A Cup Size Too Small

Watching the navigator cower and tremble in the corner, Dongze was inexplicably moved.

"Sigh... Could he not even take a single slash from me?"

Did you hear what I said?!

Dongze then checked his proficiency and found that his Armament Haki and Slashing had finally changed.

Armament Haki: 200/1000000;

Slashing: 200/1000000;

"An animal-type ability is only worth 50 points? What a damnable Golden Finger!"

Next, Dongze took down the pirate flag on the ship. After confirming their location with the navigator, he ordered him to sail toward the nearest Marine Base.

"Sir! Are you planning to exchange them for their bounties?"

"What do you think?"

"Then forgive me, but I cannot obey!"

"You're not going?"

"I'll die!"

"Fine! I'll go!"

Along the way, Dongze encountered two more waves of pirates. He used the same method, but this time, not one of them survived.

The days slipped by quietly. By the time the sailboat reached shore, five days had passed. Looking at the magnificent town before him, Dongze could not help sighing. "No wonder it's known as the Land of Beginnings and Endings! Loguetown!"

The navigator carried a large bundle on his back, his eyes already numb. Inside were the heads of all those wanted criminals. Without saying a word, he followed Dongze toward the Loguetown Marine Branch. Dongze had originally been on guard against some kind of mishap, but in the end, they did not cause much of a disturbance.

The Iron Wolf Pirates' primary wanted criminal was their captain. The rest were, as Dongze had said, mere small fry, not yet worth the Marines' attention. It was only because their deeds were so depraved that the entire crew had been placed on the wanted list.

"Stop! This is a Marine Branch! What are you here for?"

Dongze did not waste words and got straight to the point.

"To collect bounties!"

"You're a pirate hunter?"

"You could say that!"

After reporting the matter, Dongze soon met the person in charge of the branch.

He was a middle-aged man nearly three meters tall, with a scar across the left side of his face and a full beard. His eyes were filled with determination.

At first, he paid little attention when he saw that Dongze was still a mere youth. But as the heads from the bundle were brought out one by one, the suspicion in his eyes grew heavier and heavier!

The Marines nearby also began whispering among themselves.

"Isn't that Xebec from the Iron Wolf Pirates, who was wanted recently?"

"And Iron-Foot Winter from the Red-Braised Pirates!"

"..."

In the end, the person in charge could not help speaking. "Hello. I'm the highest-ranking officer stationed in Loguetown, Marine Headquarters Captain Harry!"

"Did you kill all these people?"

Dongze gently nodded, then pointed behind him.

"And this one. He's the navigator of the Iron Wolf Pirates!"

A strange look flashed through Harry's eyes at Dongze's words. A pirate hunter having a pirate carry a pile of wanted criminals' heads to the Marines to collect the bounties... This was truly...

"He couldn't sail the ship. If I hadn't killed him, I wouldn't have been able to come here!"

Harry was stunned by Dongze's explanation. Then he threw his head back and laughed.

"De-le-he-he-he! De-le-he-he-he!"

"You're quite humorous, young man! Hengde, go get this young man his money!"

Before long, a soldier returned with thirty million Beli—the total bounty for those wanted criminals—and handed it to Dongze. The transaction went so smoothly that it was almost surreal.

Dongze had already prepared himself for them to take a cut, so he was surprised when they did not take a single coin. Still, that was even better. He nodded lightly and turned to leave.

Watching Dongze's departing figure, the Marine Hengde from earlier asked in confusion, "Captain! Why this time...?"

"I can't see through that boy! What if he punches me again?"

He was, after all, an elite from Marine Headquarters. Though his combat strength was lacking, his judgment was not. He could sense that the person before him was unfathomably deep and someone he could not afford to provoke. Thus, he had not tried anything underhanded this time.

Little did he know that Dongze had kept Observation Haki active the entire time. Every word Captain Harry had spoken had fallen clearly into his ears. After leaving the building and learning the reason, the corner of Dongze's mouth twitched violently twice.

