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For a pirate, having their name spread across the seas is one of their main pursuits, and a bounty is a crucial reflection of that fame.
To quickly increase one's bounty, one way is to defeat a stronger pirate.
This was one of the original intentions behind the Marines setting bounties—to obtain a higher price on their heads. Pirates would constantly challenge those with higher bounties, leading to more pirates dying from infighting.
Another method is to slaughter civilians or openly attack the Marines.
These two acts, with their extremely negative impact, are generally classified by the Marines as belonging to highly dangerous criminals, and a bounty increase is guaranteed.
"Captain! Look, on the sea... someone is running!"
Just as Orphee was looking smug, his vice-captain grabbed him, a look of terror on his face as he pointed to the sea in the distance.
"Are you kidding me? Did you wear yourself out on some woman's belly last night? How could anyone run on the sea?" Orphee shrugged off his vice-captain's hand with a sneer.
How could anyone possibly do that? As a great pirate who had roamed the East Blue for years, his reputation was fearsome enough to stop a child from crying, but he had never seen anyone run on water.
"It's true, Captain, I'm not lying to you!" The vice-captain was on the verge of tears, because... that person looked like a Marine!
"I already told you..." Just as Orphee was about to turn and slap his vice-captain to his senses, a figure in a white suit with a "Justice" coat on his back came into view.
With no ship and no leverage point, the man ran wantonly across the sea as if on flat ground, kicking up a trail of white spray.
A chill instantly shot up Orphee's spine, his hair stood on end, and his jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
"A Vice Admiral?" Commander Green's face lit up with joy. He never expected to encounter a Vice Admiral from Marine Headquarters here.
It seemed Heaven never truly seals off all exits. He had just been blaming that kid Nezumi for what he thought was a false report, but he hadn't imagined a Vice Admiral from Headquarters could locate them so quickly.
He would have to reward him handsomely afterwards.
"Chaotic Cross-Blossom!" Without a single wasted word, the Sandai Kitetsu at Atlas's waist flashed out. Countless cross-shaped slashes instantly submerged the pirates.
Even some who were in the middle of fighting were precisely struck, without a single Marine being harmed.
His battle with Mihawk had not been fruitless; at the very least, his control over his slashes was now much stronger than before. Otherwise, he couldn't have achieved such a feat.
"Are you kidding me? How can he do that?" Orphee looked around in disbelief. This one Marine had so easily dispatched the crew he had worked so hard to assemble.
The screams rising and falling around him drove him to the brink of collapse. Run! Yes, I have to run! That was the only thought left in Orphee's mind.
SWISH!
Before the pirate ship could even move, a massive, blood-red slash smoothly cut through both the men and the ship.
The bisected hull tipped to either side and plunged into the sea!
By the time Smoker and the others arrived late, two Marine warships were floating quietly on the sea, surrounded by wreckage and corpses. The stench and swarming flies filled the air.
"Vice Admiral, sir, thank you for your support!"
After directing the post-battle cleanup, Commander Green jogged over the gangplank connecting the two warships and came before Atlas, his expression a mix of excitement and relief.
If it weren't for the timely arrival of the Vice Admiral before him, everyone on his ship would likely have perished at the hands of those pirates.
"No need for thanks. As a Marine, I must eradicate pirates," Atlas replied with an equally serious expression, which then relaxed into a smile.
"But if you want to thank someone, thank your communications officer. He's the one who made the distress call to my ship."
"You must mean that kid, Nezumi. We have him to thank this time for dialling the distress number over and over again."
"Nezumi?"
"Ah, yes. Nezumi, you brat, get over here! Stop peeking from over there!"
Glimpsing Nezumi's head poking out from their ship, Green deliberately called him over, perhaps hoping Nezumi could leave a good impression on Atlas.
After all, Atlas was a Vice Admiral from Headquarters, a rank that some Marines who spent their entire lives in the East Blue might never see in person.
