Chapter 16
A/N: Wew that last update was divisive. Two solid groups of one side hating it and the other loving it. Many of you understood why I chose the route that I did whereas others... just kept complaining about Jack not attacking the ship directly. Oh well. Can't please everyone.
On a side note.
It's truly remarkable how many individuals ask me questions in a review, clearly wishing for a reply...and then they have PM's disabled or they left it as a 'Guest'. Like, do you want an answer or not?
Yeutton Port, Caeba Kingdom, South Blue
Petty Officer Abrella let out a despondent sigh as she lazily picked at her salad in the bases cafeteria. Across the table one of her juniors, Seaman Pittman, continued to moan and groan about the failed date she had went on over the weekend and Abrella listened halfheartedly as she knocked a small tomato around with her fork.
"And then he tried to feel me up after just one date!" The Seaman huffed indignantly. "I guess if the night had been going better I might have been up for it, but it wasn't!"
"Uh huh." Abrella muttered, popping a crouton in her mouth.
"And then to just get all grabby-handed out of the blue? It's like, can't you read the mood guy! Ugh!" Pittman paused to blow a lock of hair out of her face and cross her arms in annoyance. "So. That made my Saturday a bust. What about you Petty Officer? Anything exciting in your life?"
Abrella raised her drink to her lips and sipped away the last few ounces. "Nope." She answered succinctly and then began gathering her trash together. "Well," she drew out, rising to her feet. "Time to get back to it. Another exciting day of staring at the wall."
"Mou, you shouldn't complain so much Petty Officer." Pittman said with a pouted lip. "Some of us wish we had jobs as cushy as yours."
"Yeah yeah...lucky me." Abrella replied with an exaggerated eye roll. "I'll see you later Pittman."
"Bye Petty Officer!"
Abrella dumped her trash and began the slow walk back to her post. Manning the bounty office was still as dull an assignment as it had ever been. A 10 hour shift containing only about 10 minutes of work. Nothing really but puzzle books to keep her company most of the day. There was a new hunter in town, a young man named Vince, who occasionally stopped by to shoot the shit for a few minutes and liven up an hour... but Abrella hadn't seen him in about a week and a half.
'Probably moved on just like the others.' Abrella hummed in thought.
Waldstein. Duan. Sandoval. Zhao. Graves. Jack. And now Vince. It seemed as though every time someone began to fit into the mold of being a 'regular' around here they would then just stop showing up one day. Whether it was because they grew bored of the business or left to hunt bigger fish Abrella didn't know. It was even possible that some had met miserable ends at the hands of their targets. How would she find out? 'Dead men tell no tales' wasn't a saying for no reason after all.
'I at least hope Zhao and Jack are doing well. Sandoval...well...some people you miss less than others.'
Little did she know that one of the faces on her mind was waiting for her right around the corner, idly picking at his nails.
Abrella's head subtly shifted in surprise. "Jack?"
20 days have passed since my failed -and foolishly impulsive- attempt at revenge on Eustass and his ilk. 18 days since Odenkirk and his subordinates decided they could no longer justify staying and packed up, leaving Kivuruk to fend for itself again. A few of my fellows cried for them to stay but, in truth, it was generous of the Lt. Commander to stop and render aid at all in the first place. He was commanding a warship after all, not a humanitarian vessel. Many other Marines wouldn't have bothered.
I've been running myself a bit ragged these last three weeks. Trying to get a torched village back on its feet is no small amount of work. I didn't make any attempt to hide the existence of my [Inventory] from my fellow Kivuruk-ians. Its usefulness in ferrying supplies from one isle to the next is simply too great a resource to bother trying to hide it. The lie about becoming a 'Storage Human' from a Paramecia Fruit flows smoother off my lips every time I tell it.
Timber. Tools. Food. Blankets. More food. And a hundred other things that needed buying have obliterated the savings I once had. The small fortune I'd amassed was enough to last me personally well over a decade. Take that sum and apply it across a village though and its gone in less than a month.
I'm not complaining. I was happy to spend it. Seeing the embers of hope begin to rekindle in my friends faces makes every Beri worth it. But my rapidly dwindling funds does mean that a cash infusion is suddenly necessary.
Hence the pirate captain propped against the wall behind me with a bag over his head.
'Sorry guy.' I internally voiced without meaning it. 'Someone had to get the short end of the stick.'
