"If we're looking for a doctor…"
Robin furrowed her brows slightly, quickly sifting through the information about nearby islands in her mind.
She soon locked onto a target and retrieved one of the Eternal Poses from her bag.
"Let's go there. It's not far from here, and we can reach it within two or three days. That medical superpower, perpetually blanketed in snow…"
"Understood."
Under the moonlight, the turtle puffed on its pipe, slicing through the calm sea as it sped toward the distant horizon.
…
Somewhere in the New World, on an unnamed island.
Inside a temporary base of the World Economic Journal, the sound of the Den Den Mushi spitting out faxes and the clatter of typewriters filled the air.
Morgans, the president, held a cigar in his beak, his wings clutching a stack of freshly developed photos—or were they just highly realistic sketches?
Regardless, the image of Akainu, his military cap missing and his neck bloodied and mangled, was unmistakably clear.
On the wall in front of him was a large screen.
On the screen, a black vulture stood trembling, next to a pajama-clad sea otter with its arms crossed, looking thoroughly displeased.
"You messed up, and you still have the nerve to glare at me like that? Huh? Unlucky Duo!"
The assistant scolded them, "Don't forget, after Baroque Works fell, it was you who came crawling to President Morgans, begging to become special war correspondents for the World Economic Journal."
"Now that you're officially part of our team, you'll follow our rules! We gave you the most advanced cameras, and yet you insist on using sketches? No matter how realistic they are, can they ever match the credibility of actual photos?"
The sea otter turned its face away, snorting disdainfully through its nostrils.
"Chew, chew-chew!" The black vulture flapped its wings frantically, trying to defend its partner.
"You're saying he's a traditionalist?"
The assistant exploded in anger, "Reporters don't need that kind of nonsensical stubbornness! You had the luck to capture a scene that could shock the world, and yet you wasted it like this. Are you trying to drive me and the president to an early grave…"
"Ah, but not me, though."
Morgans suddenly spoke up, waving a wing to cut off the argument. He examined the sketches closely, the corners of his beak curling upward more and more.
The close-up of Akainu's neck wound, the battlefield where magma fists clashed with black lightning, the female vice admiral with her neck snapped, and the distant silhouette of the Sunset sailing away—
The series of sketches, like a comic strip, vividly depicted the entire battle scene, with impeccable paneling and attention to detail!
"Even though we didn't get photos,"
The News King suddenly grinned, blowing a puff of cigar smoke into the assistant's face, "this is way more exciting than photos, don't you think?"
"P-President?" The assistant was stunned.
"Print an extra edition immediately!"
Morgans slammed the table, his eyes gleaming with excitement, "Color these sketches and put them all in. Say that the reporters' photos were destroyed in the aftermath of the battle, and these were drawn by hand to perfectly recreate the scene."
"As for the headline… never mind, the headline doesn't matter. Big news! This is huge news! Just putting it in the paper will naturally draw the world's attention. It'll sell out instantly!"
"But President…"
The assistant looked troubled. "The World Government previously instructed us not to disclose the deaths of the Warlords of the Sea. If this incident gets out, wouldn't it..."
"The World Government only asked me to suppress the news for half a month, giving them time to capture the culprits!"
Morgans grinned, "Now that half a month has passed, you idiot! Even with an Admiral personally taking action, they couldn't catch the criminals. That's their own incompetence, not my problem!"
"Suppressing me once was already unbearable, and now they want to do it again? What I want is sales, I want the whole world to be speechless under the shock of our news, understand?!!"
"Moreover, do you really think the Marine Headquarters can continue to cover this up this time?"
He picked up the coffee on the table and chuckled, "It can't be covered. Just wait and see. In my opinion, the new bounties for these pirates are already on their way..."
To cause such a stir just after entering the Grand Line?
The future of this sea is truly something to look forward to.
————
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In a traditionally Japanese-styled conference room, more naval officers than before sat on the wide tatami mats, the atmosphere even more oppressive and heavy.
The thick sandalwood doors were tightly shut, blocking out the outside light, with only a few dim wall lamps casting flickering shadows.
The lingering smoke in the room refused to dissipate as a man with grass-green hair stepped up to the whiteboard, his expression grave.
"Gentlemen."
Brannew's deep voice broke the silence. He raised his hand and pinned a stack of bounty posters on the whiteboard, six in total, lined up in a row.
