From a distance, the island looked like a painting: steep mountains and crystal-clear water surrounding a picturesque shore. Bathed in the morning sunlight, the entire outline of the land seemed to shimmer with a golden edge.
A small sailboat, decorated with skull patterns shaped like butterflies and ladybugs, slowly approached the coastline. But this was no docking point; the risk of running aground or striking reefs was too high.
When the boat was still over fifty meters from land, its sail suddenly collapsed, and its speed bled away.
Then, with a startling hua la sound, the hull lifted clean off the water. The entire boat began to float, as if an invisible hand had scooped it up. It glided over the waves, tracing a gentle arc through the air, and soared toward the island's edge.
It never touched down. Even after reaching the shore, the little vessel remained suspended, hovering more than two meters above the ground.
Three people stepped out of the cabin. Liam and Robin jumped down with practiced ease, then turned back to see Princess Ross leaning over the rail, staring blankly at the sight of their flying boat.
Liam ignored her reaction. He lightly tapped the hull with the hand holding the small green "storage pouch." With a quick whiz, the entire sailboat rapidly shrank and vanished into the Den Den Mushi he carried.
Ross gasped as she suddenly dropped from the two-meter height, but she didn't fall. Her feet dangled in the air, and it felt as if… something was holding her up by the back of her neck.
"A ghost…" Ross thought, right as the pressure at her nape released and her feet finally touched the ground.
B.I.B., the shadow-black armored figure, let go, gave the dazed Ross a brief glance, and then turned to follow its master and Robin toward the island's interior.
Liam was weighing the Log Pose in his hand. The needle trembled, pointing to the land beneath their feet. It would record the island's magnetic field, and only once the charge was complete would it direct them to their next destination.
Robin, meanwhile, observed the geography as they walked. Comparing the natural environment to her extensive knowledge of the islands along this magnetic route, she quickly identified where they had landed.
"This is the Halahaitania Kingdom," Robin said as she tucked the small green creature into her shoulder bag and flipped open a notebook. "It's an island rich in gold, silver, and other precious minerals, so it's also nicknamed the 'True Gold and Silver Island.' The Halahaitania Kingdom is often called the 'Land of Prosperity.'"
"'True Gold and Silver Island,' huh," Liam mused, rubbing his chin. "What an arrogant name…"
The two walked ahead toward a nearby town, signs of civilization quickly coming into sight. The shadow-black armored figure followed behind them. B.I.B. turned slightly, catching sight of the silent girl, Ross, trailing them at a distance.
Ross, of course, couldn't sense the gaze of the Stand. Her mind flashed back to a conversation from the previous night…
"The only female Shichibukai?"
When Ross and Robin first brought up the name, Liam was puzzled. But after a moment of thought, the pieces clicked into place for him.
"Hancock isn't a Shichibukai anymore," he stated simply.
"And I just sparred with Hawk Eyes not long ago. He's not one either."
"As for Kuma, he's probably still running errands for Dragon, connecting with fellow revolutionaries. I wonder if he's even received an offer from the World Government to become a Shichibukai…"
"So, the obvious conclusion is this: in this era, the ranks of the Seven Warlords of the Sea either have vacancies, fewer than seven members, or, apart from Crocodile and Moonlight Morley, the remaining five are all pirates unknown to me…"
Liam wasn't one to keep up with newspapers or care about world politics.
Robin, on the other hand, was different. On every island, she would discreetly extend her Hana Hana no Mi ears and eyes, partly for surveillance, partly to gather intelligence. Whenever she encountered a News Coo, she'd buy the latest papers; if she hadn't been able to for a while, she'd stock up on back issues after reaching a new island and read them all at once.
Even so, the information she had about the Shichibukai known as Laut Hayina was limited.
"She became a Shichibukai about eight years ago," Robin recalled.
"Eight years ago?" Liam did the math. "Wasn't that the same year Roger was executed?"
Robin nodded. "Yes. The Pirate King's final words before his death ignited the Great Pirate Era. The number of pirates surged to many times what it had been, flooding into the Grand Line. The Marines were overwhelmed trying to keep up. Not long after, Admiral Sengoku proposed the Shichibukai system, pirates granted legal rights to plunder under the World Government, to stabilize the seas, which had fallen into near-chaotic frenzy… and Laut Hayina was one of the first seven great pirates chosen."
"Once you become a Shichibukai, your bounty is revoked," Robin added. "Before her bounty was rescinded, Laut Hayina's total bounty was…"
"Seven hundred and ninety million Berries…" Ross breathed.
"Whoa!" Liam exclaimed, throwing his hands up dramatically. "Seven hundred and ninety million? That's terrifying!"
He rubbed his chin, a playful smirk twisting his lips. "Damn… that's like ten 'Devil Children' rolled into one."
Robin instantly fell silent. She had a sudden, burning urge to either cover her face or jab him hard in the ribs, he was obviously teasing her on purpose. But since Ross was there, Robin maintained her composure.
Ross didn't react at all. She didn't even remember what the nickname "Devil Child" referred to.
To most people in the world, the seven-hundred-and-ninety-million-Berry bounty on Nico Robin was nothing more than idle gossip, a name they might mention over tea. In the West Blue, perhaps some would keep an eye out hoping to claim a reward, but to the rest of the seas, it was far too distant to matter.
As for Ross, a carefree princess just a few years ago, she truly had no idea who the "Devil Child" was.
All she knew was that '{790,000,000}' Berries... was a number that inspired despair.
In the world of pirates, a bounty didn't directly represent one's strength, but it certainly wasn't meaningless. Most of the time, a pirate's bounty was still a very effective and straightforward indicator of their power.
And '{790,000,000}'... what kind of concept was that?
List a few famous names for comparison, and the scale became clear:
Roronoa Zoro, the Straw Hat swordsman two years later: '{320,000,000}'.
Monkey D. Luffy, before being dubbed the "Fifth Emperor": '{500,000,000}'.
Portgas D. Ace, 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates: '{550,000,000}'.
Charlotte Snack, one of Big Mom's Sweet Commanders: '{600,000,000}'.
Katakuri (Big Mom's right hand) and Jack of the Beasts Pirates, both considered "Emperor-level lieutenants", hovered just above one billion.
But seven years ago, Laut Hayina's bounty was already '{790,000,000}' Berries…
The shadow cast across Ross's face said everything about how terrifying that number was.
Liam, however, thought differently. Unlike later Shichibukai such as Crocodile or Doflamingo, who received government invitations soon after making a name and whose old bounties didn't fully reflect their true power, Hayina, as one of the first-generation Shichibukai, probably had a bounty that genuinely reflected her weight class.
"The Rot-Rot Fruit…" Robin murmured, frowning as she searched her memory. "I haven't heard any stories about her Devil Fruit abilities… Maybe she rarely used them, or perhaps she obtained the fruit only after becoming a Shichibukai."
Liam nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm, makes sense."
He and Robin both glanced toward Ross, who was sitting silently on the carpet, head lowered, lost in thought. She ignored their gazes completely.
(To Be Continued…)
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