"Arthur!"
"Arthur!"
"Hm?"
Hearing someone shouting nearby, Arthur blinked in confusion and turned his head.
"Hahahaha."
A pirate came running over, waving a bounty poster in his hand with uncontainable excitement. "Arthur, you've been given a bounty!"
"A bounty?"
"Well, that's normal."
Arthur didn't find it odd at all. As a pirate, being issued a bounty was only to be expected.
"Hahaha!"
"That's not the point! Your first bounty—it's a staggering 550 million berries!"
"Look!"
Grinning, the pirate eagerly handed Arthur the poster.
Arthur took the bounty notice and paused slightly in surprise.
The image on the poster was of him at the moment he delivered his final strike—bathed in golden light, looking incredibly dashing and exuding an aura of majesty.
[Name: Arthur Pendragon
Bounty: 550,000,000 Berries
Affiliation: Apprentice Crew Member, Rocks Pirates
Description: An extraordinarily dangerous monster! Possesses astonishing swordsmanship, destructive technique, terrifying combat power, and a unique weapon. Additionally! This individual is an apprentice crew member of the Rocks Pirates, extremely greedy, extremely dangerous, extremely dangerous, extremely dangerous.]
"…Hah."
The corner of Arthur's mouth twitched slightly. "The Marines really know how to stir things up. Setting my first bounty at 550 million berries—this'll definitely make a lot of people unhappy."
Exactly.
The Marines' strategy was simple—assign Arthur a terrifyingly high bounty.
And with that…
Forget other pirates across the seas—even within the Rocks Pirates, there would surely be plenty of crew members who didn't take kindly to this. Given the nature of the Rocks Pirates, some might be tempted to make a move against Arthur.
If things went according to plan, the Marines could eliminate Arthur without lifting a finger.
"GURARARA~!"
Edward laughed heartily. "That's the Marines' usual tactic. If they can't deal with a pirate directly, they try petty tricks like this instead. After all, to a pirate, a bounty is like a second life. The higher the bounty, the more it matters."
"That's true."
Arthur agreed.
In the pirate world, nothing symbolized recognition more than the amount on one's bounty. Many pirates cared deeply about their bounty. Of course, Arthur himself didn't really care about the number.
After all, he didn't become a pirate out of ambition—he just thought the Rocks Pirates paid well. That was reason enough.
As for the future?
Arthur had a clear plan for what lay ahead.
"Anyway!"
"Arthur, kid, you better be careful," Edward said casually. "Once we return to the crew, you can bet there'll be plenty of people eager to kill or defeat you. That way, they can take everything from you."
Arthur sat by the ship's railing and replied nonchalantly, "It is what it is. It's just the way the Rocks Pirates operate."
They had been sailing together for three or four days now.
Arthur, Edward, and Shiki could chat casually and get along fine.
They weren't exactly friends, but they could converse without issue.
Both Edward and Shiki had high hopes for Arthur. Ideally, they'd like to recruit him. If not, well, in the Rocks Pirates, there was no need to provoke someone like Arthur. Better to maintain good relations.
After all...
While Rocks didn't prohibit fighting among regular crew and low-ranking officers, the six top officers were not allowed to casually get involved. Why?
Because the six top officers were too powerful. If they were allowed to act freely, it would create serious problems.
That's why—ironically—the most dangerous members of the notorious Rocks Pirates were also the most level-headed.
They had no reason to act rashly. No one was foolish enough to challenge them. They received the lion's share of loot and rewards for each mission anyway, and they were the ones who led operations. No need to fight for scraps.
In fact…
Some even said that these top officers, despite their power, took a surprising interest in new members and apprentices.
If someone like Arthur could be groomed into a personal subordinate, then in the future—when they inevitably left the Rocks Pirates—he would make a valuable ally.
Even if he failed, it didn't matter. And in the event of real trouble, they could always join forces.
Pirate alliances might not be trustworthy, true.
But.
For people like them, it was better to be prepared. Just like Big Mom, who always sought favors from others, these prideful powerhouses never turned down a debt owed to them.
Clack!
Clack!
Just then, Kaido came stomping over, grumbling unhappily. "Damn Marines! They gave me such a pathetic bounty!"
Arthur asked with a smirk, "Kaido, how much did you get?"
"150 million berries."
"Hahaha."
Arthur chuckled as he watched Kaido sulk.
Indeed.
Arthur's 550 million vs. Kaido's 150 million—anyone would be pissed off.
The difference in their actual strength wasn't that large. But at the critical moment of their final attacks, the Marines had perceived Arthur as the greater threat.
By inflating his bounty, they hoped to provoke others into eliminating him.
As for Kaido? One like him could be dealt with more directly.
Clearly, Arthur posed a more unpredictable danger in the eyes of the Marines. Still, a first-time bounty of over 100 million berries showed Kaido was no joke either.
"Tsk!"
Kaido snorted and didn't say more.
Arthur just smiled and shook his head, fully aware that once they returned to the Rocks Pirates...
Things were about to get… complicated.
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*Milestone Reached, Keep it up guys!