Chapter 25: Chapter 25
"Isn't it a bit exaggerated to set a bounty of 50 million berries for a rookie pirate? Smoker!"
A middle-aged man, slightly overweight and wearing a white Marine coat, spoke leisurely from the head of the conference table.
Upon hearing these words, many Marine officers in the room turned their heads to look at Smoker.
Smoker took a deep drag from his cigarette before speaking slowly.
"It's not an exaggeration. His threat is significant, far greater than an average pirate!"
"When I encountered him at sea, he was just one of his crew members, or rather, a high-ranking member, and we had no means to defend against him."
"I didn't even have confidence that I could survive against him."
The middle-aged man at the head of the table gave Smoker a deep look.
"The success or failure of your encounter doesn't define the level of the bounty."
"I know!" Smoker did not refute.
The middle-aged man at the head of the table sighed lightly.
"Ah, a rookie pirate with an initial bounty of 50 million berries. This has never happened before."
"Moreover, we haven't heard of him causing any trouble."
Smoker replied, "I hadn't heard about his exploits before either. All I know is that when I encountered him at sea, he incapacitated the entire warship, including several hundred soldiers and myself, with just a single breath."
Upon hearing Smoker's account, the Marine officers present were taken aback, exchanging disbelieving glances.
The middle-aged man at the head of the table remained silent for a while before speaking.
"It's difficult to justify a bounty in the tens of millions based on mere hearsay. Moreover, once it reaches the 50 million berry level, the branch cannot autonomously issue a wanted poster."
"It needs to be submitted to the government!"
"It's hard for a newcomer to have an initial bounty of 50 million berries approved by the government."
Smoker slowly stood up.
"I know! But I believe that when they hear what I've told them, they will approve this bounty."
"Regardless of the final outcome, please submit the information I gave you to the higher-ups."
"I have some other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."
After a moment of contemplation, the rear admiral nodded slightly.
"I understand. I will truthfully submit it."
"Thank you." Smoker expressed his gratitude and then turned to leave the meeting room.
The rear admiral then turned to the remaining people in the room.
"Well then, let's continue..."
...
...
The island where the "Gale Emperor Pirates" docked.
In a small town.
The crew members scattered throughout the town, some in groups heading to the tavern to drink, some buying clothing, and others exploring the local food stalls.
Everyone behaved calmly and did not stir up any trouble in the town.
The town's residents were unaware that they were pirates, only finding them unfamiliar and their sword-wearing appearances not to be trifled with.
In front of a butcher shop selling fresh meat, a low-ranking crew member with a sword stopped.
Looking at the fresh meat displayed in the shop, the crew member couldn't take his eyes off them.
It had been a long time since they had eaten fresh meat from the land after drifting at sea for so long.
The butcher noticed the crew member gazing at the meat and smiled.
"Do you want to buy some meat, young man?"
The low-ranking crew member looked up, wearing a smile.
"Yes! How much is the meat here? I'll take it all!"
Although the butcher had a fair amount of meat, their crew had quite a number of members, over seventy people. The meat in the shop would probably only last a couple of meals!
Upon hearing the customer's intention to buy all the meat, the butcher was taken aback but then smiled.
"Are you serious? These are all fresh meats, buying everything from my shop would cost nearly a million berries!"
The low-ranking crew member nodded with a smile.
"Yes, I'm serious!"
"If I buy it and bring it back, it will be the perfect lunch for today. The captain and the others will be delighted. Oh... I should also buy a few barrels of wine. I'll have to go buy them later."
With such thoughts in mind, the low-ranking crew member took out his wallet.
Upon opening it, he found that there was only around a hundred thousand berries.
Not enough money.
However, he wasn't worried. He took out all the money from his wallet.
"I have 150,000 berries here. Consider it a down payment. I'll take some of the meat back now and get the rest of the money later when I can pay in full."
Saying that, the low-ranking crew member was about to hand the money to the butcher.
But at that moment, someone suddenly bumped into him.
"Bang!"
Due to the sudden and forceful impact, the low-ranking crew member staggered back two steps.
The money in his hand scattered on the ground as he couldn't hold onto it.
"Clatter~"
Before the low-ranking crew member could react, a sneering voice sounded!
"You brat, don't you have eyes?"
Upon hearing these words, the low-ranking crew member's face immediately turned gloomy.
He lifted his left hand, placing it on the hilt of his waist sword.
The low-ranking crew member stared coldly in the direction the voice came from and spoke with an icy tone.
"Do you... want to die?"
At this moment, in front of the low-ranking crew member, there was a group of seven people, with the leader being the bandit leader of this island, Noruko!
However, the group of bandits did not take his hostile words to heart.
Soon, the bandits on both sides cleared a path, and Noruko slowly walked out.
Looking down from a higher vantage point, Noruko looked down at the low-ranking crew member, his face filled with disdainful mockery.
"Hehe, so this is what they call a pirate?"
"Just a bunch of useless folks."
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