What was going on at the port...
Lin Mo had no idea, nor did he care.
Right now, he only wanted to catch more bounty hunters...more than Rayleigh!
Since he agreed to compete with Rayleigh, he had no intention of losing.
But the sixth bounty target he had his eyes on had coincidentally blended into the crowd rushing to watch the commotion at the port after an explosion.
Without giving it much thought, Lin Mo followed along.
He mixed into the crowd, gradually closing the distance to his target, ready to make a move.
But out of nowhere, Rayleigh suddenly appeared, and right before Lin Mo's eyes, swiftly knocked out his target.
Then, moving like lightning, Rayleigh dragged the guy away from the crowd at an incredible speed...
Before leaving, Rayleigh even gave Lin Mo a smug little grin.
Lin Mo: "…"
He did it on purpose!
That bastard Rayleigh definitely did it on purpose!
Lin Mo was speechless. Now, all he could do was look for a new target.
As he turned to head back, his gaze shifted—and he spotted someone at the entrance of a narrow alley.
It was the spiky-haired Bartolomeo, hugging a sword and looking around, seemingly searching for something.
Lin Mo's gaze fell on the sword in his arms.
Wasn't that the Sandai Kitetsu? …Why was it in his hands?
Before Lin Mo could think further, Bartolomeo spotted him.
Their eyes met.
Bartolomeo's expression gradually lit up with excitement.
Lin Mo: "…"
As expected, the guy was looking for him…
Seeing Bartolomeo coming his way, Lin Mo didn't hesitate—he immediately sprinted away from the crowd.
He had no desire to be pestered by that guy.
But no matter how fast Lin Mo was, he was still unfamiliar with the layout of Loguetown.
He ended up getting cornered in a small alley by a local.
Bartolomeo stood in front of him, blocking the way, hugging the Sandai Kitetsu and grinning with excitement. "You! The guy who caught that bullet bare-handed—I finally found you!"
Lin Mo: "…"
Bartolomeo generously held out the sword. "Saw you this morning at the weapons shop. You looked like you loved this sword. You must really want it, huh? Here, it's yours!"
Lin Mo glanced at the Sandai Kitetsu in Bartolomeo's hand.
And was once again speechless.
When did he ever show that he was obsessed with this cursed sword?
Seeing Lin Mo remain silent, Bartolomeo continued enthusiastically, "Haha, I know, you must be feeling bad about accepting a gift for free. No worries! This is just a welcome present. I, Bartolomeo, now officially invite you to become my super-awesome right-hand man!"
Lin Mo responded flatly, "I refuse."
Then, expressionless, he walked right past Bartolomeo.
"Eh?" Bartolomeo was stunned. He quickly looped around and blocked Lin Mo again, speaking seriously, "I'm now the big boss of three streets, you know? If you follow me, I guarantee you'll live the good life—eating well, drinking well, and no one will dare mess with you."
Lin Mo couldn't be bothered and brushed past him again.
Bartolomeo was crushed. Frustrated, he angrily drew the Sandai Kitetsu and pointed it at Lin Mo. "Hey! I'm seriously inviting you! How can you just reject me like that!"
No sooner had he said that than a sudden chill ran down his spine.
He hadn't meant to attack Lin Mo, but his body moved on its own. Gripping the Sandai Kitetsu, he suddenly lunged forward, slashing at Lin Mo.
"Eh? What the hell?! What's wrong with my body?! Hey.. move!" Bartolomeo's face changed dramatically, and he quickly shouted a warning.
Lin Mo sidestepped.
Bartolomeo's strike missed.
As he raised the sword again to strike—
Lin Mo raised his hand and delivered a hard chop to Bartolomeo's hand.
The sharp pain forced Bartolomeo to let go, and the Sandai Kitetsu clattered to the ground.
At the same time, Bartolomeo snapped back to normal.
Staring at his own hands, then at the sword on the ground, Bartolomeo shivered.
"What the hell kind of cursed blade is that? It actually made me attack someone on its own?"
Lin Mo replied coolly, "Only those with weak wills can be controlled by a sword."
With that, he continued walking.
Bartolomeo stared, stunned, at Lin Mo's receding back.
He scratched his head.
Images of Lin Mo casually wielding the sword that morning flashed through his mind.
The more he thought about it, the deeper his admiration grew.
"No wonder I took a liking to him!" Bartolomeo clenched his fist, eyes shining with passion. "Amazing! Only someone like that is worthy of being my partner!"
Just as Lin Mo exited the alley and stepped back onto the main street—
A familiar system prompt sounded in his mind.
'Beep beep! Gained Bartolomeo's admiration. Sign-in progress +10%. Current total progress: 30%. Reward: New skill—Fairy Sphere.'
Immediately after, information about Fairy Sphere surged into his mind.
Lin Mo came to an abrupt stop.
Fairy Sphere—wasn't that the legendary super magic from Fairy Tail? A massive, invincible barrier that could freeze time within its boundaries?
This was an insanely powerful defensive magic!
Lin Mo had never expected to gain such an amazing ability… from Bartolomeo, of all people.
Worth it. Totally worth it.
Guess that guy was a little useful after all.
In high spirits, Lin Mo prepared to continue his bounty hunt.
As he was reviewing the wanted posters—
A tall man with curly hair, a green sleep mask on his forehead, dressed in a white vest over a dark blue shirt, and exuding an aura of chill, rode a bicycle past him.
Lin Mo instinctively looked up.
Even though the man had already ridden off into the distance, Lin Mo recognized him instantly by his distinct hairstyle and outfit.
That was Admiral Aokiji !
Rayleigh was one thing—he came to Loguetown to pay respects to Roger.
But why was a high-ranking Marine Admiral like Aokiji here, at this time?
Could he be here to meet with Smoker?
If Lin Mo recalled correctly, Aokiji and Smoker did seem to have a decent relationship…
Before he could dwell on it further—
The roar of a motorcycle engine cut through the air.
Smoker, riding his smoke-powered, amphibious three-wheeled motorcycle, arrived.
He and Aokiji met smoothly and stopped in the middle of the road to exchange a few words.
As for what they were discussing—
Lin Mo didn't care. He was about to walk away.
But suddenly, Smoker's gaze swept toward Lin Mo and locked onto him. Without hesitation, he revved up and zoomed in Lin Mo's direction.
He came to a dramatic stop in front of Lin Mo with a flashy tail-spin.
Lin Mo stared at him blankly.
Smoker bit down on his cigar, his face stern. "Brat, where do you think you're going?!"
Aokiji pedaled up leisurely and stopped beside Lin Mo. He studied him for a moment, then turned to Smoker and asked:
"Smoker, what's the rush? Did this kid commit a crime or something?"