Sea God Yazu worships the God of Knowledge...

Roseus wasn’t even aware of such a concept.

He knew that the Five Orthodox Gods were supposed to be the all-powerful gods who held together humanity itself, so it made sense for a lesser god to still pay their respects to them.

In fact, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. In order for some religious sea god sects to exist, their sea gods might profess belief in one of the Orthodox Gods. Thus, the prayers and worship that were being directed towards those sea gods could also be feasted upon by those Orthodox Gods.

This would not completely get the navy off their case, as simply living out at sea was a crime itself. However, it was one of the many methods that could be used to achieve a somewhat peaceful life at sea.

It was why the Templars and the Navy had a temporary alliance as well.

Now that he had a better understanding of the situation, Roseus turned back to Admiral Grace as she continued speaking. It was time to seriously consider her words.

He knew that if he sailed out to meet the Templars, they would personally take him there. However, reaching the Templars was difficult in itself. After all, the Redflower bounty was not low.

"As the gates soon close, we will have to wait a month for them to reopen. This gives you time to make sure that your crew meets the requirements to join our fleet."

"Requirements?" Numerous voices echoed in the crowd.

"What requirements, great Admiral?!" many voices called out, desperate to join this fleet.

Admiral Grace smiled before continuing.

"First, you must have a follower of Yazu on board. Of course, if their pact rank exceeds Follower, then that is fine too. As long as your ship has been given her blessing, it is acceptable."

Roseus noted that this requirement was already met. They carried a Priest of Yazu with them.

"Second, your ship must be a brigantine or greater. I will not have our fleet looking weak, with sloops sailing behind us."

"Third, this ship must have at least twenty sailors on board. I am tired of seeing empty ships out at sea. They struggle to hold their own weight."

Roseus physically recoiled after hearing this.

Even if they had Stanislava and Lencho join their crew, the Redflowers still only numbered 13.

We would need seven more crew members before meeting the requirement.

"And finally, the captain of the ship should be at least a Salt Blood. I was thinking of adding a requirement that demanded that every member of the crew possess at least one treasure, but I understand that not everyone wishes to suffer from negative effects."

Again, another requirement that wasn’t met. If Admiral Grace had gone with her final requirement, that would have only added another one.

Before Roseus could think on this, Admiral Grace said her final words.

"We will start sailing two weeks from now. This will give us time to meet up with the Templars, establish a plan, and get to the gate before it opens. Perhaps I will see you then."

...

With that, Admiral Grace and the small part of her crew surrounding her began to make their way through the crowd. Everyone parted for her as she continued towards the nearby town.

Roseus and the Redflowers stood on the beach, huddled close to one another. Most of them looked at Roseus expectantly as he rubbed his chin in thought.

Even if I didn’t wish to join the fleet on their journey, it would be wise for me to work towards meeting those requirements. They’re all beneficial in their own way.

Besides, our next goal should be the Third Ocean anyway. The next destination shown to me by my father’s hat points there. We don’t need to spend much more time here in the Second Ocean.

After this, Roseus explained his thought process to his crew. They would spend some time on this island gaining strength and gathering knowledge.

But first, they needed to question the two new crew members.

...

The Redflowers returned to their tavern and spread themselves out amongst the tables. They drank ale and ate cold cuts of meat as Roseus sat across from both Stanislava and Lencho.

Stanislava, the woman with silver features and a navy dress, looked reserved and slightly frightened, whilst Lencho’s features couldn’t be read due to his mask.

"We’ll start with Lencho, as I’ve already questioned him last night. He showed me his powers, and I can confirm his strengths," Roseus started. "Tell them about your dreams."

Lencho then explained his goals to the crew.

When Zaliah heard that his mother was one of the captains in the Southern Confederation Pirates, she seemed to immediately warm up to the man. She was familiar with them, as well as the man’s mother, Oya.

Lencho’s genuine reaction to this, and the immediate respect he showed to the Priest of Yazu, was enough to win over their opinions of him.

They accepted him as a new member of their crew, taking them to 12 members.

Next was Stanislava. Everyone watched keenly as the Captain addressed her.

"My question to you is simple. What is your honest opinion on the navy and the pirates?"

Stanislava paused for a few moments before answering. She felt the pressure of everyone’s eyes being on her.

She contemplated lying and over-exaggerating her answer to please them, but ultimately decided against it.

Her truth was her truth. Even if it meant risking her safety, she did not plan on changing it for anybody.

"I respect the ambition of pirates. To sail into the unknown is admirable," Stanislava started with a heavy accent. "But at the same time, I hate them. I have watched them kill many of my allies, and also my family."

A few of the Redflowers flinched as they heard the tone of her voice. Kruger’s hand had even gravitated towards his gun.

Then, she spoke again.

"But at the same time, I hate the navy too. I don’t believe we have the right to stop anybody from pursuing their dream. Nobody owns the water but the gods."