People naturally became excited by things they had never done before.
Kael had never robbed anyone in his life.
If he claimed he was not excited about his first attempt, he would undoubtedly be lying.
The three boys followed the pirates with barely concealed enthusiasm.
The pirates had no idea they were being tracked.
They laughed and chatted loudly along the way without showing the slightest caution.
“Why didn’t the captain attack this town?” a lecherous-looking middle-aged man asked, smacking his lips.
“I saw plenty of beautiful women here.”
“Do you even know where we are?”
A burly man looked at him with contempt.
“This is Shells Town.
The Marines have a base here.
If we attack the town, we’ll have to fight the local garrison head-on, and our losses would be enormous.”
“If we’re going to raid somewhere, we should target villages without Marines.
The people there are stupid, easy to kill, and attacking them carries much less risk.”
“How can village women compare to women from a town?”
The lecherous man scoffed.
“The captain is too cowardly.
Aren’t pirates supposed to do whatever they want?”
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, another pirate immediately intervened.
“Both of you, shut up.
If the captain hears you, he’ll kill you himself.”
The two men instantly fell silent.
Their captain was the infamous pirate “Iron Anchor” Gray, who carried a bounty of five million Berries.
He was a terrifying monster capable of deforming iron with a single punch.
If they angered him, he might tear them apart.
After leaving the harbor, the pirates reached the beach.
Kael had originally assumed that their ship was docked at the harbor.
It appeared he had been mistaken.
If his guess was correct, they had hidden the vessel several kilometers away from the port.
Kael signaled to Gon and Killua with his eyes.
The two immediately understood.
The three vanished from where they stood and circled around to the pirates’ front.
Following the direction the group had been traveling, they discovered a ship beneath a rocky cliff roughly a kilometer away.
It was a small seagoing vessel.
Even so, it could comfortably accommodate more than twenty people.
Kael looked at Gon and Killua.
“If I’m right, their captain is still aboard.”
“A captain capable of terrifying his own subordinates probably possesses at least some strength.” Get faster updates on g.com.
“Some strength?”
Killua pulled up the sleeve of his right arm with his left hand.
“Then I’ll take care of him.”
He was about to sneak onto the ship when Gon stopped him.
“Killua, can you let me fight him?”
“Stop arguing.”
Kael looked at them helplessly.
“The captain may have some ability, but probably not much.
Based on what we’ve heard, his bounty should be somewhere between five and ten million Berries.”
“Kael, are bounties divided into different levels?”
Killua asked curiously.
“Like a certain range representing a particular tier?”
Kael nodded.
“That’s right.”
“Pirates with bounties below ten million Berries are generally small-time criminals, rookies, or people who have committed relatively minor offenses.”
“Those between ten million and one hundred million Berries possess a certain degree of strength and influence.
They may be minor leaders in a particular region or possess unusual abilities.”
“Pirates with bounties ranging from one hundred million to one billion Berries are generally famous and powerful.
They might be important members of a major pirate crew or dominant figures in their own territory.”
“Those between one and three billion Berries are already among the world’s foremost fighters.
They are usually core officers serving under the Four Emperors or exceptionally powerful pirates in their own right.”
“As for pirates worth more than three billion Berries, only a handful exist.”
“They stand at the very summit of piracy in this world, including the known Four Emperors.”
After hearing Kael’s explanation, Killua looked toward the pirate ship again.
In other words, the person aboard was merely a rookie who had committed a few crimes and had not even reached the ten-million-Berry tier.
Killua, who had initially been full of anticipation, immediately lost interest.
Gon looked disappointed as well.
Seeing their expressions, Kael smiled.
“This is the East Blue, the weakest of the Four Blues.
There are only a few pirates here who possess any real strength.”
“I was looking forward to this.”
Killua sighed, then suddenly thought of something.
“Kael, what bounty level would our current strength correspond to?”
Kael considered the question carefully.
After analyzing their abilities, he gave what he believed was a fairly reasonable answer.
“Our current strength has just entered the third tier.”
“The third tier?”
Killua appeared surprised.
“You mean we’re strong enough to be worth one hundred million Berries?”
“This is only a rough estimate.
It isn’t especially accurate.”
“Bounties aren’t determined solely by combat strength.
Some people receive higher bounties because they’re exceptionally brutal or pose a greater threat.”
While they were speaking, the pirates finally arrived.
When they noticed the three boys, malicious smiles appeared across their faces.
“These three brats look soft and delicate.”
The lecherous middle-aged pirate licked his lips excitedly.
“We might be able to sell them for a good price.”
The other pirates turned toward the boys and began laughing wickedly.
Seeing their expressions, Killua’s lips curved upward.
“I’ll take care of these guys.
Gon, you deal with the one inside the ship.”
Gon nodded.
Without hesitation, he leapt from the cliff.
The lecherous pirate had never expected Gon to be so reckless.
A pained expression appeared on his face as he hurried to the edge and looked down.
Only after seeing Gon land safely on the ship did he release a breath of relief.
He turned back toward Killua with a sinister grin.
Then he froze.
All dozen or so of his companions were already lying unconscious on the ground.
Killua stood among them, staring at him with a mischievous smile.
The man looked at his fallen companions.
Then he looked at Killua.
He repeated the motion five or six times.
No matter how strongly he refused to believe what he was seeing, his companions continued lying motionless on the ground.
As the boy slowly walked toward him, the pirate collapsed onto his backside.
He suddenly remembered their captain, who carried a bounty of five million Berries.
He hurriedly turned around, intending to call for Gray to save him.
What he saw instead filled him with terror.
The boy who had jumped onto the ship was already dragging their captain outside like a dead dog.
Despair immediately stole the pirate’s breath.
Before he could turn back around, he sensed that the other boy was already standing beside him.
He tried to move his head.
Something struck him before he could see what it was.
His eyes rolled backward, and he fainted in terror.
(End of Chapter)