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"Garp, don't let Tsuru embarrass you. She's just worried about your health," Sengoku said quietly from the side, folding his arms across his chest.
"Hahaha⊠really?" Garp scratched the back of his head and laughed sheepishly, the usual carefree glint in his eyes flashing briefly.
"But seriously now⊠whose bounty did you get, Tsuru?" Zephyr asked, his gaze settling on the bounty paper in Tsuru's hand, the edges of the parchment curling slightly from the fresh print, the ink still bold.
She gave a brief glance at the reward notice in her hand, then fixed her calm, sharp gaze on the three men before her as she said, "A cadre of the Rocks Pirates."
Hearing this, the expressions of Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr instantly turned grim, as the events of the Valley of the Gods battle still haunted the hearts of the three heroes, the memory of that chaotic bloodbathâthe Marines' bitter loss, the brutal power that shattered orderâremaining seared into their bones.
Now, upon hearing the name Rocks Pirates, a storm of mixed emotions stirred in their hearts once again.
"Wanna see it, Garp?" Tsuru asked, raising the bounty poster with a flick of her wrist.
Garp didn't answer, but his brows furrowed and he nodded slightly.
Tsuru passed the bounty sheet over.
---
Edward Newgate (Whitebeard) â Bounty: 4.5 billion berries
Shiki the Golden Lion â Bounty: 4 billion berries
Charlotte Linlin â Bounty: 3.7 billion berries
Ochoku â Bounty: 2.9 billion berries
Captain John â Bounty: 2.7 billion berries
Silver Axe â Bounty: 2.65 billion berries
---
Garp flipped through each of them with solemn silence, but as he reached the final posterâone with Ayr's name printed in boldâhis hand paused and his eyes widened.
Although he had witnessed Ayr's overwhelming display during the Valley of the Gods battleâtoppling even Kong's full mightâhe still found the number on the paper unbelievable.
"âŠWhat is it, Garp?" Sengoku, still half-lying on the infirmary bed, noticed Garp's stunned look.
"This is⊠Ayr's bounty," Garp's voice was low, and sweat trickled slightly down his temple as he handed the paper over.
"Ayr's?" Sengoku echoed as he accepted the sheet.
---
Ayr â Bounty: 4.75 billion berries!
---
"âŠFour⊠Four point seven five billion?!" Sengoku's tone cracked with surprise.
Before the Valley of the Gods, Ayr's bounty had stood at 3.5 billion berries, and now, it had skyrocketed by 1.25 billionâa staggering leap, especially considering the short span and the rare nature of such a surge.
Now, Ayr held the highest bounty among all living pirates in the New World, even surpassing Edward Newgateâdeemed the "Strongest Man in the World"âwho had only reached 4.5 billion berries at this point.
"This guy's bounty leap⊠it's insane," Zephyr muttered, his brows knit with astonishment, "It doesn't budge for years, and then it shoots up like this every time."
"This guy used to only be worth 100 million," Sengoku said slowly, gazing at the bounty slip, "Back when he first went out to sea, even after a year, he barely crossed that number."
"But once he joined Rocks⊠everything changed. He became a monster."
It was true, Ayr's transformation post-Rocks was meteoric, and a bounty that barely touched 100 million had now reached 4.75 billionâsurpassing even legends like Roger at this stage.
Excluding Rocks D. Xebec, whose bounty was a monstrous 6 billion berries, Ayr now stood as the most feared pirate still alive.
"One day, I'll bring this guy down with my own hands!" Garp declared, eyes sharp with iron resolve.
Without another word, he yanked the IV line from his arm and tried to swing his legs out of bed, unwilling to waste another second.
But just as he was about to rise, a voice echoed from the doorframe.
"Garp⊠where do you think you're going?"
It was a familiar voice, and Garp looked up.
Standing at the infirmary's entrance was Kong, bandaged from head to toe, his massive frame still upright despite the visible bruises.
"Kong? You're up?" Garp blinked. "What about your injuries?"
Kong shrugged and replied, "Nothing serious, just surface wounds. My bones are fine."
Despite being wrapped like a mummy, Kong's powerful physiqueârefined through decades as a frontline warrior and Admiralâallowed him to recover quickly, which was no surprise given he was the former Supreme Admiral of the Navy and had clashed with Ayr's full-body Susanoo head-on.
"That's good to hear," Garp nodded, slightly relieved.
Then Kong's expression turned sharp. "Don't change the subject, Garp. Where were you headed?"
"I just⊠felt like taking a walk. Nothing serious." Garp laughed awkwardly and scratched his head again.
"You're thinking of training already, aren't you?" Kong said, calling him out immediately.
Caught red-handed, Garp could only grin sheepishly.
"But speaking of whichâŠ" Sengoku cut in, his tone curious, "Kong, what brings you here today? We should be the ones visiting you."
"Partly to check on your injuries," Kong said, "But also to inform you of something important."
Hearing that, the three men glanced at each other in confusion.
The war had just ended, the pirates were recovering, and yet something urgent had brought Kong here.
Kong took a deep breath and looked at each of them in turn.
"Garp. Sengoku. Zephyr. From this moment forward⊠you are the Admirals of the Navy Headquarters."
All three froze.
"âŠWhat?!"
"The former Marshal, Brownie, was killed in action," Kong continued gravely, "As for Admiral Zhenwu and Admiral Black Bat, they were slain by the Roger Pirates during the chaos."
With the chain of command shattered, Kong himself had been promoted to Marshal, and the World Government had quickly decided the new Admiral line-up.
Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyrâlegendary heroes with unmatched combat recordsâwere selected as the next Marine Admirals.
"You three⊠will now stand as the new pillars of Marine justice."
"Marine⊠Admiral?" Sengoku muttered, his pupils shrinking, and for a moment, he was stunnedâbut then, a broad smile broke across his face.
He, Garp, and Zephyr had finally stepped into the highest echelon of military might, and the legacy of Marine justice would now rest on their shoulders.
And somewhere across the sea, a storm was gathering around a single nameâAyr.
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