Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 7: I've taken the blame, so I should collect Sachi's bounty too, right?

In the town's tavern, Bane sat at a table, engrossed in reading a newspaper.

He originally thought he would be illiterate here, but unexpectedly, he was able to read the texts, as if he had a built-in text converter in his brain.

After making inquiries at the tavern, he now understood his location.

The East China Sea, the waters around Four Leaf Island under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Oycot, is not too far from the East China Sea 153rd Naval Branch Base, so the surrounding sea environment is relatively stable.

In fact, the East Blue, as a benchmark set by the world's governments, has always been known as the "Sea of ​​Peace." Its security environment is far superior to other seas, and this remains true even in the current Great Pirate Era.

After all, there's always a high-ranking naval officer in this sea area who likes to come back and blast fish every now and then. Moreover, there's a naval captain with a natural ability sitting at the entrance to the East China Sea. How can these rookie pirates who have just set sail stand by?

The newspaper in his hand also showed the current time and what had happened during that period.

It is now July of the 1519th year of the Sea Calendar, which is not unexpected for Bann.

After all, when he first observed this world, he happened to see Teach kill Thatch, seize the Dark-Dark Fruit, and prepare to embark on his path to becoming one of the Four Emperors.

According to the original timeline, Teach fled the Whitebeard Pirates that very night and then traveled around the world. For example, during his early escape, he went to the West Blue and recruited Laffitte, who was working as a security officer in the West Blue at the time. He also went to a fighting tournament in the Grand Line and recruited the fighter Burgess. Later, he also recruited Doc Q and Van Augur, officially establishing the Blackbeard Pirates.

After forming the Blackbeard Pirates, he also went to Drum Island and caused some trouble.

All of this must have taken at least a year, right? So Bane made that estimate based on that timeline, and guessed that the current timeframe should be about a year before the Straw Hat Boy set sail.

In retrospect, this is indeed the case, since the straw hat should have officially set sail in May 1520. (This book uses 1520 as its anchor year.)

In addition, the newspaper also published some recent events, such as the emergence of dancing fans in the capital of the Alabasta Kingdom, and the pirate Cavendish entering the New World and becoming a highly anticipated newcomer.

But none of that matters. What matters is that Ben saw a portrait of himself on the last page of the newspaper, along with some information.

"The murderer of the fourth division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates is unknown in name and age. The Whitebeard Pirates have put a bounty of 500 million Berries on his head, dead or alive."

"No, is it reasonable for these pirates to blatantly publish their bounties in the newspaper? What are the World Government doing?" Bane complained, looking at the label with great dissatisfaction.

And when the hell did he kill Sachi?

Without even thinking twice, Bane knew that it must have been that scoundrel Teach who pinned the blame for killing Satch on him!

As for this matter, Bane currently has no room for argument, for a simple reason: the weak have no voice. He is not worthy to explain anything to Whitebeard and the others, and they will not listen anyway.

"Fortunately, the gate opened in the East Blue this time, so the Whitebeard Pirates won't be able to catch up for a while. And the weaklings in the East Blue... uh... shouldn't be a threat to me, right?" Bane thought for a moment and felt that he was quite lucky.

If this were still in the New World, a place teeming with powerful individuals and wielding Armament Haki, I reckon if I showed my face even slightly, I'd be captured and handed over to Whitebeard, right?

He swept these chaotic thoughts out of his mind; now was not the time to dwell on them. In Bane's view, the most urgent task at present should be to find a way to improve his own strength.

In the world of One Piece, besides Devil Fruits, there are still many things worth trying and learning.

For example, Kendo, Rokushiki, Haki, etc.

While the East China Sea is relatively safer, it is also not easy to acquire new strength.

Just like the power of domineering aura, you probably couldn't find a place to learn it even if you searched the entire East Sea. And the Six Styles are probably the same.

There is indeed an opportunity in kendo. In Shimotsuki Village in the East Blue, Koushirou opened a kendo dojo and recruited many disciples. Basically, you can learn as long as you pay money. Of course, how much you can learn depends on your own ability.

