"Sorry, Director, he escaped in the chaos…"
"Keep chasing. How long can he last alone? That Devil Fruit's teleportation range has its limits, search more thoroughly on the nearby islands!"
The News Coo that delivered newspapers all over the world every day were also secretly searching for Hardinge's whereabouts.
And if Hardinge wanted to learn about the outside world, his only source was the newspapers from the News Coo. But the moment he bought a paper, his location would be exposed.
For the next several days, Hardinge lived a life on the run.
Meanwhile, the number of people hunting him continued to grow.
On MADS' research ship, Vegapunk was as focused as ever on his experiments, but the others couldn't calm down.
"One billion Berries… plus that extra hundred million makes it 1.1 billion Berries… Wobbegong, if we take him down, can you issue that one hundred million Berry bounty on our behalf?"
Even if used for research, it was an enormous sum. For researchers who constantly felt short on funds, there was no way they would ignore such a sky-high bounty.
While doing the math, Scien looked at Wobbegong and asked if they could cash it out directly.
"If you can catch him, then sure. I'll talk to the Boss. But you three… do you really have what it takes?"
"Hah? What do you mean, do we have what it takes? Don't underestimate us, Wobbegong! This is my latest virus weapon, just a tiny bit is enough, and he won't get away unscathed!
Morgans' newspaper says that guy is nearby. And this is the only island around here where he can resupply and rest. Once I set my trap, that money will be mine! Muhahaha!"
Scien laughed smugly, holding a bottle of strange colored chemical reagent in his hand, clearly confident of success.
"Shurorororo, you idiot Scien. That guy will be my prey. I'm now a noble Logia user.
How could your weapons possibly keep up with the Warp-Warp Fruit's speed? I'm different, I don't even need to show myself. I'll just release gas into the air until he's poisoned. By the time he realizes it, it'll already be too late!
High Girls, just wait for me!"
Caesar Clown, who had already eaten the Gas-Gas Fruit, crawled out from a nearby ventilation duct, looking disdainfully at Scien's reagent while fantasizing about his luxurious future.
With such a massive bounty in hand, he could indulge himself for quite a while.
Judge, on the other hand, said nothing. He simply checked his equipment in silence—jet boots that allowed flight, an electroshock weapon capable of releasing powerful currents, a cloak that could block bullets. Piece by piece, he armed himself to the teeth.
He even carried a pair of Seastone handcuffs. As long as he could seal the opponent's ability, Judge believed his high-tech gear would be enough to take him down.
Because they disliked each other, the three refused to cooperate and instead chose to act separately.
Caesar went to the largest nightclub in the area, believing that after fleeing for so long, Hardinge would definitely relax once he reached a place he considered safe.
Judge went to the place where the Underworld's information brokers trade. He believed that in order to clarify the current situation, Hardinge would definitely risk coming here to gather intelligence. Otherwise, running around blindly like a headless fly would only get him killed sooner or later.
Scien, however, chose a remote river rarely visited by people. He believed that after being hunted for so long, Hardinge must already be terrified and wouldn't dare go anywhere crowded.
If not for the unknown dangers and mysterious viruses often found on the uninhabited islands of the New World, Hardinge might have hidden on one of those deserted islands.
In fact, Hardinge had thought the same at first. But the nearly omnipresent News Coo made it impossible for him to hide; even if he went to a deserted island to live like a savage, pursuers would soon find him.
In the end, the one who guessed right was Scien.
After waiting in the wilderness for two full days, he finally saw someone who looked extremely similar to Hardinge, though dressed in rags and utterly exhausted.
He staggered toward the riverbank, and from the look of him, he had almost no strength left.
[Muhahaha, I've finally waited long enough to catch you! This sky-high bounty… is mine!]
Scien lifted the rocket launcher from his back, adjusted the angle, aimed at Hardinge, and pulled the trigger.
Then…
"Your aim seems pretty terrible. Even with a weapon like a rocket launcher, you can miss this badly at this distance? Well, makes sense, someone willing to serve that freak can't be anything normal."
Scien's rocket didn't hit directly, and this gave Hardinge in the distance the chance to mock him.
"You pests that just won't go away… For the sake of that bounty, you're willing to work for a Fish-Man?!"
"What stupid nonsense are you spouting? Wasn't it you who kidnapped his people first, which made him target you? And besides, only an idiot would ignore money like this. You think you dodged it? That miss was intentional!"
Scien let Hardinge rant for a while before finally retorting.
"I know you're an ability user. With the speed of a rocket, you'd definitely have time to activate your ability. But from what I know, you're an arrogant, overconfident fool who doesn't know your limits!
An attack that's obviously off-target, you wouldn't waste your stamina using your Devil Fruit ability on that. But… your arm should already be unusable now. That's my masterpiece! Just a tiny bit is enough for it to take effect!
In this state, let's see how much stamina you still have left to teleport!
Muhahaha!"
Only after Scien spoke did Hardinge notice that his arm had somehow developed patches of strange discoloration. It was clearly poisoned, and it was spreading upward.
"Using poison? Despicable!"
"I don't want to hear 'despicable' from a fool who traffics in people. But that sky-high bounty on your head, I'll be taking it…"
Before Scien could finish, Hardinge suddenly vanished.
"Damn it!!! That b*stard still had strength left?!"
This island wasn't far from the Red Line, which was Hardinge's final destination. By now, he had realized the situation. There was almost nowhere left for him to take a shelter on the entire Grand Line.
And since he himself had a bounty, he couldn't go to Marine bases. Only the World Government, which had ties with the Deul Kingdom, could still serve as his refuge.
Scien's attack had nearly cost him his life. To avoid dying from the spreading infection, Hardinge chose to cut off his own arm before it could spread further into his body.
In the end, he arrived below the Red Port in a miserable state. The World Government's cross flag gave him new hope.
"I… I'm the captain of the Deul Kingdom capture team. Hurry… hurry and take me to Mariejois…"
Seeing several agents in suits from Cipher Pol, Hardinge felt as if he had found salvation. He hurried over and handed them the pass he had kept safe even while fleeing.
"Hardinge of the Deul Kingdom… that's you, right?"
"That's right, it's me…"
Hardinge even brushed aside his messy hair so they could get a good look at his face.
"Mm, it is indeed you. Come this way, I'll take you to rest."
Having lowered his guard, Hardinge didn't notice that when the Cipher Pol agent confirmed his identity, there was a hint of excitement in his tone.
Before Hardinge could react, with a click, a pair of Seastone handcuffs was already locked onto his wrist.
"You… what are you doing?!"
"What are we doing? Your head is worth a fortune on the black market right now! What do you think we're doing?"
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