"What a pleasant surprise."
Junichi gently wiped his eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "In the Naruto world, I endured fifteen years without awakening my eyes. Yet after coming here, it's only been a little over a month... And I've already awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan."
That speed of awakening was definitely fast.
Of course, he couldn't compare to certain mentally twisted monsters.
Like Itachi and Obito.
I feel like I can already defeat him now, or am I getting too confident? He thought, comparing his strength to Itachi, who had the Mangekyō Sharingan.
He was top-tier even among Kage-level fighters, but Junichi had ways to counter that.
Looking at his own arsenal—Great Grade Blade, Cutting Steel, Flying Slash, Haki—these were all things Itachi wouldn't expect.
Used well, they could definitely give him a hard time.
I just don't know how strong Susanoo's defense is… Can he even use it? He thought for a moment and decided to be cautious.
"Let's just say for now, we're evenly matched. No rush to go back, then. My rejection rate is only in the forties." As he spoke, he called up his system panel.
[Rejection Rate: 48.39% / 100%.]
Junichi raised an eyebrow. He remembered it being only 46.03% before he set out. Why had it increased to 48.39%?
"Was it you?"
He glanced down at Oni-me, then sheathed it.
Two percent increase in rejection, in exchange for a Great Grade Blade?
Still a good deal, right?
Next stop: the Marine base. He stepped into the captain's quarters and took the helm. "I remember there's a G-4 Branch nearby."
In the Grand Line, the Marine branches were directly governed by Headquarters. Their names always began with the letter "G".
Whereas branches in the Four Blues operated independently, and were named with plain numbers.
"My next foothold will be in the Marines," he murmured, glancing at the deck strewn with corpses. "Let this pirate crew be my calling card."
From Rayleigh and Mihawk, he had learned all they had to offer. Both were self-taught fighters. They had tons of experience, but lacked in theoretical training.
Next, he planned to check out the Marines' academic style of teaching—ideally, he could join the elite training camp of the Marine Headquarters.
Once accepted into the training camp, he'd be considered a direct heir of the Marines.
Upon graduation, the starting rank would be Rear Admiral.
"For those who want to play by the rules, the Marines are definitely the best faction to join," Junichi nodded to himself.
As for whether he was someone who "played by the rules"?
He believed he was.
---
In the G-4 Marine Branch, inside the office, Vice Admiral Reizo frowned deeply as he looked over the report in his hands.
"Damn that Ten Rat Pirate Crew!"
He couldn't help but curse.
"They raided an island town and killed over 2,700 people, including the security team. They're insane!"
"They're not even looting anymore, just killing for fun!"
The more he read, the darker his expression became.
"Is it the influence of the cursed blade?"
He pulled out another intelligence report. It contained information on the pirate captain of the Ten Rat Pirate—Cobb.
He had originally been an ordinary pirate, no different from any other. But a year ago— He had accidentally obtained a cursed blade.
Under its influence, he had grown increasingly deranged. His actions shifted from looting to the wanton slaughter of innocents.
Sometimes he would arrive at impoverished places with no value for plunder. Yet he would still go on a killing spree, slaughtering for entertainment.
"We can't let this continue." Reizo's expression grew grim as he said in a deep voice, "We must request reinforcements from Headquarters and concentrate our forces to wipe out the Ten Rat Pirates."
The G-4 Marine Branch alone, even with Reizo himself, was not strong enough to handle them. Even if they succeeded, the cost would be severe.
He was just about to pick up his pen to write a formal request report...
Pururu! Pururu!
The Den Den Mushi beside him suddenly rang.
Pururu! Pururu!
He put down his pen and picked up the receiver. The snail transformed into the face of his subordinate, who urgently said, "Vice Admiral! A bounty hunter has brought in the Ten Rat Pirates!"
"Seriously?" Reizo's face lit up with surprise and delight. He quickly asked, "Which member of the crew? The first mate? Second mate?"
He hadn't even considered the captain.
Cobb was not someone easily taken down.
"No, it's the entire pirate crew. They've all been taken care of!" the subordinate shook his head emphatically.
"What!?" Reizo was stunned. "The entire pirate crew has been wiped out?"
"Yes!"
Hiss… Reizo inhaled sharply, utterly shocked.
This was a notorious pirate crew with a total bounty exceeding 500 million!
After they raided that island town, the Marines raised the bounties—Cobb alone was bumped up to 230 million.
Dustin reached 100 million.
Altogether, the crew's total bounty climbed to 560 million!
What kind of bounty hunter could handle a crew like that?
"Was it Mihawk?" He immediately thought of one name. "He was recently in the Sabaody Archipelago. I heard he was chasing after them."
"No. It was a 15-year-old youth." the subordinate replied.
"Huh?" Reizo froze for a second, then continued, "Besides him, who else?"
He instinctively assumed it had to be a group of bounty hunters working together to take down the pirate crew. That would make sense.
"It was just him. Only one person." the subordinate stated.
"Are you joking?" Reizo looked down at the Den Den Mushi, his face full of disbelief. "You're telling me that he alone took out the Ten Rat Pirates?"
The snail went silent.
A moment later, the subordinate replied, "I'm not lying. It really was just one person."
Hearing that, Reizo was even more shocked. He knew full well—his men wouldn't make up such a ridiculous lie. It was just so unbelievable, he couldn't accept it right away.
"Alright, I'm coming down now." He stood up in a hurry. Just before setting down the receiver, he couldn't help asking one more time, "You're sure it's not Mihawk?"
"Absolutely sure," came the helpless reply.
"Alright then." He let out a long sigh and hung up.
Thinking it over—it made sense.
Mihawk, though he hunted pirates, never came to Marine bases to collect bounties. The famed swordsman didn't live off pirate hunting.
---
A few minutes later, Reizo arrived at the bounty reception hall on the first floor. As he lifted his gaze, he froze.
Goosebumps spread across his entire body.
A black-haired, black-eyed youth with sharp features sat calmly in a guest chair, leisurely sipping tea.
The moment Reizo laid eyes on him, his instincts screamed warnings.
Danger!
Danger!
Danger!
As if this youth were a vicious beast wearing human skin. Behind that seemingly gentle appearance lay a terrifying force, waiting to devour anyone who got close.
Gulp…
He swallowed hard, an overwhelming shock surging through his chest.
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50 Advance chapters!
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