Chapter 4
The moment I pocket the bounty for Scarface Hilbert, the Hunter’s Shop registers my 300th mission as complete. The system springs to life in my mind, flooding it with unfamiliar memories and an interface that feels like something out of a video game.
These “memories” are just instructions: how to navigate the Hunter’s Shop, details on item tiers, and how to earn its currency. The interface is straightforward—think any game store or cash-grab app from back home. Even a kid could figure it out, let alone someone like me. The real meat is in the item descriptions and how to get the shop’s currency, “Hunter Points.” I sort through it all quickly.The Hunter’s Shop, as the name suggests, isn’t much different from those pay-to-win systems in my old world’s games or apps. Simple concept: spend money, get stuff. But the stuff here? Way more impressive. According to the shop’s “manual,” it stocks everything—items, abilities, even creatures from every corner of the world, the skies, the seas, and beyond, across countless planes of existence.
The goods are split into seven tiers: White, Green, Blue, Purple, Pink, Red, and Gold. White’s the weakest and most common; Gold’s the rarest and most powerful. To buy anything, you need Hunter Points, the shop’s exclusive currency.
The shop displays twelve item slots, randomly refreshed with new goods. If I don’t like what’s on offer, I can spend 100 Hunter Points to reroll the selection. Naturally, rarer items—higher tiers—show up less often. But the more points I spend over time, the better my odds of seeing something good. In short: spend big, get big. Everything in the shop revolves around Hunter Points, so if I want to power up, I need to rack them up.
How do I earn points? The shop evaluates every mission I take based on its difficulty and bounty value, grading it from E (lowest) to SSS (highest). The grade determines how many Hunter Points I get when the job’s done. Annoyingly, the world’s currency—Berries—can’t be converted to Hunter Points yet. But the manual hints that once I’ve spent enough points, I’ll unlock the ability to trade Berries for points. It’s all tied to Hunter Points, a system so predatory it feels ripped straight from some gacha game back home.
That said, the shop’s not entirely heartless. To celebrate its activation, it hands me 1,000 Hunter Points as a reward. It’s not much, but it’s enough to snag one or two things from the current lineup. Right now, the shop’s fresh, so the selection’s mostly low-tier junk—White and Green items, maybe a Blue here or there. Not a single Purple in sight.
I’m about to browse for anything worth buying when Wendell, standing nearby, notices me staring at the pile of Berries in silence. He calls out nervously, “Mr. Morgan… Mr. Morgan?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m good,” I snap out of it, waving him off. “Anything else? If not, go handle your business.”
Despite my not-so-subtle dismissal, Wendell doesn’t leave. Instead, he fumbles in his work apron, pulls out a folded bounty poster, and sets it on my table with an awkward smile. “Well, Mr. Morgan, Captain Smoker found another target for you. He left this with me to pass along.”
I chuckle lightly. “That guy’s practically my agent now.” I grab the poster, pick up a slice of crisp apple from the plate, and prop my feet on the table. Leaning back in my chair, I unfold the poster with one hand, munching on the apple as I scan the target’s face and bounty.
The moment I see the poster, the Hunter’s Shop pings in my mind, instantly rating the mission:Mission Difficulty: C
Bounty: C
Overall Rating: C
Hunter Points Reward: 3,000
“Not bad,” I mutter to myself, chewing the apple. “A ten-million-Berry pirate. Decent enough.”Bang! The bar’s wooden door gets kicked open, hard. A lanky man struts in, flanked by two burly goons who must be his lackeys. Unlike my quiet entrance, this guy’s clearly fishing for attention, and he gets it. The bar’s raucous chatter dies down as everyone turns to stare at the doorway.
The lanky guy looks pleased with himself, sauntering in with his goons like he owns the place. Whispers ripple through the crowd. Someone recognizes him and mutters to their buddy, “That’s Baro! Iron Hand Baro, the East Blue pirate with a twelve-million-Berry bounty!”
“Iron Hand Baro?” Another guy, clearly out of the loop, sounds shocked. “The Iron Hand Pirates are brutal—wiping out entire towns, leaving nothing alive.”
The crowd confirms it when they spot his right hand—a gleaming metal prosthetic. “It’s really him,” someone says. “Didn’t rumors say Iron Hand Baro was headed for the Grand Line? Why’s he in Loguetown?”
“No idea,” another replies, smirking. “But this just got interesting. East Blue’s top bounty hunter and a notorious pirate in the same little bar? We might be in for a show.”
Over at my corner table, I hear Baro’s name and glance his way. Just a quick look—no need to make a move. I stay relaxed, feet on the table, leaning back like I don’t have a care in the world.
Wendell, on the other hand, nearly loses it. Seeing Baro, he lets out a startled yelp, his bulky frame stumbling back a step, almost tripping over himself. Fear flashes in his eyes—hardly surprising. Anyone would be spooked with a bloodthirsty pirate like that standing in their bar. Then he glances at me, and it’s like he remembers I’m here. He takes a deep breath, steadies himself, and forces a smile. “W-Welcome, sir!”
Baro ignores him, his eyes locking onto me. With his two goons in tow, he strides over. I don’t budge, still lounging casually, and just fold the bounty poster back up, tucking it into my pocket.
When Baro reaches my table, one of his lackeys shoves Wendell aside and drags a chair over. “Captain, sit.”
“Hm,” Baro grunts, sitting down across from me with an air of importance. “So, you’re the one they call the East Blue’s top bounty hunter, John Morgan?”