New World, a hidden island somewhere.
In the largest office of the World Economic News Agency.
Morgans sat on the sofa with a large bucket of caramel popcorn, enjoying the screen as if he were watching a movie, occasionally tossing a few kernels into his mouth.
"Wonderful! Truly wonderful!"
At the climax, Morgans couldn't help flapping his wings and laughing excitedly, not caring about the popcorn scattering all over the floor:
"This is truly major news! No, this is the best news of the year. That man did not disappoint me!"
Squeak—
"President, I've just received bad news. A major incident broke out in the Sabaody Archipelago."
At that moment, the new young assistant pushed open the door with a troubled expression:
"But all the firsthand information, including photos and live footage, has been monopolized by the Sabaody local news... Huh?"
The assistant froze in place, dumbfounded as he looked at the giant screen in front of him.
What was playing was none other than the footage of the battle between Shano and Pluto Rayleigh.
"Surprised?"
Morgans smiled and pointed to the pile of photos and documents below the screen. "Didn't expect that I already had everything under control, did you?"
"This..."
The assistant flipped through the stack and became increasingly stunned. "It's so detailed... These are all firsthand materials? President, how did you get them?"
"Of course they're firsthand. Even this Den Den Mushi—yes, the camera Den Den Mushi used at the scene—the video is directly stored in it!"
Morgans laughed proudly. "Fool! Rookie! I'm the King of News on this sea. Those tabloids have been infiltrated like sieves by me. They can sip the soup, but they're never touching the meat!"
As the leader in the industry and the absolute monopoly, how could he not have such methods?
"You really live up to your name."
The young assistant was full of admiration. Suddenly, his eyes landed on a photo labeled "Headline Cover," and he hesitated. "President, are you really going to use this photo for the cover? Isn't it a bit too... insulting?"
"What's there to be afraid of?"
Morgans waved his wing dismissively. "The people from the Holy Land only warned me not to publish Shano's crazy speech this time, but they didn't say anything about Kizaru."
His partner was the World Government. The only one who could restrain him from publishing anything was the Celestial Dragons in the Holy Land, not even the Navy HQ.
As for Kizaru? Busy enough already. Could he really spare the time to settle scores over something so trivial?
"Go tell the printing factory not to shut down yet—be on standby tonight."
He looked out the window and smiled, "Everything is ready now. We're just waiting for Marine Headquarters to issue the new bounty orders..."
——
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
The massive fortress stood silently.
Inside a rarely used tatami meeting room, the air was stale as if no one had been in for a while.
Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a gust of wind blew through, lifting the corner of a bounty poster on the wall.
It was a leftover from a previous discussion that hadn't been taken down yet.
The poster showed a man with clown makeup and a prominent red nose under a captain's hat, with records beside him:
[Clown Buggy, former member of the Roger Pirates. Original bounty: 80 million Berries.]
[After being forced into the Grand Line, he remained low-key for years, focused on treasure hunting. HQ's attention on him gradually declined.]
[Unexpectedly, this man stirred up trouble again, attacking CP9 in the Queen of Spring City, severely injuring three agents and stealing two valuable Devil Fruits.]
[Conclusion: Re-prioritize pursuit. New bounty: 130 million Berries.]
Next to it was a wanted poster of a lion with a purple mane:
[Lion King Liki, original bounty: 200,000 Berries.]
[Defeated CP9's ace agent Gabra. Displays special ability that restrains Zoan users. New bounty: 70 million Berries.]
Below that were two more posters with low bounties and sparse remarks:
[Vice-Captain Mochi, Chief of Staff Kabaji. Evaluation: Low combat capability. No bounty increase.]
Swish—
A large hand reached out and tore them down, crumpling them and tossing them into the trash can. Then, the person turned on the chandelier.
The lights revealed his face—grass-green hair, black sunglasses.
It was Headquarters Staff Officer Brannew.
"You may enter," he turned and called outside.
A dozen figures in white Navy cloaks filed in, with assistants quickly bringing sake and snacks.
All of them had stern expressions. The lowest rank was Rear Admiral, with most being Vice Admirals.
At the front right sat the hunched and elderly Chief of Staff Tsuru.
Even Brannew, who was used to chairing meetings, looked nervous. He cleared his throat and said:
"Thank you all for making time for this emergency meeting. As you likely already know—"
"Skip the small talk, Brannew."
Tsuru rubbed her temples. "I just got back from a Holy Land meeting. I don't want to hear again how Marine HQ lost face in the Sabaody Archipelago."
"..."
The other officers smoked their cigars in silence, expressions grim.
Indeed, best not to dwell on that disaster...
Rear Admiral Chaton was killed, the Sabaody Base fleet wiped out, and even two admirals failed to stop the enemy's retreat.
It wasn't just embarrassing—it was demoralizing.
Since the Four Emperors' era stabilized, Marine HQ had never been so humiliated.
"Yes, Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
Brannew saluted.
He skipped the opening entirely and pulled three new wanted posters from the pile, slapping them onto the whiteboard.
