"Resistance is the most useless thing to me. I prefer to avoid combat."
"I have calculated it, Mr. Lan."
Just as Lan thought the other party was about to make some sort of invitation…
"You are my destined one!"
Under Hawkins's blazing gaze, the stunned Lan suddenly felt his gluteal muscles automatically tense.
The fur on his tail exploded outward.
He hurriedly scooted backward.
"Well, um, I'm a bounty hunter. It's not wrong to be interested in bounty targets, but I don't like men."
At this moment, Lan no longer even had the thought of killing Hawkins.
Hawkins shouldn't be that kind of guy, right?!
"You misunderstand."
Seeing that the man was about to leave, Hawkins hurriedly reached out and pressed his hand on Lan's right hand, which had not yet left the tabletop.
Feeling the warmth coming from the back of his hand, the corner of Lan's mouth twitched.
Good grief, he went straight to touching…
"You'd better stay far away from me."
"I just want to live."
After being interrupted, Hawkins withdrew his hand and looked at Lan seriously.
"Mr. Lan, the winds of unknown fate hover around you. Only by following you—"
"Can I ensure a survival probability of over 80%."
"I am willing to join your hunting team."
Lan instinctively wanted to refuse.
The Straw-Straw Fruit user was still a Devil Fruit user, such good nourishment, just leaving it unused…
"I will invest 8 million belly."
Hawkins took out a large bag of gold coins.
Lan swiftly swallowed the words of refusal, extended his right hand again, and smiled sincerely.
"Welcome aboard, Hawkins."
"I believe you are destined to do great things. With your joining, we will surely save the world from disaster!"
Hawkins, who was about to hand over the bag of coins, froze. "The disaster you mentioned is...?"
"That's not something you need to worry about."
Lan snatched the bag.
It was not that he was being so mercenary.
Prices in the North Blue were already high, but pirate bounties were pitifully low.
Moreover, this was a sea of war.
Years of warfare had caused the already high prices to inflate even further.
Especially for fine wine and travel expenses.
The reason he had temporarily settled in the Lvneel Kingdom was precisely that this kingdom was one of the few large kingdoms in the North Blue.
Its abundant and diverse resources often attracted great pirates with bounties exceeding one million.
Quietly opening the mouth of the bag and confirming that it was full of glittering gold coins, Lan finally felt at ease.
Without drawing attention, he stuffed the money bag into a small satchel.
With gold coins worth eight million belly added, Lan's impression of Hawkins improved considerably.
At least he had moved from the category of nourishment to the category of humans.
As for a Straw-Straw Fruit…
Lan thought about it and ultimately decided to put away his greed.
On one hand, because of a belated golden finger, after drinking the Positive-Energy Chicken Soup, he was extremely curious about his own peak period.
On the other hand…
Hawkins was now, no matter what, a shareholder. Killing him casually indeed would not be very appropriate.
Moreover, he was currently in dire need of manpower, and the other party's divination might very well be of great help.
"Your target is him, right?"
Hawkins once again took out a bounty notice.
Only this time, the bounty notice bore the insignia of the World Government and the Marines.
[WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE, Alvin the Black Tiger, Black Tiger Fruit user, bounty: 2.14 million belly]
"That guy is already dead. This is his bounty."
Since he had decided to let Hawkins join, Lan simply abandoned his thought of killing him entirely.
Noticing the change in how the man treated him, Hawkins secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Before arriving on this island, his survival probability had been only 1%.
In order to live, he had thought up many plans.
But in the end, all of them turned into the sincerity of money.
"I did not lie to you just now. Several years ago, I originally planned to go to sea as a pirate to seek adventure."
Asking Lillian for a glass of wine, Lan pointed at Hawkins with his finger. "He's paying."
Hawkins did not refuse and continued explaining his past.
"But before going to sea, I divined for myself."
"At that time, my survival probability was only 40%, so I decided to delay my departure by one year."
After shuffling the cards, Hawkins drew another one.
It was still the wheel of fortune.
Only this time it had changed from reversed to upright.
Seeing the situation improve, Hawkins's eyes revealed joy as he continued drawing cards.
"Three years ago, the survival probability was 30%. Two years ago, it was 10%. And this year..."
"Only a 1% survival probability."
"But now."
Hawkins displayed the sun card in his hand to Lan.
"I am about to usher in an upswing in my career. Therefore, you must be my destined one!"
[Find your destined one, achieve the 3-Star Milestone.]
[You are my dream person, obtain the 3-Star Reward: Fate Card.]
[Consumable · Fate Card]
[Fate Card: 33% chance to obtain a reward, 33% chance to receive divine punishment, 33% chance to receive Positive-Energy Chicken Soup, 1% chance that nothing happens.]
Lan: "Lillian, get this guy a drink. He might need alcohol to properly wash his moldy brain!"
…
Early the next morning, Lan, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly opened his eyes.
The confusion in his gaze vanished within a few seconds, replaced by vigilance and killing intent.
As a Mink bounty hunter who hunted pirates, he was likewise prey to others.
Especially a big Mink like him, with glossy fur and a bright, sunny appearance.
Based on the intelligence he himself had obtained, no fewer than fifty noble ladies hoped to obtain him.
As for the reason for obtaining him... Lan knew exactly what it was, even if he thought about it with his butt.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Captain, it's time for us to set out."
Hawkins' slightly cold voice came from outside the door.
Creak!
Opening the door, Lan, having returned to his lazy demeanor, casually walked into the washroom.
"Find a place to sit yourself. I still need to brush my fur."
Hawkins was not reserved at all. He walked into the room, opened the window to replace the smell of alcohol inside with fresh air.