Tom and Camie sincerely made their wishes and then blew out the small flame on Mr. 3's head.
When Zhang Da Ye asked what they wished for, Camie firmly replied, "If I say it, it won't work."
Tom exaggeratedly covered his mouth and shook his head.
This made Zhang Da Ye even more curious—what kind of wish could Tom, who spent his days lounging around eating and sleeping, possibly make?
"Never mind if you don't want to say. Let's go to the Navy base." Zhang Da Ye called the others to load the three barrels onto the cart and leave the abandoned yard.
Zhang Da Ye was in charge of pulling the cart. It was his second time handling a simple cart made by Tom, bringing back memories of earning his first bucket of money.
Artoria and Rui Meng Meng walked on either side, both as guards and in case the cart fell apart—it looked a little too simple.
Camie and Tom sat on the cart. Camie because it was hard to walk, Tom purely out of laziness.
The group looked a bit conspicuous, but because they carried weapons and had people in the cart, most assumed they were bounty hunters and didn't approach.
Of course, if Camie hadn't covered her tail, leaving here would've been a whole different challenge.
Because Mr. 3 was so obedient, Zhang Da Ye knocked him out with no side effects; the bump on his head would heal quickly.
Yes, even obedient villains need to be knocked out—you can't let your guard down.
Upon leaving the unsafe area, Zhang Da Ye stopped. "Artoria, take Camie back to the tavern first."
Artoria asked, "Will the Navy take action against Camie?"
Zhang Da Ye replied, "Not directly, but I can't guarantee every Marine is good. Better to be cautious."
Artoria nodded. "Understood. Camie, let's head to the tavern first. I can give you a tour too."
"Okay." Camie agreed, then apologized, "Sorry for running off and causing trouble."
Artoria picked her up and patted her head. "We're friends. You're just visiting us, what's wrong with that?"
"That's right, Camie. Don't overthink it. Let's go to the tavern, we'll return soon." Zhang Da Ye comforted her. "I'll let you in on a secret—Tom hid lots of snacks behind the liquor cabinet. You can find them."
Camie's eyes sparkled with curiosity; Artoria's did too.
"Meow?" Tom's little head tilted, a big question mark over it—why is the injured one me?
Tom hopped and waved frantically, demonstrating the meaning of 'trying to hide it only draws attention.'
Zhang Da Ye nodded, pretending to realize, "Oh, so it wasn't Tom hiding it. Then it's fine to eat everything."
Tom looked shocked and grabbed Zhang Da Ye's coat, pleading with head shakes.
"Ha ha…"
The group split up amid laughter.
Zhang Da Ye remembered Major Kuro's advice: call first before exchanging bounties to save time with proper procedures.
"Brrr brrr brrr… click." The Den Den Mushi lazily spoke, "Hello, this is the 66GR Navy Base Bounty Exchange, I'm Kuro."
"Hello, Major Kuro. This is Zhang Da Ye."
"Oh, Da Ye! What's up?" Major Kuro asked.
Zhang Da Ye said, "I captured three bounty criminals and am going to exchange them."
Kuro paused. "Total bounty?"
Zhang Da Ye replied, "Forgot to ask before knocking them out… maybe tens of millions?"
Squeak~ scrape~ the sound of a chair leg dragged across the floor came through the Den Den Mushi.
Zhang Da Ye suspected Kuro was lounging with his legs on the table, drinking tea and reading leisurely.
"Anything wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing. You can come now. Ask for my deputy—you've met him." Major Kuro hurriedly replied and hung up.
Zhang Da Ye looked at the sleeping Den Den Mushi. Something felt off—what if hundreds of Marines ambushed them and chopped Tom to pieces?
Tom looked a bit scared; Rui Meng Meng asked for him, "Why Tom?"
"Because only he can be chopped to pieces. If we survive till then, we die otherwise." Zhang Da Ye laughed to himself.
"…" Rui Meng Meng was silent for a few seconds. "Boss, your jokes are so cold."
Tom decided to add a spoon of salt to the master's dinner bowl later.
…
Back at the familiar Navy base, soldiers at the gate noticed the three peculiar people in the cart and asked what was happening.
Zhang Da Ye explained, "These three are dangerous Devil Fruit users. We can only keep them in water temporarily."
"I see." The soldier straightened with respect. Capturing Devil Fruit users indicated great skill. "Please follow me."
Zhang Da Ye led the cart to the familiar bounty exchange, but the usual person wasn't there.
"Sorry, Mr. Da Ye, Major Kuro had to leave. I'll handle the exchange this time," said the deputy awkwardly.
Zhang Da Ye didn't understand the apology. "Ah, doesn't matter, anyone is fine."
But the sudden absence of Kuro felt suspicious—was he avoiding me?
Regardless, the deputy quickly found the three bounties:
"Galdino of Blackbeard, from the South Blue, 24 million Berries. Jem of the Border, from the South Blue, 10 million Berries. Smuggler Michita, from the West Blue, 7.5 million Berries."
Zhang Da Ye was surprised. He only knew they were Baroque Works. He hadn't heard of their pre-membership history; the names were unfamiliar.
It seemed Mr. 3 was a loan shark, Mr. 5 a mercenary, and Miss Valentine a smuggler?
Considering Mr. 5's demeanor and explosive ability, mercenary or terrorist fit. Mr. 3 as a loan shark made sense. But could that careless woman really be a smuggler?
The deputy calculated and said in shock, "Total 41.5 million Berries, and all three are Devil Fruit users!"
"Wow… amazing!" The soldier guiding them was also shocked.
They'd seen higher bounties before, but three Devil Fruit users at once were rare.
Even they hadn't noticed, but a hint of disdain showed when looking at the three in barrels—Devil Fruit users with such low bounties? Wasteful.
"They're not ordinary criminals. They joined a secret organization called Baroque Works and act under codenames. Many of their crimes might not be on Navy records."
Zhang Da Ye rubbed his hands eagerly. "So, if we verify their crimes, can we get extra bounty?"
Rui Meng Meng was shocked—her boss was haggling!
"Sorry, Mr. Da Ye. I'll report your intel and requests, but additional bounty… there's no precedent."
"Forget it. Just make sure Baroque Works is reported. The Navy should eliminate them. Such criminals make law-abiding citizens live in fear. I'll fully cooperate if needed!" Zhang Da Ye posed as a helpful citizen.
The deputy, the guiding soldier, and the one bringing the Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs were moved. "Letting criminals threaten civilians is our failure. Thank you for supporting the Navy!"
"It's my duty!" Zhang Da Ye straightened his chest and glanced at the Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs. "I wonder if I could buy one or two for self-defense?"