At the same time, inside the conference room of a Marine branch base— “A bounty of 50 million Berries for a rookie pirate?
Isn’t that making a mountain out of a molehill, Smoker?” At the head of the conference table sat a somewhat overweight middle-aged man wearing a white Marine coat.
He spoke leisurely, his tone carrying a hint of skepticism.
As soon as he finished speaking, the other Marine officers present turned their attention toward Smoker.
Taking a deep drag from his cigarette, Smoker replied slowly, “This isn’t an exaggeration.
He’s a major threat—far greater than ordinary pirates.” “When I encountered him at sea, just one of his crew members…
no, one of his officers, was enough to leave us completely powerless.” “In fact, I’m not even confident I could have survived a fight against him.” The middle-aged vice admiral at the head of the table stared at Smoker for a moment.
“Your personal victory or defeat isn’t enough to determine a bounty.” “I know.” Smoker didn’t argue.
The vice admiral let out a soft sigh.
“Sigh…
A rookie pirate with an initial bounty of 50 million Berries.
That’s unprecedented.” “Besides, we’ve never even heard of him causing any major incidents.” Smoker responded, “I hadn’t heard of him before either.” “But I know this much.” “When I met him at sea, he incapacitated everyone aboard an entire warship—including me—with a single breath.” The room fell silent.
The Marine officers exchanged uncertain glances.
Even the vice admiral remained quiet for several moments before speaking again.
“Based on testimony alone, it’s difficult to justify a bounty in the tens of millions.” “And at the level of 50 million Berries, a branch base doesn’t have the authority to issue the bounty.” “It has to be submitted to the World Government.” “For a newcomer to start with a bounty of 50 million, getting approval won’t be easy.” Smoker slowly rose from his seat.
“I know.” “But I believe that once they see what I’ve submitted, they’ll approve it.” “Regardless of the outcome, I’d appreciate it if you forwarded my report exactly as it is.” “I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving now.” The vice admiral pondered briefly before nodding.
“Understood.” “I’ll submit it as written.” “Thank you.” After expressing his gratitude, Smoker turned and left the conference room.
The vice admiral then looked toward the remaining officers.
“Now then, let’s continue…” Meanwhile, on the island where the Pale Emperor Pirates had docked— Throughout the town, the crew members had scattered to enjoy their free time.
Some traveled in groups to taverns for drinks.
Some went shopping for clothes.
Others wandered through snack stalls and food shops.
Everyone behaved themselves.
No one caused any trouble.
The townspeople didn’t even realize they were pirates.
At most, they thought the strangers looked unfamiliar and that the swords at their waists made them seem somewhat intimidating.
Outside a butcher shop selling fresh meat, one low-level crew member stopped in his tracks.
His eyes remained fixed on the fresh cuts of meat displayed before him.
Come to think of it, after drifting across the sea for so long, it had been ages since they had eaten truly fresh meat from land.
Seeing the customer staring at the display, the butcher smiled warmly.
“Looking to buy some meat, young man?” The crew member looked up and returned the smile.
“Yeah.” “How much for all of it?” “I’ll take everything.” The butcher blinked in surprise.
There was quite a bit of meat in the shop.
But with over seventy people aboard the ship, it would probably only last two or three meals.
“You want to buy all of it?” The butcher chuckled.
“Are you serious?” “This is all fresh meat.
Buying out my entire stock would cost close to a million Berries.” The crew member nodded with a grin.
“Completely serious.” If he bought it now, it would make a perfect lunch for everyone aboard.
The Captain and the others would definitely be pleased.
He also made a mental note to buy a few barrels of alcohol afterward.
Thinking this, he pulled out his wallet.
Opening it, he discovered there were only around 150,000 Berries inside.
Not enough.
Still, he wasn’t worried.
Taking out all the money, he handed it over.
“There’s 150,000 Berries here.” “Consider it a deposit.” “I’ll take some of the meat back first, then return with the rest of the money and pay everything at once.” As he spoke, he extended the money toward the butcher.
But at that moment— Bang!
Someone slammed into him from the side.
The impact was unexpectedly strong.
The crew member stumbled backward several steps.
The money slipped from his grasp and scattered across the ground.
Clatter!
Before he could even react, a mocking voice rang out.
“Kid, are you blind or something?” The crew member’s expression immediately darkened.
His left hand slowly rose and rested on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
Turning toward the source of the voice, he spoke coldly.
“…Are you looking to die?” Standing before him was a group of seven men.
At their head was none other than Norco, the mountain bandit leader who ruled the island.
However, none of the bandits seemed bothered by the threatening tone.
Soon, the bandits on both sides stepped aside and opened a path.
Norco slowly walked forward.
Looking down at the crew member from above, his face was filled with contempt and ridicule.
“Heh.” “So this is what pirates are like?” “They’re nothing but a bunch of ugly nobodies.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS AniForge_058 Enjoying the story?
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