"Ones… tens… hundreds… thousands… ten-thousands…"
"Luffy, you actually got a 50 million Beli bounty the moment your first wanted poster came out!?"
Staring at the number on the poster, Zoro couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
"I never would've thought this. You haven't even done that much evil, yet they slapped this kind of bounty on you already!"
"This is seriously interesting."
In the East Blue, any pirate with a bounty over 5 million Beli was considered a major threat.
And yet Luffy had jumped straight to 50 million Beli, leaving even Zoro—who had worked as a bounty hunter for years—utterly stunned.
As for Luffy, his grin stretched from ear to ear, his eyes nearly squeezed into slits as he clapped happily.
"Hehehe! Looks like there are still people in the Marines who know quality when they see it!"
"Alright! Next up, let's keep going and jack this bounty even higher in one go!!!"
"Hey!"
Watching the two of them laugh so carefreely, Nami—holding the wanted poster—pressed a hand to her forehead in exasperation.
"You idiots! Can you seriously be this optimistic!?"
"Do you even understand what this bounty means!?"
This was the East Blue!
A sea where the average bounty was only 3 million Beli, and the highest barely reached 20 million!!!
"Do you have any idea what it means for the Marines to suddenly put a 50 million Beli bounty on Luffy!?"
'Haven't done anything bad'?
Didn't you people forget about provoking the Marines by taking photos at the Marine base!?
Nami felt like she was about to cry.
At this very moment, she could already picture countless Marine battleships chasing them across the sea.
She could only hope that Red's new moves would be enough to deal with an entire Marine fleet…
Oh—right. Speaking of Red…
Nami abruptly turned her gaze toward him, hoping the ever-composed Red would finally say something sensible to rein Luffy and Zoro in.
Then she heard him say:
"Only 50 million Beli? That's still a bit low."
"Looks like the East Blue's limitations affected the Marines' bounty assessment."
"With your current strength, Luffy, once you're on the Grand Line you'd at least be worth over 100 million."
Nami: …It's over. These people are beyond saving.
"Oh, right—Nami."
Red suddenly addressed her, his expression turning serious.
"Even though you're not a combatant, now that Luffy's wanted by the Marines, the enemies we face will only keep getting stronger."
"To avoid unnecessary danger later, you should start training as well—from today onward."
"And tonight, if nothing unexpected happens, you'll be entering the Pokémon world with me."
"Huh!?"
Nami froze, then immediately showed a look of complete surprise.
"The Pokémon world!?"
"W-Wait a second! That's an incredibly precious opportunity, isn't it!? There's no reason to waste something that important on me!"
Even though she didn't fully understand what the Pokémon world truly was, just listening to Luffy and Zoro's descriptions had already given her a sense of its incredible nature.
Growing stronger simply by battling…
It sounded nothing short of miraculous!
No matter how she looked at it, sending Luffy or Zoro there would clearly maximize its value.
She didn't want Red to waste such a crucial opportunity just to accommodate her.
However, faced with Nami's hesitation, Red simply smiled and asked back:
"What are you talking about, Nami?"
"From the way you're speaking, it sounds like you're questioning this Trainer's arrangements~"
"Relax. Since I've decided to take you to the Pokémon world, that means I have a use for you."
"Then… alright."
With Red putting it that way, Nami naturally stopped refusing.
And truth be told, she was genuinely curious about what the Pokémon world was really like.
Red smiled faintly, waved his hand, and interrupted Luffy and Zoro—who were already fantasizing about the future—sending them off to train.
Afterward, he returned alone to the stern of the ship, tempering his body with Ancient Power while using Surf to speed up their voyage.
Using two Pokémon moves at once—Red had truly pushed them to perfection!
As for why he planned to bring Nami into the Pokémon world…
That wasn't him being considerate toward her at all.
Red remembered very clearly that while playing the game, he had once found a Rare Candy hidden somewhere in Cerulean City.
Previously, in places like Viridian Forest and Mt. Moon, he had already picked up items placed by the roadside in Poké Balls—exactly like in the game.
So there was no reason for the system to skip Cerulean City's hidden item.
Because of that—
Red decided to spend an entire day's worth of power thoroughly exploring Cerulean City.
After all, an item that could instantly raise a Pokémon's level by one was well worth gambling on.
As for why he was bringing Nami along…
It was entirely to take advantage of her special trait.
[Pokémon: Nami]
Level: 12Gender: FemaleNature: Calm (+Sp. Atk, −Speed)Type: Electric / Flying
Ability: Pickup(After a battle with an opponent, there is a chance to pick up one item that the opponent has used. Even without participating in battle, items may still be picked up unconsciously. The higher the Pokémon's level, the greater the chance of obtaining higher-grade items.)
Moves: NoneExperience: 0 / 586
HP: 49Attack: 31Defense: 30Sp. Atk: 48Sp. Def: 32Speed: 31
That was Nami's Pokémon status screen.
Compared to abilities like Regenerator, which provided sustain, or overwhelming pressure that intimidated enemies…
Nami's ability offered no help in combat at all.
Instead, it had an incredibly special effect—
She could pick up Pokémon items out of thin air!
In Red's memories, Pokémon with the Pickup ability had a small chance of finding Rare Candies, or even TMs.
Though he didn't know how this ability would function in the pirate world, for Red—who was planning to search Cerulean City for a Rare Candy—Nami was unquestionably the most valuable helper possible.
…
…
Meanwhile—
As Red's group sailed toward Syrup Village…
Under emergency distribution by the Marines, Luffy's wanted poster rapidly spread to every corner of the world.
Back in Luffy and Red's hometown—
Windmill Village.
"Cheers!!!"
Inside Makino's bar, the villagers raised their cups and cheered loudly.
"A toast to Luffy!!!"
"Incredible! He's only been at sea a few days and already has a 50 million Beli bounty! Looks like a big shot is coming out of our village!!!"
"Hahaha! The Marines haven't even noticed Red yet—mark my words, at least half of that bounty is thanks to him!!!"
"A toast to Red!!!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Our village just produced a vicious criminal, and you people still feel like celebrating!?"
An elderly man leaning on a cane suddenly pushed open the tavern door and loudly scolded the cheering crowd.
Yet his words had no effect at all—instead, they only triggered even louder celebrations.
"A toast to Luffy and Red!!!"
"You bunch of idiots…"
The village chief clutched his head as he sat down beside the bar.
"Calm down, Chief."
The bar's owner, Makino, smiled gently as she placed a cup of hot tea in front of him.
"Everyone's just happy that Luffy has set off to pursue his dream."
"Look at this child—he's smiling so brightly~"
Makino picked up Luffy's wanted poster from the table, light shimmering in her eyes as a gentle smile curved her lips.
"Honestly! I really don't know what Red was thinking! To actually choose to go to sea with Luffy!!!"
The chief took a sip of tea and shook his head as he sighed.
"I was planning to train him to become the next village chief, and instead he gets dragged out to sea by that brat!"
"Absolute nonsense!"
"Red…"
At the mention of Red's name, the light in Makino's eyes flickered once more.
Having lived alongside him for over two years, Makino was probably the person who understood Red best in all of Windmill Village.
Yet even she didn't know why Red had suddenly chosen to become a pirate and sail the seas.
But…
Since that child had made his decision, it must mean there was something out there on the ocean he was searching for.
Looking at the cheerful atmosphere inside the tavern, Makino's lips curved into a tender smile as she softly murmured in her heart:
"Make sure you eat on time, Red…"
(End of Chapter)