"Ah!"
Sanji turned his head and instantly froze in place.
"Ahhh, Sanji turned to stone!" Chopper screamed.
So many people... humans!
Shirahoshi grew nervous all of a sudden, instinctively moving closer to Luffy and whispering, "Father..."
"Shirahoshi!" Neptune's eyes widened. "Why did you escape? It's far too dangerous, go back to your room!"
"With me here, what danger could there possibly be?"
Luffy rolled his eyes and said bluntly, "Neptune, why haven't you caught that Vander-what's-his-name yet?"
"Uh..." Neptune fell silent. "You… knew? It's not that I don't want to, but that guy is extremely cunning."
When young Shirahoshi had first told him about it, he immediately wanted to capture and execute the man.
But he couldn't be caught.
"Anyway, I'm taking Shirahoshi out for a walk. Maybe he'll show up, and I'll deal with him for you while I'm at it."
Luffy waved his hand casually and told everyone, "Do whatever you want, I'm taking Shirahoshi to Sea Forest. Let's go, Shirahoshi."
"Hey! Wait!"
Neptune hurriedly stood up and said helplessly, "Luffy, with you here, Shirahoshi will indeed be safe, but at least let Fukaboshi accompany you."
Of course, as her father, he felt guilt for keeping his daughter locked in that stone tower for so many years.
That was his own failure.
Seeing Shirahoshi's expectant expression now, he had no choice but to agree.
What else could he do?
Force her back into that "cage"?
"Yes, Father, leave it to me!"
Fukaboshi immediately stood and said to Shirahoshi, "Shirahoshi, be careful. Don't let me or Luffy be more than five meters away from you!"
"Yes, Brother Fukaboshi."
Shirahoshi nodded. After so many years, was she finally able to leave?
She was overjoyed~!
At that moment, Robin also stood up with a smile. "Luffy, let me come too. Sea Forest should have a Poneglyph."
"Then let's go."
Soon, the four of them left the banquet hall.
Watching them go, Neptune sighed.
"I'm so sorry for all these years, Shirahoshi..."
As for why Shirahoshi was going to Sea Forest, he knew better than anyone.
Just as Luffy and the others left the palace and headed for Sea Forest—
A piece of news spread rapidly across the world.
"The Straw Hat Fleet has crossed the Sabaody Archipelago and entered the New World!"
The World Government wanted to capture Morgans, but at the same time, they relied on him.
Now, using the power of the Newsbird, new wanted posters were distributed across the globe.
Unlike before, this time every member of the Straw Hat Pirates was wanted by the World Government.
No—more precisely, everyone except a few individuals like Laboon and Brook.
The first they didn't even know was part of the crew, and the second had only just joined.
Roronoa Zoro, the Pirate Hunter.
Dead or Alive.
Bounty: 277 million Berries!
-x-
Trafalgar Law, the Surgeon of Death.
Dead or Alive.
Bounty: 320 million Berries!
-x-
Gecko Moria.
Dead or Alive.
Bounty: 440 million Berries!
-x-
Bartolomeo.
Dead or Alive.
Bounty: 100 million Berries!
-x-
Nico Robin, the Devil's Child.
Dead or Alive.
Bounty: 500 million Berries!
-x-
Nami, the Cat Burglar.
Dead or Alive.
Bounty: 100 million Berries!
-x-
Nefertari Vivi, Princess of Alabasta.
Alive only.
Bounty: 100 million Berries!
A massive stack of new wanted posters shook the world in an instant.
The world was in turmoil!
Countless people were stunned.
Adding so many high-bounty criminals at once—this had never happened in history!
And all of them were members of the Straw Hat Pirates!
The lowest was 100 million!
From these posters alone, anyone could sense a kind of madness.
"Straw Hat Luffy... what the hell did this guy do to be wanted so badly by the World Government?"
"Ah, even his pet reindeer has a 100 million bounty!"
"Isn't this the perfect chance to strike it rich?!"
According to the news, bounty hunters across the New World went mad.
Straw Hat Luffy was undeniably strong; countless people had seen him during the live broadcast of the Summit War.
But what about his crew?
With bounties this high across the board, even a 100 million mark was easy money!
Where there's heavy reward, brave men will always rise!
The World Government was truly furious.
—North Blue.
Germa Kingdom.
This was a unique nation in the world.
It had no fixed territory, usually consisting of dozens of ships moving separately, which, when joined together, formed a kingdom.
The royal family that ruled this country was known as the Vinsmokes.
At this moment, on the balcony of one of the castles—
The princess of Germa, Vinsmoke Reiju, sat quietly, sipping coffee.
Suddenly, a flock of Newsbirds flew over the kingdom, scattering newspapers across the ground.
One landed on her table.
The thick special edition, with the wanted posters inside, left the woman more than surprised.
"The Straw Hat Fleet... has the World Government gone mad?"
She picked up the posters and examined them one by one. When she saw that even the reindeer named Chopper had a 100 million bounty, she was stunned.
It didn't matter whether someone had a bounty before, even if it was zero, even if they were just a handyman, even if they were just a pet—
The minimum was 100 million!!
Reiju nearly choked.
Even providing information about their whereabouts would net someone 10 million.
"This is insanity!"
But behind this madness, new questions arose.
Why?
Reiju flipped through the posters silently, until her fingers suddenly trembled.
The man on the wanted poster had uniquely curled eyebrows.
Sanji.
Dead or Alive.
Bounty: 300 million Berries!
Staring at the poster, Reiju unconsciously tightened her grip on the coffee cup.
At the same time—
Inside the royal laboratory, a subordinate delivered a wanted poster.
Vinsmoke Judge also saw Sanji's bounty.
"Your Majesty, this must be Prince Sanji, correct? Even though no surname is listed, and many years have passed, His Highness Sanji has grown, but there's no mistaking it!"
Hearing his subordinate's words, Vinsmoke Judge suddenly smiled.
"That's Sanji indeed!"
His eyes gleamed as he sensed something unusual in the news.
Who was this Straw Hat Luffy who could drive the World Government into such a frenzy?
"This is an excellent opportunity! Cancel the rest of the journey at once—we're heading for the New World!"
He gave the order decisively.
And so, a powerful nation upon the sea changed its course—sailing straight for the New World.
---
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."