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The first bounty poster on the table was his own—
Arthur, "The Flying Thunder God."
Bounty: 510,000,000 Berries.
"Hmm?"
Arthur frowned, counted again just to be sure—
five hundred and ten million.
Still, his expression soured.
"Only that much? Shouldn't it be five point one billion at least?"
At that, Redfield and the others all rolled their eyes in perfect sync.
This captain of theirs was really pushing it.
The guy had just debuted as a pirate—first wanted poster in his life—and already had over half a billion on his head.
And he still had the nerve to complain?
"You kidding me?" Waldo grumbled. "This isn't the New World yet. If the Marines slapped a five billion bounty on you, half the civilians in Paradise would die of fright. No one'd dare live on this side of the sea anymore!"
Crocodile snorted in agreement, puffing a cloud of smoke.
"Kid needs a little humility. Young people these days have no respect for balance."
Arthur grumbled for a while before turning to the rest of the posters.
No surprises there—Crocodile's and Waldo's bounties remained unchanged.
Eighty-one million for the former, five hundred million for the latter.
He gave Crocodile a teasing smirk.
"Come on, old sandman. You're lagging behind. Try not to embarrass me next time."
Crocodile just curled his lip and looked away, unimpressed.
Then Arthur noticed something missing.
"Wait… where's the count's bounty? Redfield's isn't listed?"
Waldo barked a laugh.
"Captain, you must be joking. You think the Marines dare publish a bounty for Red the Aloof? The moment they admit he escaped Impel Down, it'd send shockwaves across the seas.
The World Government would never risk it."
Arthur thought about it and nodded.
That actually made sense.
After breakfast, he set out toward the shipyard, anticipation written all over his face.
"Let's see what kind of ship they've built me."
He strolled through the bustling streets of Water 7, hands in his pockets, mind drifting.
The new ship would be finished soon—
and then, he and his crew would finally set sail as a true pirate crew.
But still… four people.
Four ridiculously strong people, sure—but that was barely a crew.
"We can fight, sure… but who's going to cook?"
He sighed.
Ever since he'd arrived in this world, they'd been living off others' food—stealing meals, mooching from taverns, or just skipping dinner.
"Once we're out at sea, that won't cut it.
What are we supposed to do, beg for lunch every day?"
He shook his head at the thought.
Just then, voices from the docks caught his attention—
a heated argument, loud enough to echo over the waves.
He glanced over… then blinked.
"Huh?"
A familiar silhouette caught his eye—
a woman with fiery pink hair shaped like flickering flames, her curves outlined against the sunlight.
He recognized her instantly.
"Carmen?"
That's right—Carmen, the beautiful chef who had once competed against Sanji back in Loguetown.
Arthur's lips curved into a grin.
"Well, would you look at that… found myself a chef."
He approached casually, listening to the commotion as he drew near.
It didn't take long to piece things together.
After her duel with Sanji, Carmen hadn't been discouraged at all.
In fact, she'd doubled down—vowing to travel the world, study rare ingredients from every sea, and one day become the greatest culinary artist alive.
She'd heard that the Sea Train passing through Water 7 could glimpse various Sea Kings from the Calm Belt—
creatures that, to a chef like her, were the ultimate ingredients.
But as luck would have it, the Sea Train was currently undergoing maintenance and couldn't sail for a while.
For someone as passionate as Carmen, even waiting a few days was unbearable.
So, she was currently arguing—loudly—with the station staff.
Arthur couldn't help but chuckle.
"Perfect timing."
He stepped forward, flashing his usual calm smile.
"Miss Carmen, good day. I'm Arthur. A pleasure to meet you."
He extended a polite hand.
Carmen turned, mid-complaint—
and froze.
The moment she saw his face, she involuntarily gasped.
Too handsome!
Her cheeks flushed pink. Her hands fidgeted at her apron hem, unsure what to do with themselves.
It wasn't every day a man this stunning approached her so directly.
"I heard you wanted to see the Sea Kings in the Calm Belt?" Arthur asked, still smiling.
Carmen bit her lip, then gave a small nod.
"I can take you there," he said lightly.
"And I can help you catch whatever ingredient you want.
On one condition—"
He paused deliberately.
Her heart skipped a beat.
"Condition?" she echoed nervously.
The phrasing—I want you—was right on the tip of his tongue.
Before he could finish, her mind went wild.
"Wait—what?!" she blurted, clutching her chest.
He wants me? Just like that?
"N-no way! I won't sell myself, no matter how handsome you are!"
Arthur blinked.
"...What?"
Then realization dawned, and he sighed.
"Miss Carmen, you've got it all wrong.
I meant—I want you to be the cook on my ship.
We travel the seas. Whatever rare ingredients you want, I'll get them for you."
Carmen froze.
"Oh."
Her face turned crimson.
"You could've led with that, you jerk! I thought you—"
She shook her head rapidly, trying to banish the scandalous images her brain had conjured up.
Once she'd calmed down, she crossed her arms skeptically.
"You really think you can handle Sea Kings? Everyone who's invited me before talked big and ran off at the mention of the Calm Belt."
Arthur smirked.
"Talk is cheap.
Come with me—you'll see soon enough whether I can back it up."
Her curiosity won out over caution.
Sure, he looked strong—but appearances could be deceiving. Still… something about his confidence made her believe him.
And, well—if he really could slay a Sea King, then joining his crew wouldn't be the worst idea.
"Alright," she said finally.
"If you prove it, I'll cook for you."
"Deal."
Satisfied, Arthur grinned, already planning to borrow a small ship from Iceburg for the hunt.
But just as they turned to leave—
A mocking voice cut across the docks.
"Hey! Who's this little nobody running his mouth in front of Miss Carmen? Don't let him fool you, sweetheart."
Arthur frowned, glancing toward the newcomers.
A small crew was just disembarking, their flag marked with a crude skull.
"And you are?" he asked flatly.
One of the scraggly deckhands puffed up his chest.
"We're the Laki Pirates! Our captain's bounty is a full twenty million berries!"
The man said it with the pride of someone declaring a royal title.
Arthur blinked once. Then twice.
And then—
"Twenty million?" he muttered.
"Wow."
His voice was dripping with disdain.
"That's… impressively pathetic."
Carmen winced, covering her mouth.
Waldo would've snorted beer out of his nose if he were there.
Arthur sighed dramatically, hands in his pockets.
"This sea really is full of idiots. Every kind of bird dares to fly in my sky."
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