"You are of mixed-blood Mink, right?"
Without waiting for Lan in the washroom to reply, Hawkins continued talking to himself: "I investigated your background before coming. Your father was a Tiger Mink from the Grand Line."
"And your mother was a fairly famous Bounty Hunter of the North Blue, though an unknown incident happened several decades ago."
Inside the washroom, Lan held a large toothbrush in his right hand while idly playing with a red card in his left.
[Using the Fate Card... Nothing happened.]
He could even draw that with a 1% probability?
Lan did not know whether to lament his luck or not, and spat out the foam in his mouth.
"Those pirates killed my family. That's also why I became a bounty hunter."
"Fortunately, I wasn't reckless."
Standing by the window, Hawkins looked at Lillian across the street, who was directing carpenters to repair the storefront.
"So, do you have any plans for the future?"
'No plans, just freeload and wait to die.'
'Spend all the gold in my pockets first, then think of ways to make money.'
Such thoughts were suppressed as soon as they appeared.
Lan wiped his face with a towel and walked out of the washroom.
He was not a pure-blooded mink. Compared to humanoid Minks who looked like beasts, his facial features inherited his mother's gentleness.
"It's your time to perform, Hawkins."
After tossing the ball of fur to the blond butler, Lan picked up his clothes and put them on, covering the scars all over his body and his clearly defined muscles.
Hawkins: "Do you have a ship?"
Lan shook his head.
"Then we'd better find a ship first. Last night I gave you—"
Lan subconsciously moved the small satchel containing gold coins behind his back and glanced sideways at Hawkins.
"This is my drinking money, not group funds."
The corner of Hawkins' eye twitched slightly. "Then let's change our approach. Perhaps we can go to the harbor and catch some pirates who don't know their place."
"As for a ship..."
Lan fell into hesitation.
He was considering whether he really wanted to go to sea.
According to his thoughts, with the eight million belly contributed by Hawkins, plus the bounty from that unlucky pirate last night… ten million belly would be enough for him to live freely for quite a while.
"What a headache. This really is a life-or-death world."
Lan sighed softly and muttered under his breath.
"Whether it's becoming the king of the world, or gathering seven soul orbs to become the fire village chief, it all seems troublesome..."
[If one never sees one's own prime within...]
Listening to the Positive-Energy Chicken Soup looping in his mind, Lan raised his hand to cover his face.
Damn Milestones!
The belated cheat might not punish him at all for slacking off, but Lan felt as if there was an incessant nagging in his head.
Whenever he had thoughts of slacking, the Positive-Energy Chicken Soup he had previously drunk would automatically start broadcasting in his mind.
"Let's go find Germa. That place... Can be considered acquaintances, at least."
Hawkins still wore that deadpan expression of his.
"Do you need me to help you divine?"
"Divination? No need for now. My luck is pretty good."
Lan began checking the number of gold coins in his bag.
"Just in time to settle some old grudges before leaving the North Blue. Maybe some beauties will even come aboard."
"Leaving the North Blue?"
"Are you planning to go directly to the Grand Line? Your strength... Sorry, captain, I don't know how strong you are now."
Lan raised his right hand, which began to turn into billowing smoke, as the power of darkness gathered in his palm.
Dark Water.
Hawkins' body involuntarily flew toward Lan.
Realizing that the Straw-Straw Fruit had failed, Hawkins showed a look of surprise for the first time.
"This is...?"
"The Dark-Dark Fruit, the nemesis of all Devil Fruit users."
Lan released Hawkins, a hint of pride in his expression.
"This Devil Fruit is probably worth several billion belly. No, no, probably even more."
"What a pity. If only it could be exchanged for alcohol..."
Hearing the sound of the Positive-Energy Chicken Soup again in his mind, Lan promptly shut his mouth.
He then turned to the reason for seeking out Germa.
"Germa's sea snail ships have the ability to cross the Red Line. I need them to take us to the East Blue."
Since he had already decided to go to sea, after some thought, Lan decided to stop slacking off and first go take a look over in the East Blue.
Completing vague milestones elsewhere might be difficult, but the East Blue was definitely a good place to start.
Lan planned to first figure out how to achieve Milestones, and then decide matters of the more distant future.
The East Blue?
Hawkins thought for a moment, then took out a small notebook from his chest with the word intelligence written on it.
"Since your primary target is the East Blue, then pirates who came from the East Blue are also our targets, right?"
"He's a pirate with very high popularity recently. He previously defeated the Warlord Hanafuda, and this year he even joined the Whitebeard Pirates in a high-profile manner."
The King of the Pirates's son?
Taking the intelligence notebook with Ace's photo attached, Lan licked his lips.
In his eyes appeared an unmistakable killing intent, and… a greed he himself did not even notice.
Hawkins understood the source of Lan's killing intent. Although he did not know what that extra greed was about, as the team's strategist, he did not need to know things that were unnecessary.
"He is currently the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. If you intend to kill him, it means we will be declaring war on the Whitebeard Pirates."
"I suggest we first set a battle plan."
"After all, that is one of the Four Emperors' pirate crews, renowned across the seas."
"One of the Four Emperors' pirate crews? Heh…"
Continuing to flip through the intelligence notebook, Lan grinned and said, "Relax, Hawkins. Sooner or later, we're going to clash with them."
[Marshall D. Teach, fourth division member of the Whitebeard Pirates]
"This is...?"
Hawkins leaned closer. "He's a member of the Whitebeard Pirates' fourth division. What about him?"
"Is there anything you don't know?"
Returning the intelligence notebook to its owner, Lan picked up his coat and walked out.