He had wondered why everything had gone so smoothly. So that was the reason. He thought that if trouble had really arisen, he probably wouldn't... necessarily have punched Harry, right?

The days that followed settled into a simple cycle. Dongze was a maniac for clearing maps—no, correction, a maniac for grinding proficiency. To raise the proficiency of his Three Types of Haki as quickly as possible, he began a campaign of clearing areas with Loguetown at its center and radiating outward. Before long, the name of Dongze, the crazed bounty hunter, spread throughout the Loguetown region.

Whether they were famous or unknown, as long as they crossed paths with Dongze, he would strip them bare, without leaving even a blade of grass behind. For the pirates, it was truly a devastating sight!

The pirates did not dare show their faces anywhere near Loguetown during this period, terrified that Dongze would set his sights on them.

During this time, Harry could not stop sighing.

He was a beast. Even the entire branch had been unable to complete the public-safety mission, yet a single pirate hunter had accomplished it. Loguetown's security had practically reached the point where people left their doors unlocked. It was simply absurd.

However, as the number of pirates dwindled, Dongze had no choice but to begin searching farther afield!

Then, one day, he found someone aboard a ship.

An acquaintance—and a woman, at that!

Devil Child.

Nico Robin.

Chapter Eighteen: A-Cup Pair, Can't Afford Them

"It's the pirate hunter—Dongze!!"

"We're doomed!"

"That guy never leaves even a blade of grass behind!"

"Boss! I told you not to take that woman in! Now Dongze has his eyes on us! We're dead!!"

Dongze heard the pirates' conversation aboard the pirate ship through Observation Haki, and the corner of his eye twitched twice.

He was not targeting them because of Nico Robin. In other words, he did not want to get involved with her yet.

A Devil Child who had grown up under the protection of Admiral Aokiji—did they think that was a joke?

He had previously suspected that Nico Robin's safe growth to that age had something to do with Aokiji. Getting involved with her would certainly attract Aokiji's attention.

According to the division of forces in the pirate world, a Marine Admiral was practically at the pinnacle of combat power. They should be a level above a Great Swordsman, with only the most supreme Great Swordsmen possessing strength comparable to an Admiral.

On top of that, that bastard was a Logia user with the Ice-Ice Fruit. Dongze's Armament Haki was not yet sufficiently trained. Going up against that man would undoubtedly end badly.

As for Dongze's true combat strength, based on his own estimate, he was considerably stronger than an ordinary Vice Admiral, but still far behind an Admiral.

Iron Fist Garp and Black Arm Zephyr were both masters of physical combat. At his peak, Garp had even possessed strength Beyond the Four Emperors, while Zephyr had also possessed the strength of an Admiral.

Of course, the two had many similarities. Their Armament Haki had both been cultivated to the pinnacle.

Based on this, Dongze had made a conservative estimate. With the aid of weapons, Swordsmanship, and Conqueror's Haki Coating, his Armament Haki would at least have to enter the Ryuo stage before he possessed the strength to defeat an Admiral.

Note, that meant defeating one, not merely contending with one.

Looking at his current proficiency, which had only just passed two thousand points,

Nope. Can't afford it! Can't afford it!

At this point, some people might ask: Nico Robin had fair skin, stunning looks, and long legs. She could fight, she could look good, she had an A-Cup Pair, and she could decipher the Ancient Script. She could even get her hands on Pluton, Poseidon, and Uranus. She was the ultimate support character.

Wouldn't it be great to bring along a gorgeous long-legged beauty?

It wasn't that it wouldn't be great!

It was that he was powerless and did not dare touch her!

There was still an Admiral's old father standing behind her!

Anyone who made a move on her would die!

Had they not seen how every pirate crew that had taken Robin in before ended miserably? They were either captured by the Marines or captured by the Marines. Even with his butt, he could figure out that this was Aokiji's covert interference.

To put it bluntly, it wasn't that I, Your Consort, didn't want to. It was that I, Your Consort, couldn't do it!

