15 Chapter 15

Chapter 15 - The Power of Pocket Firecrackers

Sword of the "Big Cleaver" Swort Sword, bounty 8 million Berries. It didn't sound particularly powerful, most likely due to the increase in bounty from committing multiple murders.

Just as the Celestial Dragons left yesterday, Adrian found trouble outside the lawless zone today. Maybe they thought the Marines and government officials would escort the Celestial Dragons back, leading to a shortage of personnel here?

Surrounded, Adrian felt a bit nervous, but not overly so. After all, he had plenty of items to use, and worst-case scenario, he could try that magical milk.

Before that, he decided to test something on Tom first: "Tom, go! Take him down!"

This sentence instantly triggered Tom's hatred.

(The full battle detailed in Chapter 001.)

Adrian had expected Tom to pull out his twin guns and demonstrate his marksmanship, but the battle ended in a much more dramatic way.

In the end, Adrian and Tom managed to secure Swort Sword and his three lackeys onto a makeshift cart and headed towards the Marine base.

Adrian had already gathered information about the base's location. It was situated on Island No. 66, not far from Island No. 59 where Adrian currently resided.

Because it was still early, there weren't many pedestrians, and Adrian's group went relatively unnoticed as they made their way along a small bridge that connected the two islands. This marked Adrian's courageous step out of the "beginner's village."

However, as they descended from the bridge, the makeshift cart made a clattering sound, lightly knocking Swort Sword's head.

"Ouch..." Swort Sword opened his eyes, remembering how he had been toyed with by a cat earlier. He felt both embarrassed and annoyed, muttering, "You little brat, and that cursed cat! How dare you..."

Snap!

Fueled by anger, Swort Sword snapped the ropes that bound him.

Before he could lunge at Adrian, something felt off. Adrian remembered his contingency plan for battle and quickly acted:

- He retrieved firecrackers and matches.

- He struck a match above Tom's head.

- Lit a firecracker and threw it.

- Pulled Tom back.

A small firecracker, less than a centimeter in length, hit Swort Sword's face. He even thought he had been bitten by a mosquito; without moving, he lunged toward Adrian.

However, a deafening blast followed by a violent burst of flames and thick black smoke occurred.

Both Adrian and Tom covered their ears, finding this much more intense than the firecrackers they used to play with as kids.

As the smoke cleared, Swort Sword was covered in black, his exhalation punctuated by a puff of black smoke. "What... is this..."

With a single sentence, Swort Sword collapsed heavily to the ground, eyes rolling back.

Even his three lackeys were left half-burnt and incapacitated by the smoke.

[Pocket Firecrackers from the Tiny Mouse Tuffy: Smaller than Tom's nose, but its power won't disappoint.]

"Indeed, it didn't disappoint." Adrian sighed as he looked at the sorry state of Swort Sword, then glanced at the other explosive items in his inventory. He was filled with anticipation—art is an explosion!

The area at the border of the two islands seemed to be a suburb, and no one came to investigate at the moment.

Adrian and Tom quickly reloaded Swort Sword onto the cart and hurried towards the Marine base.

The Marine branch on 66GR of the Sabaody Archipelago had a similar appearance to other Marine bases. The tall gray building had "Marine" written on it, with a seagull emblem in the center, highly conspicuous.

The two soldiers guarding the entrance, upon learning of Adrian's intentions, not only didn't make things difficult for him, but one of them politely guided him in.

The reward exchange area was located inconspicuously within the base, not deep inside. This was likely to prevent any ulterior motives. After all, many bounty hunters walked the grey area, and some might even turn into pirates at any moment.

The guiding soldier saluted the figure inside the window, "Lieutenant Kuro, this gentleman apprehended 'Big Cleaver' Swort Sword and has come to claim the reward."

"I understand." Lieutenant Kuro, appearing rather apathetic, nodded lazily, waving his hand for his assistant to search for the bounty poster. Meanwhile, he glanced at Adrian and asked, "Wait a moment, we need to confirm your identity."

Adrian nodded understandingly and inquired, "Did he just call you Lieutenant Kuro?"

"Yeah, I'm Kuro, Rurushu Kuro. Lieutenant at Marine Headquarters. What's the matter?" Kuro leaned on the table with one hand and supported his chin with the other, his indifferent demeanor making Adrian think of Kizaru.

"Nothing much, just felt a bit familiar, but I can't remember where I heard it. Probably just my imagination? Sorry."

"Ah, that's fine." Lieutenant Kuro sighed softly, "It's troublesome to become too well-known."

The assistant found the bounty poster and emerged from the side door. After wiping off Swort Sword's blackened face, he confirmed, "Swort Sword, bounty 8 million. Three subordinates have no bounties, but they were armed with four ordinary weapons."

Lieutenant Kuro retrieved a piece of paper from a drawer and began filling it out. "Swort Sword, bounty of 8 million, three subordinates with no bounties, but equipped with four ordinary weapons. How about a compensation of 100,000 Berries?"

Well, weapons were valuable too. Adrian didn't want them though; he had drawn weapons from the lottery before, he just rarely used them.

Speaking of which, he didn't really want to use the term "summon" anymore; it was summoning characters that counted. The items were more like a lottery draw.

Adrian, seeing no issues, shook his head. "I appreciate it, but I'll pass on the weapons. I've got plans for now. Thank you."

The Marine soldiers led by the same one who brought him in helped load Swort Sword's group onto a cart again and headed towards the base. As for the makeshift cart, Adrian wasn't concerned; after all, it was assembled by Tom.

"Delivery complete. Please continue supporting the Marines in the future." Lieutenant Kuro half-heartedly said the formalities before asking out of habit, "Hey kid, interested in joining the Marines? Fight for justice together?"

Your nonchalant tone lacks sincerity, seriously!

"I'll give it some thought, but I'm still too inexperienced for now." Adrian didn't commit himself too much. With his newfound riches, he was pondering whether to leave the Sabaody Archipelago on a passenger ship or something, or to settle here and start a business.

Honestly, with his experience of drifting at sea, Adrian was a bit apprehensive about heading out to sea again.

The Marines were indeed a good option. With the upcoming promotions of the Three Admirals, the Marine's strength would reach an unprecedented peak. People often spoke of the Pirate King, but the

Marines were the true masters of the sea.

It was just that the higher-ups in the Marines could be a bit annoying, and without sufficient strength, one would just be cannon fodder anywhere.

Strength, indeed, strength.

Given Adrian's current situation, it was best to quietly focus on growing.

The same soldier who brought him in escorted Adrian out, likely to prevent him from wandering aimlessly.