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In his drunken state, Rojen let loose, recklessly venting his emotions toward the vast sea.
Over the past few days, too much had happened—the death of his elder brother, being hunted by the Marines, parting ways with friends, and the sudden arrival of the Possessed System.
From having no strength at all, he had transformed into a powerhouse, capable of traversing the seas as a pirate hunter. Everything had changed so dramatically that even at sixteen, he couldn't have imagined any of this.
It was all too bizarre, too unbelievable.
Deep down, Rojen always felt a heavy burden— the uncertainty of the future, and doubts about his newfound power. For a long time, he didn't know what he was supposed to do, or what path he should take. It wasn't until recently that he began to gain some clarity.
That day, when he collected the bounty in front of the Marines, it was both a test and an adventure. He wanted to know if he could appear openly in front of those who were hunting him— if he could stop running and hiding, and instead face danger with courage.
As he approached the Marine base, his heart remained calm. That was when he finally realized the strength of the Possessed System and understood that he himself had changed. His unwavering mindset had given him the ability to face any peril head-on, unafraid of the raging tides.
This revelation brought him joy, a sense of wild elation. Not only because of the substantial bounty he had earned, but more importantly, because he had become strong.
He was truly happy— very happy.
Alone on his ship, Rojen drank heavily, and before long, he fell into a deep sleep.
[The Logan] drifted forward slowly, carried by the sea breeze, its destination unknown.
The next morning, as the sun rose and its warm rays shone down on him, Rojen stirred groggily under the bright light.
"Ugh, my head hurts!"
Rubbing his temples, he slowly recalled everything that had happened the previous day.
After getting up, he drank several large gulps of water and washed his face before fully waking up.
"Still not enough money. I need to save more!"
"The ghosts I summoned before cost at most 10,000 Belly, and they were already incredibly powerful. If I summon ghosts using tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions of belly, just how powerful would they be?"
"I really want to see their power."
Rojen felt a surge of anticipation. From the price alone, he could tell there would be a significant difference between them.
If he managed to summon one and fight a battle, could he perhaps gain the abilities of those powerful ghosts as well?
This thought filled Rojen with longing.
Soon after, he hoisted the sails and continued navigating [The Logan] through the East Blue Sea region.
…
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, three months had passed.
During these months, Rojen's reputation had grown even more widespread.
His impressive strength enabled him to take down three pirate crews, each with bounties of around 5 Million Belly. Together, these bounties totaled 15 Million. Meanwhile, weaker pirate crews, upon spotting him from afar, fled without hesitation.
"Weak pirate crews don't even dare to face me. There's been no business for the past three months."
Rojen shook his head helplessly. For the first time, he realized that being famous wasn't necessarily a good thing— it meant that hoarding money had become much harder.
On this particular day, Rojen sailed toward the nearest Marine base. The pirates he had killed in recent days needed to be exchanged for bounties.
After sailing for three days straight, he finally arrived at the nearest Marine base.
In truth, after so much time on the sea, Rojen had practically explored every corner of East Blue.
Carrying a pitch-black bundle, he walked into the Marine base, still wearing his monkey-faced mask. By now, the Marines stationed across East Blue were well-acquainted with him.
Rumors circulated within the Marines about this mysterious pirate hunter with the monkey-faced mask, whose swordsmanship was extraordinary and whose strength was unfathomable. He was considered a formidable and fearsome figure.
Familiar with the layout of Marine bases, Rojen made his way directly to the finance office. Most of the bases had identical layouts, with only a few special ones designed differently according to their terrain.
"Bounty: 5.5 Million Belly for Slugh," He said coldly, placing the pitch-black bundle on the table.
The black cloth was pulled away, revealing a grotesque face. The inspection officer on the other side carefully examined it for a few moments before nodding in confirmation.
When Slugh died, his pirate crew disbanded immediately. Such a significant event naturally spread quickly among the Marines. Therefore, the authenticity of this news was beyond doubt, and with the head's features perfectly matching the bounty poster, there was no way it could be fake.
"It's him!"
The inspection officer confirmed and handed Rojen 5.5 Million Belly.
"Thank you for your efforts, pirate hunter, Ge Nie!"
With a friendly smile, the officer added another remark.
Rojen gave a slight nod without speaking and prepared to leave.
"Please wait a moment. Our Lieutenant Commander has taken an interest in you. Would you mind joining him for a cup of tea and a brief chat?"
Just as Rojen was about to leave, the inspection officer spoke again, his tone brimming with politeness.
Rojen frowned— he had no intention of getting too involved with the Marines.
"Not interested."
He shook his head and turned to leave.
However, just as he reached the doorway, two soldiers suddenly stepped forward, blocking his path. Their right hands rested on their rifle stocks, a gesture subtly laced with threat. This caused Rojen's pupils to contract slightly.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Please don't misunderstand. Lieutenant Commander Xiros genuinely just wants to meet you. As a well-known Sword Saint of East Blue, he's very eager to see you in person," The inspection officer said with a cheerful expression, though Rojen couldn't shake off the ominous feeling in his heart.
Sure enough, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the finance office. With a loud command, the patrolling Marines gathered at the entrance, standing guard.
It was both intimidation and a veiled threat.
Rojen's eyes narrowed— he understood this clearly.
Seeing Rojen pause without further argument, the inspection officer smiled and gestured for him to follow.
Rojen's right hand slowly moved toward his back but loosened halfway through.
"Fine, I'll meet this Lieutenant Commander, but I hope there won't be any unexpected surprises."
His cold words carried an unmistakable chill.
"Of course, don't worry. Commander Xiros is known for being very hospitable," the officer said with an ingratiating smile, quickly signaling for the two soldiers at the door to stand down. He then led Rojen toward Xiros's location.
Five minutes later, Rojen arrived in front of a door on the third floor at the center of the Marine base.
Knock, knock, knock.
He knocked on the door, and a deep voice came from inside.
"Come in."
Rojen's eyes narrowed slightly before he pushed the door open and entered.
Upon stepping inside, he saw that the room was simply furnished—there was a wooden desk, chairs, a bookshelf, and a few potted plants, with nothing else in sight.
"Sword Saint, Ge Nie?"
At that moment, the middle-aged man in the room raised an eyebrow and looked at Rojen.
(End Of The Chapter)