It was nothing personal to this pirate in particular. His crimes, while undoubtedly numerous, weren't anything special or notably vile when compared to those of his fellows on this sea. He was just the one unlucky enough to be the first black flag Kiwi and I stumbled upon while we were out flying.
Another minute passes by and there's still no sign of someone returning to the booth with the massive 'BOUNTY' sign overhead. One of life's tiny annoyances is that when you see a sign that reads 'Out to lunch. Will return in 30.' you really can't be sure when that actually is. Did they leave eight minutes ago or twenty-eight? How long should I stand here waiting before just leaving and coming back later?
A hand lazily reaches up to fiddle with a lock of hair. 'Tch. It's getting long again. I'll have to find time to get it cut later. I wish it would just stay the way I like it.'
My finger pauses as the idea strikes me. 'Wait. Can I do that? Hair growing is an involuntary process and hypothetically speaking [Seimei Kikan] lets me control those. Is it possible for me to just... turn that off? If I 'can' turn it off will it stay that way once I stop thinking about it?'
My hand comes down to eye level and I start inspecting my nails. 'These grow involuntarily too. Maybe I could start experimenting. If I can turn the growth of these off and it stays off...then the question has to be asked. What else can be turned off? No. More importantly, what can be turned on..'
"Jack?"
The surprised voice derails my train of thought and I crane around to face the redhead. "You're back in town?" Abrella's eyes briefly turn to the hooded figured slumped against the wall. "And you brought me a present! So thoughtful."
A soft chuckle rang inside my throat. "Nice to see you too Abrella."
"So so." The Petty Officer continued as she removed the 'Out to lunch' sign and took her post. "What's the occasion? Who'd you bring me this time?"
"I'm just here for the day. You could say I was...in the area. As for the guy, we'll get to him in a minute. Trust me, he's not going anywhere. How have you been? Anything exciting happen while I was gone?"
Abrella sighed and leaned over the countertop. "Not really. There's this new kid around named Vince who's brought in a couple people for petty stuff but nothing major. I think the largest payout was maybe…" Abrella's brow scrunched in thought. "200,000 I think? Haven't seen him in a bit over a week though. That's about it. Pretty boring days here I'm afraid."
"Sorry to hear that. Hey can I ask you something?" I said, my voice suddenly changing tone. "Is Mori still stationed here? Not that it isn't great to see you again, but I mostly came to turn the bounty in at this particular base because I want to talk to him about something."
Abrella's smile subtly weakened. "He is. But ever since his promotion to Master Chief he isn't my direct supervisor anymore. I report to Chief Klyce now. If you need to talk to someone higher up the chain than me I could go fetch him if you like?"
"Hmm..no...It's more of a personal matter really. Do you know where I might find him?"
"Master Chief Mori spends most of his time either in his office on the fourth floor or sparring in the yard with Master Chief Curren. He's up for Warrant Officer next quarter and Mori's been helping him train." Abrella paused to check the time on her watch. "Actually, they usually break for lunch right around now. I can run a message to him that you're here if you really need me to. Are you sure you can't just speak to someone else?"
"I really appreciate that. Actually wait...maybe you should get someone else too..what's the most you're authorized to pay out for captures?"
Abrella scrutinized the hooded figure more closely. "Any payment on a bounty or group of bounties that exceeds 3,000,000 needs a Warrant Officer or higher to sign off on it. There are some more restrictions when you get to the crazy high numbers but none of that is really relevan-" Abrella choked on her words as I lifted the bag away and she took in the mans features.
The scraggly beard. Single curlicue in his greasy jet black hair. And the very noticeable crisscrossed scar just under his chin. Not a day went by at work that she didn't see that face hanging on her left-most bounty board. The one that displayed 'actual' threats. Not just street thugs and pickpockets. "Jack, is that…?"
"Andrew 'Mulligan' McCarthy." I confirm. "Captain of the Gambler's Fallacy and wanted for 12 million Dead or Alive...this case being dead."
Abrella is speechless as she continues to twist her head between the intimidating poster on her wall and the pale corpse just a few feet away.
"Could you go get those people now?" I prodded with a smile. "I'd hate to be rude but I do have some other errands I really need to get to today."
