Robin spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Of course they value you. At the very least, the Marines must already know about our battle with the Eight Treasures Navy in Rum Town. With that alone, your bounty couldn't possibly be low."
Under normal circumstances, a pirate's first bounty was rarely set very high.
Even among the Shichibukai of the current era—figures such as Crocodile, Boa Hancock, and Jinbe—their initial bounties had only been around seventy to eighty million Berries.
For Kaito Arisawa to be treated on equal footing with them was undeniable proof of how seriously the Marines regarded him.
No—more precisely, how seriously the World Government regarded him.
The World Government did not calculate a pirate's bounty based on strength alone. It made a comprehensive assessment, taking into account the size of the pirate's influence, the damage inflicted upon affiliated nations, and the degree of threat posed to the Government's authority.
Take Lovisa as an example.
When Kaito had allowed the War Pirates to openly plunder the nobles and wealthy elites of the city, he had directly harmed a territory belonging to a member nation of the World Government.
From the Government's perspective, that was a serious offense.
Based on that fact alone, his bounty would never have been small.
Then there was Sai.
Sai himself had been a pirate worth over one hundred million Berries.
Kaito had killed him.
That act alone demonstrated overwhelming strength.
Given those combined factors, seventy-nine million Berries for a first bounty was entirely reasonable.
In fact, had this not been his initial listing, the amount might have been even higher.
Kaito gave a faint, amused smile.
"That makes sense. I didn't see any bounty notice before and almost thought the Marines didn't even consider us worth noticing."
As he spoke, he lifted Robin's bounty poster and looked at her with a grin.
"It seems the Marines haven't discovered your real identity. They issued you a brand-new bounty instead."
In daily life, Kaito always called her simply "Robin," never using her full name. Even the members of the War Pirates knew only her given name.
On top of that, Robin always appeared in disguise when outside.
Unless someone was extremely familiar with her, recognizing her true identity would be nearly impossible.
Especially since the only image of her circulating publicly was an outdated childhood bounty poster.
That made identification even harder.
The newly issued bounty poster confirmed it.
The Marines clearly had not connected her to her past. The image on the poster matched her current disguise exactly.
"That's a good thing," Robin replied with a light smile. "If the Marines knew who I really was, they would definitely launch a far more aggressive pursuit."
Kaito nodded slightly.
"That's true. If they knew about you, they would absolutely make a move."
He paused briefly before continuing, his tone softening.
"But it's only a matter of time before someone figures it out. Compared to this disguise, I prefer your real face. If you don't like wearing makeup all the time, you don't have to keep doing it."
Robin met his gaze. He wasn't looking at her casually—he was serious.
She blinked once, then smiled.
"Let's wait and see. I've lived like this for years already. It would feel strange to suddenly drop the habit."
"Do what you think is best," Kaito replied. "I'm not who I used to be. I can handle whatever danger comes with you."
He didn't say anything more.
He understood her rational choice.
But some matters couldn't be decided by logic alone.
She respected him.
And he cherished her.
—
In West Blue, gangs occupied a strange gray zone.
As long as they didn't go too far, even official authorities often turned a blind eye to their existence.
That was why, when Kaito had still led the Sword Gang, the World Government had never issued a bounty for him.
Now that a bounty had been placed on his head, however, the effect within the War Pirates was immediate.
And it wasn't panic.
It was excitement.
If you were a pirate without a bounty, could you even call yourself a pirate?
In pirate circles, a bounty wasn't merely a symbol of danger—it was a badge of honor.
The higher the bounty, the higher the status.
It was recognition.
It was prestige.
And it made recruitment easier.
A pirate with a high bounty didn't need to beg for followers.
People would come willingly.
Now their captain had not only received a bounty—but a staggering seventy-nine million Berries on his first listing.
The news spread like wildfire among the crew.
Morale soared.
If the captain stood that high, then as his subordinates, they couldn't afford to fall behind.
Over the following days, Kaito noticed something interesting.
Since the bounty announcement, the crew's enthusiasm for training had increased dramatically.
He found himself half amused.
Perhaps raising one's bounty truly was one of the best motivators for pirates.
—
In less than half a month, every gang in West Blue that had held past grudges against Kaito had been eliminated.
Once those enemies were dealt with, he did not immediately set course for the Grand Line.
Instead, he chose to continue building strength in West Blue.
Even knowing that the Eight Treasures Navy would eventually begin hunting him down, he had no intention of changing that plan.
Compared to the Grand Line, West Blue was far safer.
The environment was less extreme.
The enemies were more manageable.
If one needed a growth period, it should be spent in a relatively stable region.
And although his former enemies were gone, that did not mean Kaito would stop moving.
West Blue was filled with gangs.
Just because he had awakened memories from his previous life did not mean his moral compass was anchored there.
On the contrary—
His experiences in this world had shaped him far more strongly.
Take Lovisa, for example.
He had plundered the nobles and wealthy elites without hesitation.
In his view, seizing the wealth of others was only natural.
He was not naïve.
He was ambitious.
Whether they were nobles, gangsters, or pirates—
If they possessed something he wanted,
He would take it.
That was what it meant to be a pirate.
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