Chapter 133: The Prerequisite for Recklessness

The Donquixote Family’s business spans the globe, primarily engaged in lucrative black-market industries such as arms dealing and the slave trade. Recently, Doflamingo has grown increasingly disdainful of the slave trade, gradually shifting his focus toward the arms business. In his view, Mad Hatter Island is a prime location teeming with various illicit trades, yet it lacks the crucial element of weaponry. Consequently, when he received a self-recommendation letter from Ralph a year ago, Doflamingo paid it no mind. It was only two months ago, when Ralph returned with legitimate arms distribution channels, that Doflamingo finally took an interest. To his surprise, however, before any partnership could even begin, Mad Hatter Town met a catastrophic end.

As a lawless zone that had caught his eye, the destruction of Mad Hatter Town piqued his curiosity. With his influence, he obtained key intelligence with effortless ease, discovering that the culprits behind the town's downfall were none other than the Marine Hero Garp and Admiral Aokiji. Upon seeing those names, Doflamingo was stunned, and his interest in the matter deepened significantly. Today, a bounty poster arrived as expected.

"Sixty-eight million for a first bounty, fufufu..."

Doflamingo leaned back, tossed the bounty poster aside, and accepted a glass of red wine from a handmaiden. Diamante, one of the top officers of the Donquixote Family, picked up the discarded poster and examined it closely.

"So young?"

Wearing his signature ruffled hat with facial patterns across his cheeks, Diamante looked on in disbelief. "Doffy, is this guy connected to that Mad Hatter Island incident you were looking into?"

"Fufufu..." Doflamingo drained his glass without answering.

The other officers, who had been drinking and merrymaking around the pool, noticed the commotion and gathered around.

"Huh? This guy looks like he’s only sixteen or seventeen, right? How is his bounty so high?"
"Ba-da-da Mode? Never heard of him."
"And it’s his first bounty..."
"What kind of major stunt did he pull to get such a high reward?"
"Hmph, he’s fifty million higher than me!"
"Dellinger, to be precise, he’s fifty-three million higher than you."
"Aaaah!" A cry of frustration followed.
"Dellinger, you’re still young, so it’s normal for your bounty to be lower."
"But this guy is young too!"
"..."

Doflamingo remained silent, watching his family members bicker. Ba-da-da Mode. A sixty-eight million berry bounty on his first offense, coupled with his entanglement with the Red-Haired Pirates—this fellow was certainly no minor character. Perhaps in a year, or maybe two... the presence of this guy...

...

Grand Line, the White Soil Island of Baltigo.

A desolate island covered in yellow sand and jagged rocks, it serves as the headquarters for the Revolutionary Army. Koala ran into Sabo’s room, clutching a bounty poster.

"Sabo, Mode has been put on a wanted list."
"What?!" Sabo walked out of the bathroom, wearing only his trousers.
"Here." Koala slapped the poster onto Sabo’s chest.

Sabo picked it up and stared in astonishment. Watching his reaction, Koala sighed, "I was shocked when I first saw it too. It doesn't seem like Mode did anything major, so why is the bounty so high?"

"I'm not sure." Sabo shook his head, his voice deepening. "However, the Marines must have had sufficient reasons to set such a high price."

Koala nodded in agreement. Sabo placed the poster on the table and began to dress. Shortly after, the two left the room together, heading toward the workshop. Inside, members of the Revolutionary Army were hard at work. They greeted Sabo and Koala out of habit, but soon noticed the poster in Sabo's hand and looked on with slight surprise. To their knowledge, Sabo had never paid attention to pirates; in fact, he had zero interest in them.

"Sabo, since when did you get interested in pirates?"
"Ah, it’s because he’s a friend of mine."

Sabo held up the poster and walked with Koala toward the window. There stood a man draped in a green cloak. He stared silently at the whistling sandstorm outside, his stern face, marked by a red geometric tattoo, reflected in the windowpane. This man was the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon.

Sabo approached the window and held the poster up to Dragon, smiling. "Dragon, this is the Mode I told you about."

"Oh." Dragon took the poster and glanced at it, his reaction icy.

Sabo didn't take offense and continued, "Impressive, isn't it? Such a high bounty for a first-timer. It would be great if he could join us."

Dragon handed the poster to Koala, while Sabo continued to talk enthusiastically about Mode. Even the nearby Revolutionary Army members could easily see Sabo’s strong desire to recruit Mode into the organization. Listening to Sabo’s endless chatter, Dragon’s expression remained entirely unmoved. Compared to raw strength, the Revolutionary Army valued like-minded spirits above all else. Thus, even though Sabo brought him up repeatedly, Dragon showed little interest.

...

Somewhere in the Grand Line.

The Red Force of the Red-Haired Pirates was anchored here. After a violent storm late last night, the morning was perfectly clear. On the deck, Yasopp held Mode’s bounty poster, examining it closely.

"Tsk tsk, the kid is quite photogenic."
"Is that what you're focusing on?"

Lucky Roux leaned in to glance at the poster. His eyes went straight to the bounty amount; he couldn't care less about whether the photo was flattering. Yasopp patted Lucky Roux’s belly, a meaningful look in his eyes. "Hard to fathom, isn't it?"

Lucky Roux nodded.

"Haha!" Yasopp laughed for no apparent reason and walked off to find Shanks, leaving a bewildered Lucky Roux behind. After only a few steps, he was intercepted by his crewmates.

"Is that Mode’s bounty poster?" A sharp-eyed crew member spotted the picture.
"Yes." Yasopp nodded.
"Let me see."

A crew member snatched the poster from Yasopp and began to read it. Seeing this, the others crowded around, squeezing together to get a look.

"Sixty-eight million? Little Mode is doing alright!"
"Hey, hey, this number is higher than mine."
"Hahaha, it really is."
"What are you laughing at? I remember your bounty wasn't that high either."
"Oops, sorry, mine is seventy-four million."
"..."

The defeated crew member retreated, scurrying off into a corner. In the captain’s quarters, Shanks lay on his bed, a bottle of wine in his hand. He could hear the commotion outside clearly.

"A pity..."

He stared at the ceiling, his gaze deep and inscrutable, leaving it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

...

East Blue, Mommon Island.

Mode had no idea he had been put on a wanted list, let alone with a bounty as high as sixty-eight million. Even if he did know, it wouldn't matter. For a long time to come, he wouldn't be leaving Mommon Island. As Sol had put it, if he wanted to roam the world, he first had to master the skills to survive. Otherwise, if he ran wild, he would inevitably end up with his legs broken.

And so, Mode began his long, arduous training on Mommon Island.

Well, specifically, training for the Moon Walk...