It's 14 minutes later and I'm watching Abrella count out bills as I wait for Mori. At our left a Junior Lieutenant -Jorgen's replacement most likely- is signing the authorizing forms for a monetary dispensation of this size while a duo of Seamen behind him are carrying the body away for...huh... now that I think about it I really have no idea what they do with the bodies turned in. Cremation maybe?
The officer stops scribbling on his clipboard, gives it one last look over, and then silently nods in satisfaction. "Carry on Petty Officer." He speaks neutrally as he hands the papers over to Abrella for filing.
"Thank you sir." Abrella calls to his retreating form and then pushes the money my way. "Well here you are Jack. Master Chief should only be a few more minutes."
Ding!
Quest Completed!
Quest: Collect a bounty worth at least 10,000,000 Beri.
Reward: +15 STR, +15 VIT or DEX and 10,000 Exp.
You have reached Lv. 44!
You have reached Lv. 45!
You have reached Lv. 46!
You have 60 points to spend!
'Oh good.' I thought with relief as I scooped up the cash and selected VIT over DEX for the second reward. 'I was wondering if McCarthy would still qualify.'
A not-so-minor detail I had forgotten about the bounty hunter life is that you get paid 30% less for turning in a dead body than you do a live one. This reduction meant that my payday technically fell quite a bit short of the 10 mil requirement. Luckily it seems the [Game] isn't feeling stingy. 'It's good to have confirmation that the number on the poster is the one it cares about.'
It's been more than a few weeks since I last really looked at all the bounty-related [Quests] I received back when I turned in Reggie all those months ago. At the time I had dismissed them as 'long-term goals'. Things that I might aim for eventually, but not necessarily ever achieve.
My, how the times do change.
'Now how should we deal with these points?'
None of my stats really scream the need to be upgraded right now. I could dump most of the points into DEX to see if if gets a new [Perk] at 250...though if it doesn't then I'll feel like I've partially wasted them. STR and VIT were just boosted by the [Quest] but I'd rather they be higher still...
Bah...don't overthink it. We'll just spread the wealth around a bit. Maybe with a slight preference to the physical. We're gonna need it.
Points to spend (60) → (0)
STR (164) → (180)
VIT (130) → (145)
DEX (200) → (215)
INT (100) → (107)
WIS (100) → (107)
Max Health (2,600) → (2,900)
'There we go. A healthy start on the road to the next tier for DEX, a VIT that makes [HP Regen] two HP a second, and a STR that cracks 300 once we activate [Adrenalin Rush]. I don't want to leave INT or WIS trailing behind but until I know when the second [Perk] level is I don't see placing a lot of points in them as the best investment.'
"Haha Jack!" A sweaty and boisterously laughing Mori calls as he appears at the end of the hall. "Sorry about the delay!" He booms as one arm extends for a handshake. "Curren and I were going at it pretty rough in the training yard. He's up for Warrant Officer next quarter."
"So I've heard." I reply, completing the shake. "Thanks for taking the time to see me Chief Err- sorry, Master Chief."
"Bah, don't worry about it. You're a civilian so you can just keep calling me Mori." The Marine pulls back his hand and then leans in for a whisper. "What are you doing back here Jack? Thought you were gonna stay out of Caeba because of...well you know."
"Don't worry." I assured. "I'm only in town for the day. Not really enough time for anything bad to happen."
"Ha!" He barks. "Don't jinx it! Now, what can I help you with?"
I tilt my head back and gesture towards the main hallway. "Walk with me for a minute would'ya."
"Sure sure." Mori replies, taking a rag out of his pocket and wiping his sweat-stained brow. "So.. 12 million eh?" He comments as we begin our stroll. "You're moving up in the world. He give you any trouble?"
"None in the slightest." I'm not trying to be boastful. It's simply the truth. McCarthy had 22 men on his crew not including himself. An acceptable number for raiding small ships I suppose but they were all just the usual dregs when it came to power. Most of them around levels 7 and 8. A single outlier at 13. As for the man himself he was...decent...at Lv. 29, but that's nowhere close to good enough for a 1 vs 1 against me. 'I didn't even break out the pistols. It would've been unsporting.'
Mori gives a slight stumble at the nonchalance in my words and I see surprise flit across his face. He buries it quickly though and simply barks his trademark laugh. "Ha! I knew you looked tougher than last time! I've grown a bit myself but it seems you've truly left me in the dust." he says with a beaming smile.
I join him in laughter. "Hey you said it buddy not me." 'Don't feel bad Mori. Gaining two levels since we fought together isn't bad. I've only gone up...eighteen.'
