The most courageous pirate hunter

Hermes remained hidden in his base at a distance of five millimeters, secretly spying on Spando. Unfortunately, Spando showed no sign of taking a nap as the sun set.

Until all the pirates who went out returned at night.

As expected, none of the returning pirates brought back any valuable information.

This enraged Spando, who hacked to death all the slum dwellers the pirates had brought back.

"Keep searching for him."

Spando vented his anger, but he was still burning with rage.

After all the pirates left again, Spando began to drown his sorrows in alcohol. That was a hundred million, and the more he thought about it, the more heartbroken he became, and the more he hated Hermes.

If Hermes were here, he would surely tear the man to pieces and hang him up to be tortured to death.

Hermes, standing at the foot of a table, watched quietly as Spando poured bowl after bowl of wine into his mouth. It was a golden opportunity, to say the least.

The other party was clearly stretching out their neck for him to cut, the kind that could be blown away without a second thought.

It would be unreasonable not to grant this request.

after an hour.

Spando was getting drunk.

Hermes swaggered toward Spando, then grabbed his leg hair and climbed up, seizing the opportunity to leap into the wine bowl, where he was swallowed by Spando along with the wine.

He needs Spando's head, and it must be intact.

bang bang bang! ! !

A powerful, surging heartbeat.

But it stopped abruptly the next moment. Hermes instantly returned to his normal size and burst Spando in the blink of an eye. Blood, flesh, and fragments of internal organs sprayed all over the floor. A broken head rolled onto the corner of the table, still in a drunken, rosy state.

Standing amidst the blood and foam, Hermes felt somewhat bored.

That's too easy.

There was no challenge at all. The bounty of 4.6 million was just gambled away, and the person died without any resistance. There was no sense of accomplishment whatsoever.

This is the difference between having a Devil Fruit and not having one.

"This method of killing the enemy is somewhat unseemly."

Hermes looked at the mess on the ground, his body covered in blood, with bits of flesh and entrails stuck to him. It was disgusting and bloody no matter how you looked at it. Surprisingly, he didn't feel like vomiting. On the contrary, he was very calm.

If I had encountered this situation shortly after I transmigrated, I might have had nightmares that night.

After finding something to attach to Spando's unseeing head and plundering some of Spando's wealth, Hermes left openly and legitimately.

As for the remaining members of the Big Sword Pirates, it's fine if he doesn't run into them; if he does, he can just take care of them, since some of them have bounties of one or two million or even more than one hundred thousand Berries.

He has thoroughly studied the value of these pirates.

Day three.

Hermes used some Berries he had received from Spando to follow a merchant caravan from Ross Town toward the capital. Along the way, they would pass the eastern naval branch, where he was going to exchange Spando's head for the bounty.

After much deliberation, Hermes decided to become a pirate hunter first, not only for the convenience of his new identity, but also because he wanted to gain valuable experience.

The main advantage is that it brings in money quickly.

He ruled out becoming a pirate first. Although being a pirate sounds prestigious and is the trend of the times, he is still in the beginner's village and needs to accumulate raw power.

As for joining the navy, Hermes was somewhat resentful because he had been rejected before.

He had considered the Revolutionary Army and the underworld, but after thinking it over, he felt that being a pirate hunter was more suitable for him. Besides, a profession is not static. He could become a pirate or a marine whenever he felt like it, so he wasn't limited.

Hermes was never one to follow the rules; on the contrary, he respected his own emotions and desires.

From the moment he transmigrated, Hermes was the freest and most fearless, not bound by any rules. His goal was to do as he pleased, be free and unrestrained, eat and drink his fill, and grow bigger and stronger.

He wants to be an ancestor.

Sitting in the carriage, next to me was a box containing human heads. The scenery along the way was beautiful, with a gentle breeze carrying a faint fragrance of flowers. The winding path stretched all the way to the end.

Looking at the endless muddy road, Hermes suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

He thought of an idiom called "shrinking the earth to an inch".

With the power of the Mini-Fruit, it seems possible to achieve this if developed to a deeper level. Perhaps after the fruit awakens, it can shrink an area of ​​several hundred or several thousand meters in radius and then suddenly enlarge it. In that case, taking a single step could not be impossible to create the effect of shrinking the land to an inch.

Or, to shrink a mountain and then restore it to its original size the moment it is thrown, or even enlarge it several times over, would be an ability akin to a natural disaster.

Or you could enlarge the pistol, making each bullet equivalent to a grenade launcher, giving it a feel of the Momo-Momo Fruit.

