Lafitte and Gaya returned to Maude's side after dealing with the attackers.
They glanced at the lifeless bodies of the Mallet brothers sprawled across the street without much reaction.
From the moment Maude was placed under a Marine bounty, situations like this—trouble coming straight to his door—became a common occurrence.
It wasn't just the Marines. Bounty hunters, and even fellow pirates driven by greed, all sought Maude's head, valued at over 100 million Berries.
"Only about 300,000."
Lafitte raised a thick stack of cash in his hand, the highest denomination among them being 2,000 Berries.
He had killed 19 people in total but only managed to collect around 300,000 Berries, which showed just how poor these would-be bounty hunters were.
In truth, most pirates and bounty hunters weren't wealthy.
Living life on the edge, never knowing whether tomorrow or disaster would come first, they often squandered their earnings on fleeting pleasures the moment they "earned" them.
Of course, there were exceptions—some pirates preferred to stash their treasures on remote, uninhabited islands, or use their spoils to strengthen their crews.
As for bounty hunters, they'd start saving for retirement once they reached a certain age.
To maximize the profits of "black-on-black" operations, it was best to target well-known pirate crews.
"Not much—barely enough for a meal," Maude remarked, shaking his head slightly after glancing at Lafitte's spoils.
"Are we eating now?"
Hearing the mention of food, Bailey, who was lying atop Jim's bald head, perked up instantly, standing at attention.
Maude ignored Bailey's sudden enthusiasm and turned to look at Benny, who was clinging nervously to Jim's leg.
"Benny, is there a tavern in town that caters specifically to pirates?"
"Y-Yes, but it's messy and dangerous there," Benny replied, his voice trembling.
"Are you willing to take us there?"
Maude smiled at Benny, whose panic was slowly starting to subside.
Benny hesitated for a moment before nodding emphatically. He didn't want to lose such a valuable client as Maude.
"Lead the way," Maude said with a smile.
Going to a pirate-focused tavern wasn't just about food and drink. Maude wanted to gather intel on which pirate crews in Dick City were worth targeting.
Even though this wasn't a lawless area, Maude had no qualms about profiting from his peers.
As the group set out, they hadn't gone far before encountering a heavily armed military unit marching toward them. At least a hundred men, armored from head to toe, advanced in formation.
The clanging of metal as their armor shifted resonated through the air, exuding an aura of discipline and strength.
Seeing the military force approach from the front, Betnny, who was leading the way, stopped in his tracks.
Though he hadn't committed any crimes and was relatively calm, he understood why the soldiers were here.
"Big Bro Maude..."
Benny turned back to Maude nervously.
Maude stepped forward calmly, passing Benny and positioning himself to meet the soldiers' assessing gazes.
Leading the troops was a middle-aged man clad in silver armor and wielding a double-headed axe.
The man scrutinized Maude, his sharp gaze swiftly identifying him.
"Bacardi Maude, with a bounty of 100 million..."
The man's expression stiffened as his mind raced.
To these soldiers, the amount of a pirate's bounty was the sole measure of their threat level, and anyone with a bounty exceeding 100 million deserved significant caution.
While the silver-armored man sized up Maude, Maude also evaluated him.
"Not bad," Maude thought, gauging the man's strength. His gaze then swept over the soldiers behind him.
These weren't mere grunts; their quality exceeded the typical fodder pirates he often encountered.
With soldiers this competent, it wasn't surprising that the Ahab Kingdom dared to host pirates.
After all, strength was the foundation of audacity.
Maude mused silently.
The two sides locked eyes without speaking.
Moments later, an armored soldier stepped up beside the silver-armored man and whispered, "Captain Matthew, the deceased are the bounty hunter Mallet brothers."
Matthew nodded at the information, then fixed a solemn gaze on Maude.
"You've violated Article 9 of the Order Management Act by committing murder in public. This constitutes a crime," Matthew declared, his tone stern.
"Oh?"
Maude raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
Not bothering to investigate the cause and directly declaring guilt revealed the Ahab Kingdom's authoritarian approach to maintaining order.
"And what comes next?" Maude asked calmly.
Unfazed by Maude's bounty, Matthew responded coldly:
"You have two options. The first: serve a sentence of hard labor for sixty days. The second: pay a fine of 2 million Berries per person."
Maude remained silent at first, while Lafitte and Gaya exchanged bemused glances.
So, the whole punishment system was essentially a scheme to extract money?
And a life was only worth 2 million Berries?
Or perhaps, because the victims were foreign bounty hunters, the judgment was so perfunctory.
If that were the case, it explained why the Mallet brothers dared to act so brazenly in public.
Compared to the massive bounties, the 6 million Berry fine seemed trivial.
This speculation wasn't far from the truth.
If the victims had been citizens of the kingdom, the penalty would have been at least tripled.
And since the perpetrators were pirates, Matthew had no intention of investigating the circumstances further.
A fine would suffice.
Afterward, they would seize the Mallet brothers' "inheritance" from their residence, as detailed in the registry.
In short, everything revolved around money.
This was the great truth dictated by the kingdom's avaricious king.
"Haha."
After a moment, Maude chuckled.
This Leviathan Island's Ahab Kingdom was rather interesting. The unseen ruler of this kingdom clearly wasn't ordinary either.
A nation, huh...
To run a country like this, where money flowed in just by sitting still, was truly a feat.
Maude's laughter made the soldiers, including Matthew, visibly uncomfortable.
He stopped laughing abruptly, unsheathing Chidori with a sharp clang.
The soldiers, trained to react instantly, drew their weapons in unison.
Maude leveled his blade before him, meeting their wary gazes with calm resolve.
If these soldiers, acting on royal authority, had bothered to inquire about the circumstances or shown some courtesy, Maude might not have drawn his weapon.
Though he had concerns about his new ship, he had no intention of backing down to this group.
"And if I choose neither?"
Maude's gaze swept over the soldiers, sharp as the blade he held.
The oppressive aura he exuded bore the weight of countless battles and spilled blood, pressing heavily upon the soldiers.
"This guy…"
Matthew's face changed.
The aura alone was enough to make the seasoned captain, who had slain over a hundred foes, acutely aware of Maude's terrifying presence.
This man wasn't just strong—he was the kind who could annihilate an entire town without hesitation.
"Captain Matthew, what is the meaning of this?!"
Just as tensions reached a boiling point, a voice laced with anger rang out.
Everyone turned toward the source, where a man named Keynes approached briskly.
"Lord Keynes."
Matthew bowed respectfully, his demeanor markedly deferential.
Keynes was connected to the Thomas Shipyard, which generated immense revenue for the Ahab Kingdom and enjoyed the king's favor, to the point of fostering marriage ties.
Keynes scanned the armed soldiers coldly before turning his gaze to Matthew, his voice stern:
"This gentleman, Mr. Maude, is a valued guest of the Thomas Shipyard. I don't care what happened here, but you will pay for your insolence."
Matthew's eyes flickered, but he quickly signaled his men to lower their weapons.
Then, to everyone's surprise, Matthew removed his helmet and knelt on one knee before Maude.
The soldiers behind him followed suit.
The townsfolk, who had been quietly watching from the sidelines, gawked in disbelief.
Keynes, however, remained impassive.
Under the avaricious king's rule, anything that endangered profits would be swiftly dealt with—even if it meant kneeling or worse.
For Keynes, well-acquainted with the kingdom's inner workings, this was entirely expected.
But for outsiders like Maude and his crew, it was astonishing.
"This…"
Maude stared at the kneeling soldiers, his expression one of genuine surprise.
What kind of kingdom was this?
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