Chapter 118: Bounty Hunters Targeting Perona
"No, it's not Darren Eric , I saw his crew." The Long Snake Monster quickly denied, and the surrounding bounty hunters, hearing this, stopped their departure and slowly moved back toward the group.
Although many bounty hunters couldn't resist going after big prey when the opportunity arose, most were well aware of their own capabilities and wouldn't do something foolish that could get them killed.
The big-bellied man spoke cautiously: "Tell us more."
Everyone liked money, but dying for money would mean losing everything.
"I saw these people at the entrance of Gourmet City." The Long Snake Monster slapped a few bounty posters on the table.
"'Magic Spear' Scáthach "
"'Hunter' Akame"
"'Ghost Princess' Perona"
"'Sagittarius' Chiron"
Several bounty hunters glanced at the posters and read out the names.
"These four wanted criminals, but they were accompanied by a few others. They weren't on the latest bounty list, so they must be regular crew members."
The bloodthirsty bounty hunters exchanged looks but couldn't decide what to do.
The drunk man spoke up again: "Even without their captain, and without 'Ice Queen,' they still have Scáthach . How many people in the world can send a General flying with just their strength?"
The drunk man, seemingly the least sober, was actually the sharpest of the bunch.
"Bounty money isn't that easy to earn! They haven't participated in executing celestial dragons or killing kings and nobles of the allied nations. Just one battle with General Akainu, and their first bounty is already 300 million!"
"The bounty doesn't just reflect strength, but also the threat level to the World Government. Scáthach 's bounty is purely based on her strength!"
"Stop dreaming, go to sleep. Everything's a fantasy," the drunk man said as he lay back, picked up his bottle, and prepared to get drunk and forget about it all.
The other bounty hunters, hearing this, let go of their dreams of fame and wealth, and began preparing to disperse.
"No, wait a second." The Long Snake Monster seemed anxious, "They've split up! They're not together anymore!"
"Hmm?" The others paused, then slowly turned back, as if everything was playing out on a loop.
Only the drunk man remained unmoved, 'A bunch of fools chasing money. Even if they catch one of the crew, they'll be rich, but if they offend Eric 's crew, the man who killed a celestial dragon in front of everyone, do they really think Eric will let them off?'
The drunk man sneered in his mind, not caring to get involved. It was only a matter of time before they failed and lost their lives. This was a game he had seen unfold over and over with bounty hunters.
The drunk man slowly reminisced about his past, about his former companions, who were all excited to chase after a big bounty. They thought they could get rich and famous, but after they surrounded one high-bounty target, that single person wiped them all out. The only one left alive was him, scared out of his wits and spared by the target with nothing more than mockery.
Now, only the drunk man stayed behind, while the other bounty hunters gathered around a round table for a pre-battle discussion.
"You said 'they're not together,' what do you mean?"
The Long Snake Monster took out his notes and read aloud:
"'Magic Spear' left with an unfamiliar woman; 'Hunter' Akame is with a little girl on the snack street; 'Sagittarius' Chiron is with a male fishman and two women, heading to the clothing store; 'Ghost Princess' Perona is with a man with a chestnut head, heading to the toy store."
"Good job, you even figured out their groupings and destinations." The big-bellied man patted the Long Snake Monster's shoulder.
"Of course, that's why I dared to come here and team up with you all to catch them," The Long Snake Monster smiled, his long tongue sticking out and licking around his mouth.
"Well, you've probably decided who to go after, right?"
"Yes, it's 'Ghost Princess' Perona! Compared to the others, her bounty isn't the lowest, but her strength is the weakest." (During the battle with Akainu, Perona mostly hid behind a tree root, so she wasn't filmed by the Video Transponder Snail, and thus didn't show up.)
"Yeah," the others nodded in agreement, and they all stood up to leave.
The Long Snake Monster glanced nervously at the drunk man in the corner, who the big-bellied man had noticed. He laughed, "Don't worry, 'Drunk Man' has a tight mouth. He won't cause us any trouble."
"True." The Long Snake Monster thought for a moment and relaxed. He led his team out of the dark bar.
...
"Hohohoho, Uncle, you look really cute!" Perona pleaded with Mont Blanc Cricket to wear the costume, and she threw herself into his arms, gazing at him with heart-shaped eyes.
Mont Blanc Cricket, covered from head to toe in the costume, felt suffocated and muttered, "Uh, okay, that's enough. It's pretty hot in here."
"Hmm, your voice is hoarse, and it's not cute at all."
"#" Mont Blanc Cricket, drenched in sweat from the costume, his forehead bulging with veins.
"Uncle, you should listen to advice. You shouldn't smoke so much."
"... I know." Mont Blanc Cricket muttered, wondering if smoking was really bad for his body and voice. But his voice had always been like this!
"By the way, Uncle, you haven't told me yet how you joined the Dawn Pirates?"
"Huh?" Mont Blanc Cricket was taken aback, then he remembered and began telling the story: "At that time, I was dueling with my ancestor, Wen Bu Lan Noland."
He took off the costume headpiece, sat on a chair in the store, and began recounting his story.
Perona, usually so lively, sat quietly beside him, listening attentively to the story of Mont Blanc Cricket's encounter with Eric .
"So, Eric was the one who brought you aboard?"
"Ah~" Perona thought about her former captain, Moonlight Moria. Though she joined Eric 's crew because of a bet, she had actually been forced by Eric 's strength to join.
Seeing her despondent, Mont Blanc Cricket decided to shift her focus and began talking about their early adventure in Skypiea and the Golden City.
"You guys actually saw the legendary Golden City?! Big liar—no, so Noland's story is true?"
Perona was clearly intrigued by their adventure in Skypiea and longed for it.
Not being greedy, Perona's eyes sparkled with images of Berries. "How wonderful, with so much gold, I could build my own dark castle."
"Ah," Mont Blanc Cricket, considering she was a child, exhaled smoke into the distance. "The captain will go to Skypiea one day. You can go with him and see it."
"Ah, will we go back?! That's great, hohohoho..."
"Well, to prove the captain's still going back, he didn't take the reward the people of Skypiea gave him. It's really..."
"The reward must be..."
"Yes, golden artifacts from the Golden City, very, very many of them." Mont Blanc Cricket teased Perona a smile , though he wasn't lying—the artifacts really were numerous.
"Very..." Perona suddenly got fired up. "I'm going to ask the captain now, take me to Skypiea!"
"Haha..." Mont Blanc Cricket laughed, finding the girl amusing.
A few streets away, the big-bellied man and the Long Snake Monster had recruited more bounty hunters into their group, forming a medium-sized team of 15.
They were slowly heading towards the toy store where Perona and Mont Blanc Cricket were.
(END CHAPTER)
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