Three days later, Sig sold the stolen goods to an underground merchant.
The Beri were distributed according to status and contribution.
Everyone got their deserved share, including Laino.
He received 10,000 Beri.
It was because he had killed a man by himself.
"Those underground merchants are too crooked. Goods that should sell for nearly ten million Beri, they only gave me one million!" a bandit complained.
"What can we do? We're bandits!"
Cursing was one thing, but they had money. The bandits couldn't sit still.
In the life of a robber, money comes fast and goes even faster.
"Men, let's go drinking!" Sig said cheerfully.
"Yeah!"
The bandits responded enthusiastically.
Having just joined, Laino had no say in the matter and could only try his best to fit in.
"First, I'll build up my strength, then I'll find a chance to leave," Laino thought to himself.
With the Talent Copy System, he was full of expectations for the future.
Soon, they arrived at a small town with a tall windmill.
"Boss Sig, I heard a group of pirates came to Windmill Town last year. It would be wise to be careful!"
Sig held his new wanted poster; his bounty had risen again. He laughed heartily.
"Pirates? What's there to be afraid of? This is land. I'm a great mountain bandit with a bounty of 8 million now!"
For outlaws like him, a bounty was a symbol of status and strength.
Because of that guy Garp, who would wander back to the East Blue from time to time like a max-level boss returning to the starter village. Every time he returned, he would clean up a batch of pirates.
This made the pirates of the East Blue generally weaker.
In contrast, the mountain bandits of the East Blue were more famous.
Let's compare this to the bounties of the pirates Luffy encountered in the East Blue after he set sail.
Alvida, 5 million Beri.
The Cat Brothers, 7 million Beri.
Buggy, 15 million Beri.
Krieg, 17 million Beri.
It was clear that Sig's current 8 million bounty was quite impressive.
If he hadn't been taken out, a 20 million bounty in ten years wouldn't have been out of the question, right?
With Sig's bounty on the rise, all the bandits felt a sense of pride.
"That's right, Boss Sig is the man who will become the King of the Mountain Bandits!"
"Mere pirates! On land, we can cut them down as we please!"
"Long live Boss Sig!"
The success of their last job had made everyone in the bandit group arrogant, each one boasting more than the last. They had to; he was their boss.
Sig laughed heartily, looking quite pleased with himself.
From the corner of his eye, Laino observed the small town. As they approached, the town's residents quickly went home, closing their doors and windows.
He noticed a pirate ship with a flag docked at the town's pier. It depicted two swords crossed upwards, piercing a skull with three long scars over its left eye socket.
One of the future Four Emperors.
The Red-Haired Pirates!
Laino was very familiar with this part of the story.
The legendary scene of the great Sig was about to unfold.
With beer in hand to take on a future Emperor, with his foot stepping on the future Pirate King. If you ask who I am, I am Sig, the Mountain Bandit King of the East Blue.
Damn, that's surprisingly hype!
This time, he would be a participant. Laino's heart was filled with anticipation.
Wait!
Laino glanced at his [Talent Copy System].
An idea sprouted in his mind.
What if... what if he beat up Shanks and Luffy?
Could he copy their talents?
A future Emperor and the future Pirate King.
Their talents must be stronger than some random fodder's.
In his current situation, if he didn't seize this opportunity, getting this close to them again in the future would be difficult!
As for joining the Red-Haired Pirates, with his current strength, the chances were zero.
Don't be fooled by Shanks's easy-going nature. Every crew member he chose was a hand-picked, high-potential rising star who shared his personality and ambitions.
Laino was just a small fry in Sig's mountain bandit group.
Would Shanks even notice him?
Even if Shanks did take a liking to him and let him on the ship, would he be willing?
A real man is born to stand tall; how can he be content to live long under another's shadow?
Laino's eyes became firm.
Let's do it!
You only live once!
"Look, ahead, a tavern!"
Laino looked up.
Makino's Bar appeared a hundred meters away, a windmill spinning on its roof.
Inside the bar.
The members of the Red-Haired Pirates, like Benn Beckman and Yasopp, were happily singing, drinking, and eating meat.
Behind the counter, Makino was polishing a glass.
Shanks and a young Luffy were sitting side by side, tearing into large chunks of meat.
"Shanks!"
"What is it?"
"How long are you guys going to stay here?"
Shanks put down his fork, thought for a moment, and said, "It's been over a year since we started using this town as our base."
"After two or three more voyages, I plan to leave here and head north."
"Oh?"
Little Luffy's mouth was stuffed with meat as he mumbled, "Two or three more times?"
Makino, who was listening in, sighed softly.
Luffy didn't understand Shanks's situation, but she knew a little.
Little Luffy wolfed down the piece of meat and flashed a bright smile, "By then, I'll have learned how to swim!"
Earlier, Luffy had threatened to cut himself to convince Shanks to take him out to sea. But Shanks had refused on the grounds that Luffy couldn't swim.
Luffy was naturally unhappy and was now determined to learn.
Shanks smiled and encouraged him, "Alright! Go for it!"
BANG!
Suddenly, a loud noise came from the entrance.
Benn Beckman, a cigarette in his mouth, turned his head.
Everyone looked over.
"Pardon the intrusion!"
Sig stood outside the kicked-open door and walked in.
He scanned the now-quiet tavern and let out a contemptuous laugh, "Heh heh, pirates, are you?"
"This is my first time seeing them. You all look pretty stupid!"
The cook, Lucky Roux, kept gnawing on his meat, and the others continued what they were doing. Although they were paying attention, they didn't seem to care much.
Laino watched from the corner of his eye and saw in their eyes a look similar to how humans watch interesting ants.
He thought to himself, "These guys don't take us seriously at all!"
"Well, that's to be expected. Shanks at this time already has a bounty of over a billion, and even his crew members are extraordinary."
Laino broke into a cold sweat thinking about what he was about to do.
Sig walked up to the bar.
Standing next to Shanks, he slammed his palm on the counter and said to Makino, "We're mountain bandits, but we're not here to rob you. We want to buy ten barrels of sake."
Beads of sweat formed on Makino's forehead as she said, "I'm so sorry, but we've just run out of sake!"
"Oh?"
Sig's eyes narrowed. He glanced at the bottles of sake on Benn Beckman's table, his face full of displeasure, and was about to protest.
"Huh? Sold out? Then what are those pirates drinking?"
Sig turned his head to look at the person who had interrupted.
He saw it was Laino.
Sig's brow furrowed, but he didn't say anything. He was satisfied with this new recruit who adapted quickly, spoke well, and could cook.
At times like this, having a subordinate step up and shout could better maintain the boss's authority.
His other men weren't as perceptive as Laino.
Laino took a large stride forward, stood before the bar, and slammed his hand on the table angrily, "Are they drinking water?"
"Don't tell me this is all you have?"
Laino glared at Makino with a ferocious expression, as if he would get violent if she didn't give him an explanation.