Chapter 14: Bounty Tiers
There's a special kind of excitement for a first-time experience. For Kyle, who had never stolen anything, this first heist was, to be honest, a massive thrill.
The three of them followed, energized. The pirates, completely oblivious, were laughing and talking loudly.
"Hey," one weasel-faced man said, "why won't the captain let us raid this town? I saw some serious beauties back there!"
"Are you an idiot?" a bigger pirate scoffed. "This is Shells Town, a Marine base. If we start a fight, we'll get wrecked. We hit villages with no Marines. The people there are stupid and easy to kill. No risk."
"Village girls can't compare to town girls," the weasel-faced man shot back. "The captain's just scared. What's the point of being a pirate if you can't do what you want?"
As they were about to start a real argument, another pirate cut them off. "Both of you, shut up! If the captain hears you, he'll kill you."
That shut them up. They remembered their captain was "Iron Anchor" Gray, a "great pirate" with a 5,000,000 Beri bounty. They said he was a monster who could bend iron with a single punch. Pissing him off was a good way to get torn apart.
They left the port and started walking down the beach.
Kyle, who had assumed their ship was docked, realized his mistake. They must have hidden it a few kilometers away.
He gave Gon and Killua a look. They nodded in understanding, their forms blurring. In an instant, they had circled ahead of the pirate crew. Following the path, they found a ship hidden in a small cove under a cliff, about a kilometer away.
It was a small caravel, but still big enough to hold twenty or so people.
"If I'm right, their captain's on board," Kyle whispered. "A guy who scares his crew that much... he's probably got some skill."
"Tough, huh?" Killua rolled up his right sleeve. "He's mine." He was about to sneak on board when Gon stopped him.
"Killua, can I take him?"
"Stop fighting over him," Kyle said, annoyed that they were already competing over small fry. "He's got some strength, but not much. His bounty is probably between five and ten million Beri, max."
"Kyle," Killua asked, his interest piqued, "are there bounty tiers? Like, does a certain amount put you in a certain class?"
"Exactly," Kyle nodded. "Under 10 million Beri is basically small fry, rookies, or minor criminals."
"10 million to 100 million: These are pirates with some real power and influence. They might be a local boss or have a special ability."
"100 million to 1 billion: This tier is for high-profile, powerful pirates. They're usually important members of a major crew or a regional powerhouse in their own right."
"1 billion to 3 billion: These are top-tier powerhouses. The core officers of the Emperors, or captains who are legends."
"And 3 billion or more? That's only a handful of people. The top of the top. The Four Emperors."
Killua glanced back at the ship. So, the guy in there was just a rookie. His excitement vanished instantly. Gon looked disappointed, too.
"This is the East Blue," Kyle said with a laugh. "It's the weakest of the four seas. Finding anyone really strong here is rare."
"Well, I was looking forward to it," Killua muttered. "So, Kyle... what tier would we be in?"
Kyle thought for a moment. "Based on our current power... we'd probably be in the third tier."
"The third tier? You mean... we're worth over 100 million Beri?" Killua asked, surprised. He'd assumed they'd at least be in the fourth or fifth tier...
"It's just a rough estimate," Kyle said. "It's not perfect. Bounties aren't just about strength. Sometimes, a high bounty is just because someone is exceptionally cruel."
As they were talking, the pirate crew arrived at the cove. They spotted the three boys and their faces split into evil grins.
"Well, well. Look at these fresh-faced kids. We could sell them for a very good price," the weasel-faced man said, licking his lips. The other pirates chuckled.
A cold smirk played on Killua's lips. "They're mine. Gon, you take the guy on the ship."
Gon nodded, and without a word, leaped straight off the cliff.
The weasel-faced man's jaw dropped, a pained look on his face as he thought the "product" had just been destroyed. He ran to the cliff edge to look... and was stunned to see Gon land perfectly on the ship's deck.
He let out a breath of relief and turned back, his evil grin returning.
He froze.
His ten-plus companions were all on the ground, unconscious.
The silver-haired boy was standing in the middle of them, a chillingly playful smirk on his face.
The pirate looked at his fallen crew. Then back at Killua. Back at the crew. Back at Killua. He did this five or six times, but no matter how hard he stared, his crew didn't move.
As Killua took a slow step toward him, the pirate fell backward onto the sand, utterly terrified. He thought of his 5-million-Beri captain and whipped his head around to scream for help.
His scream died in his throat.
He was just in time to see the other kid, the one who jumped, dragging the captain's unconscious body out from the cabin... like a sack of garbage.
A suffocating, absolute despair seized him. Before he could even turn back, he sensed the silver-haired boy was right next to him.
He tried to look, but something struck him, and his world went black.