Then, Kadjoer spoke to Garp.
"Are you talking about the brat who used to work in that girl Makino's bar?"
Garp was completely baffled after receiving the call. The fragrance of the senbei he was chewing suddenly seemed to disappear. He had noticed Lu Yu before and had even considered inviting him to join the Navy. However, since Lu Yu never showed any interest, Garp eventually gave up on the idea.
Unexpectedly, Lu Yu had now gone out to sea and become a pirate.
"Yes," Kadjoer confirmed. "And according to the information we've gathered, there are only two of them."
"Just two people managed to wipe out the Jekasfa Pirates."
"Against our two warships, they showed no panic at all and even killed several Navy officers right in front of me," Kadjoer added somewhat weakly.
Such a powerful pirate was beyond what he could handle.
"I see."
"He didn't kill all of you, probably because of the old ties."
"Don't engage with him for now. I'll issue a bounty order."
With that, Garp hung up the phone. After thinking for a moment, he submitted the necessary reports. Although he usually didn't bother with such matters, Lu Yu had grown up alongside Luffy. That connection had some influence on his decision.
---
Three days later.
"Ugh..."
A news bird landed on Lu Yu's ship.
"The latest newspaper?"
Lu Yu handed over a hundred belly and took a copy.
"As expected..."
Two days ago, Lu Yu's reputation points had suddenly soared by 5,000. At that moment, he had already guessed that the Navy had placed a bounty on him. Now, seeing it in the newspaper confirmed his suspicions.
Lu Yu, Captain of the Dragon Hunter Pirates, had a bounty of 23 million belly.
Akame, a crew member of the Hunter Pirates, had a bounty of 15 million belly.
Lu Yu was quite satisfied with his first bounty, which had surpassed the 10 million mark. After all, the strength he had displayed so far was only at this level.
Bounties weren't necessarily based on strength but rather on how much of a threat the individual posed to the world. Since Lu Yu had previously spared some Navy personnel, his evaluation by Marine Headquarters was only at this level.
"Akame, we've been rewarded."
Lu Yu handed the newspaper to the dazed Akame with a smile.
"Captain Lu Yu, as pirates, shouldn't we keep ourselves hidden?" Akame asked hesitantly after taking the newspaper. "Why do you seem so happy about getting a bounty?"
After all, she had once been part of Night Raid, where secrecy was crucial. Being targeted by the government was never a good thing.
"This is the sea!"
"Out here, a bounty is equivalent to a pirate's reputation."
"If you don't have a bounty, you'll be laughed at by other pirates."
"Besides, there are countless pirates in this world. The World Government and the Navy won't mobilize their entire force just for one small-time pirate."
Lu Yu briefly explained the nature of the pirate world to Akame.
"I see..." Akame nodded, though she still didn't fully understand. To her, the sea was completely foreign territory.
---
"There's a ship ahead."
"It doesn't look like a pirate ship or a Navy vessel."
At that moment, Akame leaped onto the mast, scanning the horizon.
Hearing this, Lu Yu was intrigued. Could they have encountered a merchant ship?
As pirates, robbing a merchant vessel seemed like the natural course of action, right?
Lu Yu smirked.
"Brother Lu Yu, they seem to be coming straight for us."
"From the way they move, they look like the bounty hunters you mentioned."
"The leader is wearing a green hat!"
Akame jumped down, drawing his Murasame—the one-shot killer—and prepared for battle.
"A green hat?"
"Bounty hunters?"
"No way..."
A grim look crossed Lu Yu's face.
They were nearing the town of Shells. Judging by the timing, it was highly likely that he knew who was coming.
Soon, a ship appeared in their sights.
Standing at the bow of the ship was a familiar figure, causing Lu Yu to grin.
Instead of a merchant vessel, he had unexpectedly run into Roronoa Zoro.
"Captain Lu Yu of the Dragon Hunter Pirates! Crew member Akame!"
"Both of you carry high bounties!"
"You must realize what that means!"
Zoro stood at the bow with an arrogant expression, his voice full of confidence.
Seeing Zoro, Lu Yu almost thought he had mistaken him for someone else. Before meeting Luffy, this guy was quite the over-the-top hothead.
Then again, it made sense. As a well-known bounty hunter in the East Blue, such arrogance wasn't unexpected.
"Akame, stand down!"
While Lu Yu was still processing the situation, Akame had already prepared to attack.
Seeing this, Lu Yu immediately stopped her. If Akame fought, Zoro might not stand a chance. With Murasame's cursed ability, Zoro could end up dead with a single misstep.
"I'll handle this."
"As the captain, it's my job to take on Zoro, the Pirate Hunter of the East Blue."
Lu Yu said, drawing his sword, Ame-no-Habakiri.
The moment Lu Yu unsheathed his sword, Zoro's expression changed.
"This sword..."
"I may not have seen it before, but I can sense its aura."
"It's a fine sword. I hope your skills live up to it."
Zoro drew his three swords, then leaped forward, launching a fierce attack on Lu Yu.
His offensive was truly impressive. His coordination of strength and technique was surprisingly precise.
For a brief moment, Lu Yu was caught off guard. His swordsmanship was more focused on attack than defense, making him vulnerable in direct confrontations.
"Armament Haki!"
Lu Yu dodged Zoro's strike and instantly reinforced his arms and legs with Haki.
While he couldn't yet coat his weapon in it, it was enough for now.
Bowing slightly, Lu Yu launched himself forward with explosive speed, appearing behind Zoro in an instant.
"Checkmate."
Lu Yu's sword stopped at Zoro's neck.
"Big Brother!"
Zoro's two crewmates instinctively rushed forward to help.
However, Akame stepped in front of them, her Murasame gleaming ominously. One step closer, and they would be buried by Akame in an instant.
"Stand down. These two are out of your league."
Zoro immediately stopped his companions.
From their brief exchange, he could tell that Akame was even more dangerous than Lu Yu.
Right now, he himself wasn't even Lu Yu's match.
Moreover, the strange burst of speed Lu Yu had just displayed left Zoro deeply intrigued.
"Go on."
Zoro slowly sheathed his swords, spreading his arms wide with a fearless smile.
To him, a wound on a swordsman's back was the ultimate disgrace.
"I have no intention of killing you."
"In the future, if you meet a certain idiot captain, he's going to need your help."
Lu Yu grinned and put away his sword.
---
"Ding! Congratulations, host, for gaining the obsession of protagonist member Zoro! Reputation points +5,000."
"Ding! Congratulations, host, for defeating Zoro! Reputation points +3,000."
"Swordsmanship +100."
The system notification rang in Lu Yu's mind once again.
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