Sailing across East Blue

Our crew composition was like this:

Captain/Navigator/Combatant- Valet silver.(Ace)

First mate/Combatant/Medic- John

Second mate/Navigator- loodwick Felps

Boatswain- Eliot Rougass

Shipwright- Toile Rougass

Doctor- Frindin Ruok

Cook- Old Lady Fryed

Sniper/Blacksmith- Popeye George

Helmsman/Barber- Fedrum Bibos

Other positions such as Merchant, Quartermaster, Lookout, Janitor, Infantry, Cabin Mate, Rigger, etc, were composed by the suitable sailors found around the pier.

(They were not distinct enough for me to waste my time explaining)

It isn't a main protagonist crew, but it's pretty decent.

Each of them had their own reasons to join, but the biggest reason was for money. Old Lady Fryed joined as thanks for us having dispatched the previous ruler of the island, since they killed her husband.

She also wants to accompany us until we reach the Grand Line, where her Daughter and Granddaughter live.

The Doctor joined because she was in need of a job in order to go to the Grand line. But she was shy and distrustful of others, but since we took down the pirates, she considers us trustworthy enough. I Imagine that Ace's charisma worked well here.

We gave everyone their respective equipment and helped some others with clothes and other necessity items.

We set sail the next day. Our destination was a close Marine island, we were going to cash-in the pirates' bounties.

Ace didn't really care even though he was previously a pirate, but I could feel his gloominess. He is probably remembering the past events that happened not so long ago.

Me, on the other hand, was training the Marine technique based on what Ace told me.

(Ace didn't train in the Marine techniques, but I will assume he had enough experience fighting against it and from Garp himself.)

My first try was Shigan, since it only required a finger. The basic of this technique is to use your finger with high precision and strength, causing something similar to a bullet wound on a person.

Yes, you can easily break your finger with this technique.

But the technique isn't as simple as just moving your finger, and that's when Ace came into play. He told me all of the basic common knowledge I lacked.

And as such I replicated Shigan after several dozen tries. My fingers were way above the normal requirements for its basic use.

The technique needed a certain degree of control over one's muscles in the fingers, as for how this control can create such an effect… That's the rules of this world.

I could use it to pierce wood easily, but I couldn't pierce hard metals yet.

I needed more physical strength and proficiency. There are higher versions of this technique that are clearly stronger and more effective.

So next on my list was Tekkai.

Tekkai hardens and strengthens your muscles. But it makes someone unable to move, my objective is to achieve a level of proficiency to either harden a small more movable part of my body like my fists, or to achieve enough mastery over it in order to be able to move.

Tekkai, like all other techniques, gets stronger the more physical strength its user has.

...

It took a week to arrive at the Marine branch 88th.

Thankfully the seas were calm and the wind was strong. We didn't meet a single other pirate ship after we left the island, probably due to the branch presence in the area.

During that time, I trained heavily, gaining basic proficiency in Tekkai and Shigan.

Proficiency doesn't mean I am strong with them. It's just that I can use them when I wish.

I also had the other pirates train their bodies, that's a must in this world. The only one who didn't train was the cook and the doctor.

She trained her devil fruit.

We eventually named it Seed-Seed fruit. Because she can randomly create seeds that can grow anywhere. Those seeds have different effects depending on where they grow. If she grows a seed in her hands, it becomes a healing seed. Capable of putting someone in their topmost condition, even removing dangerous diseases to a certain extent.

But it causes someone to be really hungry because of the heavy use of nutrients.

She can also have a seed grown in sea water, creating a fat seed that looks like a water balloon, it can be thrown and on impact it explodes, releasing large amounts of water everywhere.

Its greatest weakness was the time it took for a seed to be created and the time they last. We can't store large amounts of healing seeds since they rot pretty quickly, and the energy consumption on the user is pretty high. She can at most create two or three seeds before she needs a rest. But her progress has been rather fast. She went from a nobody to a decent devil fruit user in a week.

The others continued their training but they were far from being ready to train in any techniques.

The other 4 techniques were a little far away. Geppo, Soru and Rankyaku need a lot of physical strength, and I believe I am a little behind the requirements. Kami-e is just weird, I don't understand how it works exactly.

Finally the final technique I know of Rokuogan, needs supreme mastery in all 6 in order to be executed. But even then, it's incredibly difficult to use. That's something far away for the current me.

