"Clear in his judgment of good and evil, and acts with measured restraint!"
"A true knight of justice!"
Unnoticed by the others, the young reporter had already made his way beside Garen. Speaking with a tone full of admiration, he greeted,
"Lord Garen, it's an honor to meet you!"
He respectfully introduced himself, using the name he'd overheard from Nami earlier,
"I'm Michael Wallace, a field reporter for the East Blue Daily."
"Wallace, huh…"
Garen's expression turned odd.
"Sounds like someone who's always chasing big news."
Wallace's eyes lit up as he responded excitedly,
"Lord Garen, you truly have sharp insight! Reporting world-shaking news is my life's greatest pursuit!"
Wallace's sincere flattery left Garen unsure where to put his oversized face.
Having just survived a brush with death, Wallace had already tidied up his previously disheveled appearance. Though he was still a bit dusty and his short golden hair remained tousled, he maintained the air of a refined gentleman.
Receiving such praise from someone like that was definitely… a strange feeling.
And Wallace wasn't done yet.
Looking at the pirate corpses hanging one by one from the dock's flagpoles, he remarked with admiration,
"Not only are you wise and mighty, Sir Knight, but you treat money like dirt!"
"To deter those villainous pirates, you were even willing to give up such a hefty reward."
"What?"
Nami, who had been silently stewing in frustration, suddenly perked up. Her pretty, water-clear eyes instantly gleamed with the golden glow of money.
She had just heard a word that resonated deep in her soul:
"Money? Where?"
Wallace casually pointed toward the steel-saber-wielding corpse now strung up on a flagpole and replied,
"You didn't know, miss? That guy has a bounty of ten million Berries!"
"What? Ten million Berries?!"
This time, it was Garen who shouted in surprise.
He didn't quite know how much purchasing power Berries had, but a number like ten million? That was definitely enough to save him from the fate of surviving off dine-and-dash meals.
He and Nami exchanged a look, a silent understanding reached in an instant.
Moments later—
"Ahem."
Garen walked up to the middle-aged sheriff who was busy with the grim task of hanging corpses and said,
"On second thought, this is a public area where people come and go..."
"Leaving Steel Saber up there looking like that—too gruesome. It's bad for the city's image. Better take him down."
Another round of activity followed.
Soon, Garen returned, dragging the corpse of Steel Saber behind him, face still twisted in death. Beaming with excitement, he turned to Wallace and asked,
"So where do I go to claim the bounty?"
"Er…"
Wallace looked a little awkward but still answered earnestly,
"A ten million Berries bounty isn't a small sum. You'll need a sizable Navy branch to exchange it."
"There is a nearby Navy branch that meets the requirement, but all things considered…"
"I'd still recommend sailing a bit farther to Loguetown, where the main forces of the Navy headquarters are stationed, to cash in the bounty."
Loguetown was a long journey away. Choosing to go all the way there when a Navy base was nearby didn't seem like a smart move.
But as someone who understood East Blue well, Wallace knew better than anyone what those so-called local Navy branches were really like.
Due to the World Government and Navy Headquarters' weak control over the lower levels, local Navy branches had effectively become private kingdoms ruled by their own officers.
With unchecked power and no oversight, nine out of ten local naval officers had become corrupt, violent tyrants.
Experienced bounty hunters wouldn't risk exchanging rewards at these black-market "naval" outposts.
Even if you were strong enough not to get swindled, the officers might still frame you for "assaulting a naval officer" and brand you a pirate.
"Loguetown?"
Garen wasn't aware of the shady politics involved, but the name sparked a sense of familiarity.
"Isn't that where the Pirate King died?"
"The very same!"
Nami suddenly leaned in with a sweet smile.
"You don't know how to navigate a route, right?"
"No worries—I'm the best navigator in all of East Blue!"
She said that sweetly, but her eyes were locked onto the corpse Garen was holding.
Or rather, the ten million Berries it represented.
Her smile became even more genuine, her large eyes curving into charming little crescents.
"If you hire me to navigate, I'll give you a great deal—just four hundred—no, five hundred thousand Berries!"
