Four Emperors, the Navy, or the Shichibukai.
And most of those strongholds were in the New World.
Of course, even the non-fighters weren't powerless; Logan just focused on training the combat squad first.
Everyone on the ship had awakened Observation and Armament Haki. Nami and Robin had even awakened Conqueror's Haki.
With the help of the Three Haki Training Manual, everyone could reach the level of a Navy Admiral given enough time.
Logan paid extra attention to Nami, Robin, and Dasqi, training them daily and improving their physiques.
The others, like Weiwei, focused on brewing and daily chores, so their combat development was slower.
"I understand, Captain," Dole said, her gaze filled with admiration.
"Logan, you're amazing!" Koya immediately gave him a thumbs-up.
The once rebellious little wildcat had transformed into an obedient little house cat in an instant.
The other women followed suit, their admiration for Logan palpable.
"What does all this mean?!" Dole frowned, confused. She sensed something off in the way the others looked at her.
The girls suppressed their laughter and shook their heads.
Logan ignored their teasing. After so much time together, he was used to it.
"Dole, since you're new, spend some time getting to know them. I've got other things to attend to."
"Don't worry, Captain. I'll get along with everyone," Dole reassured him with a confident look. As a former Navy officer, she excelled at handling people. With other women, the conversation came even easier.
"Oh, and…" Logan suddenly turned to the group, "make sure no one skips breakfast tomorrow. I have a little gift for everyone."
Without waiting for a response, he left the hall.
After Logan exited, all eyes turned to Dole.
"Hey! What are you all staring at?!" Dole fidgeted under their intense gazes.
The girls exchanged glances, each sporting a mischievous smile.
Meanwhile, in a luxurious suite:
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully tamed crew member Dole. Claim reward?]
"Claim it!" Logan answered without hesitation.
The Slave Mark worked perfectly. Once imprinted, submission was automatic.
For staunch Navy supporters like Dole, Peacock, and Hibari, this was the only way to secure compliance.
Otherwise, he'd have no choice but to either kill them or let them go—and neither was an option.
As for giving up the system reward? Out of the question. Any story heroine must be claimed.
Marking their minds was the gentlest approach, leaving them loyal without changing anything else.
[Reward unlocked: Weapon – Demon Blade 'Thousand Blades'.][System has optimized, removing all negative side effects.]
Hmm?
Assassin Wu Liuqi?
The familiar name immediately reminded Logan of the weapon's origin.
The Thousand Blades was a national treasure forged in the Divine Smith Kingdom, the personal blade of Q, the top shadow assassin of the Xuanwu Kingdom. Composed of thousands of fragments, it could shift into multiple forms to attack enemies.
A truly lethal weapon.
The system even removed the usual side effect, which normally drained the user's energy.
In the pirate world, there was no "energy" as such, but Logan appreciated the thoughtfulness.
Previously, Logan had gifted the Kazamasa blade to Dasqi, so he needed a personal blade now.
The Thousand Blades was perfect: versatile for offense and defense, rivaling any supreme pirate sword.
After inspecting it carefully, Logan stored it in the system's warehouse.
It looked ordinary, but in battle, its true power would be revealed.
With the Demon Blade secured, Logan sank his consciousness back into his mind.
His emotions stirred again. If not for taming Dole, he would have immediately explored the system warehouse.
The warehouse contained endless treasures: the Merry and the Ark Testament rested quietly to one side.
On long tables were Observation, Armament, and Conqueror Haki fruits, manuals for all three types of Haki, and manuals for the Navy's Six Techniques.
The floor glittered with golden pillars, massive golden clocks, and piles of gold illuminating the dim space.
Nearby stood a massive glowing lantern, brighter than the gold around it.
Pure gold.
Inside were bars of the highest-purity gold, a treasure rumored to grant eternal youth and longevity—the greatest treasure of the pirate world.
Even the World Government would scramble for this kind of treasure!
A cascade of extravagant labels flashed through Logan's mind. He couldn't hide the excitement curling at the corners of his mouth.
Devil Fruits, supreme swords, ancient weapons, Pirate King—none of that mattered. True immortality, never aging, never dying—that was the ultimate prize.
With pure gold, he could live a carefree life with all the girls he wanted.
He could sail every corner of the seas at his leisure.
Wake up each morning to the smile of a different beauty.
Pure bliss.
Of course, if he ever got tired of it all, he could just… age normally.
Forward, backward—he'd have every choice at his fingertips.
Logan withdrew his thoughts from his mind and pulled out a small amount of pure gold, dividing it into fifteen tiny portions, each just the right size to fit into a ring.
After finishing, he stretched out on the spacious bed, hands behind his head, letting his thoughts drift.
After the trip to Sky Island, he'd planned to head to the City of Seven Waters to collect Kalifa.
