One Piece: Invincible from the Start

There were many things you couldn't ask about in the World Government or the Marines.

Brannew pointed to the last photograph. "This is the latest one. Their ship is flying a pirate flag now. It looks like they've officially formed a pirate crew."

He pushed up his glasses, turned around, and said sternly, "They killed fellow Marines. That's a challenge to the Marines and an insult to the World Government. We must respond."

He paused and looked at the Vice Admirals in the room.

"We're here to discuss what bounties to put on them."

The Marine Vice Admirals fell silent.

This was clearly a World Government assignment.

And they were supposed to discuss it?

How?

What the hell did they know?

The boy was a Great Swordsman, but he hadn't done anything heinous. A high bounty wouldn't make sense.

A low one would be useless.

After thinking it over, they all looked up at Sengoku as if they'd reached the same conclusion.

"Your turn, Sengoku."

Sengoku's mouth twitched under their collective gaze.

He'd called the Vice Admirals here precisely because this was difficult. What was the point of them all staring at him?

Knowing he couldn't avoid it, Sengoku fixed his eyes on the photographs pinned to the board.

"Too low, and the government won't be satisfied. Too high, and it won't make sense."

He lowered his head and thought for a moment. "Seventy million, then!"

He turned to Kuina's photograph. "As for the girl, thirty million! That'll bring their crew's total to a round number."

The Vice Admirals nodded at Sengoku's decision.

That meant the crew's bounties would total one hundred million from the outset.

One hundred million!

No pirate crew had ever received bounties that high right after setting sail.

Most of the Vice Admirals were only briefly surprised. It had little to do with them.

But the Vice Admirals stationed in Marine Branches in the first half of the Grand Line cared a little more.

Judging by the crew's route, they would reach the Grand Line soon. Their paths might well cross.

And setting the hundred million aside, it was hard not to care about a crew with a Great Swordsman.

"Oh, right, Fleet Admiral. Since you've decided their bounties, shouldn't you give them epithets too?"

Brannew turned to Sengoku as he spoke.

Do I have to do everything? What are the rest of you here for?

Sengoku took a deep breath and suppressed the urge to say it aloud. "Call the boy Silver Hair and the girl Blue Hair," he said flatly.

Everyone's mouths twitched.

Come on! That's barely any effort at all!

Could you be any more casual about it?

But seeing the dark look on Sengoku's face, none of them dared speak up.

They stared at Kuta and Kuina's photographs on the board.

They couldn't help but marvel.

"Impressive."

"Looks like the Grand Line's about to get lively again!"

An Ordinary Marine on an Ordinary Island

Kuta and the others had no idea what the Marines were discussing, nor did they need to know.

Right now, they were gazing excitedly at the island in the distance.

It was their fourth day since leaving the Gollome Islands.

They had encountered the Crazy Bull Pirates along the way, but that hadn't been much fun.

For the next three days, the unchanging sea had left them bored out of their minds, like salted fish that had given up on their dreams.

Now that an island was finally in sight, it was no wonder they were excited.

After enough time at sea, most people enjoyed a little bustle, unless they were born to prefer solitude.

That was one reason pirate crews held so many parties.

"According to the map, that island is called Prothius Island. It's an ordinary island with a Marine Branch," Kuina said, holding the map as she looked toward the distant coast.

She never got bored aboard the ship. As long as Kuta was there, it made no difference to her where she was.

"A Marine Base?" Ahua blurted out in alarm.

After all, they had formed a pirate crew now. The Marines still made him nervous.

It wasn't that he feared fighting them.

It was the instinctive reaction of a thief spotting a policeman.

Then something occurred to him. His expression returned to normal, and he puffed out his round belly. "So what if there's a Marine Base? We don't have bounties. What are we afraid of?"

"Exactly! The Marines have no reason to bother us," A-Tao added.

Kuina gave them a level look. "Be careful anyway. After all these days, the Marines have probably issued bounties."

"Kuta and I aren't worried. I'm more concerned that you three will get caught and thrown in jail."

"Hey, Kuina! Do you have to look down on us like that?" A-Luo shouted as he came up from behind.

"Hmm? You have a problem with that?"

"No, no, no..."

Under Kuina's gaze, A-Luo hurriedly shook his head and waved his hands in denial.

Damn it. I almost got carried away.

Ahua and A-Tao quickly moved away from A-Luo and stared straight ahead, looking as though they had nothing to do with him.

Kuta drew his gaze away from Prothius Island and smiled at Kuina.

"Kuina, if anyone gets a bounty this time, it'll probably just be us. It has nothing to do with Ahua and the others. Don't worry."

Hearing Kuta say that, the three of them couldn't decide whether to be happy.

It felt like

Kuta had just taken another shot at them.

"Mm... I know." Kuina smiled at Kuta.

Then she added with a hint of mockery, "Those three couldn't get bounties even if they wanted them!"

Ahua and the others bristled at her words, but none of them dared talk back.

When would they finally be able to stand up for themselves?

Before long, the Freedom sailed into Prothius Island's harbor.

They moored between several fishing boats, furled the sails, dropped anchor, and disembarked.

"Wow..."

"It feels good to have solid ground under my feet again!" Ahua was first onto the dock and bounced excitedly in place.

"Huh... Why are there so few people?" A-Luo asked, smoking as he glanced around.

This wasn't quite what they had expected.

They had imagined a bustling island, not one this quiet.

"Maybe they're all in town!" Kuta said, casually scanning the street ahead.

"Hm?"

Just then, he glanced toward the Marine lookout post on their right.

He paused, then turned back to Ahua and the others as though nothing had happened. "Kuina and I will go to a tavern and ask around. We can see if they have any interesting liquor while we're there."

He shook the wine gourd in his hand. It made no sound. It seemed to be empty.

He had long since finished the good liquor he'd bought at the Baratie.

He hadn't been at sea long, but his tolerance for alcohol had suddenly shot up recently.

He wasn't a hardened drunk yet, but he could certainly be called a budding one.

The ordinary rum aboard their ship was little different from beer to him now.

And he really didn't like the taste.

So he'd picked up another hobby: wherever they stopped, he went looking for the local liquor.

"Don't worry, Kuta! We've got things to do too. You and Kuina go ahead!"

"Mm! We'll be off, then."

As Kuta and Kuina walked away, Ahua and the other two went their separate ways to find what they needed.

Ahua went to buy fresh ingredients and fruit, and to replenish the ship's drinking water.

A-Tao went to look for new ship-repair tools and other supplies they could use at sea.

As for A-Luo...

He had taken an interest in firearms recently and wanted to see if he could find a better gun.

The gun he used now was one he'd picked up from the Krieg Pirates.

It was just an ordinary gun, nothing special.

A few days earlier, he had even

complained to Kuta that he hadn't saved him a few of Krieg's good guns.

Now he didn't have a single gun worth showing off.

One by one, Kuta's crew entered the town and disappeared down its streets.

Only then did the Marine hiding in the lookout post to the right of the docks breathe a sigh of relief.

That glance from Kuta had nearly scared him to death.

After all, not everyone had the courage to face a notorious pirate with a bounty of seventy million Beli.