"Yes, sir!" Nezumi hurried over at the call. "Greetings, Vice Admiral, sir!"
Atlas looked at the somewhat scrawny young man before him. "Sharp-beaked cheeks and shifty rat-like eyes"—these words seemed tailor-made for him.
His six signature whiskers were prominent above his lip, and he was dressed in a standard Marine uniform, looking like a hot-blooded rookie.
Another character from the original story, Atlas mused. The current Nezumi was only 22 years old, about the same age as Atlas himself.
He didn't look like the greedy, pirate-colluding Marine Captain of the future, but simply a hot-blooded youth inspired by justice.
"Good work," Atlas said, not saying much more, but giving Nezumi a firm pat on the shoulder before leaving.
"Commander, sir, the Vice Admiral... he praised me!" Nezumi felt dizzy, his face flushed red. He was thrilled by Atlas's simple praise, so much so that his body felt like it was about to go limp.
"Commander Green, could you help me up? I don't think I can walk..." Green was speechless.
He reached out a strong arm and pulled up the over-excited Nezumi, but a look of gratification appeared in his eyes.
What no one knew was that in that moment, Nezumi secretly made a decision he had never considered before.
I must train hard! One day, I will go to Headquarters and follow in Mr. Atlas's footsteps!
After bidding farewell to the Marines of the 16th Branch, Atlas and his party finally arrived at the first destination of their voyage: Shimotsuki Village!
"It's been so long since I've seen Kuina. I wonder if she still remembers me," Atlas said with emotion, taking in the surrounding scenery.
The island where Shimotsuki Village was located was large, but the village had gained some fame in the vicinity due to Koshiro's dojo.
The village entrance was close to the coast, but the Isshin Dojo was situated toward the back of the village's centre, so it was a walk from where the warship was docked.
Atlas didn't let the other Marines follow, including a very curious Smoker. This was a private meeting; there was no need for such a large entourage.
"Hey! You there, Marine! Are you a swordsman?" Just as Atlas was about to head toward the village, a childish voice called out to him.
"That's right. What can I do for you, little man?" A meaningful smile played on Atlas's lips as he turned his gaze.
A stubborn-looking kid with algae-green hair and a blade of grass in his mouth stood before him. He looked to be only about seven years old, yet he showed no fear in the face of a stranger.
"Little fellow, are you lost? I just saw you walking in circles over there," Atlas said, kneeling.
He playfully ruffled the kid's algae-green hair and pointed a finger toward the nearby forest.
He had spread out a small portion of his Observation Haki upon landing on the island, so he had already spotted Zoro wandering around in the woods.
Yes, this was Zoro. He probably wasn't from Shimotsuki Village yet, as he hadn't yet stumbled his way to Koshiro's Isshin Dojo.
This could be inferred from the fact that his hands had none of the calluses that come from practising with a sword.
"I'm not lost!" Zoro swatted away the hand messing up his hair and shouted indignantly.
"Don't look down on me just because I'm young! I'm here to challenge you! If I win, I want that sword of yours. If I lose..."
Zoro looked at the Sandai Kitetsu at Atlas's waist, feeling a strange sense of familiarity for some reason.
"If you lose, then what?" Seeing Zoro's stubborn face, Atlas felt a playful urge.
His first order of business in Shimotsuki Village was to see Kuina, and he had hoped to run into Zoro as well, to find a way to recruit him into the Marines.
For Zoro, being a Marine or a pirate didn't make much difference; he was even more inclined toward the Marines.
Even in his most desperate days, when he first set out to sea, he never thought of becoming a pirate to rob people.
On Sabaody, he had even bluntly stated that the island reeked of filth. If he hadn't met Luffy, he probably would still be a pirate hunter.
All in all, Zoro was a person with a normal moral compass and a clear sense of right and wrong.
His goal was to become the World's Strongest Swordsman, and joining the Marines was the most suitable path for that.
