Chapter 90: A Small Reputation
Summer arrived in Cocoyasi Village.
During the season of cicadas, the same topic was being hotly debated from one end of the village to the other.
"There must be some mistake. Shane and the others have a bounty on their heads?" Genzo said, stopping his bicycle in shock as he looked at the newspaper in his hand.
"It's a bunch of lies!" a nearby villager said angrily. "It says Shane attacked Loguetown, and that's why Vice Admiral Onigumo had to step in and arrest him. I bet it's the other way around! They're framing him!"
"That's right! If anything, I'd believe it if Nami did some petty thievery, but Shane? No way!!!" another woman, who had just returned from grocery shopping, added indignantly.
"Exactly!"
"It looks like even Marine Headquarters is full of bad guys!"
Hearing the voices from outside, Belle-mère propped her feet up on the table, lit a thin cigarette, and looked out at the blue sky with a smile.
Even the villagers didn't believe that Shane would become a vicious pirate. How could she?
But still, that was her son. He had barely been at sea, and he was already causing such a stir.
The bounties were ridiculously high too. Even her little tagalong, Nojiko, was worth forty million?
In all her years as a Marine, the bounties of all the pirates she had ever encountered, combined, didn't add up to that much!
Wow, so much money. Sheesh, when they get back, I should just tie them all up and turn them in for the reward.
She let out a puff of smoke.
Back in the day, she would have been overjoyed to save up three hundred thousand Berries. Who would have thought that a day like this would come?
...
Shimotsuki Village, Isshin Dojo.
By candlelight, Koshiro sat on a tatami mat, reading the newspaper. Two heads were peeking over his shoulders, nearly squashing his ears.
"One hundred and eighty million! Whoa!!!"
"Eighty million Berries! Whoa!!"
"Eight thousand Berries! Whoa… huh?"
Alright, skipping that one, they moved on to the next poster. Seeing the handsome silver wolf, Curly-Brows and Moss-Head once again exclaimed in awe.
"Hmph, Kuina's only at 75 million? Not even as high as Uncle Zeff and Gin!"
After looking at all the wanted posters, Zoro wiped his nose. "That's not so great. When I set sail, I'll catch up to her in no time!"
"In your dreams," Sanji sneered. "A guy who's lost to her five thousand five hundred times wants to surpass her? I think the most suitable bounty for you would be 5,500 Berries!"
"That's still better than you!!" Zoro roared. "You don't even dare to challenge her! Don't use that 'I can't hit a woman' excuse! You're just a coward!"
"That was when I was a kid! Don't look down on me!" Sanji's face flushed.
Memories of the past few years flashed through his mind: being intimidated into a quivering mess by a single glare from the increasingly formidable Kuina, being teased and bullied by that little brat Nami…
He pounded his chest. "My chivalry is always evolving!"
"I've had a complete awakening now! To not fight a woman is actually a sign of disrespect! To truly show respect, one must be even more serious and fight with all their might!!!"
"That's the spirit!"
Zoro's eyes lit up, and he gave him a thumbs-up. "I never thought you could say something so profound. Even your curly eyebrows are starting to look good to me."
"Is that so!" Sanji said proudly. "Now that you mention it, I feel like calling you 'Moss-Head' all the time was a bit harsh."
The two idiots threw their arms around each other's shoulders and laughed heartily, their hands on their hips.
Between them, Koshiro still wore his gentle smile, but a vein was throbbing on his temple…
When Zeff and Kuina were around to keep them in check, it hadn't seemed so bad.
But now, he was finally experiencing firsthand just how torturous it was to have these two energetic brats together, constantly shouting and bickering—
Forget waiting until you're adults, can't you two just set sail already?!
...
Loguetown, the docks.
"Are you sure you want to resign, Tashigi?" the Sergeant Major who had come to see her off asked, his face full of regret. "You know, your probationary period is almost over. With your swordsmanship skills, once you officially become a Marine, you could probably make Lieutenant in a few months. It's a real shame to give that up."
"I have no regrets, Sergeant Major!" the black-haired girl said, shaking her head. "I was inspired by Lord Shane to join the Marines in pursuit of justice, but now I understand—"
She pointed to her chest. "Justice is in the heart, not in the uniform!"
"As long as you hold true to the path of justice in your heart and strive to practice it, it doesn't matter where you are or what your title is. But if you don't, even if you're in the Marines, who claim to be the representatives of justice, you will only become an unforgivable villain!"
"In fact, Headquarters, which has twisted the truth and labeled Mr. Shane as a major criminal, has become unforgivable in my eyes!"
Tashigi's gaze was firm. "One day, I will go to Marineford and point at the Fleet Admiral and the Admirals' coats and demand to know what their justice truly is!"
"Then why don't you turn around and say that to me!" the Sergeant Major roared, baring his teeth. "Why are you staring at that guy so closely?! You're spitting on his face! It's very rude, you know!"
"Oh, I'm sorry!"
Tashigi fumbled for her glasses and bowed hastily, terrified. Only then did she realize that she was facing a strange man with a giant black sword on his back.
"It's fine," Hawkeye said, discreetly wiping his forehead. He paid them no mind and, under their apologetic gazes, put away the newspaper in his hand, sat in his small boat, and left the docks.
So I missed him again?
Hawkeye silently watched Loguetown recede into the distance. He had arrived last night, only to find out that his quarry had left a few days ago.
He's probably already crossed Reverse Mountain by now.
Normally, he would have given up at this point. He had no interest in chasing a swordsman who was most likely not his equal across the vast sea.
But the Loguetown Incident had just happened.
After hearing the residents' descriptions, reading the newspapers, and seeing with his own eyes that the execution platform was gone—
"Shane," Hawkeye murmured to himself.
His interest in this man, who had burst onto the scene like a shining star, was growing by the minute…
...
In the New World, on a certain sea.
A bonfire crackled behind a giant rock, a half-roasted elephant-tuna sizzling over it. The members of the Red-Haired Pirates were sprawled out on the grass, surrounded by empty wine bottles.
"Hmm?"
A wanted poster, blown by the sea breeze, flapped against Benn Beckman's face. He drunkenly stared at the one on the bottom.
"Four, five, six… huh? Seven zeros? Not eighteen million, but one hundred and eighty million Berries?!"
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