8 Recruitment

"Young Master Kenneth, Devon has arrived and is waiting outside." said a servant as she finished bringing Kenneth his small meal.

"Oh? Send him in here and bring another plate for him to eat if you would." replied Kenneth as he started to pour some wine into his glass.

"Of course, Young Master." the servant said while leaving to deliver the message to Devon.

Knock knock

"Come in." Kenneth called out as he started to eat his meal.

Devon slowly opened the door and walked in. He was very nervous since the VIP guest, so many of the fighters in the arena spoke about, asked to meet with him. To Devon, he wanted to travel away from his island and become strong enough to help support it.

If he was able to join this VIP, his chance to earn more money for his island while becoming stronger would possibly become a reality. Devon, with his large physique, tried to crouch down to bow to Kenneth, but, due to the size of the room, he could only sit on a knee.

"Ah, Devon correct? You do not need to be very tense, please make yourself comfortable. I have some food coming for you." Kenneth told Devon as he saw how respectful he was being towards him.

"Thank you very much." Devon replied as he sat cross legged. Though nervous, Devon could only swallow it all down and present himself as a great fighter. If he blew this chance, it would be much harder for him to receive another.

"You may not know this, but my name is Kenneth and I am actually a bounty hunter. My one true goal is to build a bounty hunter organization that will one day be the strongest organization out there and would be feared by all." explained Kenneth as he kept a close eye on Devon's reaction.

To Kenneth's surprise, it seemed as if Devon was caught off guard, but pleased to hear that he himself was a bounty hunter.

"Originally, when I first saw you, I felt that due to your large physique alone, that you had quite a bit of potential, even just being a simple meat shield. However, when I saw your matches today in the arena, I feel that as a wrestler type of fighter, you can use certain techniques and be much more effective."

"In order to build an organization properly, I will need strong individuals in which I could count on. This road even for me will not be an easy one. The only thing I could promise you, is that if you join me, I could make you stronger as long as you continue training hard."

Kenneth then paused his words and decided to start eating his dinner now that Devon's plate had arrived. The servant, knowing Devon's large physique, brought him an additional plate as well.

Hearing Kenneth's plans, Devon started to feel more relaxed. Devon's goals were for him to become stronger and earn enough money to support his home. As a bounty hunter, he could work towards both goals at the same time! Therefore, he started to become eager.

"It would be an honor to serve with you, how can we begin this process?" Devon asked Kenneth. Since Kenneth had a VIP status on M-Island, it meant that he needed to show enough wealth and strength. Since he was a bounty hunter, Devon realized that Kenneth made all his money from hunting down strong criminals!

"Please take this small cup of alcohol. We will toast, and you will officially become a brother in arms with me as my very first crew member." explained Kenneth as he passed Devon a small cup of alcohol.

"This cup signifies that you will accept me as your leader, but that we are still brothers. As we continue on this journey, there will be ups and downs, but we will never betray one another as we move forward!" Kenneth shouted.

Kenneth was still very young, and although he had some experience with alcohol, he still did not know any proper techniques to hold his liquor. Coupled with the two glasses of wine he had with his meal, Kenneth was almost at his breaking point.

"Cheers!" both of their glasses touched as they began to drink their cups. For the rest of the night, Kenneth taught Devon some training tips he would need to have moving forward, and even explained how he could use his iron gloves to his advantage while facing opponents with weapons.

They had trained like this for several hours. Devon, using Kenneth as a sparring partner, had slowly grasped some defensive maneuvers with his iron gloves and felt much more relaxed. Kenneth of course held back, but, he could almost visually see Devon's growth!

Once midnight came, Kenneth sent Devon on his way while he retired to his room to rest for the remainder of the night. He wanted Devon to receive enough rest before the tournament continued forward the next day.

"I am very fortunate for finding such a kind-hearted fellow who has so much potential. I hope tomorrow, Devon could use some of what I taught him to eventually win the competition. He should be able to win it all as long as that Ben fellow gets knocked out early." pondered Kenneth as he went to sleep.