Chapter 142: A Special Bounty Poster, The Bounty Is... (Patreon)

The leveling system for the Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto Character Template differed from the Gilgamesh Character Template.

With the Gilgamesh Template, each level gained granted 1% of Gilgamesh's full power.

But with the Yamamoto Template, each level didn't grant 1% of Yamamoto's full power. Instead, it progressively unlocked Yamamoto's power from different periods of his life.

At this stage, Ren possessed the strength of Yamamoto right after he had obtained his Asauchi.

That meant Ren only possessed Yamamoto's combat experience, combat instincts, combat techniques, and so on from that early stage.

CLICK!

CLICK!

CLICK!

A series of guns being raised echoed.

The Marine soldiers, having recovered from their shock, immediately aimed their flintlock pistols at Ren.

Captain Nezumi was dead. They had to capture Ren, the murderer, to have anything to report when they returned. And preferably alive.

This was exactly what Ren had been waiting for.

To gain Level EXP, the target first had to be recognized as an enemy.

In other words, the target had to display hostility, malice, ill intent, and so on toward Ren.

E-rank Reiatsu erupted once more.

This time, it swept toward the Marine soldiers.

The strength of these Marine soldiers was roughly the same as Captain Nezumi's. Under the impact of E-rank Reiatsu, their minds went blank for a brief moment.

Although he was outnumbered, Ren had already unlocked E-rank Swordsmanship, allowing him to completely seize this opportunity.

Ren entered the Marines like a wolf among sheep. Every swing of his Asauchi took the life of another Marine soldier.

In just a few breaths, all eight Marine soldiers who had followed Captain Nezumi lost their lives at Ren's hands.

These Marine soldiers were Captain Nezumi's trusted followers. They were already stained with countless sins, and their deaths were hardly worthy of pity.

In his mind, the notifications from the Multiverse Character Template System continued ringing.

[Level EXP +15]

[Level EXP +15]

[Level EXP +20]

...

[Ding, the Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto Character Template has reached Level 3. Unlocked Ability: Hakuda (E-)!]

[Ding, the Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto Character Template has reached Level 4!]

...

After everything settled, Ren opened the status panel of the Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto Character Template with a thought.

[Character Template: Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto (S)]

[Level: 4 (45/50)]

[Talents: Reiryoku (E-), Reiatsu (E-)]

[Abilities: Kidō (E-), Swordsmanship (E-), Hakuda (E-)]

"Ren, are you okay?"

Nami's urgent voice pulled Ren's thoughts back.

Looking in the direction of the voice, Ren Kurogami saw Nami, Nojiko, Genzo, and the others already standing beside him.

They looked at the bodies scattered across the ground. Their faces uncontrollably revealed fear and shock, but their eyes showed concern and worry for him.

A warmth spread through Ren's heart. He gently shook his head and replied:

"I'm fine."

Genzo couldn't help but ask:

"Ren, what exactly happened here?"

Ren explained:

"These are Marines from the Marine 16th Branch. The leader was Captain Nezumi. He was the one who colluded with Arlong, allowing Arlong to act arrogantly and tyrannically in this sea area for so many years."

Upon hearing Ren's explanation, the villagers, whose anger had been suppressed for years, immediately erupted.

They rushed forward, kicking Captain Nezumi's corpse while continuously cursing him.

They did not doubt Ren's words. They instinctively believed him.

Although Genzo was also furious, his concern was greater than his anger.

He couldn't help but say:

"Even so, you shouldn't have killed them. Their identities are Marines. Even if they did something wrong, they should have been handed over to the Marines for judgment."

"By killing them without authorization, once this is discovered, you will definitely attract Marine pursuit. At that time, you will be in danger."

The others also revealed worried expressions after hearing this.

In their subconscious minds, those who provoked the Marines never ended well.

Just like the former Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. He sounded extremely powerful, but in the end, wasn't he still publicly executed by the Marines?

While worrying, they also began discussing how to deal with the bodies.

Some villagers suggested taking the bodies and the Marine warship out to sea, disguising it as an attack by pirates.

Some villagers suggested tying stones to the bodies and sinking them into the sea.

Some villagers suggested transporting the bodies away, burning them completely, and then dismantling the Marine warship.

Among them, Genzo even suggested taking the blame himself, turning himself in voluntarily, and reporting Captain Nezumi's crimes at the same time, hoping to receive lenient treatment.

...

While they were discussing intensely, Ren couldn't help but burst into cheerful laughter.

Ren's laughter attracted their attention.

Nami asked in confusion:

"Ren, what are you laughing at?"

Ren replied:

"Nothing. I just feel that all of you are foolish in an adorable way."

Everyone looked confused. Ren explained:

"Since I chose to do this, I'm not afraid of Marine pursuit."

"Besides, have you all forgotten about my Vimana?"

"As long as I want to, no one in this world can catch me."

Everyone froze for a moment, remembering the Vimana, the Soaring King's Throne they had seen yesterday.

They realized that what Ren said seemed to be true.

At this moment, Nojiko couldn't help but ask:

"Then what should we do with these bodies and that warship?"

Ren said casually:

"Their departure will definitely have records. Hiding it would be meaningless. Instead, it would bring disaster upon Cocoyasi Village."

"So you only need to report everything truthfully."

Ren's main quest was to overthrow the World Government.

The Marines belonged to the World Government, so they had been Ren's targets from the very beginning.

The world of One Piece was different from the Bleach world. The Bleach world had a massive number of Hollows that could serve as EXP sources.

If Ren wanted to level up quickly, he had to make use of every available resource.

Bandits, pirates, Marines, and so on were all Ren's initial targets.

After becoming strong enough, he could attempt to hunt Sea Kings in the Calm Belt.

...

Marine 16th Branch, Communication Center.

BRRING! BRRING! BRRING!

A Den Den Mushi rang.

The operator picked up the Den Den Mushi. At first, his expression remained relaxed, but soon his pupils sharply contracted, and an expression of shock appeared on his face.

After confirming that the information was accurate, the operator immediately reported it upward.

Not long after, Marine Headquarters received the news from the Marine 16th Branch.

Soon, a meeting targeting Ren was convened.

Most of the participants were mid- and high-ranking officers from Marine Headquarters, including Doberman, Momonga, Onigumo, and John Giant, all of whom were Vice Admirals.

After the meeting ended, an extremely special bounty poster was issued by Marine Headquarters and sent throughout the entire world.

The portrait area on the bounty poster was blank, and the name contained only a single character:

"Ren."

And the bounty amount was... 40,000,000 Berries