Forgotten Dust tore through the air and slaughtered the group of pirates. Looking at the two hundred points of proficiency added to his panel, Dongze nodded lightly. Flies and mosquitoes were still meat; he was not picky.

Dongze then turned and left, not even sparing Nico Robin a glance. He was afraid he would lose control.

The girl was just over twenty, with a fresh and delicate appearance. Her dark eyes were full of curiosity. Her figure was already shapely, and her A-Cup Pair seemed ready to burst out.

Unfortunately, the current situation was: "A-Cup Pair, can't afford them!"

"You're not going to kill me?"

Nico Robin looked at Dongze in surprise. She was a wanted criminal too, and her bounty was second to none in the East Blue. She had not expected this bounty hunter, who left nothing behind, not to make a move against her.

Dongze did not turn around. He merely replied calmly, "Devil Child, Nico Robin. Bounty: seventy-nine million. I'm no match for you!"

"You..."

Seeing the man brazenly lie through his teeth, the little person in Robin's heart wanted nothing more than to go over and slap him twice!

No match for her? Was that even something a person would say?

Clearly, she did not even have the strength to resist in front of him.

She had finally found another place to stay, yet only a few days had passed before the man before her slaughtered everyone! She had no choice but to search for another place to stay.

Dongze returned to his small sailboat. After watching Nico Robin lower a small boat and quietly leave, he inexplicably sighed, "What a pity! If I wait a little longer, perhaps I'll be able to afford this A-Cup Pair!"

To be honest, he had taken a liking to the girl.

Watching the figure gradually recede, Dongze leaped into the air. A cold shout rang out. "Crossing the Eight Directions!"

Eight black slashes tore through the air, directly dismantling the pirate ship before him.

During this period, Dongze had found the proficiency of the Three Types of Haki unbearably difficult to grind. He had even considered returning to the village to take a beating. After all, he had a Great Swordsman for a master, and among the Three Types of Haki, his Armament Haki and Observation Haki could be forced upward with a few strikes.

But he was reluctant to give up the additional rewards he had recently earned from hunting pirates.

Sword Intent (Locked!): 0/100;

He had a feeling that if he could unlock Sword Intent, then even without reaching the Ryuo stage in Armament Haki, he could still crush those Admirals.

That mere one hundred points of proficiency tormented him like Cat Claws scratching at his heart, making him unbearably eager.

One hundred points. One hundred points. Only one hundred points.

This was the first skill in his skill bar that required only one hundred points. Compared to Haki skills requiring millions, this was practically within reach!

But the method of unlocking it left him at a loss. His hair had been falling out by the handful. Fortunately, he had lit up Life Return from the Six Powers during this period. Otherwise, he would have gone bald long ago.

With no other options, Dongze gradually lit up dozens of Swordsmanship techniques, including:

Crossing the Eight Directions: 6500/10000;

Heavenly Flying Immortal: 1200/10000;

Hidden Light, Sitting in Forgetfulness: 1000/10000;

One Sword Across the Ages: 100/10000;

Bixie Swordplay... Well, he did not have that one. Mainly because he could not bring himself to do it.

Nico Robin, rowing her boat in the distance, felt the earth-shaking roar behind her. Her teeth itched with hatred. "Bastard!"

The days passed quickly as Dongze ground his proficiency. In the blink of an eye, another month went by. Almost no pirates still drifting across the East Blue could be found. A saying had begun circulating in pirate circles: If you don't want to get slashed, don't drift on the sea.

They had been terrified of Dongze. Anyone who went to sea without planning to enter the Grand Line had few clean hands. Once they fell into Dongze's hands, there was absolutely no chance of escape!

However, a very small number of people also noticed a strange phenomenon. Those who merely went to sea for adventure and did not wantonly kill civilians would be fine even if they encountered Dongze.

Little by little, Dongze's reputation as the Crime Buster also began spreading throughout the East Blue waters.