Chapter 44: Chapter 44: The Hothead "Bartolomeo"
After Rikuya Kazama finished speaking, Smoker finally passed out completely due to extreme exhaustion.
"Lord Smoker!"
The surrounding Marines immediately shouted in shock upon seeing their superior fall.
But fearing Rikuya and the others' strength, none of them dared to approach. All they could do was shout anxiously from the sidelines.
"You're not going to kill him?"
At that moment, Crocodile raised his venomous hook and asked.
"What's the point of killing a small fry like him? If word gets to those guys in the New World, they'll think we like bullying the weak."
Rikuya replied casually.
In truth, he really didn't want to kill Smoker unless absolutely necessary.
After all, Smoker was one of the relatively upright ones. It's just that he never understood the limits of his own strength, which is why he often got beaten half to death.
Moreover, the Navy presence in the East Blue was already weak enough. If he were to take out one of their commanding officers, the entire region would become a paradise for pirates—something Rikuya didn't want to see.
Besides, now that he might have to negotiate with the World Government and Marine HQ, killing a high-ranking officer at this juncture would only make things worse for him.
So after some consideration, he decided to spare Smoker.
"Sigh, if you're not going to kill that guy, are we letting all these small fry go too?"
Hearing that Rikuya didn't intend to touch Smoker, Crocodile looked rather disappointed.
His reputation was already in shambles. The mighty former Warlord of the Sea, reduced to joining a no-name pirate crew?
No doubt the other Warlords were laughing behind his back.
He had finally defeated a Marine officer with a Logia-type Devil Fruit—even if it was just a local branch colonel.
But meat was still meat, even if it came from a mosquito. If he could personally kill that man, the news would surely spread across the world and help salvage his tarnished name, if only a little.
"Don't touch them. I still have use for these guys."
Rikuya warned coldly, then walked over to the group of Marines.
Seeing him approach, the Marines immediately tensed up.
Some were trembling so hard their teeth were chattering.
"I need you to do something for me. If you do it well, your Lord Smoker will be just fine. But if you fail—then the entire Marine base at Loguetown can join Roger in eternal rest!"
Rikuya said clearly and coldly.
As soon as his words fell, the atmosphere instantly turned deathly silent.
No one doubted the truth or feasibility of what he said.
Finally, a middle-aged man who seemed to be the acting leader of the Marines stepped forward and mustered his courage.
"What do you want us to do? If it's something illegal or criminal, we'd rather die than comply!"
He was terrified of Rikuya and the others, of course. But they were still wearing Navy uniforms. There was no way they would just give in to pirates to save their own lives.
"You bastard…"
Crocodile was about to step forward and teach the man a lesson when Rikuya raised a hand to stop him.
"I won't make things too hard for you. You guys aren't strong enough to pull off anything major anyway. I just want you to find someone for me here in Loguetown."
"Find someone? Who?"
Hearing that Rikuya only wanted to find someone, the man's tone eased up a little.
"His name is Bartolomeo. The guy has grass-green mohawk hair, an eye tattoo under his right eye, wears a nose ring, has a face like a demon, a black wing-shaped tattoo on his chest, a purple coat with a skull emblem on the back, and checkered pants. He carries a short blade at his waist.
Also, he speaks with a regional accent, adds '-bei' at the end of his sentences, and has a distinct laugh—'Heihahaha!' If you see someone that weird-looking, that's definitely him."
Hearing that Rikuya was looking for someone named Bartolomeo, the two men beside him exchanged a glance and frowned.
Clearly, none of them recognized the name.
And if even Crocodile hadn't heard of the guy, then this person must not be anyone famous.
Which made it even more confusing why Rikuya would go out of his way just to find this guy.
"You want us to capture him and bring him here?"
"Hah! Capture him? Not happening. I'll tell you the truth—even if your Lord Smoker went after him personally, he probably wouldn't be able to scratch him.
So all you need to do is pass on a message. I'll be staying at the tavern next door for the rest of the day. If he doesn't come to see me personally before midnight...
Then he and his little crew shouldn't expect to see the sun tomorrow!"
Rikuya narrowed his eyes as he spoke, his tone calm but his gaze full of menace.
After hearing this, the middle-aged man swallowed nervously, then turned and shouted to the rest of the Marines:
"From now on, search every inch of Loguetown! We must find that guy!"
"Yes, sir!"
The remaining Marines who hadn't fled responded in unison and scattered in all directions.
The officer then hurried over to lift up the unconscious Smoker.
Rikuya didn't say another word and headed straight into the tavern nearby.
The tavern's owner had witnessed everything, and when he saw Rikuya walking toward him, he was so terrified he collapsed to the ground.
"What are you panicking for? Go get us some good food and strong drink!"
Rikuya glared at the tavern owner and said flatly.
Hearing the command, the owner didn't dare slack off. He immediately scrambled back inside to prepare the meal.
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