Chapter 32
As for Usopp, who was also in Syrup Village, Kai had zero interest in him—not even the slightest desire to meet him. Usopp was one of the characters Kai disliked the most in the original story. That long nose, that ugly face, and those exaggerated crying and laughing fits! He was always bubbling with tears and snot!
"But first I need to find out where the Kuro Pirates are right now. Searching blindly won't get me anywhere!"
Kai muttered to himself.
Flap flap flap flap!!
Right after Kai finished speaking, a news bird with a newspaper tied to its leg appeared above his head!
"Heh heh! The latest newspaper and bounty posters have arrived!"
Seeing the bird, Kai chuckled lightly and immediately slowed the Phantom down so the news bird could land in front of him!
Coo coo!! Coo coo!!
The moment the news bird landed in front of Kai, it let out a few excited cries. Normally, when selling newspapers and bounty posters, Kai always paid several times more than others. So this news bird that operated in the East Blue had long since recognized him!
Bounty posters also cost money to buy. The scenes in the original story where birds simply dropped posters onto pirate ships only happened after the birds finished selling the newspapers and were heading back—because bounty posters were much cheaper than newspapers!
"Heh heh! Hand them over!"
Seeing the bird's excited expression, Kai laughed. He tossed a stack of Berries to it and took the latest newspaper and bounty posters from its beak.
Flap flap flap flap!
Only then did the news bird flap its wings excitedly and fly off to find its next customer!
Kai picked up the latest newspaper and bounty posters and began flipping through them with interest. Staying informed about the state of the pirate world was essential—the power of information was immeasurable!
"East Blue Auction?"
When he noticed the eye-catching headline in the newspaper, Kai's eyes lit up. The East Blue Auction was held once a year in Loguetown. What caught his attention most was that a Devil Fruit was listed for auction. He had gone last year, but at that time Kai didn't have enough Berries—he couldn't even afford 100 million!
"Perfect! This time I'm definitely going to buy a Devil Fruit!"
Kai said excitedly. Then he continued flipping through the latest bounty posters!
"Damn! No way it's this convenient!"
When he saw the figure on one of the posters, Kai couldn't help cursing—not in anger, but in excitement. The person on the poster was none other than Captain Kuro, the very one Kai had just been thinking about!
"His bounty has increased to 11 million Berries. What bad thing did this guy do this time?"
Kai muttered. He quickly scanned the fine print in the newspaper and soon found the reason. Captain Kuro had destroyed a Marine ship that was pursuing them. His bounty rose by 1 million Berries! The incident happened near Loguetown—completely in the opposite direction from Syrup Village!
"Looks like I'll have to visit Kaya later!"
After learning about both the auction and Kuro, Kai chuckled lightly. He immediately changed course and sped toward Loguetown—the direction of Reverse Mountain!
"Last time Nami took all the gold and coins from the car. I only have about 100 million Berries left now. That should be enough to bid on a Devil Fruit! But it's still too little. It would be nice to get more Berries!"
Kai muttered as he headed toward Loguetown.
"If it's not enough, I can just rob a Marine branch. As long as no one finds out it was me!"
Kai added. The thought of robbing a Marine branch filled him with a surge of excitement! It seemed he had been looking forward to robbing the Marines for a long time!
"Turns out I'm quite evil after all! But most Marines aren't good people anyway. Looking at the Marines in the original story, they often seem even more evil than the pirates! So that makes me the pure one!"
Feeling his own excitement, Kai laughed lightly. He sped up even more toward Loguetown!
"There happens to be one nearby! I'll go rob Colonel Morgan's Marine branch!"
Kai laughed heartily. Colonel Morgan—also known as Axe-Hand Morgan—was the first Marine Luffy encountered after setting sail! He was narcissistic, arrogant, and tyrannical on the island. The villagers there reacted to his name like they had seen a ghost. He must have extorted a lot of money!
"I wonder if the branch has enough Berries—maybe 100 million?"
Kai murmured. Almost every Marine branch kept tens of millions of Berries in reserve. After bounty hunters turned in pirates, they received rewards. Adding Morgan's own stash, Kai figured there should be around 100 million!
"Heh heh! Thinking about it is one thing—better to act! It's on the way anyway! Might as well pay them a visit!"
With a light chuckle, Kai changed direction toward the island where Colonel Morgan's branch was located—the same direction as Loguetown!
"Ah… it's the Maple Leaf Hunter! Boss, we're in trouble…" "Boss, this is bad…"
In the direction Kai was heading, on a small pirate ship, the pirate grunts saw the flashy red Phantom appear in their line of sight and immediately cried out in panic!
"What?!"
A loud, panicked shout came from inside the cabin. Then a flustered, bald young man rushed out. The moment he saw the cool red shadow rapidly approaching, he collapsed onto the deck!
"We're finished… we're completely done for…"
"Quick! You idiots, turn the ship around and run!"
The bald young man shouted angrily at the rest of the crew. Running into the Maple Leaf Hunter of the East Blue—how could he not panic? Even pirates with bounties over 10 million weren't Kai's match. How could a small-time pirate with only 2 million Berries possibly fight him? He was ready to tuck his tail and flee!
"Yes, Boss!"
"This is bad! Boss! He's catching up!"
But they had barely started turning when another panicked cry rang out from the ship!
The bald young man's pupils shrank. It was really over—Kai was coming straight for them! He collapsed onto the deck again!
The bald young man had no idea that normally Kai wouldn't even bother with small fry like them. But today was different. Kai was planning to rob a Marine branch, and these guys would make perfect cover. He could use them to learn the layout of the branch first. Even when robbing, Kai wanted to be thorough—he didn't want anyone knowing it was him! So gathering information about the Marine branch's interior was necessary. He couldn't rely solely on his memories of the original story!
"Damn it! Everyone, grab your weapons! If he catches up, we'll fight him! I refuse to believe a hundred of us can't take down one guy!"
Realizing Kai was definitely targeting them, the bald young man's vicious nature flared up. He roared fiercely at the crew!
"Yes, Boss!" "Take him down! Take him down!"
Hearing their boss regain his usual ferocity and dominance, the pirate grunts roared excitedly. As long as their boss led the charge, they weren't pushovers either!
"Heh heh! With you lot? You think you can take me down?"
But just as they were gripping their weapons and preparing to charge, a cold laugh rang out from below their ship! Then a figure leaped onto their pirate vessel!
The moment Kai landed on the deck, the pirate grunts immediately surrounded him. They glared at him fiercely, weapons tightly gripped, ready to attack together at any moment!
Looking at the circle of pirate grunts surrounding him, Kai's eyes were filled with contempt. Then he acted as if they didn't exist and looked straight at the bald young man opposite him!
Early access to upcoming chapters is available on Patreon.
Support the translator and binge ahead! patreon.com/arthursink Means a lot – thank you! ✍️