The Pirate Who Started by Rejecting Red-Hair's Invitation - Chapter 28

Before Lin Mo had time to think further, Bartolomeo spotted him.

Their gazes met.

Bartolomeo's eyes gradually lit up with excitement.

Lin Mo: "..."

As expected, that guy had been looking for him...

Seeing Bartolomeo coming over, Lin Mo immediately broke into a run through the crowd without saying a word.

He had no intention of letting that guy Bartolomeo pester him.

But no matter how fast Lin Mo was,

in unfamiliar Loguetown, he was still intercepted by someone local in a narrow alley.

Bartolomeo blocked Lin Mo's path with Sandai Kitetsu in his arms, his face full of excitement. "The guy who caught a bullet barehanded—I finally found you!"

Lin Mo: "..."

Bartolomeo generously held out Sandai Kitetsu. "I saw how you couldn't bear to part with this sword at the weapon shop this morning. You must really like it, so I'm giving it to you!"

Lin Mo glanced at the Sandai Kitetsu Bartolomeo held out.

He was speechless once again.

When had he ever acted like he couldn't bear to part with that Demon Sword?

Seeing that Lin Mo remained silent, Bartolomeo continued, "Haha, I know you're probably embarrassed to accept a gift for nothing. Don't worry, this sword is only a greeting gift. I, Bartolomeo, am now officially inviting you to become my incredibly awesome right-hand man!"

Lin Mo said directly, "I refuse."

Then he walked past Bartolomeo with an expressionless face.

"Huh?" Bartolomeo froze for a moment, then immediately turned back and blocked Lin Mo again. He said seriously, "I'm the boss of the underworld, ruling three whole streets now. If you follow me, I guarantee you'll eat well and drink well every day, and no one will dare bully you."

Lin Mo could not be bothered to respond. He walked past him again.

Bartolomeo was devastated. He angrily drew Sandai Kitetsu from its sheath and pointed the tip at Lin Mo. "Hey! I'm seriously inviting you. How can you reject me?"

The moment he finished speaking, he suddenly shuddered.

He had never truly intended to attack Lin Mo, but his body moved forward against his will. Clutching Sandai Kitetsu, he suddenly slashed at Lin Mo.

"Huh? What's going on? What's wrong with my body... Hey, get out of the way!" Bartolomeo's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly shouted at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo shifted to the side.

Bartolomeo's slash missed.

Just as he raised his sword again to cut at Lin Mo,

Lin Mo raised his hand and struck Bartolomeo's sword-wielding hand hard with a knife-hand blow.

The intense pain made Bartolomeo release his grip at once, and Sandai Kitetsu fell to the ground.

At the same time, Bartolomeo returned to normal.

He looked at his own hands, then at the sword on the ground.

Bartolomeo shuddered. "What the hell is this sword? It can actually control me and make me attack people?"

Lin Mo said indifferently, "Only people with weak wills can be controlled by a sword."

After saying that, he continued walking forward.

Bartolomeo stared in shock at Lin Mo's retreating back.

He scratched his head.

He recalled how Lin Mo had swung this sword that morning as if nothing were wrong.

The more he thought about it, the stronger the admiration in his heart became.

"As expected of the person I took a liking to!" Bartolomeo clenched his fist and said excitedly. "Amazing! Sure enough, only someone like him is worthy of becoming my partner!"

Just as Lin Mo left the alley and stepped onto the main street again,

the System Notification Sound rang out in his mind.

'Ding-ding! Bartolomeo's admiration obtained. Check-in progress +10%. Current total progress: 30%. New skill rewarded: Fairy Sphere.'

Immediately afterward, information about Fairy Sphere rapidly flooded into his mind.

Lin Mo involuntarily stopped walking.

Fairy Sphere was a legendary super-magic spell from Fairy Tail. It could create a vast, invincible protective sphere. Inside the sphere, it could even freeze everything within it in time.

This was an extraordinarily powerful defensive magic skill!

Lin Mo had not expected to obtain such an incredible skill from Bartolomeo.

He had struck it rich.

It seemed that kid was somewhat useful after all.

In a great mood, Lin Mo prepared to continue hunting.

Just as he was looking over the wanted posters,

a tall man with a green visor on his forehead, a white suit vest, a dark-blue shirt, and curly hair rode past him on a bicycle, carrying a chill with him.

Lin Mo instinctively looked up.

Although the other man had already ridden some distance away,

just from his distinctive hairstyle and clothes, Lin Mo recognized his identity.

It was the Marine Admiral Aokiji!

Rayleigh aside, his purpose in coming to Loguetown was to pay respects to Roger.

But why had the dignified Marine Admiral Aokiji come to Loguetown at this time?

Could he have come to find Smoker?

In Lin Mo's impression, Aokiji and Smoker did seem to have a pretty good relationship...

Before Lin Mo had time to think further,

the sound of a motorcycle engine rang out.