At least I don't have a time limit, isn't that right?

[Correct. The only possible time limit would be the time it takes for the target to destroy this world, or if it just leaves this world. And as stated in the contract, if that happens, you shall receive a partial reward and a chance to go after it.]

… Damn.

The Marine branch looked like a massive yellow cube, there was a village around it.

The moment we approached we were surrounded by dozens of Marines.

-WHO GAVE YOU THE GUTS TO COME RIGHT HERE INTO OUR BRANCH, PIRATES?! Said a man wearing a white jacket and a hat saying "Marine"

A lieutenant commander? He should be the person responsible for this branch.

-We are-aren't pirates! Said Ace. Almost spoiling everything.

The Marines were confused, one of them looked at the flag and said:

-Look! It's not the flag of the Noble Family pirates.

The flag was Ocean blue with the white image of the world. There was a large white dove flying in search of land.

I then appeared and just as always, threw the corpse of the devil fruit user, together with some other pirates.

The lieutenant looked surprised, happy, than serious.

What a change in mood…

-I see… So you must be new …

Ace looked at me.

I nodded again

-Adventurers!

Silence.

-You guys aren't pirate hunters?!

-No. These guys got on our way so we took them down. Now we are here to redeem their bounty. Simple, right? Said Ace

Pirate hunters are seen in disdain by pirates, civilians and the Marines. Only some more honorable and famous ones are seen in better light.

Their reputation is so low because there isn't a very strong pirate hunter at the top. And many pirate hunters commit crimes just like pirates.

-Yes… Of course. Hey! Get someone to calculate the value of their bounties now! Said the Lieutenant.

-Can I ask your name? He asked

-We are the Valet Explorers!

-I see. Thank you for the help! These pirates have been terrorizing the nearby seas for a while now. Please come inside so that we can finish the papers.

Me and Ace followed the man while the others helped the Marines settle the people and buy more supplies.

They also sold some of the useless cargo we acquired from the pirates.

I didn't mention this earlier but Ace decided to do a good act and give the island population some of the items in the castle, it reduced our banks by about a few hundred thousand Berries. Nothing too great.

No one there was a Pirate with a bounty, so there weren't any problems.

(They didn't recruit pirates after they got the big ship. The previous pirate sailors were discarded.)

Even if there was, how could some lesser Marines know every single pirate with a bounty out there?

…

-The total bounty is… 1.7 Million Berries. Said a Marine with glasses.

-Before you give us this bounty there is something we would like to sell to you guys.

I pulled out a devil fruit. The one from before.

-A devil fruit!! What do you plan to do with it? Asked the Lieutenant

-We plan to sell it of course. I said

-Th-that 's great! I-I need to contact headquarters for this… I don't think we have enough funds for it, may I know the type?

-Zoan type Model Roach.

-I will come back soon!

And as he promised he came back in 5 min with a massive chest.

-The HQ said that they are willing to fork out 20 Million Berries for this fruit.

…

-55. Said Ace

-55?! This might be a devil fruit but…

-There are no useless devil fruits, only stupid people. And again, a Roach is by no means a weak animal. It's very optimized, you can't decrease the price just because it looks ugly. I said.

-...

The lieutenant looked conflicted, he was between accepting it and confiscating it.

Since he would get a lot of credit if he gained a devil fruit for a low price, he might even be able to eat it! Although a roach is...

-Accept their deal. ???

The Den Den Mushi on the table suddenly spoke.

-But Rear-Admiral Mutten…

-Are you disobeying orders?

-NO SIR!

-Then don't ask.

-Thank you for the help Valet Explores. I hope we can continue to have deals like this in the future.

The Den Den Mushi then stopped.

An even bigger chest was brought into the room.

-So… Here it is your payment. Is there anything else that you guys would like?

-A map of the surrounding islands, with some of the interesting points marked. And a bounty book. Some log poses would be good as well. We will pay for everything of course. Said Ace just like we planned.

-Okay, I will get it. Thank you once again for the help. The Lieutenant looked sad. As if he lost his soul.

-My promotion… He mumbled as he left the room.

We left the Marine base, and as an incentive. Ace gave everyone 50 K Berries. Pretty much their monthly pay.

And considering we have about 50 Crew members, that went for around 2.5 Million Berries

They were incredibly happy, they did their training with increased motivation.

Total money in the Bank:

50+ Million Berries.