"In short, this meeting's purpose is to reevaluate the bounties of the notorious Ender Pirates! Let's begin with those who had the lowest bounties!"
"First up!"
Bang!
Brannew's palm struck the whiteboard, revealing a blond, muscular fish-man youth:
"Jack the Saddleback Grouper!"
"Unknown origin. Originally a nameless thug, likely joined the Ender Pirates around the Judicial Island incident. Showed terrifying strength during the Sabaody battle!"
"Instantly KO'd Supernova Sasaki at the port, then helped suppress the situation when Rear Admiral Kake was besieged. Kake's death is directly linked to this man!"
"Our intel confirms he's an ancient Zoan—Mammoth form of the Elephant-Elephant Fruit. Proficient in two types of Haki and extreme physical strength!"
"Reportedly fought Kaido in Water Seven. Though the outcome is unclear, surviving an encounter with Kaido is proof enough of his capabilities."
"In conclusion!"
Brannew said solemnly: "After rounds of discussion by the Staff Department, 'Rough Elephant' Jack's bounty is now set at—500 million Berries!"
"Five hundred million?!"
As expected, the room stirred.
"That's too high for a first-time bounty, isn't it?"
"But the record speaks for itself. He can't be treated like a normal Supernova..."
"Quiet."
Tsuru's soft but commanding voice silenced the room instantly.
"He was directly involved in Kake's death. That level of caution is warranted. I have no objections," she said calmly. "Continue, Brannew."
"Yes, Vice Admiral Tsuru."
Brannew pointed to the poster on the right.
"Attention now to this girl—no! This demoness!"
The photo showed a cute, orange-haired girl, grinning with a menacing smile as she bit into something white and fluffy.
"What's she eating?"
"Looks like... a cloud?"
"Wait a minute..." Vice Admiral Momonga frowned.
"Correct!"
Brannew pulled out an older wanted poster beside it.
It was the "Flaming White Ball" Nuomizi, marked with a red X and labeled invalid.
"The object is none other than Mochi—the Flame-Flame Fruit user, pet of the Ender Pirates, and a key officer!"
Brannew took a deep breath.
"Our intelligence unit previously underestimated this girl because of her youthful appearance. But now we must reassess how dangerous she truly is!"
"Based on footage and eyewitnesses during the Sabaody battle—"
"She used the Flame-Flame Fruit to evade Kake's righteous assault via elementalization. Later, she easily defeated Supernova Garette, exploiting his lack of Haki."
"Mochi was never seen again, and in his place was an ordinary puppy. Comparing photos confirms—"
"This girl named Nami, like her brother Shano, is a vicious, inhumane scoundrel!"
"She likely took Nuomizi's Flame-Flame ability by devouring her own comrade!"
Gasps erupted across the room.
"She ate her pet?! Just to gain power?!"
"Can that even be done?!"
"There's precedent. The Dark-Dark Fruit can supposedly steal abilities. It's not impossible."
"The truly frightening part is that she could do it without hesitation. That's what makes her so vile."
Brannew nodded. "Given her depraved nature and the threat of a Logia user, there's no way her bounty can be lower than Nuomizi's."
"Therefore, by unanimous vote, her new nickname is 'Pet-Eating Demon', and her bounty is raised two thousand times to 160 million Berries!"
The number was not disputed.
Even without the pet-eating scandal, just wielding the Flame-Flame Fruit justified that reward.
Still, some officers whispered: Wait, two thousand times? So her original bounty was only—
"Next up, the Devil's Child, Nico Robin!"
Brannew scowled at her photo. "O'Hara's orphan. Sank several warships at age eight. A key target of the World Government. Now aligned with Shano. Hmph—are all demonesses drawn to each other?"
"During the battle, she used a combination of Haki and her fruit powers to defeat Supernova Harta. Her original bounty of 79 million is far from adequate."
"After consulting the World Government, her bounty is now 260 million Berries!"
The room went quiet.
No one dared challenge anything tied to O'Hara.
"Next, other officers: their strengths have grown, though not as dramatically."
Brannew pointed with a stick:
"'Winter Fist' Nokigo, Shano's other sister—Logia user, formidable in close combat. New bounty: 200 million Berries!"
'Red Foot' Zeff—retired from the frontlines but still formidable. New bounty: 150 million Berries!
'Defector Hunter' Smoker—notable mastery of Haki. New bounty: 210 million Berries!
'Thunder Wolf' Gin—ferocious pet. New bounty: 250 million Berries!
Momoko—confirmed deceased. Poster revoked. The new puppy pet? Tentative bounty: 1,000 Berries. Not expected to live long...
"Finally, the swordmaster Kuina, Vice-Captain of the Ender Pirates and a standout in this incident!"
Brannew motioned for the final poster.
"Please focus your attention!"
Pop!
Everyone looked up... only to be met with a close-up of Kizaru's face twisted from a kick.
Tsuru gave Brannew a look.
"Apologies! Wrong image!" The aide bowed and quickly replaced the poster.