East Blue, Loguetown, Marine Base.
Caelan and Nami dragged a large sack into the Marine base. Inside were the captured members of the Arlong Pirates.
In order to capture these guys, Caelan had even left his giant sword on the ship.
"Mr. Caelan, this is the total bounty for the Arlong Pirates, 45 million Berries."
A Marine respectfully handed over a box, opening it to count and display the contents before Caelan.
"Not bad."
Caelan took the box and nodded with satisfaction.
His Berries had already been spent, and now he would need another 100 million Berries to further improve his synchronization progress.
These 45 million Berries were just enough to keep as pocket money.
"Nami, here, take two million Berries and go buy yourself something."
Caelan casually handed Nami two stacks of Berries, all in ten-thousand-Berry notes.
In his eyes, Berries meant little.
If they could not be used to increase his strength, they were no different from waste paper.
Two million Berries might sound like a lot, but in reality, it was equivalent to only about $20,000 in purchasing power.
"Caelan, you're the best!"
Nami's eyes sparkled as she threw her arms around Caelan's neck and kissed him on the cheek.
Although she had once held 100 million Berries to save her village, she had never spent this much freely for herself.
"Alright, I'm off to shop!"
Nami ran off, her face flushed red. She was naturally lively and bold, but this was her first time being this close to a man. She couldn't help but feel a little shy.
"Haha, that was unexpectedly sweet."
Caelan touched his cheek where she had kissed him, feeling pleased.
Girls like Nami were always likable.
"Well, since I'm here, I might as well take a look around."
Carrying the rest of the Berries, Caelan strolled through the streets, sampling all the snacks and street food along the way.
"This feels great!"
After biting into a skewer of grilled meat, the delicious juices bursting in his mouth, Caelan couldn't help but narrow his eyes in satisfaction.
Suddenly, a soft body bumped into him.
Caelan immediately felt an incredible softness pressing against his chest.
No way… did someone just run into me with their chest?
Caelan was full of question marks.
"S-Sorry! Are you alright?!"
Tashigi's flustered voice came from below as she bowed stiffly to Caelan.
But as she bent down, the red-rimmed glasses on her nose slipped off and fell to the ground.
"Ah! My glasses, my glasses!"
Tashigi squinted, her vision blurry as she fumbled around the ground in a panic.
"Seriously…"
Caelan sighed. So there really was such a clumsy beauty in the world.
He bent down, picked up the glasses, and gently placed them into Tashigi's searching hand.
"Thank you, thank you so much!"
Tashigi quickly put on the glasses and bowed again, her face bright red.
"You're welcome, careless little Marine."
Caelan looked at the flustered Tashigi and smiled softly.
What could he say? Now he kind of wanted to recruit this one.
"I… I'm not careless!"
Tashigi's face turned even redder. She wanted to argue, but clearly lacked the confidence.
Her voice grew quieter and quieter until it was barely a whisper.
"I'm usually very reliable…"
How embarrassing!
Tashigi lowered her head, staring at her toes, which kept fidgeting in place. She felt so awkward she wanted to dig a hole and hide.
"Alright, alright. I believe you."
Caelan nodded gently, not teasing her further.
He knew Tashigi well.
She was a beautiful girl with a strong sense of justice and incredible bravery.
"Really? Thank you!"
Tashigi's eyes lit up in surprise. She bowed again gratefully.
But as she bent down, the glasses she had just put back on began to slip off her face again.
This is the worst! So embarrassing!
Tashigi closed her eyes, already bracing herself for the familiar sound of her glasses hitting the ground.
But the expected clatter never came.
When she opened her eyes, she saw two slender fingers holding her glasses firmly in place.
"Huh?!"
Tashigi looked up, her gaze meeting Caelan's gentle smile.
Looking at his masculine and handsome face, she felt a strange flutter in her chest.
"Thank you. I'm Tashigi, a Master Chief Petty Officer of the Marines."
Tashigi quickly extended her right hand toward Caelan, hoping to introduce herself properly.
"You're welcome. I'm Caelan, just a humble bounty hunter."
Caelan reached out and shook her hand, giving his name.
Caelan, bounty hunter?!
The name, the appearance, the giant sword.
The details Tashigi had just overlooked due to her flustered state now all came together.
"You… you're Caelan! The strongest bounty hunter in the East Blue!"
Tashigi's mouth fell open in shock.
The man she had just bumped into on the street turned out to be the legendary strongest bounty hunter in the East Blue.
From the moment Caelan had steadied her glasses, she had sensed he was no ordinary man.
But she had never expected that he was the one making headlines across the entire sea.
"So I'm that well-known among the Marines?"
Caelan chuckled, a bit surprised that even someone from Marine Headquarters had heard of him.
"Of course! Every Marine in the East Blue knows your name. The East Blue Commodore personally gave orders to try and recruit you into the Navy."
Tashigi looked at Caelan sincerely. It was clear she also hoped he might one day become a comrade-in-arms.
"Forget it. I'm not interested in being tied down."
Caelan shook his head. After all, he hadn't come to this world to work for someone else.
With strength like his, why work under others when he could build his own force?
"What a shame. I thought maybe we could fight side by side."
Tashigi's face showed genuine regret.
She had read the newspapers and knew just how terrifying Caelan's strength was.
Meeting him in person, seeing how gentle and charismatic he was, only deepened her respect.
She couldn't even imagine how reassuring it would be to have someone like him as a comrade.
"Then why not join my crew instead? We can fight together that way."
Caelan smiled as he extended an invitation.
The Navy wanted to recruit him? Well, he wanted to recruit from the Navy too.
Finding trustworthy allies among pirates was like fishing gold out of sewage. There were a few good ones, but they were rare.
But the Marines, at least, were trained, reliable, and mostly aligned with justice. Much easier to work with.
"M-Me?!"
Tashigi was stunned.
"I want to collect all the famous swords in the world and keep them from falling into the hands of evil pirates."
"I want to use my Marine salary to buy up every famous sword."
For a moment, Tashigi wavered, but she still shook her head.
"With the Navy's salary, you'll never be able to achieve that dream."
Caelan's voice was calm but firm. It was the truth.
The famous swords of the world were worth more than a fortune. Some were priceless.
With a sergeant's salary, Tashigi could never hope to buy even one.
Without saying a word, Caelan quietly opened the box of bounty money in his hands.
After giving Nami 2 million Berries, he still had 43 million remaining.
Stacks of neatly bundled Berries filled the box, their ink still fresh.
Or rather… that was the smell of money.
Tashigi's eyes widened. Just how many famous swords could someone buy with this much money?
"Every famous sword is tied to the life of a swordsman. Very few are ever willing to sell."
Caelan's words poured cold water on her excitement, snapping her back to reality.
Tashigi fell into silence, looking down, unsure of what to do.
"I'm heading to the Grand Line soon. There are far more famous swords there than here in the East Blue."
"Join me. Help me hunt down the pirates who misuse those swords and take them back from evil hands."
Caelan smiled softly, his words like the whisper of a devil's temptation.
"Be good. Join my crew."
He reached out his hand again, inviting her.
Tashigi's expression shifted as she wrestled with her decision.
Finally, she raised her head, eyes clear with determination.
"Then… please take care of me."
She firmly grasped Caelan's outstretched hand.
Looking at the serious and determined Tashigi, Caelan smiled faintly.
Partner +1.
(To be continued.)