"Are these records all true?"
Don held up a wanted poster, pointing at the blood-soaked entries as he questioned old Komodo.
"Of course they're true! Every last word came from the mouths of the survivors themselves. A village of over a hundred people, reduced to just a handful of souls in the end."
Sensing Don's doubt, old Komodo raised his voice as if to hammer in the weight of his words.
"So a pirate who slaughtered hundreds… only gets this meager bounty?"
"That's not on me. Those bounties are set by the Marines."
Old Komodo shook his head bitterly.
Pirates pillaging merchant ships, burning villages, killing entire crews—such horrors were everyday business on the sea. Sometimes, when a ship fell into pirate hands, not a single soul survived. It was so common it barely made news anymore.
"I can explain!"
From outside the tavern, a new voice cut in. Captain Nezumi stepped inside, Marines trailing behind him.
The bar instantly fell silent, all eyes snapping toward the uniformed men.
"Because that pirate was weak."
"So the bounty is judged by strength?"
Don was hardly surprised by Nezumi's arrival. His Kenbunshoku Haki had sensed him coming well before he entered.
"That's part of it," Nezumi admitted.
He took a pouch from the Marine at his back.
"Four million Berries. Your bounty reward."
Don glanced at the bag and nodded. "If I capture other pirates, can I bring them here to claim their bounties?"
Nezumi followed his gaze to the thick stack of wanted posters spread out before Don, then gave a quick nod.
"Of course. As long as they're wanted criminals, you can exchange them for bounty money here. However…" He gestured for his men to wait outside, then sat at the counter, ordering a beer.
"I have another matter."
He took a deliberate sip before speaking again.
"The Marines would like to invite you to join. If you agree, you can head directly to Marine Headquarters."
The words dropped like a thunderclap.
Marine Headquarters?
To the townsfolk, it was a name straight out of legend. A place on the Grand Line where all the highest officers of the Navy resided—even Vice Admiral Garp himself.
"I refuse."
Don shook his head.
"Why? If your goal is to hunt pirates, joining the Marines makes it easier. You wouldn't need to search them out yourself—we'd even give you a warship."
Nezumi pressed, visibly unwilling to accept the rejection.
"Garp already invited me once. I turned him down then too. As for the reason…"
Don thought for a moment, then gave a small shrug.
"I despise the Celestial Dragons."
The tavern froze solid.
A pin could have dropped, and everyone would have heard it.
Eyes went wide in shock. No one dared breathe.
To openly voice hatred for the Celestial Dragons—the so-called gods of the world—was unthinkable.
Nezumi's pupils shrank. His thoughts raced as he stared at Don. His gaze flicked to the sword by Don's side, then back to the man himself, who might very well be a Devil Fruit user.
If it came to a fight… he'd lose.
So what should he do?
Pretend he hadn't heard it.
"Ha… ha ha ha!" Nezumi forced a laugh. "So Vice Admiral Garp has already asked, has he? Well then, I suppose I never said anything."
He stood at once and left the tavern, not daring to linger a moment longer.
The moment his back disappeared through the door, the tension in the room remained like a blade hanging overhead. All eyes were still locked on Don, horrified by his words.
If such blasphemy against the Celestial Dragons ever reached their ears…
The thought alone made several patrons scramble to their feet, hurrying out of the tavern in fear.
Komodo, still behind the counter, looked stricken. If this spread, everyone present would be dragged down with Don.
Don, of course, understood exactly what he had done. But hatred was hatred—no words would change that.
And if he ever met a Celestial Dragon? He might just cut one down.
To him, the Celestial Dragons were nothing but parasites who deserved death.
"Time to go."
Don tossed coins for the juice and the posters onto the counter, grabbed his two bags, and strode out.
Back at the Marine base, Nezumi wasted no time filing his report to Headquarters. Of course, he omitted Don's words about hating the Celestial Dragons.
If he repeated that, orders would come from above to arrest Don immediately. And that would mean he would be the one forced to confront the pirate hunter head-on. A man who might be a Haki user—or worse.
He wasn't suicidal.
Marine Headquarters – Fleet Admiral's Office.
The door burst open with a single kick. Garp strode in as though he owned the place.
"Ever heard of knocking, you bastard?"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku, already in a foul mood, turned black in the face.
"Perfect timing. I'm out of senbei."
Garp ignored him completely, went straight to the desk, and yanked open a drawer. He fished out Sengoku's carefully hidden senbei stash, pulled out two bags, and plopped himself into a chair, crunching noisily.
Sengoku's temples pulsed, his veins standing out as if he might explode on the spot.
"You bastard! Didn't you say you couldn't find that brat in the East Blue?"
Sengoku glared furiously, his voice cold as iron.
"What brat in the East Blue?"
Garp froze mid-bite, his words muffled by senbei crumbs flying from his mouth.
"That bounty hunter—the suspected Devil Fruit user."
Sengoku snorted.
Normally, a minor case like this wouldn't have landed on his desk. But because it involved Garp, it had been escalated.
Nezumi had reported that Don refused his invitation. But Garp had previously claimed he never found the boy at all.
Clearly, one of them was lying.
"Hah! Sengoku, you mean that brat."
Garp burst out laughing, utterly unconcerned.
"You said you didn't find him!"
Sengoku's face darkened even further.
"Well, what's the difference? He refused anyway."
Garp waved a hand, dismissing it entirely.
"If he refuses, you ask again, you idiot!"
Sengoku nearly tore his hair out.
"I could tell—he has no interest in the Marines."
Garp thought back to the young man's words about the Celestial Dragons, and waved again, unconcerned.
"And his strength?" Sengoku pressed, forcing his anger down with deep breaths.
"Hard to say… but probably strong."
Garp shook his head. "Didn't fight him, but he knew I was there before I even arrived. Must've been Observation Haki. In the East Blue, anyone with Haki is no weakling—especially one that young."
Sengoku closed his eyes. Then gave the order.
"Go back to the East Blue. He's in the 16th Branch. Bring him here."
"He doesn't want to join."
"All the more reason. We can't just leave a young ability-user free on the seas. If he turns pirate later, he'll be trouble."
"There are plenty of ability-users out there already."
Garp's jaw set as he locked eyes with Sengoku.
"The ideals of the Marines will change him."
Sengoku's voice softened slightly.
Garp blinked. The brat's disgust for the Celestial Dragons had been… genuine. Just like his own.
Join the Marines? No chance.
He'd only met the boy once, but Garp could feel it clearly.
"Fine. I'll go."
Garp rose to his feet.
"If you can't find him, don't bother coming back."
"Really?"
Garp froze, eyes lighting up.
Sengoku slapped a hand over his face.
"Of course not! Get out there and bring him back!"
Garp slumped, utterly disappointed, and waved lazily as he left.
Sengoku watched him go, exasperated beyond words.
That man was hopeless.
"Charge, boys!"
A pirate ship shot down Reverse Mountain, picking up terrifying speed.
At its prow stood the fish-man Arlong, grinning with savage pride.
Behind him, the deck was full of fish-men roaring with excitement.
Arlong had painted them a glorious picture: conquer the East Blue, then return to the Grand Line as kings.
It had their blood burning.
For most pirates, Reverse Mountain was the only way into the Grand Line. To return to the Blues, you either braved the terrifying Calm Belt or waited for the rare reversal tide of the current.
And today—that chance had come.