However, the Momo-Momo Fruit is also called the Multiply Fruit, which strictly speaking means doubling. If he were to eat this Devil Fruit, he would definitely think of reducing things, such as doubling the speed or attack power of his enemies.

However, it's not surprising that the World Destroyers in the original work didn't develop this aspect at all. After all, that's the nature of this world. Those who can develop it are incredibly powerful, like Bartholomew Kuma, while those who can't are just weaklings.

There's also the option of shrinking and enlarging bombs, which would be walking hormones, absolutely awesome.

It even leans towards conceptual approaches, such as shrinking wounds, enlarging enemy wounds, reducing enemy attacks while increasing one's own, shrinking enemy limbs while enlarging their heads...

When it comes to development, you have to be bold.

Unfortunately, for now, Hermes can only change his own body shape; there's still a long way to go.

Besides that, it's about increasing other strengths.

For example, the three types of Haki. Putting aside Conqueror's Haki, Armament Haki and Observation Haki are essential skills that must be learned and practiced extensively, otherwise any strong Observation Haki user can easily defeat him.

In addition, there are the Six Styles. Try to master them all, or even combine them into one for Life Return. However, learning the Six Styles is quite difficult, as they are unique to the Navy.

On the high seas, there may be similar martial arts techniques to the Six Powers. It's unreliable to figure them out on your own, so you need to find a way to learn one or two techniques and then combine them with the mini-fruit's shrinking ability. You can enter the enemy's body without having to grow bigger to burst them open, and you can completely destroy them from the inside.

In addition, there is swordsmanship. With the help of the mini-fruit, a single slash becomes an enlarged version, and its power increases dramatically.

In short, the prospects are bright and the future holds great promise.

He's about to take off.

Hermes was quite satisfied with the Devil Fruit he ate. A good Devil Fruit can elevate one's level infinitely, while a slightly inferior one allows one to glimpse the future.

Chapter 4 [He was rejected too many times that year]

Just as Hermes was studying the future direction, the caravan suddenly stopped.

They arrived at the first checkpoint, where they were asked to pay a toll. There were quite a few people, including various gangsters, thugs, and bandits, but they dealt with them quickly.

This shows that the merchant guild Hermes followed was quite capable; no wonder their fees were so high.

But what happened next really opened Hermes' eyes.

Within two days, the caravan encountered at least six bandit groups, five pirate crews, and eleven government agencies collecting taxes. And this was before they even reached the eastern naval branch.

Several times there were near-conflicts, but the leader resolved them each time.

Some used force, others used money; after all, this caravan was neither too big nor too small, with fifty or sixty guards.

Finally, on the third day, the caravan arrived in the eastern region.

The environment here is much more peaceful than in the West. Although there are still petty thefts, murders, and robberies, it's practically paradise compared to the West.

The biggest reason is probably that there is a naval branch here, and no force dares to provoke it. After all, the power behind the navy is earth-shattering.

It can be said that the Kingdom of Prodines is currently only relatively safe and stable in this area, while other places are in chaos or war.

Hermes left the convoy, intending to stay in the East for a while to see if he could infiltrate the naval branch, where he might find unexpected treasures, such as the Six Styles.

During this time, you can also hunt down pirates and bandits in the surrounding area to earn bounties, while honing your skills.

"Takoyaki, 30 Berries for five or six skewers."

"Udon noodles, never made with leftover noodles, purely handmade, only fifty Berries a bowl."

Walking down this bustling street, vendors were calling out their wares on both sides, and the taverns were packed with people.

Hermes ate takoyaki as he walked towards the naval base, intending to collect the bounty first and then find a hotel to relax.

The entire naval branch is located at the coastline. It is not very grand, but it has an inexplicable sense of righteousness. You can see many marines in uniform or resting as you come and go.

For ordinary people, marines really do give them a sense of security.

"stop."

"This is a naval camp. Do not approach."

As they approached the camp gate, two marines on guard stepped forward with serious expressions, their eyes filled with vigilance as they looked at Hermes.

This alone demonstrates the rigor of the naval base commander, unlike some corrupt and incompetent marine officers depicted in anime.

"I am a pirate hunter, here to collect my bounty."

Hermes remained calm and handed the package to the marine.

"Pirate Hunter?"

The marine on the left glanced at Hermes from head to toe, his eyes scrutinizing her while also revealing a subtle sense of superiority.

The marine on the right took the package, frowned slightly as he looked at the head inside, but didn't feel nauseous or vomit like the new recruits. Clearly, these two marines on guard duty were experienced.

They were two corporals.