006 Want to arrest me?
Killing Marines can also increase strength, which made Lin Mu's heart surge with wild imagination when he recalled how bounties and experience were gained in this sea ruled by power and reputation!
But very quickly, Lin Mu forcibly pressed this dangerous thought back into the depths of his mind, at least at his current stage, actively killing Marines was absolutely impossible and completely unrealistic.
After all, Marines are fundamentally different from pirates. Most pirates act independently, scattered across the seas, and once killed, they are often nothing more than another corpse drifting on the waves.
But behind the Marines stands a gigantic organization—the World Government itself. If a truly terrifying figure were drawn to him because of the large-scale slaughter of Marines, the price would far outweigh any short-term gain.
Even with Wolverine's terrifying super recovery ability and almost inhuman vitality, Lin Mu knew very clearly that in this world there existed monsters like Admirals, Vice Admirals, and other abnormal powerhouses who could still kill him decisively.
Therefore, before his strength had fully grown and his foundation was stable, it was best not to set the Marines as active enemies, and instead treat them as a kind of long-term "treasury" that could be interacted with cautiously.
"Bastard brat, didn't you hear what I said? Are you going to get out by yourself, or do you want me to personally throw you out?"
The gatekeeper Marine saw that Lin Mu was still standing calmly in place, and immediately stepped forward, the flintlock rifle in his hand snapping up as it was aimed straight at Lin Mu's head, his expression vicious, as if he would pull the trigger the moment Lin Mu showed the slightest resistance.
This Marine's arrogant attitude made Lin Mu secretly shake his head. The Marine branches far away from headquarters were indeed chaotic, and it was easy for vermin to breed in such muddy waters.
Colonel Mouse from the Sixteenth Branch and Axe-Hand Morgan from the One Hundred and Fifty-Third Branch had already proven this point. Corruption and oppression spread from top to bottom, and the Marine's reputation had long been dragged down by this kind of scum.
Judging from the gatekeeper Marine's behavior, Lin Mu estimated that the commander of Marine Branch 42 would not be much better either, after all, when the upper beam is crooked, the lower beams will inevitably follow suit.
If the commander were truly an upright man who insisted on justice and discipline, how could a mere gatekeeper Marine dare to act so arrogantly at the entrance of the base?
Although he had no intention of clashing with the Marines for the time being, Lin Mu did not bother to give the gatekeeper Marine any face. He directly opened the wooden box in his hand, deliberately exposing its contents to the Marine's line of sight.
When the gatekeeper Marine suddenly saw the bloody head inside the box, his pupils shrank violently, and under pure conditioned reflex, his entire body staggered back several steps.
But soon, after coming back to his senses, the gatekeeper Marine's face flushed red. Being frightened into retreat by a severed pirate head was utterly humiliating, and he felt as if he had completely lost face.
"Now do you understand why I'm here?" Lin Mu snorted coldly when he saw the Marine's flustered and embarrassed appearance.
The gatekeeper Marine swallowed hard. He never expected that the young man standing in front of him was actually a pirate hunter at such a young age!
He recognized the head in the box at a glance. It belonged to a pirate with a bounty of one million Berries issued by the Marine headquarters. Although the amount was not high, it was something completely out of reach for a mere Seaman Apprentice like him.
A pirate hunter who could kill such a target was clearly far stronger than he was, and that realization made his grip on the rifle unconsciously loosen.
Therefore, the gatekeeper Marine's attitude immediately changed. He was no longer arrogant or domineering like before, but instead became noticeably cautious and respectful. He lowered his head slightly and even bowed toward Lin Mu, his tone far more restrained as he said: "Please… please come with me."
Lin Mu could not be bothered to care about this kind of bully who was fierce when facing the weak and fearful when facing the strong. He followed the gatekeeper Marine straight into the Marine branch and was brought to the area specifically used for the exchange of pirate bounties.
After the Marine clerk verified the authenticity of the severed head, compared it with the wanted poster issued by the branch, and confirmed the seal and registration number, Lin Mu smoothly received the bounty of one million Berries.
Although it sounded like one million, in reality it was not much money to spend. After all, in the world of pirates, even an ordinary newspaper printed by Morgans' World Economic Journal cost one hundred Berries per copy.
Therefore, the actual purchasing power of one million Berries was roughly equivalent to ten thousand yuan from his previous life on Earth, enough for daily expenses but far from making anyone rich.
Lin Mu had originally planned to ask the Marines about the situation of nearby pirate groups and recent bounty targets, but after witnessing the conduct and atmosphere of these Marines, he decisively gave up on that idea. It was obvious that he would not be able to get any reliable information here, so it would be better to go to the town to inquire, and by the way buy some things he needed.
After walking out of the Marine branch with the exchanged bounty in hand, Lin Mu began to stroll around the town on Kelin Island.
The streets of the town were bustling with people coming and going, and the surrounding buildings were filled with distinct island-style characteristics. For a moment, this made Lin Mu, a complete outsider, feel somewhat dazzled by the lively scenery.
Since coming to the world of One Piece, Lin Mu had never seen such a prosperous place.
Previously, he had only stayed in a small village with barely over a hundred residents in total, something that could not be compared to Kelin Island at all.
As for the time spent drifting at sea afterward, there had not even been a human shadow, let alone any signs of civilization.
Now that he had finally arrived at Kelin Island, it was only natural for him to feel a sense of freshness and novelty.
Most of the people on the streets were ordinary civilians with no experience points floating above their heads. Occasionally, there would be one or two people with experience points, but most of them only had one or two points at most.
Because of this, Lin Mu had no intention of killing anyone in the town for experience, so he simply pretended not to notice them at all.
Up to this moment, Lin Mu was still wearing the tattered clothes he had used while working at the dock, which not only looked terrible but also felt extremely uncomfortable.
So Lin Mu directly bought several sets of clothes, put on one clean set on the spot, and kept the other sets so he could change them at any time.
In addition, Lin Mu purchased various daily necessities. After everything was prepared and he was ready to head back to sea, Lin Mu walked into a restaurant.
"Boss, bring out all your signature dishes!" Lin Mu shouted directly at the owner after finding a seat and sitting down.
Since arriving in the pirate world, he had never once had a proper meal. Now that he finally had money in his pocket, enjoying a good meal was no longer a problem.
Before long, plates of exquisite and fragrant dishes were brought out one after another, and Lin Mu began to devour them without hesitation.
After obtaining the mutant genes of Wolverine and Quicksilver, Lin Mu's appetite had increased dramatically. At this moment, the restaurant owner secretly watched him eat in astonishment and could not help but sigh inwardly, thinking that this young man must have gone several days without eating properly.
However, just as Lin Mu was halfway through his meal, the door of the restaurant was suddenly kicked open, and a group of fully armed Marines rushed in from outside.
"I am acting under orders to arrest a pirate. All irrelevant personnel are to retreat immediately. Anyone who dares to resist will be treated as an accomplice of the pirates!"
The entire restaurant was thrown into chaos when everyone heard this, but Lin Mu merely raised his eyebrows, feeling a trace of confusion.
Because throughout the entire restaurant, apart from these Marines, there was not a single person with experience points above their head, which meant that everyone present was an ordinary civilian.
But very soon, Lin Mu's doubts were completely dispelled, because he discovered that he himself was being surrounded by dozens of Marines wielding guns, both upstairs and downstairs, forming a tight encirclement!
Obviously, he was the pirate the Marines were targeting this time!