"Well, that's fine. If there's any trouble in town in the future, contact me again. After all, Rum Town is my hometown. As long as I have the ability, I'll definitely help."
On the deck, Kaito Arisawa sat cross-legged with his bare upper body exposed, a light sheen of sweat still clinging to his skin from training. He held the microphone of a Den Den Mushi in one hand, finishing a conversation that had lasted several minutes.
Only after speaking a few more words did he hang up, gently placing the receiver back onto the shell of the snail.
Robin, who had brought the Den Den Mushi over earlier, had stood quietly to the side during the entire exchange. Once Kaito ended the call, she spoke.
"It seems the Marines who went to support Rum Town were fairly capable. They didn't let the Eight Treasures Navy cause any trouble."
Kaito shrugged casually.
"They're still the strongest armed force on the seas. Even if this is just West Blue, most forces would rather avoid direct conflict. Under normal circumstances, unless there's a full-blown confrontation, they'll give the Marines some face."
Robin nodded slightly but added her own analysis.
"That may be true. But considering the strength of the Eight Treasures Navy, I doubt they left Rum Town so easily without a reason. They probably discovered our whereabouts."
At this point, more than ten days had passed since the War Pirates left Lovisa.
During that time, they had not simply wandered aimlessly across the sea.
Instead, they visited several nearby islands.
Each of those islands housed gangs that had previously clashed with the Sword Gang during its earlier days.
Just as they had dealt with the Iron Fist Gang, the War Pirates crushed those forces one by one—then absorbed what remained.
Along the way, they replenished their treasury.
Regardless of whether the Eight Treasures Navy had truly tracked them, Kaito had no intention of relaxing.
"Whether they've found us or not doesn't matter," he said calmly, resting his right hand across his legs, close to the hilts of his twin golden sabers. "We treat them as an enemy at all times. We stay ready for battle."
A confrontation with the Eight Treasures Navy was inevitable.
Kaito had known that from the beginning.
And he had been preparing accordingly.
—
In terms of manpower, the War Pirates currently numbered five thousand.
Despite annexing multiple gang forces over the past ten days, their overall headcount had not increased beyond that number.
The reason was simple:
Casualties.
Training soldiers through real battle was one of the most effective methods of forging strength.
The original core members of the War Pirates performed well.
But the newly recruited members—former gangsters with less discipline and inferior training—were clearly lacking in comparison.
Every battle over the past ten days had resulted in losses.
The turnover rate among newcomers had been especially high.
Thus, although new members were constantly being absorbed, the total force remained steady at five thousand.
However—
There were sacrifices.
And there were gains.
Through repeated combat and the structured training Kaito imposed, the overall quality of the War Pirates had steadily improved.
That was precisely what he wanted.
Quantity alone meant nothing.
He wanted growth in both quality and numbers.
To ensure that, Kaito had made deliberate arrangements.
For instance, after incorporating the Iron Fist remnants, he implemented a "veteran-leading-rookie" system.
Each experienced member was paired with newcomers.
Veterans served as role models and field instructors.
New recruits were managed through direct accountability to seasoned warriors.
This method reduced chaos and accelerated cohesion.
Even as new blood constantly entered the ranks, internal order never faltered.
Instead, unity formed quickly.
—
It wasn't only the army that was developing smoothly.
Kaito himself had grown significantly.
In just over ten days, his physical strength alone had improved to the point where—without relying on talent concentration—he could fight Mangu in his base state without being overwhelmed.
That fact alone spoke volumes.
As for other areas—
The concentrated talent state had allowed him to fully understand the gap between genius and ordinary men.
Swordsmanship?
He grasped it instantly and refined it rapidly.
Eight-Impact Fist?
He could now wield it with proficiency equal to—or even exceeding—that of Sai.
Armament Haki?
He could freely use "Hardening" and "Emission."
Observation Haki?
Its perception range had expanded from over one hundred meters to nearly one kilometer.
Conqueror's Haki?
With each victory and the rising momentum of his crew, its intensity continued to grow.
Compared to ten days ago, Kaito was an entirely different version of himself.
Call it Version 2.0.
If the Kaito of today fought the Kaito of ten days ago, the outcome would be decisive.
And that was before factoring in talent concentration.
With concentration active, the amplification effect was even more terrifying.
The stronger the foundation—
The greater the blessing.
—
"Coo!"
A sudden cry echoed from the sky.
Both Kaito and Robin looked up.
A bird wearing a small cap, with a satchel hanging from its chest, descended and landed near the bow.
The News Coo.
A familiar sight in this world.
Robin walked over casually, withdrawing 100 Berries from her pocket and offering them to the bird.
The News Coo deftly handed over a newspaper along with several folded bounty posters before flying away with the payment.
Robin glanced down at what had fallen free from the paper.
Her lips curved slightly.
"Captain. Our bounties have finally been issued."
She picked up the posters and returned to Kaito.
"Oh?" Kaito's interest was immediately piqued. "Let me see."
He accepted the bounty sheets from her hand.
There was no mistaking it.
They were official Marine bounty notices targeting the War Pirates.
Kaito Arisawa — Captain of the War Pirates
Bounty: 79,000,000 Berries
Status: Alive or Dead
Robin — Leader of the War Pirates
Bounty: 35,000,000 Berries
Status: Alive or Dead
(Note: Identity not recognized due to disguise.)
Mangu — Cadre of the War Pirates
Bounty: 35,000,000 Berries
Status: Alive or Dead
Kaito stared at his own poster for a moment.
Then he laughed.
"Seventy-nine million Berries. It seems the Marines are taking me quite seriously."
For a first bounty—
It was enormous.
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