Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the warship slowly docked at the pier.
A gangplank, three meters wide, was lowered. Two teams of marines, armed with rifles, lined up along the sides with solemn expressions. A red carpet stretched from the top of the gangplank all the way to the shore.
Then, a figure clad in a long white coat leisurely strolled down the ship.
He had a thin, elongated face, a goatee, and eyes that were narrowed into slits.
"Tch, such a grand entrance," Nami scoffed, pursing her lips. "I was so excited, but in the end, it's just this sleazy guy. He doesn't look like a good person at all."
"Shh, Nami!"
Nojiko quickly covered her mouth. "That guy is a big shot! Don't speak carelessly, or you'll cause trouble for Xiano!"
"Hmm?"
Nezumi squinted in their direction. He didn't catch what the two girls were saying, but they were standing right at the edge of the red carpet, which was quite an eyesore.
He lazily waved his hand, signaling to the two marines behind him. The marines exchanged a glance and reluctantly stepped forward to push Nami and Nojiko aside.
But before they could touch them, a strong, muscular arm reached out, blocking the two marines.
"Marines from the 16th Branch?"
Xiano gently pushed the two marines aside and looked up at Nezumi. "Colonel, what brings you here so suddenly?"
"How insolent! Do we, the marines, need to inform you civilians of our actions in advance?"
Nezumi snorted coldly.
"Let me ask you this. I've heard that the Conomi Islands were attacked by the Arlong Pirates, and their last known location was Cocoyasi Village. That's why I've come here with my subordinates to capture this group of pirates. You're a villager here, right? Do you know where those Fish-men went?"
"No, I don't."
Xiano shook his head.
"You don't know?" Nezumi's smile was insincere. "Why don't you think about it again?"
What he had said earlier was, of course, a lie.
Over half a month ago, Nezumi had received intelligence that Arlong, a Fish-man who had once belonged to the Sun Pirates and had a bounty of 20 million Berries, had led a large group of subordinates into the waters under the jurisdiction of the 16th Branch.
How could he possibly deal with someone like that?
Nezumi was filled with dread, fearing that Arlong might come looking for trouble. He had called his superior, who had promoted him, for advice.
His superior's attitude was ambiguous, hinting that he should turn a blind eye to the situation.
He even reminded Nezumi that Arlong's group had close ties with Jinbei, one of the current Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea.
The legal right to plunder granted by the World Government to the Warlords of the Sea might also apply to Arlong.
Nezumi suddenly understood, and for the past half month, he had been comfortably feigning ignorance, ignoring the constant emergency distress signals received at the base.
It wasn't until a few days ago that he suddenly heard rumors that the Arlong Pirates had been wiped out near the Conomi Islands.
Overjoyed, he had rushed out from the base.
Now.
Seeing that Xiano didn't seem very cooperative, Nezumi clicked his tongue and waved his hand, signaling his men to drive away the curious onlookers who had gradually gathered in the distance.
Then, he stared at the seemingly simple and gullible young man in front of him and said with a grin:
"Fine, I'll be straightforward. I've just received intelligence that those Fish-men have already died on this island. Have you seen their bodies?"
He extended two fingers, "Don't worry, as long as you cooperate honestly, I can give you this amount as a reward for supporting the Navy's actions."
"Two million Berries?" Xiano raised an eyebrow.
This guy is too stingy, trying to pocket the bounty worth over eighty million Berries, yet only willing to offer this little?
"It's twenty thousand Berries!"
Nezumi said impatiently, "You're quite young, yet so greedy, daring to think like that. Do you know that the maximum bonus I get from above for accomplishing such a big thing is only a few hundred thousand?"
Xiano sneered inwardly, who would believe that you would go to such lengths for that little bonus.
Most likely, you've already found someone to claim the bounty privately and split it afterward.
He didn't want to waste more time with this guy and was about to leave, but worried that this guy might harass and threaten the villagers in the village, so he simply said:
"I killed them."
"Huh?" Nezumi was stunned for a moment, not reacting immediately, "What did you say?"
"The Arlong Pirates, all sixty-seven of them, from top to bottom, were killed by me," Xiano said indifferently, then turned and shouted, "Man-Scar!"
"Here, boss!" came the rough voice of a big man from the ship.
"Line up those heads and let Colonel Nezumi have a look."
"Yes, boss!"
In no time, the heads of the Fish-men were lined up along the ship's side.
To prevent decay and odor, they were sealed with ice. Through the ice layer, they looked lifelike, many with mouths open and eyes wide, filled with terror.
Who knows what they encountered in life, to retain such expressions after death.
"This, this..." Nezumi was dumbfounded, "It's really..."
"Colonel," a lieutenant stepped forward, "Shall I take some men to verify?"
"No need!" Nezumi immediately raised his hand to stop.
He had long salivated over the wanted posters of these Fish-men, familiar with them, and there was no mistake!
This was the Arlong Pirates, every single one with a bounty, all here.
"Never expected, never expected."
Nezumi laughed heartily, his attitude suddenly becoming enthusiastic, reaching out to put his arm around Xiano's shoulder.
"Truly, heroes emerge from the young. Such formidable pirates, all wiped out by you alone. I was wondering why you were waiting by the shore, preparing to go out to sea to claim the bounty?"
"Exactly, I've already contacted the 77th Branch, planning to head over there," Xiano lightly dodged Nezumi's outstretched arm.
The 77th Branch?
Nezumi's eyes widened, he hurriedly leaned in, lowering his voice:
"Young man, you might not be aware of the tricks. Those famous pirate hunters find it extremely difficult to claim the full bounty, let alone a commoner like you. Don't believe the sweet talk from the 77th Branch. When you get there, you'd be lucky to get thirty percent of the bounty."
Xiano looked at him quietly.
"Speak directly, if you have something to say."
Nezumi's smile stiffened slightly but quickly returned to normal, coughing once, and said with a smile:
"Don't be in such a hurry. What I mean is, since you've come all this way, why not just hand over the heads of these Pirates to me? Considering our fateful encounter, I can make an exception and give you a very generous share—fifty-fifty. How about it?"
"..."
Xiano shook his head, too lazy to respond further, and turned to walk back to the ship. "Nojiko, Nami, let's go."
"Oh! Coming!" The two little ones, who had been engrossed in the spectacle, snapped out of it and hurriedly scampered after him.
"Stop right there!"
A furious roar suddenly came from behind. It was Nezumi, who, in his humiliation and anger, had drawn his pistol and aimed it at the trio's retreating figures. "Lawless... Who said you could leave!"
Xiano turned his head and saw the dark muzzle of the gun. His eyes narrowed slightly.
(End of Chapter)