"But it's too early to talk about this. We're sailing tomorrow, and we don't even know who our target is," Aldo said, his large face pressed against the window, his voice muffled.
Minde looked at Loya, surprised. "You didn't go to pick up the mission today?"
"Huh? Isn't it assigned directly by Zephyr-sensei? I went to receive the new ship this afternoon and then ca back to sleep," Loya explained, picking at his cheek. Suddenly, seeing the expressions on Minde and Aldo's faces change, his heart sank. "Wait... did I ss sothing up?"
"No... not at all," Minde waved his hands frantically. As if we'd dare bla you, you monster! You'd kill us!
Aldo stepped in to explain. "Loya, since you're new, you might not know. Regular missions are assigned by the Vice Admiral on duty, and the difficulty varies—you might get a pirate crew with a 0-berry bounty. But if Zephyr-sensei assigns it personally, the target's bounty starts at 100 million!"
Thinking back to the only ti he'd been assigned a personal mission by Zephyr, Aldo felt a cold shiver. He'd nearly died, saved only by the tily arrival of the Jero brothers.
Loya had always assud their camaraderie was a result of Zephyr's teaching. He forgot that in the cutthroat world of pirates and Marines, true bonds are forged in the fires of near-death experiences.
"I thought since you and Tony are new, you wouldn't be assigned a direct mission within the first year. But I guess..." Minde sighed heavily, feeling pessimistic. Loya was strong, but on a ship... one mishap, and they'd all be stuck babysitting him. And aside from Loya, none of them were speed-types, making them easy targets. Tony was just a rookie, leagues behind the rest of them.
"So... we're likely dood?" Loya said, eyes deadpan. Zephyr sure knows how to 'take care' of .
"Spot on!"
Suddenly, a figure appeared among them, the rush of wind causing Tony to stumble. It was a familiar voice; the recruits stood up and saluted instantly. "Zephyr-sensei!"
Zephyr, still wearing his purple suit and chomping on a cigar, looked at the struggling Tony, grunted, and pulled out a bounty poster. "This is your target: The 'Scavenger,' Beard!"
Aldo and the others gasped. "What! Beard! The pirate with a 230 million bounty!"
"Haha, that's the one!" Zephyr laughed and tossed the poster. Minde caught it, his heart sinking when he saw the face—it was indeed the infamous Beard.
Tony sucked in a breath, looking at Zephyr seriously. "Zephyr-sensei, I don't think we have the strength to fight a pirate of that caliber."
Loya remained silent, eyeing Zephyr with a playful, calculating gaze. Tony was right—Loya might have a chance to fight Beard one-on-one, but pirates didn't play by rules. Beard had over a dozen subordinate crews. They'd be sward. Loya knew Zephyr wouldn't send them to their deaths without a reason. He was waiting for it.
Noticing Loya's gaze, Zephyr snorted and tossed a folder to each of them. "I know you can't handle the whole 'Scavenger' crew, but this ti is different. Read this. It's a perfect opportunity."
Loya scanned the docunts, a strange smile curling his lips. It really was a golden opportunity.
The Scavenger Pirates weren't drears like the Straw Hats; they weren't even as ambitious as Buggy. They were rcenaries. You pay, they clean up your ss.
On an island in the South Blue called Heathville, a pirate captain nad Dora—a 55 million berry bounty pirate—had taken over, enslaving the population to mine gold. The gold reserves were worth over 30 billion berries.
Internal strife broke out within Dora's crew, and during the chaos, so villagers escaped to sea. They were rescued by Beard, who happened to be passing by after a contract. The villagers told Beard about the gold as a reward, hoping he would either help their country or simply slaughter the pirates who were burning their hos.
Beard was tempted by the 30 billion berries. He kept the information secret, pretending to continue his journey while taking only a few hundred loyal subordinates on a small boat to the island.
Coincidentally, the island nation had been paying "tribute" to a Marine branch in the South Blue. When the paynt was late, the branch sent scouts, discovering two pirate crews fighting over the gold—with one of them being the famous Beard. Beard, having captured the Marine scouts, panicked and ordered his n to speed toward the Marine branch to silence them.
But, as everyone expected, the Navy wasn't just a collection of isolated islands. Their communication was lightning-fast. Half an hour after the base was under threat, the Marine Headquarters had received the news.
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