"The battle at Toll Island has become the hottest topic at Headquarters recently. I believe all of you, given your ranks, have already seen the detailed battle report."
His gaze swept over the seated officers, "However, the General Staff believes it is necessary to focus on some specific details."
"The origin of this battle traces back to the major incident at Loguetown. Facing the vicious criminals, Vice Admiral Onigumo chose death over surrender, falling heroically in battle. This led to the first bounty being placed on the Falling Stars Adventure Pirates."
"Following that was the tragic murder of Warlord of the Sea Crocodile at Whiskey Peak."
"Our Marine Headquarters lost a trusted ally in the same front, and this has emboldened the Falling Stars Adventure Pirates, led by Xiano, to become even more rampant!"
"According to post-battle intelligence analysis, the battle did not last very long. It can be said that the strength of Blade Swordsman Xiano has completely surpassed the average level of the Warlords of the Sea!"
"Headquarters has thus determined that the opponent has reached a level that cannot be handled by Vice Admirals. Therefore, with the approval of Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Admiral Akainu personally took action, determined to eradicate this group!"
"The result... as you all know, was the shocking battle at Toll Island."
Brannew sighed.
"Vice Admiral Dalmatian was severely injured, Vice Admiral Bumaya fell heroically in battle, several Rear Admirals and officers were critically wounded, and even Mr. Sakazuki sustained minor injuries..."
"And what did we gain in return?"
"The Falling Stars Adventure Pirates escaped entirely! Not a single one was captured!"
"But this is by no means the fault of the two Vice Admirals, nor is it Mr. Sakazuki's fault!"
"It is ours!"
Brannew's tone was heavy:
"The failure of this operation can be attributed to two main reasons. Firstly, according to Vice Admiral Dalmatian's battle report, the Falling Stars Adventure Pirates had a mysterious ally who secretly assisted them, sabotaging critical parts of our warship. Secondly—"
"And most crucially, our intelligence and strategic departments severely underestimated the overall strength of this pirate crew!"
"Such a fatal mistake will not happen again!"
He suddenly extended his hand and slammed it heavily on the whiteboard, shouting sternly:
"Since the incident involving Crocodile can no longer be concealed, let's just lay it all bare. We'll settle the previous accounts and use the blatant bounty numbers to announce to the world just how dangerous and vicious these pirates are!!!"
"First up!"
"「Rain-Slicing Master Swordsman」 Kuina!"
"Previously, we only knew that she had reached the level of a Master Swordsman, but due to her youthful appearance, we had underestimated her true strength. However, in the battle at Toll Island's dock, she displayed astonishing swordsmanship skills."
"Facing the seasoned elite Vice Admiral Dalmatian alone, she was only slightly at a disadvantage. With the assistance of her comrades, she managed to hold her own against Vice Admiral Dalmatian as the main force in the battle!"
"There's also a crucial piece of information..."
"In this battle, since Captain Xiano was blocked by Mr. Sakazuki on the other side, all battlefield command and arrangements were solely directed by this young Master Swordsman. From this, we can conclude that within the Falling Stars Adventure Pirates, Kuina essentially serves as the vice-captain!"
"With such strength and her position within the crew, her previous bounty was completely inadequate!"
Brannew continued solemnly:
"Therefore, after careful consideration, the strategic department unanimously passed a resolution to raise her bounty to—140 million Berry!"
140 million?
The officers present, chewing on their cigars, continued to puff away in silence.
The vast majority of them, even those who were also Vice Admirals, were no match for Dalmatian.
If the battle report is accurate, then the danger posed by this young Master Swordsman indeed justifies this bounty figure.
"Next up, Red-Leg Zeff and Defector Hunter Smoker!"
"Both of them engaged Vice Admiral Bumaya in a joint battle, and after a fierce fight lasting over ten minutes, they defeated Bumaya. While it's true that Vice Admiral Bumaya had only recently been promoted and was ranked at the bottom... or rather, lower end among the Vice Admirals in terms of strength, it's also evident from this that the two of them possess remarkable abilities!"
"Therefore, Zeff's bounty is increased by 20 million, set at 100 million Berry!"
"As for Smoker, considering his former status as a Marine and being the prized disciple of Mr. Zefa, his rise to fame as a pirate will undoubtedly bring even more negative impact to the Navy's reputation. Thus, his bounty is additionally raised to 118 million Berry!"