As for the gold and Dole—it was completely unexpected.
Now that he had them both, it was time to meet his future personal secretary.
The next day.
After clearing the table, the girls gathered together, eyes sparkling with excitement, waiting to see what Logan would reveal this time.
Last time it was rings—so what could it be now?
A wedding dress?!
Logan just smiled. They were overthinking it.
Worth noting: last night, Dole had spent the evening chatting with the other girls and was slowly fitting in.
Though she only obeyed Logan, all the women on the ship were technically his.
By association, she even found herself warming up to the others.
With all the girls' expectant eyes on him, Logan pulled out the pure gold he had prepared.
Small, but dazzling.
"Is this the thing that was glowing yesterday?!" Robin reached out with delicate fingers and picked up the tiny golden bean, instantly recognizing it.
Its color and shine far surpassed normal gold.
She still couldn't tell exactly what it was, though.
"Logan, can't you be more generous?!" Nami pouted, unimpressed by the tiny size. "No matter how valuable, it's useless if it's this small."
She remembered there had been so much of it yesterday.
"Enough complaining. Put this into your rings and carry it with you at all times," Logan said, shooting Nami a sharp look before addressing all the girls.
Seeing the serious tone, no one dared to argue. They opened their rings and placed the gold inside.
Perfect fit.
Logan nodded in satisfaction.
He had no intention of telling the girls about the gold.
This was serious business—better that fewer people knew.
If word ever got out, the trouble it could bring would be unimaginable.
Better to fear desire than theft.
Otherwise, the whole world would be after him.
He had no interest in a life where everywhere he went, everyone was an enemy.
"Captain, how many beauties are waiting for us in the City of Seven Waters?!" Machino asked casually.
The others reacted with calm indifference. Only Dole, the newest recruit, looked utterly confused.
"Dole, our captain… wherever he goes, he's bound to bring back a beauty," Sara said, draping an arm over Dole's shoulder to explain.
Heat rose instantly to Dole's pale neck, coloring her face like an apple.
She'd been 'taken' by Logan herself just yesterday.
Through talking with the others, she had learned the Pirate Crew's tradition: every new city, a new beauty.
Since there hadn't been one yesterday… it looked like Logan's plan for the next few days was clear.
"There's only one beauty," Logan said honestly. "Aside from her, Casey and Oimo are on Judicial Island near the City of Seven Waters. I need to take them back to Little Garden."
He hadn't forgotten his promise to Broki and Dory.
Going to the City of Seven Waters was the perfect opportunity to return them.
No need to act naïve in front of the World Government.
"I heard the City of Seven Waters is the best place for shipbuilding. Finally, we get to see it for ourselves," Kaya said, eyes shining with excitement at the thought of a new place.
For her, every journey was an adventure.
"I wonder if they have any special local items. I want to explore and find some cool stuff to bring back."
"I need a couple of new dresses too."
"Notchao, we'll go shopping together."
"Perfect!"
"…."
Kaya started it, and the rest of the girls immediately joined in, chattering nonstop about shopping.
Clothes, jewelry, hairpins, sandals… Logan's head was buzzing.
Was this all women had in common?!
Good thing he wasn't short on money—or he couldn't possibly satisfy this crew's shopping desires.
Five days later, the Logan Pirate Crew finally reached the City of Seven Waters.
Life on board had returned to normal in the meantime: meals, training, and… intimate fun.
Naturally, Dole had been secured along the way.
Although Dole had limited screentime in the original story, she was undeniably a beauty—her looks ranking high even among Logan's harem.
New addition +1!
Add in the slave mark, and Dole was completely at Logan's beck and call.
One word: satisfying.
Since the girls planned to fully explore the city, Logan, wanting to avoid trouble, took a nearby pirate ship for use.
Their flying ship was too large and conspicuous.
The Ark of Proverb was perfectly sized but equally flashy, enough to blind someone.
The Merry was too small and crowded.
So, he commandeered a mid-sized pirate ship docked nearby.
The girls split into groups, wandering through the famous city.
They agreed to meet back after finishing their shopping.
Books for some, clothes for others, ingredients for a few…
Eventually, only Logan, Dasky, and Dole remained on the dock.
"You're not buying anything?!" Logan asked the two.
Dasky shook her head—she only cared about training and fine swords. Other stuff didn't matter.
Dole shook her head too. Her focus was solely on Logan.
And honestly, she didn't need anything else.
"Then let's go find Kalifa," Logan said, no further questions. Signaling with his eyes, the two girls linked arms with him.
After asking a few locals for directions, Logan led them toward the Carrera Company.
By the story, Kalifa was currently undercover as a secretary for Iceberg.
The City of Seven Waters, famous for shipbuilding and repairs, had countless ships coming and going each day.
Carrera, being the island's major company, was even busier.
"....."