The pirates discussed matters among themselves, but Kong Tai and the others had no idea what it was about, nor did they need to.
They were now looking excitedly at a small island in the distance.
This was their fourth day since leaving the Golo Islands.
During this time, they had encountered the Crazy Cow Pirate Group, but there was no fun to be had.
For the next three days, they were as bored as salted fish who had lost their dreams, facing the unchanging sea.
Now that they had finally spotted an island, it was no wonder they were so excited.
After sailing at sea for a long time, most people, unless they were born to be solitary, enjoyed liveliness.
This was also one of the reasons pirate crews often held feasts.
"According to the map, this island is called 'Prometheus,' an ordinary island with a Marine branch."
Gu Yina held the map in her hand, gazing at the distant coastline, and said softly.
She wasn't bored on the ship. As long as Kong Tai was there, it didn't matter where she was.
"Marine base?"
Hua instinctively gasped.
After all, they had formed a pirate crew now and were quite afraid of the Marines.
It wasn't that they were afraid of fighting the Marines.
It was the instinctive reaction of a thief encountering a police officer.
Then, as if remembering something, his expression returned to normal. He puffed out his large belly and shouted loudly.
"Who cares if there's a Marine base or not? We're not wanted, so what's there to be afraid of?"
"Right! Exactly, the Marines can't control us."
Tao chimed in.
Gu Yina glanced at them lightly. "You guys just be careful! After so many days, the Marines should have issued bounties by now."
"Kong Tai and I aren't afraid. I'm just worried about you guys getting caught by the Marines and thrown in jail."
"Hey! Gu Yina, why do you look down on us so much!"
At this moment, Lu walked over from behind and shouted loudly.
"Mmm...! Do you have an opinion?"
"No, no, no..."
Seeing Gu Yina's gaze, Lu quickly shook his head and waved his hands, vehemently denying it.
"Damn it, I almost got carried away."
Hua and Tao quickly moved away from Lu, their eyes fixed forward, feigning ignorance.
Kong Tai withdrew his gaze from Prometheus Island and smiled at Gu Yina.
"Gu Yina, if bounties are issued this time, it should only be for you and me. It has nothing to do with Hua and the others, so don't worry."
Hearing Kong Tai's words, Hua and the other two didn't know whether to be happy or unhappy.
They always felt like they were being mocked by Kong Tai again.
"Mmm... I know."
Gu Yina looked at Kong Tai, her lips curving up into a smile.
Then, she said with a hint of sarcasm, "With just the three of them, it's impossible for them to even get a bounty!"
Hearing Gu Yina's sarcastic words, Hua and the other two dared not speak out, their anger simmering.
"When will they truly stand up on their own?"
...
Soon, the Freedom sailed into the port of Prometheus Island.
They docked the ship between a few fishing boats, furled the sails, dropped anchor, and disembarked.
"Wow..."
"It feels good to have solid ground under my feet!"
Hua was the first to step onto the dock and jumped up and down excitedly.
"Mmm... why are there so few people?"
Lu, smoking, scanned his surroundings.
This was a little different from what they had expected.
They had thought it would be a bustling island, but it was surprisingly deserted.
"Maybe they're all in town!"
Kong Tai casually glanced at the street ahead.
"Mmm—!"
Just then, he suddenly caught sight of the Marine lookout tower on his right.
He paused for a moment, then acted as if nothing had happened, turning to Hua and the others and saying, "Gu Yina and I will go to the tavern to gather information. We can also see if they have any special wine."
As he spoke, he shook the wine gourd in his hand, which made no sound, indicating it was likely empty.
The good wine he had stocked up at the "Baratie" was long gone.
Although he hadn't been at sea for long, his drinking capacity had suddenly increased.
While he hadn't reached the level of an old drunkard, he could be considered a small drinker.
The standard rum on their ship was like beer to him now.
And he really didn't like the taste.
So, he now had an additional interest: to seek out local delicacies wherever he went.
"Don't worry! Kong Tai, we have our own things to do. You and Gu Yina go ahead."
"Mmm! Then we're leaving."
Watching Kong Tai and the others walk away, Hua and the other two also went their separate ways to find what they were looking for.
Hua was going to buy fresh ingredients and fruits, and replenish the ship's fresh water.
Tao was looking for new ship repair tools and some items useful at sea.
As for Lu.
This guy had recently gotten into guns and wanted to see if there were any good ones.
The gun he was currently using was something he had picked up from the Krieg Pirates.
They were just ordinary guns, not particularly good.
He had complained to Kong Tai a few days ago about why he hadn't kept a few good guns from Krieg.
As a result, he didn't even have a decent gun to show off.
As Kong Tai's group one by one entered the town and disappeared into the streets.
The Marine hiding in the training pavilion to the right of the dock finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Kong Tai's glance had almost scared him to death.
After all, not everyone had the courage to face a pirate with a bounty of 70 million Berries.
Kong Tai was the pirate with the highest bounty he had ever seen in his life.
When the Marines issued wanted posters, they were immediately faxed to various branches.
Then, the wanted posters were handed over to the World News organization, which used their news birds scattered all over the world to deliver them worldwide, enclosed in the latest news.
Therefore, the wanted posters for Kong Tai and Gu Yina first appeared in the various Marine branches.
For other locations, the time of receiving the wanted posters was delayed by a few days compared to the Marine branches.
Of course, some remote areas would be even slower.
This sentry Marine had noticed the Freedom as soon as it entered the port, but the pirate flag on the ship, which lacked a skull, made him not realize it immediately.
He just thought the windmill flag looked familiar and assumed it was a merchant ship he had seen somewhere before.
So, he didn't take it seriously.
But when Kong Tai and the others disembarked and he saw Kong Tai's distinctive silver hair, he was instantly jolted and panicked.
"Could we be this unlucky?"
He hurriedly fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a wanted poster that had been issued at the base two days prior. The mugshot on it was indeed Kong Tai.
Although the sunlight outside was warm, it couldn't warm his now ice-cold heart.
He looked up again in disbelief, cautiously glanced at Kong Tai, and then quickly averted his gaze.
He didn't dare to look for even a second, for fear of being discovered.
"It really is him."
Looking at the glaring '7' on the wanted poster, and the long string of zeros behind it.
He felt as if he was standing on ice, a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, making him shiver.
He stood dazed in the lookout tower for a moment before quickly turning and running towards the Marine base.
What did this have to do with them, the lower ranks?
Such a great pirate would naturally be handled by those in higher positions.
He needed to find someone in a higher position to deal with it.
Although he knew that no one in the small Marine base on Prometheus Island could handle it.
But that was a matter for the higher-ups, what did it have to do with him, a mere patrolman?
"Mmm! Plan complete."