Chapter 81 81 Bounty
Greed unmasked itself in Spindell's eyes, completely overshadowing his initial anger.
He had driven the pirate forces under his secret control to attack the ship of Zane's hunting group, all to confirm if there really was a member of the Three-Eye Tribe on board.
If there truly was one, it would undoubtedly be a golden opportunity for him to gain both promotion and wealth.
"Wait for your next life!"
Just as Spindell was filled with anticipation, a strange voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
"Who—"
Spindell's expression changed drastically.
He was shocked and enraged that someone had managed to bypass his Observation Haki and appear right behind him.
He barked a loud shout as a distraction while hurriedly spinning around to identify the intruder.
*CRACKLE!!!*
As a Vice Admiral of a Grand Line branch, Spindell's strength was not lacking among his peers.
His reaction speed could be considered quite fast.
But no matter how fast he was, he was no match for lightning.
*CRACKLE!!!*
A pillar of lightning soared like a divine sword, piercing through the warship and swallowing Spindell as he turned.
"Agh!!!"
Amidst a scream-filled roar, Spindell, his entire body covered in Armament Haki, charged out of the violent lightning, scorched black, and threw a punch at Zane.
Character does not affect one's strength.
Although Spindell was obsessed with power and status, as a Marine Vice Admiral, his combat ability was genuine.
The moment he was swallowed by the lightning, he used his refined Armament Haki for defense.
Even so, he could not avoid being heavily wounded under the devastation of the rampaging lightning.
This punch was more like a final, desperate struggle, born from a refusal to simply die.
Zane raised his hand.
Faced with Spindell's last-ditch effort, Zane simply caught the man's fist and used overwhelming strength to twist his arm until it broke.
"Aaaaaagh!"
His arm twisted into a pretzel, Spindell let out another agonizing shriek.
[LET'S DUEL!]
The shriek was cut short.
Time for some recycling.
Zane's eyes were cold as he activated his Nen ability, dragging the man into the Equality Space.
He was a Vice Admiral, after all.
Killing him directly would be too much of a waste; his remaining value had to be squeezed out first.
"What happened?"
"It's the commander's room! Get over there and check it out!"
"An enemy attack?!"
"..."
They were, after all, well-trained regular soldiers.
Although the sudden appearance of the lightning pillar and its strike through the ship had caught the Marines off guard, order was quickly restored under the command of mid-level officers.
Some went to patch the holes, while others led squads to Spindell's location.
But when the numerous Marines arrived, all they saw was Zane, who had just emerged from the Equality Space.
"Who are you? Where is Vice Admiral Spindell?"
"Wait, three eyes? Are you from the Three-Eye Tribe?"
"Capture him! The Vice Admiral must have been killed by this guy!"
"..."
Seeing Zane, and particularly the third eye on his forehead, some of the arriving Marines were shocked, while others felt greed rising within them.
It could only be said that the fish rots from the head down; this phenomenon was common regardless of the location.
Given the rarity and value of the Three-Eye Tribe, there would never be a shortage of people blinded by greed.
Zane did not even need to look.
His Observation Haki, which could now vaguely sense the emotions of others, allowed him to easily identify those who were consumed by greed.
"Begone."
Locking onto the greedy ones with precision, Zane cast a cold gaze, and a wave of lightning swept out like a tide.
*BOOM!!!*
The ship's superstructure exploded outward as if it were blooming.
The spreading violent electricity surged toward the nearby auxiliary ships, frightening the Marines on board into pushing away.
Back on the main vessel...
Aside from the blown-off superstructure, all those blinded by greed had been reduced to ash by the sweeping lightning, while the survivors were paralyzed and sent flying.
"Pass a message to your Fleet Admiral. If another fool like your commander comes looking for trouble, I won't be so lenient next time."
Stepping on bolts of lightning, Zane looked down at the surviving Marines from the air.
He calmly left those words and ignored their reactions, transforming into a flash of lightning and departing.
...
Zane had expected that exposing his identity as a member of the Three-Eye Tribe would draw both pirates and Marines.
This was something Zane had anticipated.
The Marines were subordinates of the World Government, and the rulers of that government were the Celestial Dragons.
Given the temperament and preferences of the Celestial Dragons, even without direct orders, there were plenty of people below who wanted to curry favor with them.
There was no shortage of scum among the Marines, but there were also good men like Zephyr.
If possible, Zane naturally had no interest in making an enemy of the Marines.
But...
A Vice Admiral and a significant number of soldiers were dead.
After such an event, it was impossible for the Marines to remain indifferent.
Zane already had a rough idea of what the Marines' next move would be.
Even the words he left behind were mostly just to state his stance.
He had made his position clear; if the Marines still chose to harass him, then whether they were good or bad, they shouldn't complain when they died.
"The Boss has a bounty?!"
A few days later, while the New Riding the Wind and Waves was sailing as usual, a sudden cry of alarm rang out.
"What?"
"A bounty on the Boss? How did this happen?"
"It really is the Boss's bounty poster!"
"Wait, look at the news in the paper."
"..."
As the member responsible for buying newspapers from the News Coo cried out, the other members were instantly drawn in by the news.
Everyone crowded around.
Manlong, who had been on the deck training his Armament Haki by having several members strike him with iron bars, also strode over.
"Let me see that!"
"It's Brother Manlong!"
The newspaper and bounty poster were quickly handed to Manlong, who looked down and frowned.
Without hesitation, he immediately headed for the cabin to find Zane.
"Boss—"
"I already heard. Give me the paper and the poster."
When Manlong found Zane in a room filled with various metals, Zane waved him over and took the items before he could even speak.
He looked down.
First was the bounty poster.
The photo was indeed him, and the amount was set at a standard 500 million Berries.
Seeing the amount, Zane's face showed no emotion as he continued to read the news.
"Heh... the 'Three-Eye Pirates.' After all that effort to set up a hunting group, I still got labeled as a pirate." Zane shook his head with a light chuckle.
The news in the paper was quite simple; it covered his killing of the Marine Vice Admiral a few days ago.
Naturally, according to the paper's description, Zane was a pirate who had launched an unprovoked attack on a Marine branch Vice Admiral, causing severe casualties.
"Boss, if we run into Marines in the future, should we attack?" Manlong asked in a low voice.
Whether it was pirates or Marines, if they were the Boss's enemy, he would show no mercy in destroying them.
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