"Ha! That I did. That I did." We turn the corner and Mori coughs twice to cut off his laughter. He schools his features and lets his face turn slightly more serious. "Now, that thing you needed?"
I exhaled a breath through my nose. "To be frank Mori, I asked for you because I want your help."
"My help?' The Master Chief questions. "I'm not saying no but I'm not sure what I even could help you with. My free time is limited and I can't really travel anywhere that the Marines don't send me."
"That's true. Luckily, I don't actually need you to leave your office." I pause and turn face-to-face with the Marine. "I want you to send me hunting Mori."
The Master Chief's brow wrinkled in confusion. "And how am I supposed to do that?"
"The Marines keep track of pirate sightings don't they?" I ask as our walk resumes. "A written record of who's been seen where and how long ago? You all then use that data to coordinate ship movements and chase the bastards down."
Mori's expression drops markedly. It's obvious to him where my questions are heading. "Yes. Obviously we keep our logs as up to date as we can. But... I can't let you see them though." he says with a distinct frown. "That's way against protocol."
I push open the doors to the main entryway as we head outside. "Is there any protocol against you calling a friend on the phone and 'warning' him about what pirates have been sighted where? Just so that friend could be sure to, you know, 'stay away' from those places?"
The Master Chief screws his eyes up in thought. "Well...technically no..." he hesitantly answers as he picks up on the odd loophole I've presented him. "But certain people of higher rank than me might still get upset if they found out. Besides, it wouldn't do you any good anyway. By the time the info actually makes it onto our books the pirates are typically already gone. Then you factor in how long it would take you to find passage to that island..." Mori shakes his head in the negative."It's just not feasible."
I struggle not to smirk at Mori's words as I raise my forefinger and thumb to my mouth. A long sharp whistle pierces the air and almost immediately Kiwi drops out of the sky and slams down next to me. A burst of displaced wind blows Mori's cover off of his head and I give the sparrow a big scratch under his chin while I wait for the flabbergasted Marine to recover. "You let me worry about that part."
I hand the Master Chief a card with my snail number on it and toss my leg over Kiwi's saddle. "Two months Mori. Give me two months to take care of some things and then call the number."
Kiwi begins flapping his wings to take off and I slide a pair of goggles over my eyes. "I'm ready to fight for this ocean. I just need you to point me in the right direction."
It's several hours later when Kiwi and I come to a landing in the center of Kivuruk's town square. No time is wasted as those that are able bodied quickly form a line and I start withdrawing purchases en masse from my hammerspace to pass down the assembly.
"Bless you Jack." The village matron tearfully smiles as she accepts the first bushel of apples and hands it off to the person behind her. "Bless you."
"Don't mention it Helga. I'm glad that you're finally up and around." I reply, withdrawing two buckets. The first full of nails and the other, tools. "Any setbacks today?"
"Nothing we couldn't take care of." She says, taking the next item from my hands. "Everyone's been trying to help with whatever they can. Lory finally got her cast off and spent the whole day helping carve wood."
"That's good." I answer honestly. 'It never ceases to amaze just how quickly the people of this world can recover. Even the ones who are 'slow healers' still bounce back weeks faster than their counterparts would on Earth.' "Barker still pushing himself too hard?"
"Oh yes." The matron mutters somewhat sadly. "He blames himself for not being able to help us during the...the you know." Helga visibly struggles at the end of her sentence. A haunted look overtakes her and she averts her eyes as the memory takes hold.
I gently grasp her hand in mine and offer my best attempt at a comforting squeeze. "I'll try to talk to him later okay?"
"Thank you Jack. So so much." she says with glistening eyes and then steps away to compose herself.
The man behind her assumes her place in line and I inwardly apologize. 'Sorry Helga. That last bit was a lie. I'm not gonna stop him. If anything I'm fucking proud of him.'
Who'd have thunk it?
Barker, the teenage punk whom I'd once had to reprimand for tagging others property, had a fire lit under his ass so powerful it was scary. 'Even to me.' It seemed like every hour if the boy wasn't currently eating, sleeping, or shitting, he was training.
The first day he was no longer bedridden I came across him doing one-handed push ups with his left arm still in its sling. Three days after that it was running laps around the entire island. Then the following week came the strength training. Kid fashioned an entire pulley system out of just some rocks, a piece of rope, and an old fishing net.
