"In that case…"
Jinbe raised his hand and spoke up. "Lord Ian, Fishman Island can also provide soldiers."
"Excellent! Giants and fishmen are a must, but we also need ordinary humans," Ian said, nodding to Jinbe before turning to Tesoro. "Tesoro, I'll leave this task to you."
"Please leave it to me, Lord Ian," Tesoro replied firmly. "I'll begin the recruitment work right away."
"And then…"
Ian continued, "Although we still bear the name of a pirate crew, since we intend to rule such vast seas, it would be improper to govern with only a pirate's attitude."
"Bullet."
Ian suddenly called out.
"Hm?"
Bullet, who was busy stuffing food into his mouth, looked up.
"You've been a soldier before. I'll entrust this to you—turn the Beasts Pirates into a disciplined army."
Bullet's lips twitched. "Are you joking with me?"
It was true he had once been a soldier, but back then he was just a disposable child soldier, always the one being trained, never the one training others.
"Take your time," Ian said casually. "If you really can't manage, just capture a few Marine officers to help."
"Next comes the final—and most crucial—matter," Ian said. "Although the New World is ours in name, to truly take control of these seas, we still need to send forces to conquer it."
"Anyone interested?"
The moment he asked, many eyes lit up.
The next day arrived.
Because he had drunk a bit too much the night before, Ian didn't wake up until the sun was already high in the sky.
Before he could even sit down for lunch, Morgans—who had remained in Wano—came rushing over with great excitement, carrying a stack of papers.
It wasn't even the official newspaper yet. Instead, Morgans had copied it directly on Onigashima after receiving the news, an advance edition.
"Hahaha! Lord Ian! The Government has admitted their defeat!" Morgans laughed loudly as he spoke.
Ian blinked in surprise as he took the paper.
Impossible… The World Government would openly admit to their failure?
And not just any battle—this time even all five of the Gorosei had mobilized.
But when he flipped it open, the newspaper contained nothing about that fight. Instead, it was filled with trivial, unrelated news.
"Lord Ian, the paper itself isn't important! What matters is this!"
Morgans chuckled as he pulled a few sheets from the back, spreading them one by one before Ian.
Ian raised a brow.
They were wanted posters.
"Hahahaha! These bounties… they're unprecedented!!!"
Although Ian was among the first to see them, it didn't take long before people all over the world saw the same new posters delivered by the News Coo.
Somewhere in the West Blue.
On a certain island.
Zephyr stood staring at the posters before him, his expression grave.
"Such outrageous amounts…"
Beside him, Gion looked equally stunned. "Not only have I never seen anything like this—I doubt even novelists would dare make up such ridiculous numbers!"
She picked up the poster placed at the very center.
Printed on it was the face of a handsome young man, grinning boldly and without restraint.
And yet, that very face now carried a bounty higher than any ever seen in history.
Gion carefully counted the string of zeroes beneath the photo once more, still struggling to believe her eyes.
But no matter how many times she counted, it always came out the same.
She could only believe it.
"Emperor of the Pirates, Ian—Bounty: 10 billion Berries!"
"The government's action failed, huh."
Zephyr let out a faint sigh. "They can't erase Ian, so all they can do is futilely raise his bounty."
"But ten billion… isn't that too much? Even the Pirate King's bounty is only half that amount!"
Gion muttered, astonished. "What exactly did Ian do?"
"Most likely,"
Zephyr said, "he forced the government to completely give up the New World, making himself the true ruler of it."
"Made the government give up the New World?"
Gion felt her jaw drop. "Is something like that really possible?"
"Hasn't the government already officially changed Ian's title to 'Emperor of the Pirates'?"
Zephyr sneered. "All they can do is make a show of these things, hoping to stir up hostility toward Ian among other pirates. Beyond that… they're probably completely out of options."
"I see…"
Gion felt a dryness in her mouth.
That kid… when they first met in the North Blue a few years ago, he didn't seem much stronger than her. At most, he had one incredible finishing move. And now, Ian has reached this level?
She glanced at the other wanted posters.
Kaido of the Hundred Beasts—Bounty: 4.06 billion Berries—second only to Ian and Whitebeard among living pirates.
The Demon Heir, Douglas Bullet—Bounty: 3.5 billion Berries.
Hawk-Eye Mihawk—Bounty: 2.5 billion Berries. Has this former Shichibukai joined the Beasts Pirates too?
Ice Empress Yamato—Bounty: 2.3 billion Berries. Because Ian became the emperor ruling the New World, her title has been changed to "Empress"?
Snake Empress Boa Hancock—Bounty: 2 billion Berries. That bastard Ian really is scum—utter scum in every way!
"But…"
Gion swallowed hard. "Do these two women even deserve bounties of this magnitude?"
A bounty exceeding two billion… even among the Marine's bounties, only an Admiral could match that level!
"Who knows?"
Zephyr only sighed. "All I know is… a brand-new era is about to arrive."
And indeed, the new era had already begun.
At first, people didn't even realize what had happened—they were simply shocked by Ian's outrageous bounty.
But soon, when it became clear that the World Government was withdrawing all its forces from the New World, people finally understood.
Had the World Government… abandoned the New World?
Which could only mean—
"Ian won? He forced the World Government back without us even noticing?"
"How is that possible? Is the World Government really going to let Ian take over the New World?"
"Something like this has never happened in history! Is the New World about to be truly conquered?"
"He's already the King of the New World! Unprecedented—he turned the most powerful and chaotic seas in the world into his own inner waters! No wonder the government now calls him… the Pirate Emperor!"
"There are no more Four Emperors! Ian is the one and only Pirate Emperor! Even Whitebeard can't compare to him!"
"Pirate Emperor? That's not even enough—he's a true Emperor! The ruler of the New World!"
Emperor.
That is what people called Ian.
**********
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