oes this have anything to do with Lin Yan?
Not at all! However, a significant problem looms before Lin Yan.
And that problem is...
"Am I filming 'Kung Fu Jungle' alone?"
After the new squad was formed, Whitebeard allocated a piece of land to Lin Yan on the islands to serve as a temporary base for the seventeenth squad. However, when Lin Yan arrived, he understood what "temporary base" truly meant.
Looking around, the place was barren and desolate, so much so that even flies wouldn't visit. Sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting shadows on the table, chairs, and cabinets. A thick layer of dust accompanied Lin Yan as he took in the scene. Lin Yan's mouth twitched. Judging by the looks of it, it seemed like he would have to build up his squad from scratch.
He couldn't help but sigh, realizing that being a squad captain wasn't all that glamorous. He spent the entire morning cleaning up the place. Fortunately, for someone like Lin Yan, who possesses the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, cleaning was a breeze.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
With lightning speed, the place was spotless in just ten minutes. If outsiders witnessed this, they would be shocked. Using the Rumble-Rumble Fruit for cleaning? For goodness' sake, who would come up with that idea? It's like using the Ice-Ice Fruit to chill a drink or the Quake-Quake Fruit to open a beer.
After finishing his tasks, Lin Yan chuckled. A one-person squad isn't too much of a hassle, except that it's a bit understaffed. Coincidentally, Lin Yan had received twenty bait. It was time to go fishing.
With that thought, Lin Yan ran to the mountains near the islands. A long fishing rod appeared in his hand. He threw the bait into the sea and started fishing skillfully.
On day one:
[Ding, congratulations, host, you've obtained a delicate blind box. Open it?]
"Open it!"
[Ding, congratulations, host, you've opened a delicate blind box and obtained a month of Kenbunshoku Haki training experience.]
"Kenbunshoku training experience, huh? Not bad!"
Lin Yan nodded and continued fishing.
On day two:
[Ding, congratulations, host, you've obtained a delicate blind box. Open it?]
"Open."
[Ding, congratulations, host, you've opened a delicate blind box and obtained a month of Busoshoku Haki training experience.]
After starting to fish, Lin Yan couldn't stop.
On day three, four... up to day ten:
[Ding, congratulations, host, you've opened a delicate blind box and obtained a month of Devil Fruit training experience.]
[Ding, congratulations, host, you've opened a delicate blind box and obtained a month of physical technique training experience.]
[Ding, congratulations, host, you've opened a delicate blind box and obtained a month of Busoshoku Haki training experience.]
[Ding, congratulations, host, you've opened a delicate blind box and obtained a The Plum in the Golden Vase Volume 2.]
In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed. Lin Yan stretched his waist. As his strength increased, his physique surpassed ordinary people. Even after fishing continuously for ten days, he only felt a bit tired and slightly hungry. Other than that, he felt pretty good.
However, at that moment, Lin Yan's gaze quickly turned toward the delicate blind box.
"Oh, Little Mei Mei is back again?"
Lin Yan had secretly finished reading the first part of The Plum in the Golden Vase (ΩДΩ). He was worrying about a lack of entertainment, but now that the middle part was in his hands, he chuckled. The system really understood him.
He immediately opened the book, scrutinizing Little Mei Mei's lines with a critical eye, humming a little tune, and leisurely flipping through the shocking passages. The more he read, the more he got into it, until suddenly, he felt a cool sensation in his nose. He reached up and found that he was bleeding from his nose.
What the...!!
Is this the allure of the greatest novel? It actually made him injure himself internally. That's ridiculous.
While Lin Yan was fishing in the mountains, over at the Whitebeard Pirates, Whitebeard himself had arrived at the seventeenth squad's base. The seventeenth squad had been established for about ten days, so it was time to check on Lin Yan's progress.
However, when he arrived at Lin Yan's residence, Whitebeard was puzzled. "Where is everyone?"
In the seventeenth squad's base, he saw no one.
"Father, the captain of the seventeenth squad seems to be in the mountains," said a subordinate next to Whitebeard.
"The mountains? What is Lin doing in the mountains?" Whitebeard asked.
"I went there once, and Captain Lin seems to be fishing in the mountains!" The subordinate thought for a moment, nervous and hesitant, but eventually answered truthfully.
"Gurararara!"
"It's just fishing, a personal hobby. Why are you so nervous? It's as if he did something shady."
Whitebeard didn't care much, as having a hobby was normal.
"Father... since the seventeenth squad was established, he has been staying in the mountains and hasn't come down!" The subordinate said with hesitation, not daring to lie to Whitebeard.
As expected.
Upon hearing this statement, Whitebeard's smile quickly faded. "So you're telling me... ever since the creation of the Seventeenth Division, he hasn't managed any internal affairs, nor has he recruited any new crew members?"
His subordinate scratched his head awkwardly and replied, "That's correct."
Whitebeard's face darkened. That guy, Lin, how could he be so lazy? Does he think that being the only member of the division means he doesn't need to manage internal affairs?
"You like fishing, okay! That's your personal hobby, and I won't interfere. But you sit in the back mountains for ten whole days without coming down. There's no such thing as cultivating your mind and character like this!"
Whitebeard felt a blockage in his heart, almost exploding on the spot. But quickly, he took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He needed to stay composed. He decided he needed to influence Lin with love.
"He must be under a lot of pressure as the new division captain," Whitebeard thought. "That's why he chose to vent in this way."
"Grumble!" Lin Yan's stomach growled. After over twenty days of continuous fishing without eating, drinking, or sleeping, he was understandably famished.
"Yes, Dad was right," Marco nodded earnestly. "With your skills and this enviable talent, it would be a shame if it went to waste because of fishing!"
Listening to their heartfelt advice, Lin Yan cleared his ears. Training? What's the point of training? Can training be as enjoyable as fishing? Can training increase your skills as quickly as fishing? These were Lin Yan's internal thoughts, but he still showed a receptive expression and said, "I understand!"
Seeing Lin Yan having an epiphany, Whitebeard nodded with satisfaction. Apart from his love for fishing, there wasn't much to criticize about Lin Yan. "Alright, go tidy up your appearance. People might mistake our Seventeenth Division captain for a beggar! Also, you've been fishing for so long, you should rest for the next couple of days. Furthermore, start establishing the Seventeenth Division soon. If you need start-up funds, come to me for approval!" Whitebeard advised Lin Yan to rest, concerned that such relentless fishing might harm his health.
"Okay!" Lin Yan responded before leaving.
After staying in the mountains for twenty days, his hair had grown quite a bit, and his clothes, exposed to sun and rain, were tattered. He looked truly unkempt. Returning to the Seventeenth Division base, Lin Yan freshened up and ate something to stave off his hunger. At that moment, the system made a sound.
"Ding, dear host, a new task has been released!"
"Task 3: Defeat a top-tier powerhouse in the Grand Line!"
"Reward: 30 baits!"
"Task 4: Invite a top-tier powerhouse to join the Seventeenth Division!"
"Reward: 30 baits!"
"Task 5: Increase the Seventeenth Division's membership to 100 people!"
"Reward: 30 baits!"
"Total: 90 baits!"
Normally, upon receiving a new task, Lin Yan would be excited. However, seeing three tasks piled up at once, he was stunned. Why so many tasks this time? More tasks meant more baits, which was good news. Fortunately, these tasks had no time limit, meaning he could complete them whenever he wanted. However, whether it's defeating a top-tier powerhouse, inviting one to join, or increasing the Seventeenth Division's membership to 100, none of these tasks could be easily or casually completed.
He needed to complete all three tasks in one go!