Chapter Twenty-Two: The Most Notorious Villain of the East Sea, Pirate Hunter Rankings [Second Update]

As laughter filled the air, a navy officer adorned with the thick whiskers of a Colonel of Justice stepped forward and spoke slowly. Shu Mingyuan turned to face the marine, a smirk curling his lips, and in a flash, his fist shot out, landing hard on the officer’s face.

“That infuriating look on your face makes me sick! Was it you who colluded with Arlong, allowing him to ravage twenty villages in the East Blue? Colonel Mouse?” Shu Mingyuan cracked his knuckles as he approached, the sound of his joints echoing ominously.

“How dare you assault a marine! Unforgivable! You must be a pirate yourself—get ready to be wanted by the world, brat!” Colonel Mouse snarled, clutching his bloodied, swollen cheek.

“Pirate?” The man laughed. “No, I’m a hunter who makes a living by hunting pirates. If you cross me... even if you’re a marine... I’ll kill you all the same.”

Shu Mingyuan grinned widely, but to Mouse, the man’s smile was nothing short of demonic. Suddenly, a dazzling arc of electricity burst forth from his left hand, piercing the Colonel’s chest in an instant. Shu Mingyuan’s palm was soaked in blood, crimson splattering everywhere.

Colonel Mouse of the 16th Marine Branch was dead.

“The rest of you, leave—before I lose my temper!”

A single thunderous shout from Shu Mingyuan was enough to send the remaining marines fleeing in terror, scrambling and stumbling out of Cocoyasi Village.

“Tsk, you just killed a marine—you’re now an enemy of the World Government. Call yourself a pirate hunter if you like, but in the eyes of the government, you’re no different from a pirate: a wanted criminal.” Sanji lit a cigarette and exhaled a slow ring of smoke.

Shu Mingyuan lifted his gaze, his eyes falling on the massive form of the Sea King. In a calm, quiet voice that nonetheless stunned everyone present, he declared, “So what if I’m the enemy of the world? Even the Pirate King means nothing to me. One day, I’ll stand at the very summit of this world!”

Every member of the Straw Hat Pirates looked at this young man, whose ambitions soared higher than the sky itself, with complex expressions. The ultimate dream of countless pirates—the Pirate King—he dismissed with a sneer. What, then, was his true dream?

Shu Mingyuan dipped his hands into the pool, washing away the blood. At a whistle, the Sea King lifted its massive head from the water, its scarlet eyes letting out a roar that shook the heavens.

“Careful! A sea beast! Damn—why is there a Sea King here?!”

The villagers of Cocoyasi recoiled in terror; even Sanji braced himself, ready to unleash a swift kick at a moment’s notice.

“Ahem, everyone, don’t panic. This is my pet.” Shu Mingyuan scratched his nose, resigned. Every time he summoned this creature in public, it caused a commotion. Next time, it would be better to do it farther away.

“This... this is a Sea King? No wonder he’s a hero—he actually keeps one as a pet! Incredible!”

“Hero, you’re so handsome! I want to have your babies!” a starry-eyed girl screamed.

“This guy always makes a scene,” Zoro remarked with a laugh and a curse.

“You’re leaving?” Nami stepped out from the crowd, biting her lip and speaking softly.

“What’s this? Can’t bear for me to go?” Shu Mingyuan’s expression turned teasing, and he opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words came out.

Yet Nami understood, and a blush crept onto her cheeks. What Shu Mingyuan meant was: If you ever agree to marry me, I’ll stay.

With a leap, Shu Mingyuan landed atop the Sea King’s head, waving goodbye to everyone.

“Shu Mingyuan, next time we meet, let’s fight! Let’s see if I can cut you down!” Zoro grinned, gripping his Wado Ichimonji. Their strength was growing further apart; he would have to train even harder.

“Haha—anytime!”

After bidding farewell, Shu Mingyuan rode the Sea King out of the village. Having wiped out Arlong’s crew, his justice points had increased considerably, now surpassing a thousand, though still a far cry from the ten thousand he’d had before.

