Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Beautiful Hunter's Guild!
Foosha Village.
Makino's bar!
Leno is here again.
Only, he knew Makino.
Makino could no longer recognize him.
More than a year had passed.
Leno's transformation was both amazing and profound.
It wasn't just a matter of time.
Even close acquaintances wouldn't recognize him.
When they first met, Leno was 178cm tall, with a slender build—just a newcomer entangled with a bandit group.
Now, meeting again, Leno stood at 203cm, with a strong physique, a heroic demeanor, and remarkable talent. He was now the president of the Hunter's Guild.
Though the Hunter's Guild had been established only recently, it had its own structure and Leno had become its leader.
His strength, power, and financial resources brought a confident aura and undeniable charm.
The patrons in the bar, seeing them in uniform trench coats and distinct attire, murmured among themselves in hushed tones.
"Who are these people?"
"Pirates?"
"How could they be? Pirates don't carry themselves like that. I think they're a secret army from the kingdom."
"You idiots, can't you see? The logo on their backs clearly says Hunter's Guild!"
"Huh? Really? Not everyone can read, you know!"
"I'll read for you: Hunter's Guild!"
Kuina's sharp ears caught their discussion, and she felt a twinge of embarrassment.
Since Leno had established the Hunter's Guild, he insisted on designing a uniform look for the group.
It wasn't difficult. After all, most of Glass Ball Island's residents were designers.
Moreover, the founder of DOSKOIPANDA, Carl Hayworth, had promised to customize the clothing for them.
In addition, Leno collaborated with the island's designers to craft the Hunter's Guild badge and flag.
But that wasn't all.
He also developed the rules and systems of the Hunter's Guild.
Kuro fully supported this.
This was an organization, not a makeshift gang.
Finally, the Hunter's Guild, with just four members, set sail for the first time.
Their unconventional trench coats, paired with exquisite clothing and boots, drew attention wherever they went.
This made Kuina, who was naturally introverted, feel uneasy yet proud. She developed a strong sense of identity with the Hunter's Guild.
Uniforms were just clothes.
But when aligned with a profession, they imparted a sense of honor.
At the outset, Leno had spent a considerable amount of money on designing badges, customizing uniforms, and formulating rules.
His goal was to set the Hunter's Guild apart from other organizations, bounty hunters, pirates, and even the Marine.
Just as the "justice" coat signified the Marine, Leno wanted the hunter uniform and trench coat to be instantly recognizable as the Hunter's Guild.
He wanted wearing this attire to be something people envied—a badge of honor.
And looking around, it seemed to be working.
Everyone thought it looked incredibly cool!
This was precisely Leno's directive to the designers.
The hunter uniform had to be cool, handsome, and stylish.
Only something cool, handsome, and beautiful could attract people.
If it were ugly, no one would want to wear it, let alone envy it.
Kuina, Kuro, and Luwell took their seats.
Leno approached the bar and asked Makino for three beers and a glass of juice.
He raised a glass of beer.
The other two were for Kuro and Luwell.
The juice was for Kuina.
Children shouldn't drink alcohol.
If Koushirou found out that Leno had given Kuina alcohol, he'd probably kill him.
When Makino returned with the drinks, Leno placed 10,000 Bellies on the counter.
"Sir, that's too much," Makino quickly said.
Leno smiled, "It's extra—a tip, for the drinks, and also because I need a favor."
He hadn't yet paid for the bottle of Shanks' wine he broke!
Makino didn't recognize him, puzzled by the payment for the drinks.
She hesitated to take the money, feeling a little cautious.
"How can I help you?"
"Two things. First, I want to ask if you've heard any news about the nearby bandit group."
"Bandits?"
"Yes, the ones who came here a year ago, led by Bandit Higuma."
Makino's eyes narrowed.
"No, I haven't heard anything about them."
She worried that these people might be from the World Government, investigating Shanks, and didn't want any trouble for the village.
While Shanks had made a name for himself on the Grand Line, he was still a pirate, and associating with him could bring danger.
"Oh, Higuma?"
A drunk man staggered over.
His gaze locked onto the Bellies on the counter, and he licked his lips greedily. "Give me 5000 Belly, and I'll tell you."
Leno pushed the money on the counter to Makino, then took out 5000 Belly and handed it to the drunkard.
The drunkard took the money, took a swig of his drink, and said, "Higuma is dead! There was infighting, and now Barry is in charge."
"Barry?"
Leno was slightly surprised.
"Do you know where they are?"
The drunkard extended his hand, "50,000 Belly, and I'll take you to them."
"Deal!"
Leno asked Makino to bring the man a bottle of wine and waited beside him.
Then, he pulled out a few sheets of paper, placing them on the bar counter. "The second thing—I'd like to buy some space on the bar's bulletin board."
In the world of One Piece, there aren't many ways to gather information.
The bars that everyone frequents often become hubs for communication and information exchange.
Therefore, many bars reserve half a wall for posting various information, such as Marine bounties, newspaper clippings, kingdom decrees, etc.
A fee is typically required for private use of this space.
It's an unwritten rule.
"What is this?" Makino asked, glancing at the papers.
"Hunter Guild Mission!"
"Conditions for Joining the Hunter's Guild!"
"The Twelve Rules of the Hunter!"
"The Difference Between Hunters and Pirates!"
Yes!
This was recruitment material for the Hunter's Guild.
Back when Leno was in college, he had founded a club and knew the importance of publicity and how to attract members.
The Hunter's Guild had to recruit and grow.
It couldn't rely solely on him and the three fledglings.
Yes, I'm talking about you.
Kuina, Kuro, Luwell.
In this matter, the three of them could only follow Leno's lead and continue to gain experience.
That's why Leno wasn't in a rush to enter the Grand Line. He first needed to establish a solid foundation in East Blue.
Like Luffy, who jumped right into it—nine times out of ten, he would have ended up dead.
Luffy was unique and couldn't be replicated.
In fact, in Loguetown, if it hadn't been for Dragon's help, Luffy might have been captured by Smoker.
During the Summit War, aside from Sakazuki being preoccupied, the others went easy on him.
Without the support of such powerful figures, Leno had to take things step by step.
Starting an empire from scratch was never easy.
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