Smoker arrived on his smoke-powered amphibious three-wheeled motorcycle.

Aokiji and Smoker quickly met.

They stopped in the middle of the road and exchanged a few words.

As for what they talked about,

Lin Mo had no interest at all and was just about to leave.

Smoker's gaze suddenly caught sight of Lin Mo. He immediately started up his three-wheeled motorcycle and sped toward Lin Mo.

He performed a stylish skid right in front of Lin Mo and stopped him.

Lin Mo stared at him speechlessly.

Smoker bit down on his cigar and said sternly, "You little brat, where do you think you're running?"

Aokiji rode over on his bicycle and stopped beside Lin Mo. After looking him over, he turned to Smoker and asked, "Smoker, you rushed over to stop this brat. Did he do something?"

Loguetown: An Admiral Who Lived by Lazy Justice

Smoker kept his eyes fixed on Lin Mo and said, "This kid isn't ordinary. This morning at the Execution Platform, he used Armament Haki to catch a special bullet fired by a Pirate."

"Oh? Armament Haki?" Aokiji looked at Lin Mo, noticed the Wood Sword hanging from his waist, and asked, "Kid, are you a Swordsman?"

Lin Mo said indifferently, "You could say that."

Aokiji looked at the serious Smoker and waved his hand. "He's just a wandering swordsman. He hasn't done anything wrong. All right, all right, don't look so murderous. Let him go."

Smoker: "..."

Aokiji pointed toward the harbor. "When I came here, I happened to run into some Pirates bombing the harbor. I clearly told them I wasn't here to capture them, but they insisted on fighting me. I had no choice but to freeze them first. Your men seem to be heading to the harbor already. They probably don't know that people frozen by me are fragile and can easily be shattered to death. If you don't hurry over, a lot of people might die. They're Pirates, but if you think it doesn't matter whether those Pirates die, then forget it."

Aokiji was an Ice-Ice Fruit user.

He could freeze anything he touched and turn any part of his body into ice.

The pale-blue ice he created could change freely, forming weapons of any shape to attack his targets.

Aokiji's strength was such that he could freeze all matter without even touching it, including freezing part of the surface of the sea.

That was why he often rode his bicycle across the sea, freezing the seawater beneath his feet into ice.

People or creatures frozen by him would not die immediately. Instead, they would enter a state of suspended death, while their bodies became as fragile as ice. Even a minor impact could shatter them and cause death. If they were thawed in time, however, they could still survive.

Smoker furrowed his brow and said unhappily, "Damn it. Then keep an eye on this brat for me until I get back. Don't let him run away. I still have questions for him."

"All right, all right, I got it. Go on, go on," Aokiji said lazily.

Smoker gave Lin Mo another look, then immediately changed direction and rode his motorcycle rapidly toward the harbor.

After he left,

Aokiji suddenly yawned. "So sleepy. Time for my afternoon nap."

Aokiji looked at Lin Mo. "Kid, Smoker said he has something to ask you. Can you go to the Marine Base and wait for him by yourself?"

Lin Mo: "?"

"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes. Ahhh, I'm exhausted. I'm leaving, I'm leaving." Aokiji climbed back onto his beloved bicycle and rode away.

Lin Mo stood where he was, watching Aokiji's departing back with some amusement.

As expected of the Marine Admiral who upheld Lazy Justice.

He really was as lazy as a person could possibly be.

Lin Mo smiled.

He did not linger there any longer.

He had to hurry and capture the Bounty Criminals.

Although he had wasted a few minutes here,

it did not affect the speed at which he captured people.

It was almost time for the agreed meeting time with Rayleigh.

The two of them arrived at the agreed location almost simultaneously, dragging a group of knocked-out Bounty Criminals tied together with hemp rope.

"Oh? Not bad. You caught more than I expected." Rayleigh glanced at the ten people Lin Mo had dragged over and smiled.

Lin Mo likewise glanced at the criminals Rayleigh had captured.

There were actually eleven!

One of them was the man Lin Mo had originally targeted, only for Rayleigh to beat him to it.

"Although you're only one person short, you still lost." Rayleigh smiled. "Kid, a bet is a bet. You can't go back on your word, can you?"

"I know." Lin Mo said speechlessly, "A loss is a loss. There's nothing to say."

"Hahaha, I really like that attitude of yours." Rayleigh tossed one end of the hemp rope binding his group of criminals to Lin Mo.

Lin Mo caught it casually.

Rayleigh continued, "Even though I've retired, my wanted poster is still posted by the Marines. When all is said and done, I'm still a Pirate to them. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to claim the reward from the Marines, so you go instead. We'll split the reward money between us."

Lin Mo: "..."

Actually, he did not want to go either.

But

to claim the reward money for these Bounty Criminals, he had to get Smoker's signature.

If he did not go to the Marine Base,

he would not be able to get the money.