"Bwahahaha! This is great! So this is why my ancestor became a pirate! Go wild, my spirits! Go wild! Bwahahaha!"
I glance at the head of the Aranas family, an old bloodline from Barbados, as he laughs and orders his spirit to control the ocean, dragging the ship in the distance. He and his family decided to leave the continent because the magic in the Americas is slowly thinning—and will soon disappear entirely.
There is a reason why magicians rarely travel there.
The leyline in that continent is weak and sickly. It gives birth to malevolent spirits such as the Wendigo and requires constant feeding just to keep functioning.
There is also a reason why every divine born in that land demands human sacrifice. They seek to keep the leyline alive. But as faith fades and sacrifices dwindle, the leyline grows weaker by the day. Soon, it will vanish altogether, leaving the Americas as the first continent without magic.
That is why Andros and his family chose to move to Romania, bringing all of their contracted spirits with them. In Romania, we have access to the Black Sea and are close enough to the Mediterranean for them to continue their traditions.
Anyway, they are a great boon to our crew. Not only are they excellent sailors, but their spirits also help us greatly when the weather turns violent. Grandline has a lot of those, and those spirits are great to make sure we only receive a small brunt of it.
"Oi, Andros! Cut the maniacal laughter! We're bounty hunters, not pirates!"
"Ah! My apologies, Captain!"
I smile faintly as I watch the snarling pirates try to get away from us as I see them using long oars, but to no avail. I grin and prepare to fight them—on their deck, not ours.
After a deep breath, I leap across the gap and land on their ship. The impact shakes the entire vessel. I laugh at their stunned expressions as I straighten.
"Come. Let's dance."
I charge and swing the iron club in my hand. To my delight, one of them meets my attack head-on, his haki flaring as he blocks.
My grin widens.
"Haha! As expected of someone with a ninety-million bounty on his head! You can take more than one hit from me!"
"You will not take my head, bounty hunter!"
"We'll see about that!"
He shoves me back and slashes with his saber. I meet his strike with my own. My kanabo meets his saber as we exchange blows.
My guardians board the ship and deal with the rest while I focus on the captain. We exchange blows, and I quickly realize that while he has strength, he lacks the technique to defeat me. If he had more experience fighting stronger opponents, he might have posed a challenge.
Such a shame. Let's end this.
I duck under his slash and thrust my club forward at full speed. He crashes through the ship and slams into the captain's quarters. Before he can rise, I grab his throat and snap his neck. I look at the others and see that they are almost done as well.
The others finish off the remaining pirates, and within a minute, the ship is ours.
"Throw their bodies into the ocean. We only need the captain and his first mate."
This was Andy the Butcher—an infamous pirate in these waters. He earned his name by slaughtering every town and village that refused his demands. Sometimes, they do it because they are bored. That is why his bounty is so high, despite his mediocre strength.
They are scum of scum, and I am more than happy to kill them all.
We toss the bodies overboard and let the sea creatures feast while we secure the two captives. I look down and grunt before releasing my Sky Flame on my clothes, burning away all the blood on my body.
Bounty hunting is a dirty job. Blood and guts come with the territory.
"Andros, tell the others to raise the flag and assign someone to take command of this ship."
"Yes, Captain!"
It is the flag given to me by the Marine after we are done exchanging a massive bounty. The flag marks us as bounty hunters, not pirates. Not only that, it indicates that we are sailing to exchange bounty, letting us go through without a hassle. With it raised, we are allowed to sail freely through Marine-controlled waters and claim bounties directly at their bases.
Speaking of which…
"Andros, we should be close to a Marine base, right?"
"Yes, sir. According to the map, the next island is Itton Island. The Marine base is on the smaller island beside it."
"Perfect. Set course for Itton once the ship is ready."
"Yes, Captain!"
I have learned many things as a bounty hunter.
One of them is that ships are worth a fortune. If you capture a good one, the Marines are willing to pay handsomely—even if it once flew pirate colors. This ship is in good condition, and we are ready to set sail in a matter of minutes.
With the wind at our backs, we reach Itton Island before sunset.
As we approach, I see dozens of ships patrolling the waters. That is how you know you are near a Marine stronghold. They let us pass once they see our flag, and we continue toward the smaller island beside Itton.
However, as we get near the smaller island, a warship sails toward us.
"Captain! They're hailing us!"
"Bring us alongside. Let's welcome them aboard."
"Yes, sir!"
We slow down and allow them to approach. A Marine officer leaps onto our deck. By the look of his coat, he is the captain.
"Ah! The famous Millefiore Family! I am Captain Kasa of G-3."
"A pleasure, Captain Kasa. Valerian Millefiore—Captain of this ship and head of the Millefiore Family."
"I know who you are, my friend. You're quite famous in this sea, you know?"
"Really?"
"Aye. They call you Valerian the Iron Club. A bounty hunter who gathered almost a billion Belly in less than two weeks. Anyway, you're here to turn in a bounty, yes?"
"That's right. We captured Andy the Butcher, his first mate, and their ship."
He nods approvingly. He looks at the ship and the pirate symbol on the sail before saying.
"Aye. I can see that. Follow me to the bounty exchange office. But afterward, our commander would like a word with you."
"Your commander? Why?"
He hesitates, then sighs.
"Please keep this quiet. Have you heard of Fire Fist Ace?"
"Yes. I heard he was captured."
"That's right. The Fleet Admiral plans to execute him. However, when he announced that, Whitebeard would depart to Marineford to rescue him. The Marines are gathering every capable fighter we can find. That includes hiring bounty hunters. I won't try to recruit you—I know you value your freedom—but please meet our commander and accept the invitation. This will be the largest war the Marines have ever faced. We need every strong fighter we can get."
I keep my face neutral. Inside? I am thrilled.
This is exactly why I have been hunting pirates nonstop.
The Marineford Arc.
This arc will be filled with famous pirates and marines. This will be a war where you can fight against legends. This will be a perfect place for me to train.
I won't stop Luffy from trying to save his brother, but I will fight the other pirates and grow stronger in the chaos.
Is it reckless? Absolutely. Is it worth it? Without question.
I glance at Andros. I will give him and his family a choice. However, I have a feeling that they will join me. His spirits are already restless, stirred by the primal energy of this world. I know his family is eager for battle.
I turn back to Captain Kasa.
"I'll think about it. Depending on the reward, we may join."
"Good! Come on—let's get you to the base. Don't worry. Marines will reward you handsomely for your contribution."