Inside a local tavern, Bane sat at a wooden table, leisurely flipping through the newspaper, completely absorbed.
He had originally thought he might be illiterate in this world, but to his surprise, he could read the local language effortlessly—as if some kind of built-in translation filter had activated in his mind.
After asking around a bit, he'd figured out exactly where he was.
East Blue, in the Fourleaf Island region under the Oykot Kingdom, not far from Marine Base 153. Thanks to the base's presence, the surrounding waters were relatively peaceful.
East Blue was, after all, considered the "Sea of Peace"—the World Government's model region. Even in the current Great Pirate Era, the East Blue's crime rate was comparatively low.
After all, this was the sea where high-ranking Marines often returned "for fishing trips," and one of the marine outposts was even guarded by a Logia-type officer. Fresh pirate rookies stood no chance here.
The newspaper Bane held also printed the current date and a list of recent headlines.
It was now July, Year 1519 of the Sea Calendar—exactly as Bane had expected.
He'd first entered this world on the night Blackbeard betrayed and killed Thatch to steal the Yami Yami no Mi—the night Blackbeard's rise to infamy began.
According to canon, after stealing the fruit, Teach went into hiding, eventually traveling across the seas to recruit his crewmates: Lafitte, who was then a security chief in the West Blue; Jesus Burgess, recruited during a fighting tournament; Doc Q, and Van Augur, among others. It took nearly a year for him to form the Blackbeard Pirates.
After that, he went to Drum Island and caused a whole mess there, too.
So Bane had guessed he'd arrived roughly one year before Luffy set sail, and now the timeline confirmed it—Luffy's journey would officially begin in May 1520, and it was now July 1519.
The paper also mentioned things like the Dance Powder scandal in Alabasta, and Cavendish entering the New World as a rising star.
But those were just background noise. The important part was—
His own face was printed on the last page.
"Wanted for the murder of Whitebeard Pirates' Fourth Division Commander Thatch. Name and age unknown. 500 million berries—dead or alive."
Bane squinted at the listing."Wait… Whitebeard's putting bounties in the newspaper now? Is that even legal? What the hell is the World Government doing?"
More importantly—when did he kill Thatch?!
He didn't need to think long to figure it out.
Teach. That bastard had pinned the murder on him.
And honestly, what could Bane do? Explain the truth? As if Whitebeard or his crew would believe him. Weaklings don't get a say in this world. He had no power, no status—he didn't have the right to defend himself.
"Good thing I landed in East Blue," Bane muttered. "At least the Whitebeard Pirates won't get here quickly."
This wasn't the New World, where Haki-wielding monsters lurked on every island. If he were still there, he might've been captured or killed within a day.
Pushing aside those thoughts, Bane refocused. What mattered now was power.
This world had more to offer than just Devil Fruits—there were other paths to strength.
Swordsmanship. Rokushiki. Haki.
Of course, East Blue was relatively safe, which also made it harder to find access to these advanced techniques.
Haki, for instance? He doubted there was anyone in East Blue who even knew what it was. Rokushiki? Probably not, either.
But swordsmanship? That had potential.
There was a dojo in Shimotsuki Village, run by a man named Koshiro, who openly took in students. You just had to pay the fee—whether you learned anything depended on your own talent.
Then it hit him.
"Wait… Koshiro's from Wano, isn't he?"
That changed everything.
Koshiro might actually know about Haki, even if he didn't openly teach it. After all, Wano was part of the New World, and its warriors—the samurai—were well-versed in Haki by tradition.
Koshiro was also close friends with Monkey D. Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army. If a man like that ran a dojo in East Blue, he was clearly more than he seemed.
With that in mind, Bane decided—he had to meet Koshiro.
The logistics weren't difficult. On his way to the tavern, he'd already asked around. East Blue, being peaceful, had a well-developed shipping industry. Passenger ships and cargo vessels regularly visited the ports.
All he needed was a ticket.
Well… and money.
He'd need enough to buy a ticket, maybe prepare a gift for Koshiro, and definitely cover any training fees. Koshiro wasn't a charity, and Bane had no illusions that he'd teach him for free.
He did come prepared—he'd brought two gold bracelets from his previous world, hidden up his sleeve. Gold was a universal currency, even across dimensions. It might not be perfect, but it would buy him some time.
Still, those wouldn't last forever.
Originally, his plan was to find a few local underworld bosses and shake them down for cash—either borrow it or beat it out of them.
But now… he had a better idea.
Standing up, Bane approached a nearby table and clapped a boisterous man on the shoulder.
"Hey, brother! Mind if I ask—do you know how much bounty was on Thatch, Fourth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates?"
The man had been bragging about catching some huge fish recently, clearly enjoying his audience. Being interrupted mid-story didn't sit well with him.
"Who the hell are you?" the man grunted. "And don't put your arm around me like we're pals."
Then, for a split second, he froze.
Because he'd seen that face somewhere recently—on a bounty poster.
"I'm asking," Bane said with a warm smile, "because I was thinking of claiming the bounty."
After all, if Teach was going to dump the blame on him, and Whitebeard was going to put a 500 million bounty on his head…
Wasn't it only fair that he collect Thatch's bounty himself?
"You… You're the guy from the wanted poster!" the man stammered in horror.
"Shh. Keep it down," Bane said calmly, pressing down on the man's shoulder. "I'm a very low-profile person."
He got the information he needed quickly: Thatch's bounty was 360 million berries, and since this island was under the jurisdiction of Marine Base 153, bounty claims could be processed here.
But there was a catch.
153 might not be able to pay out 360 million in one go. However, Loguetown—not far from here—had a Marine base with a proper HQ officer in charge, and they would definitely be able to cover it.
More importantly, if Bane remembered correctly, Base 153 was run by Captain Axe-Hand Morgan, a corrupt, greedy officer. The guy was a nightmare.
Bane wasn't afraid of him, but why make more enemies than he already had?
No thanks.
Captain Smoker, who was currently stationed at Loguetown, was far more trustworthy. After weighing his options, Bane made up his mind.
He'd go to Loguetown to collect the reward.
Oh, and what about proof?
What if someone asked, "Where's Thatch's head?"Simple.
His face was plastered all over the world. That was the evidence.