"Big Machete" Desword, bounty 8 million Berries, didn't sound very strong. The high bounty was likely due to the number of people he had killed.
The Celestial Dragons had just left yesterday, yet today he came to cause trouble outside the lawless area. Perhaps he assumed the Marines and government officials would send guards to escort the Celestial Dragons back, leaving the area under-defended?
Zhang Da Ye felt a little anxious being surrounded, but not overly so.
After all, he had plenty of tools at his disposal. If necessary, he could drink the magical milk to see its effects.
But for now, he let Tom take the lead. "Tom, go! Take him down!"
This single command directed Tom's attention and aggression.
(The battle process is detailed in Chapter 001.)
Zhang Da Ye had expected Tom to draw his dual pistols and show off his shooting skills, but the fight ended in a far more dramatic way.
In short, Zhang Da Ye and Tom used a cart to haul Desword and his three lackeys toward the Marine base.
They already knew the location: the Marine station was on Island 66, not far from Zhang Da Ye's Island 59.
Since it was still early, there weren't many passersby, and pulling four big men didn't attract much attention.
Crossing the small bridge between the islands marked the first time Zhang Da Ye stepped out of the newbie area.
However, as they came down the bridge, the makeshift cart jolted, and Desword's head bumped lightly.
"Ouch…" Desword opened his eyes, recalling being tricked by a cat, and felt a wave of embarrassment and anger. "You little brat, and that damned cat! How dare you…"
Bang~
In his fury, Desword broke free of the ropes.
Before he could lunge, Zhang Da Ye realized something was wrong and executed his pre-planned combat strategy:
- Take out the firecracker and matches.
- Strike a match over Tom's head.
- Light the firecracker and toss it.
- Pull Tom back.
A tiny firecracker less than a centimeter long hit Desword in the face. He barely felt it, thinking it was a mosquito bite, and almost lunged at Zhang Da Ye.
Then—
BOOM!!!!!
Blinding flames and thick black smoke.
Zhang Da Ye and Tom both cupped their ears. This was far more intense than the fireworks he played with as a child.
When the smoke cleared, Desword was covered in black soot, letting out a cough and exhaling a cloud of black smoke. "Wh-what… is this…"
He finished speaking and collapsed, rolling his eyes.
Even his three lackeys were half-covered in soot, disoriented.
[Teffy the Mouse's Pocket Firecracker: smaller than Tom's nose, but its power won't disappoint.]
"Sure enough, it didn't disappoint." Zhang Da Ye admired Desword's state, then looked at other explosive items in his inventory with eager anticipation. Explosions were an art!
The area at the border of the two islands seemed like a suburban zone, with no one coming to investigate.
Zhang Da Ye and Tom quickly reloaded Desword onto the cart and sprinted to the Marine base.
The Marine branch at 66GR in the Sabaody Archipelago resembled other Marine bases: tall silver-gray buildings with "Marine" written on them and a prominent seagull emblem.
Two guards at the gate, upon hearing Zhang Da Ye's purpose, not only didn't interfere but one politely guided him.
The bounty redemption office was in a discreet area of the base, likely to prevent ill-intentioned visitors. Many bounty hunters operated in gray areas, some even turning into pirates at any moment.
The guiding guard saluted the officer inside the window: "Major Kuro, this gentleman has captured 'Big Machete' Desword and is here to claim the bounty."
"I understand." Major Kuro lazily nodded, signaling an assistant to fetch the bounty papers. He eyed Zhang Da Ye and said, "Please wait a moment. We need to verify your identity."
Zhang Da Ye nodded, asking, "He just called you Major Kuro?"
"Yes. I'm Kuro, Lucil Kuro, Marine Headquarters Major. Why?"
Zhang Da Ye responded, "Nothing, just sounded familiar, couldn't place it. Maybe my imagination. Sorry."
"That's for the best," Kuro said quietly. "Being famous can be troublesome."
The assistant found the bounty papers, returned, and wiped soot off Desword's face—fortunately, no permanent damage. "Big Machete Desword, bounty 8 million, identity confirmed. Three underlings, four weapons."
Major Kuro pulled out a paper and filled it out: "Desword 8 million, three underlings no bounty, four ordinary weapons. We'll give you 100,000 Berries extra as compensation."
The weapons were valuable, but Zhang Da Ye wasn't interested—they were lottery draws from his inventory, and he rarely used them.
Yes, lottery draws. He no longer called it summoning; summoning was for characters, drawing was for items.
Unexpectedly, turning in weapons earned extra money—not bad.
Seeing no objection, Major Kuro handed the paper to his assistant, who returned with a small package and two soldiers minutes later.
Zhang Da Ye opened the package: stacks of 100 bills, ten loose bills, all 10,000 Berry denomination.
After confirming the amount, the soldiers dragged away the four unconscious men. Zhang Da Ye ignored the makeshift cart—it was assembled by Tom anyway.
"Transaction complete. Please continue supporting Marine efforts," Kuro said listlessly, adding the routine question: "Young man, do you want to join the Marines? Fight for justice together in the future?"
With that lazy tone, there was zero sincerity!
"I'll consider it, but I'm too inexperienced now." Zhang Da Ye left the answer open. Now wealthy, he contemplated whether to leave Sabaody with a passenger ship or settle down and do business.
Having survived drifting at sea, he still felt wary about venturing out.
Joining the Marines was promising—once the three admirals took office, the Marine force would be unprecedentedly strong. People often talk about emperors at sea, but the Marines were the true sea rulers.
However, superiors could be annoying, and weak recruits became cannon fodder.
Strength, strength.
For now, Zhang Da Ye preferred to quietly develop his abilities.
The soldier who guided him out likely wanted to prevent him from wandering.