When I first returned to the island he had been at Lv. 5. Perfectly average and totally unremarkable.
And now just 20 days later he was at 12.
Seven levels in three weeks. I felt like I was watching the birth of a shōnen protagonist. There's no way in hell I'm telling him to stop. I want to see how high he can climb before that growth stagnates. If he gets strong enough I may even gift him a set of instructions on how to unlock two or three of the rokushiki when I leave. Knowing this island is in good hands will ease my mind a great deal while I'm away.
"Alright people give me some room." I call out to the line. "I'm gonna start withdrawing the lumber now."
Tap tap tap tap tap tap.
I pick another nail from the four or so I'm holding in my mouth and line it up with the wooden shingle. I raise the small hammer in my right hand up and,
Tap tap tap tap tap tap.
There's something oddly relaxing about carpentry. Building a proper roof isn't a quick task. It takes hundreds of pieces of material and hours upon hours of labor.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap.
Maybe it's the constant slow progress that makes it serene. You never really stall out. It's a long tranquil chain of 'Okay. That parts done. What's next?'. At least that's how it is to me. Others may feel differently.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap.
"Kee-wee?" My companion tweets next to me, a pail of nails held in his beak.
"Thanks buddy." I mutter with a nail still between my lips. I take another half-dozen from his bucket and Kiwi cheeps to himself for being so good at helping.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap.
He's not actually helping. I'd be working just as fast if the bucket was just sitting next to me but...you know...whatever makes him happy.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap.
Skill Lv Up! Carpentry Lv. (7/50) → (8/50)
- Your ability to craft, carve, whittle, or work with wood in an expert manner.
'Hmm. I wonder if I'll be able to build things like Franky if this ever maxes out...' A dry chuckle briefly rumbled in my throat. 'Don't be silly Jack. Just looking at the things he did on Thriller Bark… Dude's probably got multiple [Perk]'s in woodworking or something.'
Tap tap tap tap tap tap.
The last bit of sunlight starts to fade away on the horizon and the workers at the next building over begin to gather their tools, clearly intent on calling it a day.
I bring up the current [Quest] I'm working on and hum to myself in thought.
Quest: Complete construction on four new houses before the week is through. Progress: (3/4). Time Remaining: 1 day, 5 hours, 8 minutes.
Reward: 750 Exp.
I remove the nails from my between my lips and toss them back in Kiwi's pail. "We'll finish this up tomorrow buddy. Let's tuck in for the night."
"Kee-wee!"
A quick hop down off the -mostly completed- roof puts me back on ground level and I start cleaning up my own work area as well. Kiwi relinquishes his pail, scurries off to the little nook he's claimed for himself on the island and a few minutes later it's just me and my thoughts on a relaxed stroll back to my old cottage-for-one.
I'm sure that a joke must exist about how one of the only buildings to survive the raid was one that nobody was actually living in, but for the life of me, I just can't think of it.
Another hour and a half passes by before I can officially call the day to a close. My cabin is one of only two buildings on Kivuruk that currently contains an operating shower and it's been made available to any who want to wait around for their turn at a three-minute rinse. A majority usually find time to swing by during daylight hours while I'm out busy doing other things but there never fails to be small line once the sun starts to set.
I set a glass of water down on the end table next to my bed and begin shedding clothes down to my boxers. 'The contractors were supposed to arrive today. I'll need to go see what the hold-up is tomorrow. We really need to get more places connected back to running water.' I grabbed the hem of my covers and dragged them up to shoulder level as I nestled into my mattress. 'Oh well. Deal with it tomorrow. Sleep now.'
It's three-quarters of an hour later while I'm flipping the pillow over to the 'cool' side when a soft but noticeable knocking starts to come from my door. I groggily toss the blankets aside, throw on a shirt and crack my front door open just a few inches. "Yes?"
A mop of chestnut hair looks up to greet me. "Hi Jack." she speaks somewhat nervously.
"Rika..?" I paused to try and wipe some of the sleep out of my eyelids. "What are you doing here? Are the twins alright?"
"They're fine. Evelyn has them for the night. Do you mind if I come in?"
I step out of the way and let her walk past me. She noticeably tries to shield her left side from view as she steps into the light and I do her the favor of pretending not to notice. I'll admit, her face ended up healing better than I thought it would, but there will never come a day when she doesn't have scar tissue running over her left cheek and down into her neck.
