This was the East Blue!
Ban looked calmly at the arrogant pirate.
Dol, with a bounty of 2.5 million Berries.
As expected, most pirates were overconfident and boastful until they actually faced danger.
2.5 million was nothing, even in the weakest sea.
But what caught Ban’s eye was a green label floating above Dol’s head.
[Elite Pirate]
Is this how the System rates enemies?
Ban scanned the others.
They all had grey labels.
[Grunt], [Scrub], [Criminal]
Was this a fixed rating or relative to his own strength?
While Ban was thinking, his calmness infuriated Dol.
He had been sailing for a year, raiding islands.
Everyone else always trembled in fear before him.
Yet this kid looked bored even with a sword at his throat!
Especially with his men watching, Dol felt his authority was being challenged.
“You insolent brat!
You got some nerve!”
Dol’s face turned sinister.
He gripped the hilt and swung the blade hard, slicing straight across Ban’s neck.
It felt too easy.
Dol was stunned.
Then he looked at Ban, who was now looking back at him.
Where the blade had cut, orange flames burned.
Not a single drop of blood spilled.
When the fire faded, the skin was smooth and healed.
[Current HP: 100%]
Dol stepped back instinctively, looking at Ban in terror.
He wasn’t smart, but he knew one thing for sure: this man was way out of his league.
Ban glanced at him, withdrew his flames, and walked straight toward the pirate ship.
The pirates scattered like frightened birds, making way for him and watching his back in silence.
Gulp.
Dol swallowed hard.
“Captain?”
A subordinate called out softly, snapping Dol out of his fear.
“Damn it!”
Dol was angry and embarrassed.
His hand holding the saber was shaking.
“Get back on the ship!”
He finally shouted after holding it in for a long time.
They were stuck on a deserted island.
If they didn’t leave, they would die once the fire burned out.
Swimming away was impossible.
Their only choice was to follow Ban and face their fate.
Ban knew this too.
He only knew he was in the East Blue.
He needed guides, and these pirates were also walking wallets.
After all, in this world, bounties could be cashed in.
Soon, Ban sat on a wooden crate, facing dozens of nervous pirates.
“Where is the nearest Marine base?”
The pirates looked at each other, then all turned to look at Dol.
Dol cursed inwardly but had no choice.
“Marine Branch 16!”
“Sail there.
Head to Branch 16,” Ban said with a smile.
“We are pirates!”
Dol almost screamed, his eyes popping out.
The other pirates started murmuring in panic.
Snap!
Ban snapped his fingers.
A spark appeared on his fingertip.
In an instant, BOOM!
It expanded into a massive fireball over a meter wide, floating in the air.
The pirates scrambled backward in terror, staring at the deadly orb.
“Sail.”
Ban spoke again.
This time, the pirates scrambled to work immediately.
Nobody wanted to find out what it felt like to be hit by that.
Everyone was busy, even pretending to be busy just to avoid being noticed.
Only when the fireball disappeared did they breathe a sigh of relief.
Dol carefully packed all the treasure collected from the island into bags and presented it to Ban.
When facing overwhelming fear, even fools know how to behave.
“This is the East Blue?” Ban glanced at the gold, not really caring about the value, and asked what he wanted to know.
“Yes, Sir!”
Dol’s arrogance was completely gone.
He looked like he was about to kneel.
“Do you know Goa Kingdom?”
Dol looked confused.
“Do you know Shimotsuki Village?”
Dol was even more lost.
“Do you know Garp?”
Seeing his blank look, Ban asked again.
“Hero of the Marines, Garp?”
Dol hesitated, clearly confused why Ban was asking about such a legendary figure.
Oh, so he knows Garp.
Ban nodded.
At least he wasn’t completely clueless.
“Who is the Fleet Admiral?”
Ban asked again.
Dol looked confused again.
This guy knew a little, but not much.
After questioning for half an hour, Ban still didn’t get a clear timeline.
Dol knew the name Garp, but only as someone untouchable.
He didn’t even know Garp was from the East Blue.
He had no idea what year it was.
Seeing Ban’s calm face, Dol was terrified he would get angry.
He quickly ran and brought back a newspaper.
Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1511.
In the corner was Dol’s own photo and bounty—2.5 million Berries.
That was probably why he kept it.
“Empress of Amazon Lily, Captain of the Kuja Pirates, Boa Hancock.
Bounty: 80,000,000 Berries.
Accepts invitation to become a Shichibukai (Warlord of the Sea).”
Ban read the headline news covering the entire page.
Looking at the slightly younger face of the Pirate Empress, Ban blinked.
“So…
Luffy sets sail around 1520, right?
That means it’s about 8 or 9 years before the story begins?”
He couldn’t remember exactly, but it was roughly correct.
Knowing the time helped him plan.
The Flame-Flame Fruit was his safety net, and the System was his trump card.
But he would never neglect Haki and Swordsmanship.
Since he was in the East Blue, he definitely had to go to Shimotsuki Village.
It was probably the easiest place to learn swordsmanship and find a way to train Haki.