Chapter 7 I took the blame!?
In the town's tavern, Bane sat at a table, reading a newspaper with great interest.
He thought he wouldn't be able to read here, but surprisingly, he found he could read the words, as if he had a text converter in his brain.
After asking people in the tavern, he learned where he was.
He was in the East blue Sea, near Siye Island, which is under the Kingdom of Oikot. It is not far from the East blue Sea 153 Naval Branch Base, so the surrounding waters are fairly stable.
Actually, the East blue Sea is known as the 'Sea of Peace' because the world government has designated it as such. Its security is quite good compared to other seas, even during this era of powerful pirates.
After all, there is always a navy presence in this area, and they like to come around often. There is also a navy Captain stationed at the mouth of the East blue Sea. New pirates who have just set sail can't handle this.
The newspaper in his hand also showed the current date and what events had occurred recently.
It is now July 1519 in the Sea calendar, which did not surprise Bane.
He remembered that when he first entered this world, he witnessed Teach kill Thatch, take the Dark-Dark Fruit, and get ready to start his journey as one of the Four Emperors.
According to the original timeline of the story, Teach escaped from the Whitebeard Pirates that night and traveled around the world. For example, during his early escape, he went to the West Sea and recruited Lafitte, who was a sheriff there at that time. Later, he attended a fighting tournament in the Grand Line and recruited the fighter Burgess. He also recruited Doc Q and Van Augur before officially forming the Blackbeard Pirates.
Once he formed the Blackbeard Pirates, he went to Drum Island and caused some trouble.
This must have taken at least a year, right? So Bane guessed that the current time should be about a year before the Straw Hat Boy sets sail.
Now it seems that this is indeed true. After all, the Straw Hat should officially set sail in May 1520.
In addition, the newspaper also mentioned some recent events, like the leaking of the dance powder from the capital of the Kingdom of Alabasta, and the pirate Cavendish entering the New World as a highly-anticipated newcomer.
But none of this matters. What really matters is that Bane saw a picture of himself on the last page of the newspaper, and the picture had some information written with it.
"The murderer who killed the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates' Fourth Division, whose name and age are unknown, is offered a reward of 500 million berries by the Whitebeard Pirates, dead or alive. "
"No, Pirates can openly published the bounty in the newspaper. Is that fair? What is the world government doing? " Bane looked at the notice and complained with annoyance.
And when did I kill Thatch?
Without thinking much, Bane realized that it must have been that bastard Teach who blamed him for killing Thatch. As for this issue, Bane could not argue. The reason is simple. The weak have no voice. He is not in a position to explain anything to Whitebeard and others, and no one would listen.
"Fortunately, the gate opened in the East blue Sea this time. The people from the Whitebeard Pirates won't be able to catch up for a while, and the weaklings in the East blue Sea. . . uh. . . shouldn't be a threat to me, right? " Bane thought about it again and felt a bit lucky.
If this were still in the New World, a place full of strong people with Haki, I would probably be caught and turned over to Whitebeard as soon as I showed my face. He pushed these chaotic thoughts away. Now was not the time for them. In Bane's view, the current priority should be to find a way to become stronger.
In the pirate world, besides devil fruits, there are still many things worth exploring and learning.
For example, Kendo, Six Styles, Haki, and more.
Even though the East blue Sea is safer, it is not easy to gain new powers. For Haki, I guess you wouldn't find a place to learn it even if you searched the whole East blue Sea, and the same likely applies to the Six Styles.
There are indeed chances in Kendo. In Shimotsuki Village in the East blue Sea, Koushirou opened a kendo school and is accepting students. Basically, as long as you pay, you can learn. Of course, how much you learn depends on your own skill.
"Oh? That's strange! " Bane paused when he thought of this, and contemplated, "Considering Koushirou's background, he might have knowledge of Haki? But he just hasn't revealed it in the East blue Sea? "
It's possible. Koushirou is not originally from the East blue Sea. His family moved here from Wano Country, a place in the New World known for its skilled samurai. These samurai are usually very good at Haki.
Moreover, Koushirou is also a good friend of Dragon, who leads the revolutionary army. Their friendship shows that Koushirou is more than just a kendo gym owner.
Thinking about this, Bane realized he needed to go to Shimotsuki Village to meet Mr. Koushirou.
This task isn't hard. Bane had already asked about it on his way to the tavern. The East blue Sea has been calm for a long time, so shipping industries are thriving. The port sees commercial ships traveling to various places in the East blue Sea each day. With a ticket, you can travel anywhere in the East blue Sea.
Now, the question is how to make some money.
The boat ticket is fine, but he needs to bring gifts to meet Koushirou. Besides that, he also needs to pay for tuition, right? Koushirou is not family, so he can't expect to learn skills for free. How will he cover his food and drink costs during this time?
He did prepare before coming here and brought two gold bracelets hidden at home. After all, the local currencies don't work here, but gold is a universal currency. Also, based on some information from the empire, gold seems to be valuable in many other worlds, so he could prepare for more in the future.
However, these two bracelets won't last long. Originally, Bane planned to borrow money from some local gangsters. If they refused, he would beat them up to get the money. But now, he feels he has another option.
He stood up and walked to the table next to him, putting his arm around the shoulder of a man who was boasting. He said, "Sup, I want to ask you something. Do you know the bounty on Thatch, the captain of the Fourth Division of the Whitebeard Pirates? "
This guy was bragging to his friends at the same table about catching a big fish recently. He got interrupted and was clearly annoyed. He looked at Bane with irritation and said, "Where are you from? Why are you asking this? And don't put your arm around me."
Maybe it was because Bane's recent question mentioned Thatch, or maybe it was because the murder of the Whitebeard Pirates captain has been a popular topic lately. Whatever the reason, when the man clearly saw Bane's face, he suddenly froze.
"Of course I ask this question because I want to collect the bounty," Bane said with a friendly smile.
Teach made him take the blame, and the Whitebeard Pirates even put a five billion Bailey reward on his head, making him suffer an unfair fate for no reason.
So it makes sense for Bane to collect Thatch's bounty, right? "You are the person in the portrait! ? " the man exclaimed in shock.
"Keep your voice down. I'm a very low-key person," Bane said, pressing down hard on the man's shoulder.
Soon, Bane understood the situation clearly. Thatch's bounty was 153 million berries, and this island was under the control of the 153rd Navy Branch Base. Anyone wanting to claim the bounty should go to them.
However, this place was not too far from Logue Town. The 153rd Naval Branch might not be able to handle 153 million Berries at once, but the naval base in Logue Town had a Captain in charge, so they should be able to manage it.
Also, if Bane remembered correctly, the 153rd Marine Branch seemed to be run by that axe hand, Morgan. This guy was naturally greedy. Even though Bane wasn't scared of him, there was no need to start trouble. He had already offended the Whitebeard Pirates, and now he would be offending the Navy. There was no need for that.
In contrast, Captain Smoker of Logue Town was more reliable. So after some thought, Bane decided he should go to Logue Town to exchange for money.
What? Without Thatch's head in hand, how can he prove that he killed Thatch? Are you kidding? His face is plastered all over the world by the Whitebeard Pirates. It's the best proof!