"Huh? That's not right!" Bane paused for a moment, thinking, "Given Koushirou's family background, he might possess knowledge of Haki? He just hasn't shown it in the East Blue?"

This is not impossible. Koushirou is not a native of the East Blue. His family migrated from Wano Country, which is a country in the New World and is famous for its samurai. These samurai are generally very proficient in Haki.

Furthermore, Koushirou is also friends with the current rebel leader, the revolutionary army leader Dragon. The fact that the two can become friends further proves that Koushirou is not as simple as just a kendo dojo owner on the surface.

Thinking about this, Bane felt it was still necessary to go to Shimotsuki Village to meet Mr. Koushirou.

This is not a difficult matter. On the way to the tavern, Bane had already inquired about it. Because the East Sea has been at peace for a long time, the shipping industry is developing quite well. There are merchant ships going to various parts of the East Sea every day from the port here. As long as you buy a ticket, you can go to Frostmoon Village.

So, the question now is how to make money!

The boat ticket is manageable, but he'll have to prepare some gifts to see Koushirou, right? Besides that, there'll be tuition fees, won't there? Koushirou is a complete stranger to him; how can he expect to learn a skill without paying?

And how will I manage my food, drink, and other expenses during this time?

He had made some preparations before coming, carrying two gold bracelets he had hidden at home with him. After all, the currency here is different, but gold is indeed a hard currency. Moreover, according to some intelligence from the Empire, it seems that gold is a hard currency in many other worlds, so he could find an opportunity to stock up on more.

However, these two bracelets are not a long-term solution. Originally, Bane planned to borrow some money from some local gangsters, and if they refused, he would beat them up to get the money. But now, he feels that he can have a new option.

He stood up, walked to a nearby table, and enthusiastically put his arm around the shoulder of a man who was bragging. "Brother," he said, "I have a question for you. Do you know how much the bounty is for Thatch, the fourth division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates?"

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

This guy was bragging to his friends at the table about catching a big fish recently, when he was suddenly interrupted. Naturally, he was unhappy, so he looked at Bane with some impatience and said, "Where are you from? Why are you asking this? And don't put your arm around me like that."

Perhaps it was because Bane's question involved Thatch, or perhaps it was because the news about the Whitebeard Pirates' captain being murdered had been circulating for the past few days; in any case, this guy froze after seeing Bane's face clearly.

"I asked this question because I want to collect the bounty," Bane said with a kind smile.

Just kidding, Teach made him take such a huge blame, and the Whitebeard Pirates even put a 500 million Berry bounty on him and hunted him down all over the world, making him suffer such a great injustice for no reason.

Then it would be perfectly reasonable for Bane to collect Sachs's bounty, wouldn't it?

"You...you're the person in the portrait!?" the man exclaimed in terror.

"Keep your voice down, I'm a very low-key person," Bane said, pressing hard on the guy's shoulder.

Soon, Bane found out the situation: Thatch's bounty was 360 million Berries, and the island was under the jurisdiction of the Navy's 153rd Branch Base. If he wanted to exchange his bounty, he could go there.

However, this place is not too far from Loguetown. The 153rd Marine Branch may not be able to afford 360 million Berries in one go, but the Marine base in Loguetown has a colonel from headquarters stationed there, so they should be able to afford it.

Moreover, if Bane remembers correctly, this 153rd Marine Branch seems to be the territory of that Axe-Hound Morgan. That guy is greedy by nature. Bane wouldn't say he's afraid of him, but there's no need for him to cause trouble. It's completely unnecessary to offend the Whitebeard Pirates first and then the Marines.

In comparison, Colonel Smoker in Loguetown was more trustworthy, so after some consideration, Bane decided to go to Loguetown to exchange his money.

What? Without Sachi's head in hand, how can you prove that he killed Sachi?

Just kidding, the fact that his face is plastered all over the world by the Whitebeard Pirates is the best proof!

(End of this chapter)