"So, this is a Marine base? What a tasteless design!" Shalltear covered her mouth with a lady's fan, looking at the marine base before her with disdain.
"But since it's Lord Ainz's command, I suppose there's no helping it. Sebas, is everything ready?"
"Everything has been fully prepared, Lady Shalltear." Sebas bowed respectfully.
Although, as the butler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, his status was no lower than that of Shalltear, one of the Floor Guardians, he still maintained a humble posture out of etiquette.
"Is this where we claim bounties?" Shalltear asked, glancing at the Marine soldiers in front of her.
"Can't you read?" The Marine behind the reward desk looked at the two of them impatiently.
In the Grand Line, the Marines' influence was far weaker than in the Four Seas.
A Marine base that allowed pirates to occupy towns under its jurisdiction—how could one expect such Marines to uphold justice?
"Hmph." Shalltear let out a chilling laugh.
A mere lowly human dared to challenge the great True Vampire? Just as she was about to incinerate the Marine with magic, Sebas stepped in to stop her.
"Lady Shalltear, Lord Ainz has instructed us to avoid conflict with the Marines as much as possible.
He even suggested infiltrating them if given the opportunity to gather intelligence on the other Supreme Beings."
"Tch, fine! Since it's Lord Ainz's command, I'll spare this insect… for now!" Shalltear abandoned her plan to obliterate the Marine soldier.
"Apologies, my lady can be a bit willful. We're here to claim a bounty.
These are the heads of the pirates." Sebas politely handed over a sack containing the severed heads of Bellamy and his crew.
"Tch, should've done that from the start. Wait here." The Marine soldier snatched the bag impatiently and walked into the base.
"Didn't expect a woman and an old man to take down an entire pirate crew."
The Marine soldier glanced at Shalltear and Sebas, recalling what Captain Nezumi had said earlier.
He decided to keep his mouth shut and tossed a bag toward them.
"Thirty million Berries in total, take it and go."
"This amount seems incorrect."
"What? That's all those pirates were worth. Take the money and get lost!" The Marine waved them away dismissively.
"What's this?" The Marine opened the bag and compared the heads to the bounty posters. He paled instantly—these were all the bounty-carrying members of the Bellamy Pirates.
"What's going on?" Just as Captain Nezumi was patrolling the base, he heard the Marine's exclamation.
"Captain, look at this!"
Nezumi gasped when he saw the pile of severed heads.
A pirate worth fifty million berries wasn't unheard of, but the Bellamy Pirates bore the flag of one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—Donquixote Doflamingo.
"Who brought these in?"
"A woman and an old man."
"Is that so?" Nezumi stroked his whiskered chin. "Just give them thirty million and send them on their way."
It wasn't just bounty hunters who turned in pirate heads for money. Pirates often brought in defeated rivals' heads through civilian intermediaries. Nezumi had seen this trick plenty of times.
The Marines wanted pirates to kill each other off—it saved them the trouble of handling the ever-growing pirate menace swarming in from the Four Seas.
If bounties could be used to fuel pirate infighting, all the better!
In cases like this, Nezumi never paid the full bounty.
Most of the money was skimmed off for himself, and those who dared to complain had to swallow the loss—what could they do, attack a Marine base?
Nezumi had kept his position as this branch's commanding officer by funneling his cut to corrupt officials in Marine Headquarters.
Otherwise, a mere Captain like him could never hold onto a Grand Line Marine base for long.
"Understood." The Marine soldier smirked, knowing he'd get a nice share of the stolen money too.
"Humans are truly foolish." Shalltear walked forward, lightly tapping her fan against her palm.
"What did you just say, you little—?!" The Marine officer asked angrily.
"Take your money and crawl back to whatever scum sent you!"
Boom!
Before the Marine could finish, Sebas punched him with such force that he was sent flying into the base.
"The Supreme One does not tolerate insults from mere human insects!"
"Enemy attack!"
As the Marine crashed inside, alarms blared throughout the base.
A squad of Marines, led by Captain Nezumi, rushed out, glaring at Sebas and Shalltear.
"You dare attack the Marines? Kill them!" Nezumi barked. Clearly, this wasn't the first time he'd handled such a situation.
At his command, the Marines opened fire. Bullets rained down on Sebas and Shalltear, only to bounce off harmlessly. Their clothes weren't even ruffled.
"I-impossible! You're completely unharmed?!" Nezumi gawked at them like he'd seen a ghost.
"Sebas, can we kill these insects now?" Shalltear chuckled lightly.
"Yes, Lady Shalltear. Lord Ainz's dignity must not be sullied."
"Excellent. I've been eager to sample the blood of this world's humans!"
Shalltear flicked her fan with a delighted smile.
The next moment, the blood within a nearby Marine's body burst forth violently, seemingly drawn by an invisible force.
The crimson liquid floated through the air, coalescing into a swirling orb in Shalltear's palm.
"How disappointing—such low-quality blood."
She took a sip and stopped, clearly unimpressed.
"Next up is you. Don't disappoint me, now." Shalltear's crimson eyes gleamed with hunger as she gazed at the terrified, paralyzed Nezumi.