"Captain, you are back? Huh? Did you come from that direction? We heard quite a lot of noise coming from that direction. What happened there?"
Miya let out a barrage of questions when she spotted Tyler walking towards their boat.
"I had a fight with someone. Who is this?" Tyler asked while turning his eyes towards a middle-aged man.
His eyes were calm. He wore a hat and bit a senbon. With long black boots and a purple coat, he looked at Tyler with scrutixzing gaze.
"Captain, I completed your task. Hahaha! This is the man I recruited. He is pretty good at fighting and wants to become a pirate."
"His name is Saban. He has lived on this island for twenty years. What do you think, huh?"
Miya excitedly introduced him.
Hearing her words, Tyler nodded and looked at Saban.
"Hello, Mr. Saban! Do you have a dream?"
Saban paused for a moment before showing an excited look.
"Of course, my dream is to become famous all over the world. Captain, I want to get the bounty of a billion berries."
Tyler nodded and showed a look of sadness.
"I'm afraid I can't take you in my crew."
"Huh?" "Huh?" "Yes!"
Two different reactions came from three different people. Miya and Saban were confused while Frank was cheering up.
After all, he didn't want to lose to Miya in any situation.
"But why?" Saban asked, utterly confused and gloomy.
"I just recruited someone, a shipwright. You see, I am planning on taking an elite route, which means I won't recruit extras."
"At least, for now, my crew will only have members with specific roles. But if I do make a big move in the Grandline and decide to establish a fleet, I will remember you."
Tyler patted him on the shoulder and said.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Saban. You came this late."
He even made an example with his fingers as he said that.
Saban heavily sighed.
"It's okay. It seems I am not destined to be a part of your crew."
He turned, trying to sound as pitiful as he could until he realized nobody was calling him.
His eyes turned gloomy as he walked away, knowing they couldn't see it.
"Captain, what's wrong with him? Why did you reject him?" Miya immediately questioned him as soon as she saw Saban leave.
She understood that Tyler was forcing him to leave for some other reason, but she couldn't understand why.
Tyler immediately didn't reply, but instead asked.
"Did he touch you? Especially our hair or skin, enough to cause you to bleed?"
Miya was surprised by this question. She contemplated for a moment with her eyes closed until she remembered something.
"Yeah! There was one time when I fell to the ground, and he caught me by my hair. It was quite embarrassing."
Though she said that, Miya showed absolutely no embarrassment.
Tyler turned towards Frank and said.
"Find his hiding place and keep an eye on him. Don't startle him under any condition! Once you find his staying place, return immediately!"
Frank didn't ask anything. He nodded, jumped from the ship, and ran in the direction Saban went.
Only then did Tyler turn towards Miya and say.
"I will explain the situation later. Just know he belongs to another force."
Just as he said that, Tyler turned his head to the side.
"Who's there? Come out!"
He was looking towards a tree.
"Clap! Clap! Clap! You are quite an amazing newcomer. To be able to spot a marine undercover in your first meeting and even find my location."
A man wearing a black coat suddenly appeared in front of them.
Though his speed was quite fast, Tyler no longer panicked like before. He just stood there, watching as the man's face became clear.
Or, rather, the mask he wore.
It was a mask that had one smiley face drawn on it with two holes for eyes.
"Let's talk on your boat!"
He said before disappearing in front of them. He reappeared on the boat.
Tyler and Miya followed after him. Miya looked quite shaken by his speed, while Tyler was absolutely calm.
Although his eyes were having difficulty tracking him, his senses could perfectly tell him his location.
Even when he was moving, it wasn't Shave but rather a strange power.
This was enough to distinguish him from a physical powerhouse to a Devil Fruit user.
Since he was a Devil Fruit user, Tyler wasn't afraid.
"My name is Turtle. So, what do you need?" He asked while sitting on the handrail.
"Marine Six Styles Training Methods, Sword Training Method, and Haki Training Method!"
Tyler spoke of his demand without much hesitation.
Those eyes shrank rapidly upon hearing those demands.
"Most people would be satisfied with just one of them, and you are asking for all three. You won't be able to afford all of them."
"Tell me your price!"
"Marine Six Styles has one price, ten million berries! Sword Training Method also has one price: ten million berries!"
"Finally, Armament Haki ten million and Observation Haki ten million! So, can you afford them?"
It took Tyler less than three seconds to come up with an answer.
"Marine Six Styles and Armament Haki!"
The man showed a look of surprise.
"These goods only have training experience, not exactly the scientific formulas behind them. So, once you buy them, the results are not our responsibility."
"Understood! But I need to know. Are they legitimate experiences?" Tyler asked.
"Roger Pirate! He lost two hundred million berries during gambling and wrote his experience in exchange for those two hundred million."
"As for Six Styles, they are perfectly legitimate."
He said, his tone sounding quite humorous.
Tyler understood why. This training method was probably snuck out by a traitor from the Marines, and this traitor must be very high in position.
Turtle continued.
"By the way, there is a piece of information for you that only costs one hundred thousand. Do you want it?"
Tyler shook his head.
"It must be about the Vice Admiral who is coming for us."
Turtle clicked his tongue.
"You don't look afraid at all. Well, it's none of my business. I will bring your goods tonight, prepare the money!"
After he said that, he disappeared once again.
This time, Tyler sensed a slight breath passing through the window and a lingering mist that was quite hard to see.
'I see. He is using some sort of cloud to move around. If it is Logia, this will be troublesome.'
'Hopefully, we don't clash!'
He thought to himself.
"Captain, what's Haki?"
Miya's voice brought him out of his thoughts.
Tyler shook his head.
"Let's wait until tomorrow for this!"
"Come on, Captain! You can't always make us wait for this." Miya grumbled and moved her body like a child.
"I can. I am the Captain." Tyler proudly stated before leaving the room.
Miya couldn't help but feel speechless before she shook her head.
"And, I thought I was acting like a child."
She smiled and left the room.
An hour later, Frank returned.
"Follow me!"
He said as soon as he returned. Three of them quickly followed after him. It was already evening now.
So, they quickly moved through the roads until they reached a different village.
Frank took them directly to his house.
As Tyler stood outside his room, he took a deep breath.
This time, he was going to do something bad, but he had to. For his crew, his dreams, and for his future, he couldn't stop here.
He kicked the door open and entered the house.
"Who?"
"Tyler!"
Saban showed a surprised look before turning into a smiley face as he asked.
"Did you come to recruit me?"
Tyler suddenly moved.
Saban's eyes widened as he saw Tyler approach him. As a trained soldier, he was quite strong.
But not as strong as a Marine Captain. In front of Tyler, who had surpassed Marine Captain, he couldn't even move before Tyler grabbed him.
Tyler's hand wrapped around his neck as he lifted him into the air.
"H-hhh-hhow!"
"Emotions! When your face showed joy while revealing your dreams, your mind showed no emotions."
"There was no joy, no surprise, not even a shred of feelings for your dreams. You might have been a good marine."
"But this is for the safety of my crew! So, please die!"
Crack!
Without giving him any chance to reply, Tyler snapped his neck.
Thud!
He loosened his hand, and Saban's body fell to the ground. Tyler's expression turned blank as he stumbled back.
"Captain!"
Frank quickly held him.
"Thanks, Frank!" Tyler's voice was quite hoarse.
This wasn't his first murder, but it was the first time he truly killed a person who was just doing his job.
That sent chills down his spine. It took him quite a while to adjust.
Frank and Miya didn't say anything. Instead, Miya started searching for her hair, and she quickly found it on her table.
"Let's go!"