Rika takes a seat on the nearest chair and folds her hands in her lap. She fidgets in place for a moment and seems to working up to something.
"Is everything alright?" I gently prod, trying to get her started.
Her eyes lift up and the worry in them is impossible to miss. "...you're planning on leaving again soon aren't you?"
"Yes?" I answered somewhat confused. "Kiwi and I have been leaving for supplies just about every other day? Do you need me to get something in particular..?"
The baker shook her head. "You know that's not what I mean."
'Oh. It's going to be..this..conversation.' I realized with a twinge of dread. "Rika, I'm not-"
"We used to talk." she blurts out, interrupting me. "I mean, not a lot, but we talked some. I could've sworn we were at least friends. And before you left the first time I really thought we were building towards..." she trails off and then shakes her head. "But ever since you came back you've been treating me like everyone else."
"Rika I'm sorry if I made you feel- I mean we never actually-"
"Is it because of this?" She accuses, her hand raising up to caress the scar tissue.
"Wha- No! Why would you think-"
"It's ugly." she hissed with venom as her hand slowly ran up and down the scars. "I know I wasn't some mythical beauty like the 'Pirate Empress' before but, when people saw me... they use to smile...you smiled... and now because of this everyone just does their best not to stare instead."
Rika stood up abruptly and forced me to sit down in her place. "If you're going to be leaving us then you have to do something for me first." Her hands slowly reached behind her back and loosened a pair of knots holding her apron together. Before the garment had even finished falling to the floor Rika's arms were already raising to undue the upper part of her dress.
"Rika, you don't need to-"
"Jack. "She cut me off once more, her voice fiercely determined. "I'm tired of feeling ugly."
In mere seconds the gown has pooled at her feet and she stood proud in nothing but her lime-green panties. Her breasts were capped with tiny pink nipples that were already hardening from the chilly night-time air and her chest was subtly heaving with arousal.
"Help me feel beautiful again."
Another minute ticks by as I stare at the wooden ceiling above my bed. The world is entirely silent save for the soft breathing of Rika's snoozing form next to mine. 'Poor girl. She was so exhausted already. I didn't mean to make her pass out after just a couple rounds.'
"Zzmnuh..cherries..why don't..zzzz." The woman mutters in her sleep, briefly getting my eyes back on her.
I turn back to the ceiling and let my thoughts continue to wander. It's during these times, the peaceful nights where I'm laying in bed and my mind's too active to sleep, that I get my best thinking done. Thinking about where to go and what to do. About who I need to check in on and what others I've met might be doing now. And then eventually I begin to think about the world that I'm in and the characters from the story who inhabit it.
I think about the things that they say, the ways that they dress, the mannerisms that they hold. All so colorful and distinguishable from one another. Those are what really built the 'One Piece' story into the titan that it was.
But lately there's been one person I've been pondering over just a bit more than all the others.
Jerry.
Now who was Jerry you ask? Jerry was a throw-away antagonist from CP6 who got one-shotted by Sanji aboard the Puffing Tom. The sea train that traveled between 'Water 7' and 'Enies Lobby'.
Those are the parts that aren't important. That part that is important is that Jerry claimed to be the champion boxer from 'Karate Island' in South Blue. A place people can go to master many different brands of martial arts.
Now I've looked at the maps. I've studied the charts. And I can tell you, without a doubt, that 'Karate Island' doesn't exist...or rather...that's not it's official name. It could very well be a colloquial term. A fun nickname that only the locals call it.
Finding it shouldn't be too hard. I've already got some guesses on where to start looking. And once it's been found… once I'm sure the people here don't need me anymore...
The grind begins.
Jack Parker, The Gamer, Lv. 46
Health: 2,900/2,900
Exp: 950/4,600
Money: 7,348,250 Beri
STR: 180
VIT: 145
DEX: 215
INT: 107
WIS: 107
LUK: 43
Points to spend: 0
Click here to see list of [Skills]
-Current number of [Skills]: 42
Click here to see list of [Perks]
-Current number of [Perks]: 5
A/N 2: Bounties being paid 30% less for dead bodies over live ones was mentioned by Mr.8 (Igaram) while on Whiskey Peak. He also implies that the reason for this is basically because the World Government is quite fond of their public executions.
But I think we knew that already.