Chapter 26: Loguetown
"Kyle, how high do you think my bounty will be?"
Killua asked, panting slightly, his face full of anticipation.
They had been drifting on this vast blue sea for three days. Besides training, all they did was wait in anticipation for their bounties to come out.
It was just like a video game, and now they were waiting for their scores.
Kyle put down the notebook he was reading—filled with notes on the Grand Line's ocean currents and climate—and took a deep breath of the salty sea air, enjoying the refreshing feel of it on his face.
Only then did he turn to Killua with a smile, the sunlight dancing on his short golden hair. "Based on your performance, and the... 'market value' of your opponents... Hmm, it should be about 10,000,000 Beli!"
"Ten million Beli?" Killua shot up straight, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Why so little? I was the one who finished my fight the cleanest!"
Killua remembered Kyle saying that defeating that 30 million Beli captain could get him a 50 million Beli bounty.
"There's nothing to be done about it," Kyle shrugged, analyzing the situation rationally. "'Straw Hat' Luffy's crew has the highest bounty in the East Blue right now."
"But they haven't entered the Grand Line yet, and his crewmates don't have bounties. It's impossible for the Marines to judge your true level."
"You finished your fight so quickly, they might just think you took out a small fry. The 10 million I gave you was already a bold guess," Kyle joked.
Three days had passed since their battle. Thanks to that fierce fight with the 'Straw Hats', their names had completely spread throughout the East Blue.
During the battle, they had even been "kind" enough to announce their names, so the Marine intelligence officers had probably already filed their reports.
If nothing unexpected happened, their bounty posters should be fresh off the press.
"Look! It's here!" Gon's energetic voice came from the crow's nest. He pointed at a small black dot in the distant sky.
Soon, a News Coo was flapping its wings, circling above their small boat.
Kyle took a few Beli from his pocket and tossed them accurately at the bird.
The bird deftly caught the coins and dropped a thick, rolled-up newspaper.
Killua leaped gracefully, catching the newspaper in mid-air. The three of them immediately huddled together, their heads almost touching, faces filled with uncontrollable anticipation and excitement.
The front page of the newspaper was emblazoned with three brand-new bounty posters. The first one was Kyle.
"Whoa!" Gon was the first to gasp.
In the photo, Kyle was standing sideways on the deck, the sea breeze blowing his hair back to reveal a high forehead and sharp eyes.
A faint smile played on his lips, and the background was the magnificent, turbulent sea. He looked heroic and had completely surpassed the immaturity of a 13-year-old, looking more like a young leader just beginning to show his prowess.
Kyle looked at the photo, which had been expertly captured by the reporter and possibly "touched up" a bit. His own lips quirked up, clearly very satisfied. "Not bad, not bad. This photographer deserves a raise."
Killua rolled his eyes, seeing Kyle completely absorbed in his own "glamour shot" while ignoring the critical information below.
"Hey, hey, can you stop being so narcissistic? The amount is what's important! The amount!" he said, annoyed, poking the conspicuous string of numbers at the bottom of the poster.
"Bounty: 60,000,000 Beli," Killua read out, word by word.
This number made the smile on Kyle's face freeze slightly.
He quickly shifted his gaze from the photo to the amount, his pupils contracting almost imperceptibly.
"Sixty... million?" This had exceeded his estimate by a full ten million.
By his calculations, for defeating Luffy, 50 million should have been the maximum.
This extra 10 million... was it a Marine miscalculation, or... had they noticed something deeper?
A trace of vigilance rose in his heart.
"Quick, look at yours," Kyle suppressed his doubts and urged them on.
Killua eagerly flipped to the next page. Gon Freecss, wanted for 15,000,000 Beli.
The photo showed Gon with a huge, wild, and energetic smile.
Killua Zoldyck, wanted for 20,000,000 Beli.
His photo, in contrast, was somewhat cold and mysterious.
"Haha, I got 15 million!" Gon jumped up happily, not caring about the amount at all, just purely happy to be "recognized."
Killua looked at his own, then at Gon's. A smug grin crossed his face, but he quickly suppressed it, pretending to be casual. "Maa, it's reasonable. But Gon, why is yours 5 million less than mine? We're about the same strength."
"Because you look... scarier when you fight?" Gon tilted his head, trying to find the right word. "Like an amazing assassin!"
"Hey!" Killua protested.
Kyle cut off their bickering, his expression turning slightly serious. "Our bounties, especially mine, are higher than we expected. This means Marine HQ has probably listed us as 'high-priority rookies' to watch."
"Doesn't that mean we're being recognized?" Gon asked, confused. Isn't that what they wanted?
"It is what we wanted, but our strength hasn't reached the point where we can do whatever we want!" Kyle explained with a smile.
Just then, as if sensing something, Gon stood up and looked forward. He saw an island appearing in the distance.
He shouted in excitement, "Kyle! Killua! Look, we're almost at Loguetown!"
The three of them looked toward the bow.
On the horizon, the outline of a town was gradually becoming clearer and larger.
That was Loguetown, the "Town of the Beginning and the End"—the birthplace and the final execution site of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
Even from this distance, they could almost feel the heavy history and the surging ambition of countless pirates that the town carried.
"Kyle, we'll stock up on supplies here, and then we're going to that 'Grand Line' you talked about, right?" Gon rubbed his hands together, full of longing for the legendary sea.
Kyle walked to the bow, his hands resting on the railing, his gaze deep as he looked at Loguetown and the sea beyond.
"To get to the Grand Line... besides crossing the Calm Belt, the only way is through Reverse Mountain."
"Reverse Mountain?"
"That's right. Reverse Mountain has five canals. Four of them connect to the four seas: East Blue, West Blue, South Blue, and North Blue."
"The water flows in from four and out from one. The powerful currents from the four seas flow up the mountain to the summit. From the summit, one canal flows out, leading into the Grand Line. At the start, there are seven magnetic routes you can choose from."
"Once you choose a route, you can't change it. You can only follow the islands on that route, one by one. In the end, all seven routes converge at the Sabaody Archipelago."
He paused, looking back at his two partners, his tone becoming serious. "However, the power of that current is beyond imagination. With the strength of this small boat, if we force our way in, it's very likely the boat will be torn to pieces by the violent currents."
He patted the hull beneath his feet, and the wooden structure creaked.
"We need a stronger, more reliable ship. So, I want to wait until we get a better ship in the real world before we enter the Grand Line."
Killua crossed his arms and nodded in understanding. "Got it. So, before we start the real adventure, we need to assemble the 'crew' you talked about, and then buy an awesome pirate ship in the real world. Right?"
"Exactly," Kyle confirmed. His gaze returned to the approaching Loguetown, and a sharp glint appeared in his eyes.