"..."
Garen turned his head quietly.
"Can't afford it. No money."
"I don't care!"
Nami didn't mind the filth. She grabbed the corpse's clothes and refused to let go.
"I helped out too. I deserve half that bounty!"
"Half?"
Garen replied flatly,
"All you did was make things harder for me, remember?"
"You…!"
Nami puffed out her cheeks like a balloon, her face red with frustration.
After all, it was Garen who had saved her just now—she couldn't really argue with that.
But after a few moments, her eyes softened, taking on a watery tenderness.
She gently swept back her slightly messy orange short hair, showing off her feminine charm, and even her voice turned soft and coquettish:
"Sir Knight, I am the 'Lady Knight' you've been searching for, aren't I?"
"Stop right there."
"I don't even know you that well."
Garen wasn't buying it this time.
"I can't even afford food right now—what do I need a wife for?!"
After watching these two greedy characters go back and forth, Wallace's gaze toward Garen grew even stranger.
His twitching facial muscles betrayed a creeping sense of crumbling faith.
"Ahem."
Garen, noticing the odd look, grew a little embarrassed.
Putting on a serious face, he spoke earnestly,
"Wallace… do you really think I'm taking this bounty because I love money and luxury?"
"Huh?"
Wallace froze, the admiration in his eyes returning in full force.
"Then… could it be that you had deeper motives, Lord Garen?"
"Exactly."
Garen's face grew solemn and devout, like that of a pious saint.
"True justice means punishing the wicked and rewarding the righteous."
"That makes sense..."
Wallace nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.
But Garen wasn't done preaching.
He cleared his throat and continued with great gravity:
"Wallace, let me tell you two ancient parables about the distinction between justice and profit."
Mimicking the tone of his high school literature teacher, Garen gave Wallace a simple and vivid retelling of the stories "Zigong Redeems a Man" and "Zilu Accepts the Cow."
Wallace was captivated by these concise and meaningful tales.
His admiration for Garen deepened even further. Eyes gleaming, he whipped out a notebook and began to record Garen's words of wisdom.
"Amazing…"
Wallace choked up, eyes misty with emotion.
"Lord Garen, you're not just a moral role model—you're a philosophical giant!"
"No."
"I'm but a child picking seashells by the shore, lucky enough to stand upon the shoulders of giants."
Garen quoted another famous line with feigned modesty and a solemn air.
"A petty man speaks of profit, while a gentleman speaks of virtue."
"But for one who seeks great benevolence, the small lies in virtue, and the great lies in profit."
"This bounty is a great reward meant to encourage justice for all—not a small profit for just myself."
"If someone tried to hand me money personally, I'd never accept it. But this bounty? I must reluctantly take it…"
"All for the sake of upholding justice!"
So noble!
Lord Garen, so pure and aloof, had stooped to claim such worldly money—just to promote greater justice!
Wallace could barely speak through his tears, scribbling away furiously to preserve Garen's lofty words.
In his mind, Garen had become the very embodiment of virtue—and he was already drafting an article praising the knight's moral greatness.
Nami stood to the side, her mouth twitching.
She seriously considered cracking open Wallace's skull to see just how much water had flooded his brain.
After Wallace finished feverishly taking notes, he looked up at Garen again and sighed emotionally,
"My thinking was too shallow… I actually mistook you for some greedy commoner!"
"It's fine."
Garen had gotten used to spouting wise quotes.
"To acknowledge your mistakes and correct them—nothing could be more virtuous."
"I'm sorry!"
Wallace bowed sincerely, then pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. Right in front of Garen and Nami, he tore it into tiny pieces.
"What are you doing?"
Garen asked, baffled.
Wallace casually tossed the shredded paper aside, and said reverently,
"Earlier, I failed to recognize your nobility, Lord Garen."
"I was going to repay your life-saving grace with a one-million Berry check."
"But now I realize—such a petty sum would only insult your noble virtue!"
"Check?"
Garen blinked.
"One million Berries?"
Nami clenched her fists.
They looked at each other.
And their hearts shattered in perfect synchrony.
(End of Chapter)