CH 11: First bounty

If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 30+ chapters at patreon.com/Fanficbeelze Additionally, I have many other works readers may be interested in. Please enjoy! 

"What?"

Everyone who was a little drunk suddenly sobered up, thinking they had misheard. A bounty of 500 million! Their eyes widened as they shouted in disbelief:

"Is that correct? A reward of 500 million Baileys? More than three times that of Captain Tucker?"

"That's right. Didn't this guy say he robbed the auction? These treasures seem to be auction items."

"Good heavens, he even dared to rob the auction in Sabaody? There are some incredible big shots there..."

"Could it be that the Marines made such a big fuss because of this man?"

"The great pirate with a bounty of 500 million beli... no wonder he dares to fight our Blood Sail Pirates alone."

Vice-captain Yorick looked solemn and continued reading the newspaper word-for-word.

"Not only that, this man also easily defeated Charlotte Daifuku of the BIGMOM Pirates."

"He even fought against the great swordsman Vista, the captain of the fifth division of the Whitebeard Pirates, and their duel ended inconclusively!"

Hearing this, everyone was stunned, and the wine bottles in their hands fell to the deck unconsciously.

"What! He... he's actually a great swordsman?"

Several officers gazed at the sword on Carlos's waist, feeling goosebumps all over their bodies. As a great swordsman, he didn't even bother using his sword to kill Captain Tucker with a single punch? This man's strength was simply unfathomable!

Realizing this, several officers couldn't help but feel secretly thankful. Luckily, they didn't act impulsively earlier. Otherwise, they would've met the same fate as Tucker.

Yorick swallowed hard, his hands trembling as he held the newspaper.

"Not only that, even the Pirate King's vice-captain, Silvers Rayleigh, admired this man and wanted to accept him as his disciple, but he refused..."

The more than 800 people present stared blankly at Carlos, speechless. The sequence of horrific revelations had left them numb.

Several officers exchanged glances. As their eyes met, they seemed to make a decision.

Suddenly!

Plop, plop!

Several officers at the banquet fell to their knees before Carlos. The sudden scene left Carlos momentarily dazed.

Putting down the massive bone rod in his hand, he picked up a tissue and wiped his mouth, saying curiously, "What are you doing? Are you being too polite?"

Vice-captain Yorick raised his head, his gaze burning. "Lord Garros! If you don't mind, please become the new captain of the Blood Sail Pirates!"

The other officers shouted in unison, "Yes! We are willing to follow you to conquer the New World!"

"Although we don't have Tucker's strength, we can still support you in various ways..."

In the world of pirates, while some groups bonded through friendship, family ties, and shared dreams, many more gathered based on mutual interest. These officers weren't foolish; they knew the strong were respected on the seas.

A captain's power and fame brought immense benefits and safety to their subordinates. They recognized Carlos's terrifying strength and his extreme generosity, as shown by his willingness to pay hundreds of millions of beli just to be escorted to Wanokuni. Such a leader would surely treat his subordinates well.

As for avenging Captain Tucker? No need to ask for trouble.

Facing the fervent gazes of everyone, Carlos rubbed his chin and nodded slightly. "Well, it's not impossible."

The moment he agreed...

A cold mechanical prompt suddenly sounded in his ears.

"Ding! The Host's identity information has changed, please check!"

Carlos's expression turned solemn as he silently commanded, "Open the panel."

Host: Carlos

Age: 27

Abilities:

Armed Color (Excellent Level)

Swordsmanship (Grandmaster Level)

Wisdom and Knowledge (Grandmaster Level)

Marine Six Styles (Control Level)

Life Return (Proficient Level)

Skills:

Deep Behind Enemy Lines

Shark Bullet Technique

Identity:

World Government (CP0)

Blood Sail Pirates (Leader)

In the identity column at the end of the system panel, a new entry for Blood Sail Pirates (Leader) appeared. Clicking it opened a small panel.

Blood Sail Pirates

Power Evaluation: B

Level of Betrayal: ?

This wasn't Carlos's first encounter with such a situation. To earn rewards from the system, two conditions had to be met:

Join an organization and become a cadre with power.

Commit an act of betrayal to the organization.

The higher the combined evaluation of these two factors, the better the rewards from the system.

"I didn't realize the Blood Sail Pirates had a B-level rating..."

"As expected of a pirate group aiming for the New World—they are truly extraordinary."

Carlos's eyes lit up. Among the seven large pirate groups he had infiltrated before, the highest evaluation he'd encountered was only C+.

Typically, he acted only as an undercover cadre, but now, for the first time, he was becoming a leader. Just now, he considered taking these subordinates to join Kaido to bolster his own strength. This slightly altered his original plan...

As Carlos pondered, the noisy discussion brought him back to reality.

"Captain, please give the order!"

"That's right! With a strong man like you in charge, we might as well do something big!"

Looking at the eager crew members, Carlos frowned slightly. "Same course: Wanokuni."

"But that's the territory of Kaido, the King of Beasts..."

"Could it be! Captain Garros wants to challenge the Beasts Pirates?"

"Isn't this... risky?"

Everyone knew Kaido's formidable reputation. Even the once-renowned Thriller Bark Pirates were no match for him. They'd simply be walking into doom.

"Yes, Captain, we should seize territory now! With your strength and our support, treasures, women—won't everything be at our fingertips? Why challenge Kaido?"

Carlos sneered and glanced at them quietly. "I don't want to repeat myself."

"Oh, okay..."

Seeing Carlos's irritation, everyone quickly fell silent, their necks shrinking in submission. Though they had more to say, they could only agree.