This entire process would take at least a week at the fastest.
A week was enough for him to finish his business. Thinking of this, he even wanted to laugh; could this be considered exploiting a loophole in the rules?
Sailing was monotonous, especially on this sea where there was nothing but water.
After nearly a day of sailing, an island of considerable size finally appeared at the end of the horizon, and the massive Marine emblem at the island's port was clearly visible.
The 77th Branch of the Marines had arrived.
Lorne docked his small boat in a corner of the port and walked toward the base gate, carrying the evidence proving that he had eliminated the Arlong Pirates.
To his surprise, the reception he received was far grander than he had imagined.
Brigadier General Brannew, the commander of the 77th Branch, had come out of his office in person to welcome him upon learning that the righteous warrior who had eliminated the Arlong Pirates had come to collect the bounty.
"Welcome!"
Brannew grabbed Lorne's hand and shook it vigorously, his face full of sincere joy and gratitude.
"On behalf of all the citizens under the jurisdiction of the 77th Branch, I extend to you my highest respects!"
Lorne was caught off guard by this sudden enthusiasm and could only respond dryly.
Brannew was completely oblivious; he pulled Lorne along toward the interior of the base while exclaiming loudly:
"Ever since I heard that the heinous group of fish-men had appeared in these waters, I have been unable to eat or sleep in peace! Relying solely on the strength of our 77th Branch, we were truly unable to do anything about it."
He then rubbed his temples with some distress and complained:
"I originally wanted to unite several surrounding branches to send troops to crusade against them. But that Colonel Mouse of the 16th Branch—who knows what he was thinking—always used various excuses to shirk responsibility, saying things like insufficient troops or that the timing wasn't right! It really infuriated me!"
Lorne's steps faltered, and the expression on his face became somewhat strange.
Colonel Mouse?
He could only sigh inwardly at how truly extraordinary Brigadier General Brannew's luck was.
If he hadn't taken action in advance, once that scumbag Mouse and that piece of trash Arlong had colluded, this Brigadier General with a bursting sense of justice probably wouldn't even know how he had been sold out.
When the time came for him to lead his troops with high spirits to crusade against Arlong, if Mouse had made a phone call to leak the information from the rear, it would be a miracle if they hadn't been surrounded and wiped out.
Brannew did not notice Lorne's peculiarity; he quickly adjusted his emotions, his expression turned solemn, and he gave a formal military salute to Lorne.
"Regardless, it is fortunate that you took action and eradicated this massive tumor for the East Blue! The Marines will never forget this achievement!"
"Just a small effort."
Lorne responded simply, not wanting to dwell too much on this topic.
Under the personal supervision of this upright commander Brannew, the bounty payment procedures went exceptionally smoothly.
In less than half an hour, a box filled with cash was delivered to Lorne.
A bounty of nearly 30 million Berries—Arlong's 20 million and 8 million for one of his officers; the rest was hard to define, and they didn't know how to handle it.
For this, Brannew himself also took out over a million to express his gratitude.
"Mr. Lorne, I have ordered a banquet to be prepared; please do us the honor! Let us properly welcome you!"
Brannew extended the invitation enthusiastically.
"Thank you for your kindness, Brigadier General, but that won't be necessary."
Lorne politely declined his invitation.
"I don't like lively occasions, and I have urgent matters to attend to, so I cannot stay long."
He just wanted to take the money and leave as quickly as possible.
Although Brannew felt a bit regretful, he didn't insist; he just expressed his gratitude once more and personally escorted Lorne to the port.
Returning to his small boat, Lorne untied the mooring ropes, adjusted the sails, and slowly sailed away from the port under the admiring gazes of the 77th Branch Marines.
The small boat was once again floating on the vast ocean. Lorne opened the box and looked at the neat stacks of Berries inside; a long-lost sense of satisfaction welled up within him.
Money is the foundation of survival, especially in a strange world.
He closed the box and stowed it away properly, then took a slightly wrinkled nautical chart from his bosom.
The chart fluttered in the sea breeze.
"Money is in hand; what's next… where should I go?"
Lorne's fingertips slowly traced across the nautical chart, passing over names of familiar islands.
Loguetown? Reverse Mountain? Whiskey Peak?
His finger finally stopped on one point—a place in the East Blue that was neither conspicuous nor lacking in special significance.
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