Over the next few months, Yuri finally learned just how tempting a bounty of one hundred and thirty million Berries could be to pirate hunters, and just how insane it could make them.
During those few months alone, he had already been attacked by pirate hunters more than a hundred times.
Ambushes, assassinations, poison…
They truly used every method imaginable.
Those pirate hunters were as vicious as they were unscrupulous, willing to stoop as low as necessary to claim his bounty.
If Yuri hadn’t possessed Observation Haki, even with his strength, he might have already fallen victim to them.
And even if Yuri himself remained unharmed, Robin beside him would probably have died countless times at the hands of those pirate hunters.
After all, an ordinary person couldn’t possibly remain vigilant against everything around them at all times.
Those pirate hunters truly stopped at nothing.
Sometimes, an innocent-looking child standing nearby could turn out to be a pirate hunter or assassin coveting your bounty in the very next moment.
Ironically, Yuri and Robin actually felt safer while out at sea, where they didn’t have to constantly guard against assassins appearing out of nowhere.
Unfortunately, their ship was too small, forcing them to frequently go ashore to replenish supplies.
Every time Yuri went ashore for supplies, large groups of pirate hunters would emerge to attack him, irritating him to no end.
These days, Yuri didn’t even dare bring Robin ashore when restocking.
Those bounty hunters were simply too crazy, and their methods were far too underhanded.
One careless mistake could easily land them in a trap.
Yuri could handle them alone, but protecting Robin at the same time would greatly increase the difficulty.
During the last bounty hunter ambush, Robin had nearly been injured.
That day, they passed by another small island.
Since the supplies aboard their ship had run out, Yuri had no choice but to go ashore and purchase more.
“Looks like I really need to find more crewmates and get a bigger ship.”
Yuri slowly walked down the street, wearing what looked like a black Marine-style overcoat draped across his shoulders as he pondered the problem.
A small ship was simply too inconvenient.
Every few days, they had to go ashore and replenish supplies.
Not only was that troublesome in itself, but those bounty hunters were even more annoying.
More importantly, every trip ashore exposed his whereabouts.
During this period, Akainu had already intercepted him several times at sea, all because his location had been leaked while he was ashore buying supplies.
That forced Yuri to seriously consider whether he should recruit more crewmates, expand his pirate crew, and obtain a larger ship.
It wasn’t that Yuri didn’t want to recruit anyone, nor was it that he couldn’t find people willing to join him.
With his current bounty, all he had to do was spread the word and countless people would immediately come seeking to join his crew.
However, people like that wouldn’t have much loyalty.
More importantly, he still hadn’t met anyone who truly caught his eye.
Yuri didn’t want to recruit people casually.
Not just anyone was qualified to join his pirate crew.
But with the problems of obtaining supplies and operating the ship becoming increasingly troublesome, Yuri couldn’t help wondering whether he should lower his standards a little.
“Hm?
Again?
How annoying.”
After purchasing some supplies, Yuri suddenly noticed that there were fewer people around him.
At the same time, a murderous atmosphere began closing in from every direction.
Yuri swept his gaze around and immediately understood.
The pirate hunters had come for him again.
By now, Yuri was already used to it.
He paid them no attention and continued carrying his supplies toward the harbor.
“Kill him!”
Just as Yuri passed through an alley, a group of pirate hunters wielding blades rushed out from every direction and charged at him.
“Iron Sand Shower.”
Yuri spoke calmly.
In an instant, the black overcoat draped over his body began fluttering despite the lack of wind.
Countless grains of iron sand shot out from the coat, flying like tiny iron needles and falling as densely as a rainstorm.
The people charging toward him were instantly riddled with holes by the dense barrage of iron sand.
It turned out that the black overcoat Yuri wore wasn’t actually made of cloth at all.
It was formed entirely from a massive amount of iron sand.
Yuri was a magnetic Devil Fruit user.
He could control iron sand, but he couldn’t create it.
Iron sand was one of Yuri’s best weapons.
If he ever found himself somewhere without any available iron sand, his combat strength would inevitably drop significantly.
That was why Yuri had come up with this solution.
He controlled his magnetic iron sand and formed it into an iron-sand overcoat that he could wear on his body.
During battle, the Iron Sand Coat could become both an offensive and defensive weapon.
Outside of battle, it also served as a training tool for Yuri.
The sheer weight of the iron sand made it excellent for resistance training.
Maintaining control over the iron sand twenty-four hours a day and forcing it to retain the shape of a coat around his body was also an extremely advanced form of Devil Fruit training.
“Why bother?
Some money simply isn’t meant for people like you.
The Marines put such a high bounty on my head.
Doesn’t that alone tell you I’m not someone small fry like you can deal with?
Why come here just to throw your lives away?” Yuri said.
Unfortunately, no one appreciated Yuri’s heartfelt warning.
The only response he received came in the form of blades and gunfire.
Yuri showed no mercy.
He had once been a pirate hunter himself, so he knew that in this world, softheartedness was the greatest weakness.
In this world, even if you were a lion, the moment you showed mercy, someone would seize the opportunity to take a bite out of you.
Iron sand shot outward in every direction.
In an instant, a large group of people collapsed to the ground.
Yuri ignored them and continued toward the harbor with his supplies.
At that moment, he noticed a bald young man blocking his path.
The bald youth was extremely young.
In fact, he could practically still be called a child, appearing only fourteen or fifteen years old.
“Are you here to kill me too?” Yuri asked calmly.
“That’s right.
I’ll kill you, claim the one hundred and thirty million Berries, and become the number one pirate hunter in the West Blue,” the bald youth said evenly.
Despite his young age, he carried himself with remarkable composure.
“Interesting.
What’s your name?” Yuri asked.
“Daz Bonez.
Remember that name.
It’s the name of the man who will kill you,” Daz Bonez said.
As he spoke, Daz spread his hands like claws.
The five fingers on each hand transformed into blades before he charged straight toward Yuri.
So it really was him!
Hearing the name Daz Bonez and seeing his ability, Yuri revealed a look of realization.
This was the very man who would later become Mr.
1 of Baroque Works.
Yuri had recognized him the moment he laid eyes on him.
Although Daz was only in his teens right now, his appearance was already almost identical to how he would look in the future.
He merely looked a little younger.