"If I lose... if I lose, I'll be at your mercy!" Zoro said, looking at Atlas's mischievous grin.
For some reason, he had a premonition that he was about to fall into a trap, but his stubborn nature wouldn't let him back down.
"Oh? Is that so..." Atlas rubbed his chin nonchalantly, looking with interest at Zoro, who was trying his best to hide his nervousness.
"Of course! I'm a man of my word!"
"Alright then. You don't have a weapon right now, so I'll go make you some." Swish! As soon as he finished speaking, Atlas vanished from before Zoro's eyes.
No matter where he looked, he could only hear a series of rumbles and the panicked cries of birds and beasts from the nearby forest.
"Here! I made a bunch, take your pick!"
Clatter!
Before Zoro could react, a pile of wooden swords of various shapes was placed in front of him, almost towering over his head.
That fast? Zoro couldn't help but gulp secretly, but he still didn't give up on the idea of challenging Atlas.
"Mmph... Mmmph..." Zoro grabbed several wooden swords from the ground, holding a few in his hands and several more in his mouth.
The more weapons you have, the stronger you are, right? This was the simple logic of the young Zoro.
"I am Roronoa Zoro! Let's fight!" Clatter! As he spoke, the swords in his mouth fell out like a stream of water.
Oops!
Zoro quickly bent down to bite another wooden sword from the ground.
The swords in his hands, too numerous to hold, also fell, leaving him with just one in each hand and one in his mouth.
"Where's your weapon?"
Zoro asked, confused, as he struck a standard Three-Sword Style pose and saw that the Sandai Kitetsu at Atlas's waist remained sheathed.
"Oh, almost forgot!" Atlas slapped his forehead in mock annoyance.
He bent down and slowly picked up the blade of grass Zoro had spat out earlier, brandishing it at him.
"Mmm, this should be just right. My apologies, I don't have a smaller weapon than this."
"Hey! Are you kidding me?" Zoro's jaw nearly dropped, and he cursed angrily.
"Just kidding, just kidding. Don't mind me, little man."
Atlas tossed the blade of grass away, scratching his head with a laugh. He then picked up a wooden sword from the ground and pointed its tip at Zoro.
"Hyaaah!" Seeing Atlas with an equally serious expression, Zoro let out a cry and charged with all three swords!
THWACK!
He was on the ground.
"Ow, that hurts!" Zoro grimaced, a large, steaming bump now prominently displayed in the middle of his algae-green hair.
"Well? I won, right?" Atlas casually slung the wooden sword over his shoulder, a half-smile on his face.
"Again!"
THWACK!
"Again!"
THWACK! THWACK!
Zoro fell heavily to the ground, his head now covered in bumps, but there wasn't a trace of frustration on his face. Even Atlas had to admire his stubborn spirit.
"So? Do you give up?" Atlas leaned in close to the panting, sweat-drenched Zoro with a teasing look.
"Hmph. I lost. Tell me, what do you want me to do?" Zoro turned his head away and said in a muffled voice.
"Be my son!" Atlas's playful expression vanished, and he spoke in the same tone as Whitebeard.
"Huh?" Zoro thought he must have misheard, but the man didn't look like he was joking.
What should I do? Should I agree? How could I just become someone's kid so casually! But a man can't go back on his word, can he?
"Just kidding! Hahahaha!"
Seeing Zoro's conflicted face, as if he were seriously considering whether to agree, Atlas couldn't help but burst out laughing. How can you be so adorable!
"You bastard..." Zoro was instantly embarrassed and annoyed. To think he had been seriously considering the request.
"Alright, I'll stop teasing you. I can give you this sword, but we have to make a promise. A man's promise!" Atlas's expression instantly turned serious as he spoke in a solemn tone.
"This sword is cursed, you know! No, it should be called a famed sword, young man!" Suddenly, an old, raspy voice came from behind them.
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
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