John POV
Following the dirt pathway, I made it to a bustling town after a few hours. By the time I got to the town, the sun was already going down, and the skies had already been blanketed by a warm orange hue.
The town wasn't much to gawk at. It was, at best, a rural town. Although small, that didn't affect the people from walking and having fun throughout the town. However, once they saw me, all things turned quiet.
"They probably don't get many visitors 'round here." I thought to myself.
But then again, I am armed to the teeth. They might've mistaken me for a bandit.
Ignoring the stares, I entered a bar, and the moment I entered, the once loud bar full of laughter stopped. All eyes were on me, and so was the hostility.
Noticing the tension, the burly Bartender asked me, "Not from around here are ya?"
I sat down in front of the bartender and said, "Nah. I'm just a passing bounty hunter."
The bartender eased up and raised an eyebrow, "A bounty hunter?"
I nodded, "Yeah. Actually, I just got done killin' off some sorry bastards callin' themselves the Star Bandits."
As I said those words, the bar turned cold, and the bartender spoke, "What's their name… The one who led them."
I drank the liquor the bartender gave me, then spoke, "Hmm? Think his name was Tide Krall or somethin' like that."
When everyone heard that, most of the men inside the bar stood up and left the bar. I looked around and raised an eyebrow, "They s'posed to be scary or somethin'?"
The bartender placed another shot on my table, "No, they aren't strong directly… I suggest you leave this island today, bounty hunter."
"Mind tellin' me why I gotta leave?"
The bartender sighed and showed a map, "This island is big compared to the surrounding islands. And in this big island, there is one power controlling the whole island, and that's the Royal family of Acent. They rule the Acent kingdom, a kingdom that's affiliated with the World Government."
"And? What's that gotta do with them bandits?"
The bartender sighed, "This is the East Blue, also known as the weakest sea. Because of Vice Admiral Garp, this part of the sea is calm, and most pirates here are gone. But because of that, the World Government doesn't have a Marine base here. It's unimportant with little to no resources, and there are no pirates here."
The bartender paused and continued, "But because there are no Marine bases here, it's hard to centralize and have control throughout the country, as the island is quite big. The Acent family is corrupted and power hungry. They wanted everyone to pay high taxes, but because they didn't have the reach, they used bandits and gangs to control small villages and towns. These gangs and bandits would collect a "protection tax" and "secretly" give it to the Royal Family. And if a village refuses to pay, they are free to do whatever they wish."
I drank the liquor and paid the bill. I didn't know how much the liquor was so I just placed 10 berries on the table, "Keep the change."
I stood up and made my way to the door and said, "I ain't scared of no Royal Family—or whatever the hell they go 'round callin' themselves."
As I stepped foot outside the bar, I heard a yell, "Hey! You bastard! That drink costs 5 thousand berries a shot!"
But before the bartender could even come outside, I was already gone. I was now running inside the forest to avoid the bartender, but also to avoid the Royal family's men. I know I could kill a few of them, but I'm not wasting my time and energy. I'm also not taking my chance. What if they got strong folks out there?
POV End
------------------
At the place where John killed the Bandits
A man in an armor chest plate and golden attire stood and glared at the headless corpse in front of him. He looked around and saw that there were almost 0 footprints. No sign of a struggle or a fight.
"He's skilled." The man said.
He then stood up and made his way down the hill, where he met with his troop.
"What did you find, Sir Lance?" Asked a young girl with pink hair in her 20s.
"It's most likely a bounty hunter, a skilled one at that." Responded Lance.
Lance rode his horse and commanded everyone to return to the Capital of Acent.
By the time Lance and his troop made it to the Capital, it was already morning. Although early in the morning, once the gate opened, people flooded the gate, chanting the name of Lance as if he had returned from war as a war hero.
Lance forced a smile and whispered to her assistant, Jenny, "Get rid of them. I have to report to her majesty."
The pink-haired girl smiled and said, "With pleasure."
She raised her arms, and then suddenly her arms turned liquid and then formed into chains. She commanded her chains with ease and created space by pushing the people.
Lance forced an angry facade, "What the hell are you doing, Jenny?! These are civilians! Do not use force!"
Jenny bowed in embarrassment, "I'm sorry…"
Lance turned to the crowd and said, "I apologize for my idiotic subordinate. I will sincerely punish her later, but right now, I have some important news to give to her majesty!"
The people, moved by his words, began to make way. But without them hearing, Lance whispered, "Bunch of filthy monkeys."