Reward

"Join me?"

"Yup. If it isn't a hassle for you. I want to get stronger."

"Uh, I... certainly don't mind, but I'm not sure if my journey is something for you."

"Hm? Why's that? I'd love to explore the world."

"It's a little hard to explain right now. Could we talk about it at a later time?"

"Uhh, okay. Sure."

After that, we scavenged through the broken pirate ship, finding a little bit of money and the transponder snails. As she was calling the navy, I made sure that their captain didn't wake up, keeping a close eye on him.

In the meantime, as we waited for the navy to arrive, Lillian and I made a campfire to keep warm. We decided to stay here, watching the sunset as the night grew darker.

"So how'd you get those powers?" she asked. "You said you had a devil fruit, right?"

"Yeah, the space-space fruit. It's a logia type," I answered. "It was given to me by something I look up to." I lied, taking inspiration from Luffy and Shranks' story.

"Oh, who is that?"

"I can't tell you. It's a secret."

"Okay, fair enough. So, what're your plans now?"

It took me a moment before I could answer her. "Lillian, you must hate pirates, right? They raided your village."

"Well, yeah. They killed a lot of people and stole all of our valuables. But I suppose that not all of them are bad. There was once a female pirate that I met when I was young. I always thought that all pirates were bad and evil, but she saved me from drowning. After that, she left me at a nearby island, saying that it was dangerous for a child like me to go around with a pirate. So, no. Not all pirates are evil."

"I see," I replied, taking a bite of the apple I was eating. "Then why'd you want to become a marine?"

"Oh... that was a lie, haha," she laughed. "I couldn't just say that I wanted to be a pirate. You know, the good and kindhearted type."

My eyes widened at her response. "Well, then it's not a problem at all."

"Eh?" she blinked. "What do you mean?"

I stood up, reaching my hand out to her as the wind blew. "Would you like to join my pirate crew, Lillian?"

Her face was completely blank. She couldn't seem to form any words, so she stared at me blankly.

"You want me? To join your crew? Are you joking?"

"Not at all."

She continued staring, looking back and forth at my hand and my face. I stood there, waiting for her response. "O-of course!"

And as she took my hand, the navy ships became visible in the distance. "Guess we'll have to keep that a little secret for now," I winked. "Especially if we want the bounty money."

"Y-yeah. Are you gonna buy a ship with it?"

"Maybe," I answered, watching the ships approach the coastline. "Can you get a ship for 37 million?"

"Definitely, but probably not a super impressive one. I doubt we need that either for now. Wait do you have anyone else in your crew?"

"Nope, you're the first one. Nice right? You'll be like my right hand woman," I smiled.

"Nice," she smiled happily. "Then we'll need a name for a crew, don't we?"

"We do need a lot to make our way into the pirate world now that you mention it. But, well, let's just turn this guy in. We'll discuss it later."

"Mhm."

***

The navy arrived, and they took away the pirate boss, as well as the two other remaining members that they could find.

"We thank you for capturing the pirates," a marine captain thanked, shaking my hand. "It's a shame you destroyed their ship. Anyway, we'll be getting your payment ready."

"Sure. When should we return to pick up the reward money?"

"We have it on us. It's only 37 million, so we can just give it to you." He called for a subordinate, and they returned shortly after with a suitcase of cash. I opened it, and my eyes shone. It was a huge amount of money for someone like me who has never experienced anything but middle-class living.

"We really appreciate bounty hunters like you, and the navy is very grateful. Keep doing your job," the captain bowed.

"Uh... yeah, thanks. I will," I bowed.

The marines left the scene, taking the pirates with them. We were free to go and do whatever.

"Well, where do you wanna go next, Lillian? We're pirates now."

"We're gonna get our hands on a ship."