Demon Bamboo Vergo

A 1,000,000-Beli bounty was merely a private reward offered by the Donquixote Family for capturing people. It was not an official bounty issued by the Marines, so it was only valid within Dunkirk Island.

In other words, Aeneas now had no choice but to escape.

Aeneas suddenly felt a lingering fear. Fortunately, he had left in time. If he were still wandering around the dump, he might have missed this information. And if he went out to steal something again, getting caught would mean dying several times over!

Perhaps this imperceptible influence came from the incredibly powerful intuition granted by his emperor's destiny.

"Or could it be Observation Haki?" Aeneas quickly dismissed the possibility. "There's no way I could have Observation Haki right now. It's just a premonition. Perhaps this miracle-level reward gave me far more abilities than I currently know about!"

"What should I do now?"

Aeneas returned to reality, his heart filled with unease. No matter how you looked at it, he was still only an eight-year-old child, and the reward system had not given him anything that could make him instantly stronger.

If he were given some time to lie low, perhaps he could even beat Donquixote Doflamingo himself. Then he would not need to hide like this.

But the problem was that there was no time!

Aeneas eventually sighed inwardly.

"Forget it. I'll take things one step at a time. I'll go to Goldfish Port and try my luck!" Aeneas ultimately decided to stick to his original plan.

Before long, he arrived at Dunkirk's Goldfish Port. The port had been named Goldfish Port because the coastline was shaped remarkably like a goldfish, and the port built along it had retained that same shape. Thus, the name Goldfish Port had spread.

Aeneas made his way through the intricate streets and alleys. His short stature attracted no one's attention.

Over the past few days, he had been learning the locations of all the ports on Dunkirk. Although he had never been to Goldfish Port, Aeneas was certain he would not take a wrong turn.

"I'm not Zoro, that hopeless direction sense!" Aeneas could not resist making a jab at the famously directionally challenged Zoro from the original story—a peerless genius who could veer off course even when his destination was only ten meters away!

However, the sound of gunfire and cannon fire suddenly came from the direction of Goldfish Port.

The people and merchants on the inner street hurriedly shut their doors. Their movements were crisp and practiced, so practiced that it was almost heartbreaking.

What was going on?

Aeneas suddenly heard someone shout loudly.

"A great pirate has appeared at Goldfish Port! 'The Horn,' Arak, with a bounty of twenty million Beli!" The man seemed to be specifically spreading the news, shouting from one end of the street to the other. "Everyone, hide quickly! Guards, save us!"

An experienced fishmonger with a large pipe clenched between his teeth slowly packed up his stall as he watched the flames in the distance.

"Twenty million Beli? He's no small fry." The fishmonger spoke in a low voice. "Did he only dare to show himself because Dunholder fell? Clearly, he hasn't heard about the rapidly rising Donquixote Family!"

There were simply too many powerful individuals in the North Blue. Only a few factions truly held authority—the Germa 66 led by the Vinsmoke Family, the various Marine branches headed by Marine 5th Branch, and the recently renowned Donquixote Family, whose influence in the North Blue was spreading at an astonishing pace!

Yet there were still naïve people who tried to challenge authority.

In the eyes of the fishmonger, this Arak was both naïve and foolish!

The fishmonger immediately finished packing and took off. He moved incredibly fast, without the slightest hesitation.

Aeneas had originally been weaving through the bustling crowd, but after this commotion, everyone nearby fled. He had no choice but to hide in a narrow passage beside the street.

"Tap! Tap! Tap!"

Suddenly, the orderly sound of running came from the inner street. Soon, a squad of guards appeared. They wore uniform clothing, carried excellent weapons, and were clearly well trained. Their clothes bore the crest of the Donquixote Family—or rather, the emblem of the Flamingo Pirates!

Aeneas narrowed his eyes and stared fixedly at the person leading them, not daring to make a sound.

The leader wore a checkered coat and sunglasses. Lightning-shaped sideburns framed both sides of his face, and four sections of bamboo staff were strapped to his back. His identity was obvious. He was one of the highest-ranking officers of the Donquixote Family—Demon Bamboo Vergo!

It's him! Aeneas was shocked. It's the year 1510, twelve years before Luffy sets sail. At this point in time, never mind whether the original story even gave a detailed introduction to him—I wouldn't remember it even if it did!

Aeneas's heart pounded as he began wondering why Vergo had appeared here.

"All I know is that Vergo was Doflamingo's mole planted within the Marines. In the end, he even became a Marine vice admiral, and more than ten years later, he was defeated by Luo."

That was all the information Aeneas knew. It was completely useless.

"Vergo isn't someone easy to deal with. He looks to be only about twenty right now. Although he hasn't reached his peak yet, he's still far beyond what I can resist." Aeneas held his breath and dared not look at Vergo again, hoping only that Vergo would hurry away.

Standing in the street, Vergo looked at the deserted road. For a moment, he seemed to sense something and swept his gaze across the surrounding alleys, but he found nothing.

"Sir Vergo, the pirate who invaded this time is a Devil Fruit user. According to the intelligence, he possesses the Zoan Bug-Bug Fruit, Rhinoceros Beetle model." A Marine captain behind Vergo respectfully saluted before handing over a wanted poster.

"Call me Mr. Vergo!" Vergo glanced calmly at the captain and took the wanted poster.

"Oh... yes, Mr. Vergo!" The captain replied shakily, feeling as though a thorn were digging into his back.

"The Rhinoceros Beetle Fruit?" Vergo withdrew his sweeping gaze and lowered his head to read the description on the wanted poster. "He dares call himself a 'great pirate' for only twenty million? Everyone, follow me to Goldfish Port!"

Vergo's tone was indifferent, as though he did not care in the slightest about a pirate with a twenty-million-Beli bounty.

Everyone quickly headed for Goldfish Port.

Meanwhile, Aeneas, hiding in the shadows, was drenched in cold sweat. His hair and clothes were completely soaked.

Only after confirming that Vergo had left did Aeneas feel as though he had escaped suffocation. He sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath, while beads of sweat the size of beans dripped from his forehead onto the ground.

"He's too powerful. If that Marine hadn't distracted Vergo, I would probably have been dragged out by now!" Aeneas looked as though he had narrowly escaped death. He was beginning to feel afraid and wished he could simply turn around and go home.

But after glancing at the flames in the distance at Goldfish Port and feeling the desire to survive burning in his heart, Aeneas gritted his teeth and advanced toward the most dangerous place—the place filled with powerful people.

Perhaps I can take advantage of the chaos to sneak aboard a pirate ship, hide, and smuggle myself out!