Another two with bounties over a hundred million...
Adding the young Master Swordsman from earlier, that makes three among the crew members alone?
The attendees grew even more silent.
A pirate crew where everyone is a formidable individual, with almost no weaknesses to exploit, reminded them of a certain terrifying group in the New World.
Fortunately...
Brannew's next statement pulled them out of this uneasy premonition:
"Next, the orange-haired Nami!"Previously, the staff department had some doubts." This underage girl seemed to have no combat ability at all, and as the Captain, Xiano insisted on keeping such a burden of a sister by his side."
"However, based on the battle reports where the Falling Stars Adventure Pirates fought tooth and nail to get her on board first, and subsequent analysis, the mystery has been completely solved!"
"This underage girl possesses exceptional navigational talent and is an indispensable professional navigator on the ship!Brannew's expression turned solemn:
"The staff department hastily set her bounty at 8,000 Berry, which was indeed inappropriate and underestimated her.""
"Therefore, this time, her bounty will be significantly increased!"
"It will be directly increased tenfold, set at 80,000 Berry!"
"As for her sister, Nojiko, she performed excellently in assisting Vice Captain Kuina in battle and, like the rest of the crew, has mastered Armament Haki, which is quite rare among Pirates in Paradise. Thus, her bounty has also seen a significant increase."
"Of course, the increase is nowhere near as much as her sister, Nami."
"Her new bounty is set at 65 million Berry!"
Brannew then turned to the last of the six bounty posters.
The image showed a majestic wolf, its head raised in a roar, its fur as white as snow and as flowing as a waterfall, exuding an aura of handsomeness.
"Next is a key point of this meeting."
"Colleagues who attended the last Falling Stars Adventure Pirates bounty meeting should remember that I boldly speculated that this animal, known as Agin, was the second strongest combatant after Xiano."
"The recent battle situation has profoundly confirmed that my previous speculation was absolutely correct!"
"It has been confirmed that this wolf possesses the dual abilities to manipulate both lightning and fire. On the battlefield at the docks, it provided support and nearly tore through the encirclement from multiple directions, yet no one could restrain it! It can be said that this wolf was the biggest contributor to the Falling Stars Adventure Pirates' successful escape!"
"Based on post-battle evaluations, this wolf's strength has fully reached the level of a Marine Vice Admiral, making it extremely dangerous!"
The level of a Marine Vice Admiral?
What a joke!
This time, the meeting room was slightly abuzz.
A wolf... capable of rivaling a Marine Vice Admiral?
Doesn't that mean most of the people here, if they encountered this wolf alone, would have no choice but to flee in disarray?
"Silence!"
Brannew scanned the room, waiting for the whispers to subside before continuing:
"Considering this, the wolf's bounty will be directly increased to the second highest on the ship."
"Its new bounty is set at 150 million Berry!"
"And its title, due to its displayed ability to manipulate fire, will be changed from 'Thunder Silver Wolf' to 'Thunderflame Azure Wolf'!"
"Finally..."
"That man!!!"
Whoosh!
As soon as he finished speaking, Brannew suddenly reached out and tore off all the wanted posters on the whiteboard!
In their place was a very familiar wanted poster placed in the center.
This handsome, gentle face, this face that looked completely harmless and approachable...
In the past few days, everyone present had seen this face countless times in various reports and documents!
"The persistent scourge of Headquarters, the foremost criminal of the new generation, a bounty hunter who has once again stirred up massive waves across Paradise with his extreme danger and terror—"
Brannew's voice suddenly rose several pitches:
"The Blade Swordsman, Xiano!!!"
"Having successively killed Vice Admiral Onigumo and Vice Admiral Bumaya, as well as the Warlord of the Sea, Sir Crocodile, and even managing to escape from Admiral Akainu's grasp—such a troublesome individual, with methods so cruel and ferocious to the extreme..."
"Even if it means breaking the rules once again, it is absolutely necessary under the current circumstances!"
"Therefore, the strategic department has unanimously passed the final resolution to increase his bounty from 180 million Berries to a staggering two-fold—"
"New bounty: 540 million Berries! The highest record in the history of the first half of the Grand Line for any Pirate!!!"
(End of Chapter)