3 Chapter 3 : Marine’s attention!

The pungent odor of blood, the lifeless bodies strewn about, and the agony coursing through his body all confirmed to Ken that this was horrifyingly real.

As he gazed into Genos's emotionless eyes, Ken couldn't suppress the shivers running down his spine. Fear overtook him completely; the man before him was undeniably a monster.

The sheer terror of Genos's strength and his peculiar body became evident when a blade, striking his opponent, produced sparks. In the blink of an eye, dozens of Ken's subordinates lay slain, powerless to resist. The difference in power between the two was insurmountable.

Thump! Thump!

Heavy footsteps reverberated, echoing the dread in Ken's heart. As Genos took slow and deliberate strides forward, Ken's fear escalated, and he knelt on the deck, voicelessly begging, "Let me go, let me go! I have treasures..."

Before he could finish his plea, a bullet pierced his brow, leaving him sprawled on the deck with wide-open eyes, life extinguished.

Unperturbed by Ken's fate, Genos proceeded toward the cabin. Soon, he emerged, holding two boxes which he nonchalantly kicked toward the opposing side.

On the deck, Noel, who was observing the scene, was taken aback. He had never anticipated that Ken possessed a Devil Fruit. In the Four Blues and Grand Line, Devil Fruits were exceedingly rare and coveted.

Judging by the pattern on the Devil Fruit before him, it was undoubtedly a Paramecia type. Noel had never seen an illustrated Devil Fruit catalog, but he could tell this was something extraordinary.

"System... How many lottery points could this Devil Fruit fetch if we retrieve it?" Noel inquired, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"One hundred thousand draw points," the mechanical voice in his head responded.

Noel couldn't help but twitch at the response. A mere one hundred thousand draw points for a Devil Fruit seemed rather underwhelming. Those points could only be used for basic draws, while Noel had his sights set on intermediate and advanced draws, requiring one million and ten million points, respectively.

The system allowed him to exchange lottery points for various items, including treasures and Devil Fruits. For context, ten thousand Berries could be converted into ten lottery points. So, the Devil Fruit before him, if reclaimed by the system, would only be worth 100 million Berries. Noel couldn't help but feel somewhat shortchanged.

"Retrieve it," Noel sighed, resigning himself to the fact that sometimes, even the smallest gain was still valuable.

With his command, the Devil Fruit box vanished from sight. Noel scanned the numbers displayed before him and patted his clothes. He hoped to encounter more pirates like this group as he was currently short on crew members.

...

A month passed swiftly. At the Marine Headquarters, Sengoku furrowed his brows as he studied the two wanted posters before him.

The robotic warrior, Genos, had a bounty of 40 million Berries, while the leader of the Noel Pirate Group, Noel himself, had a bounty of 65 million Berries.

"It's quite astonishing. I never imagined such formidable individuals would emerge from the East Blue," remarked Kizaru, genuinely taken aback. This time, he was genuinely surprised.

Over the past month, Noel and Genos had caused quite a stir. Whether it was facing pirates or Marines, they had emerged victorious every time. Notably, they even killed a Marine Rear Admiral. What was more, they managed to plunder celestial gold, significantly inflating their bounties.

According to intelligence reports, both Noel and Genos possessed formidable strength, with a mastery of Haoshoku (Conqueror's) Haki. Kizaru hadn't anticipated finding a Haoshoku Haki user among the East Blue pirates.

"Marshal Sengoku, given that these bounties are issued by the World Government, I suggest we intervene," Vice Admiral Momonga stated solemnly.

Sengoku paused for a moment, contemplating the proposition before nodding in agreement. He was well aware of Momonga's capabilities, and among the Vice Admirals, he ranked at the top.

Meanwhile, Garp, who was reclining on a nearby sofa, involuntarily twitched upon hearing Noel's name. He hadn't expected this young man to be so audacious, stealing celestial gold, offending the Celestial Dragons, and drawing the ire of the World Government.

"Kuzan, accompany the Momonga," Sengoku ordered, his gaze shifting to Aokiji, who had been dozing off.

Considering the intelligence reports on Noel and Genos, which portrayed them as far from ordinary rookies, the decision was made to bolster their forces. Aokiji sighed, acknowledging the necessity, and reluctantly stood up.

Garp, still recovering from his own surprise, slowly opened his eyes. Deep down, he hoped that Noel could somehow escape this dire predicament.