He opened his status window, his condition laid bare. After every battle, his chakra, ninjutsu points, taijutsu points, and justice points would all increase slightly, though not by much. Only by leveling up, acquiring new techniques, or making personal breakthroughs would his stats leap significantly.

Character: Monkey D. Shu Mingyuan
Rank: Junior Ninja
Chakra: (18899/50000)
Justice Points: 1217
Acquired Ninjutsu: Lightning Release: Chidori, Lightning Release: Chidori Current, Clone Technique, Fire Release: Great Fireball, Fire Release: Phoenix Fire, Partial Expansion Jutsu
Acquired Taijutsu: Shadow Dance Leaf, Lion Combo
Ninjutsu Points: 434
Taijutsu Points: 380

Leaving Cocoyasi Village, Shu Mingyuan set out once more. Traveling solo across the sea was a bit lonely, but it made certain tasks much easier to handle alone.

After two more days at sea, he caught sight of the latest bounty posters delivered by the News Coo. As in the original story, after the battle with Arlong, Luffy’s first bounty soared to thirty million Berries, making him the new star of the East Blue.

Yet among the new bounty posters, Shu Mingyuan found his own wanted notice!

The Vicious Pirate Hunter—Shu Mingyuan! The background showed him standing atop the Sea King, foot planted on the beast, immortalized in a photograph. Below, a line of small print described him.

WANTED!
Monkey D. Shu Mingyuan
Bounty: 50 million Berries!
East Blue’s Most Notorious Criminal!
Monkey D. Shu Mingyuan, born in the East Blue, Kingdom of Goa, in a fishing village. Before setting out to sea, he defeated a group of mountain bandits. One month after leaving, he tamed a Sea King as his pet. Soon after, he destroyed Alvida’s pirate crew, attacked a marine base, killed Branch Colonel Morgan, freed pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro, joined several pirates to eliminate Buggy’s crew, and two days ago defeated the former pirate overlords of East Blue, the Arlong Pirates. On the same day, he killed Branch Colonel Mouse! Publicly opposing the World Government, he is a vicious criminal wanted worldwide for 50 million Berries!

“Heh, so they’re after me now? Seems the World Government’s intelligence is pretty accurate!” Shu Mingyuan mused aloud, lying on the Sea King’s back.

He then noticed two more rankings—these bore no bounty amounts, only positions.

Pirate Hunter Bronze List—Monkey D. Shu Mingyuan, ranked 11th.

Vicious Hunter Ghost List—Monkey D. Shu Mingyuan, ranked 99th.

These two lists caught Shu Mingyuan completely off guard. In the original story, there were only bounty posters—never any pirate hunter rankings, much less “Bronze List” or “Ghost List.” Resting his chin on his hand, he pondered the matter and drew a conclusion.

The real pirate world was different from Oda’s creation. Here, the seas were overrun with pirates, vast blue waters covering nearly the entire globe. The only landmass was the Red Line; all other nations were scattered across countless islands. The navy could only apprehend a portion of the pirates, and on the Grand Line’s second half, the New World, the threat of the Four Emperors left the marines powerless.

Thus, another profession had arisen in this world—pirate hunters! Though Oda’s story focused on pirates and marines, sidelining the hunters, their presence was significant. Pirate hunters didn’t serve the marines; they worked purely for the bounty. The World Government, therefore, maintained a ranking system for pirate hunters based on their strength—these ranks represented the level of pirates each hunter could take down.

The Bronze List, he surmised, comprised those who could hunt pirates with bounties under a hundred million; the higher the rank, the more formidable the prey. It was a mark of honor, a symbol of strength.

As for the infamous Ghost List, it likely comprised hunters who, in addition to hunting pirates, openly opposed the World Government, relying on their strength to act lawlessly.

“A pirate hunter ranking, huh? Interesting. I wonder if taking down a Yonko would put me at the very top.”

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