Chapter 301: The Highest Bounty! A Diabolical Threat!
"What other plan could there be?! We've been utterly defeated! What plan?! Are we supposed to gather the entire Marine force and fight them to the bitter end?!" Saint Warcury roared. "Don't forget, Nusjuro, you were the one who spearheaded this operation! I suggested we report to our lord first, but you were the one who swore to us that as long as we could unleash the 'Divine Binding,' our success rate was 100%!"
"You thought so too, didn't you?" Nusjuro sneered back. "Now that things have gone south, you're trying to pin all the blame on me? Warcury, you haven't changed in two hundred years!"
"Enough!" a cold voice suddenly cut through their argument. But it wasn't the last of the Five Elders in the room, Ju Peter. It came from beyond the doors that had just been thrown open.
"Hmm?" Nusjuro and Warcury frowned and turned in annoyance. A man in a greatcoat, with a beard and hair like crescent scythes, strode into the Chamber of Authority. Without a glance at any of them, he sat down on the sofa and crossed his legs, as if he owned the place.
"What are you doing here?" Nusjuro's eyes turned cold. "How dare you enter without announcing yourself! Get out!"
"We are the Five Elders!" Warcury added coldly. "Even if you are now the Commander-in-Chief of the Holy Knights, you should mind your place, Garling!"
The newcomer was none other than Saint Figarland Garling! The current commander of the Holy Knights, and father to Red-Haired Shanks!
Garling glanced at them and said calmly, "Our lord already knows everything."
Those simple words made Nusjuro and Warcury freeze, the color draining from their faces. Even Ju Peter, who had been silent, looked up, a flicker of terror in his eyes.
"What?! Our lord already… but we haven't even gone to the Chamber of Flowers…"
"Our lord is very displeased with your performance," Garling interrupted coldly. "As the Five Elders, you descended to the lower world, not only failing in your mission but losing two of your own and fleeing in disgrace. Such a humiliation has not occurred in 800 years."
"Therefore, our lord has decided," Garling slowly stood up and looked down on the three old men he had revered for so many years, a mocking tone in his voice. "From this day forward, I will fill the vacancies left by Mars and Saturn, as the new Warrior God of Science and Defense, a member of the Five Elders, with elevated authority. As for how to deal with Shane and the Curtain Call, our lord has now taken an interest. Unfortunately, the three of you have proven yourselves incapable of this task. Therefore, from now on, I will be in full charge. In other words…" He snorted. "From now on, I am the core of the Five Elders, the head of the Five Elders!"
"Unite by my side, and let us work together for a better future for the world. Do you understand, my fellow Stars?"
"…" The three Elders exchanged a look. Though their faces were grim, they said nothing, tacitly accepting the change. Their lord's will was absolute.
Very good. I finally have a taste of supreme power… Garling nodded in satisfaction, his deep gaze looking out the window. "Shane…" He was strangely reminded of that man from over thirty years ago. He'll be an interesting opponent, won't he? Back then, he had been young and had thought he could stop Rocks, but Rocks hadn't even given him a second glance, crushing him like a speed bump. A single slash had nearly killed him. But now, everything was different! Decades had passed, and his strength was not what it used to be. And now that he held the supreme power of the World Government… the outcome would be different!
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
On the top floor of the main fortress, a high-level Marine meeting of unprecedented scale was underway. A Rear Admiral was a rare sight, relegated to the outer corners. Only those of Vice Admiral rank and above could sit closer to the front. And in the first row, the three active Admirals, Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru, were all present, a rare gathering.
"…" Aokiji had just returned from the G-1 Base. He sat with his arms crossed, his sleep mask pushed up on his forehead, his gaze complex as he looked at Akainu. Under the lights of the conference room, Akainu was not only missing an arm, but his once-stern face was also disfigured. His left eye was a grotesque, bloody socket, and the flesh on half of his cheek was torn away, revealing the bone beneath. Though it had been bandaged, it was still a shocking sight.
"Why didn't you refuse?" Aokiji sighed. "If you hadn't accepted the Celestial Dragons' order, it wouldn't have come to this…"
"Mind your own business, Kuzan," Akainu said coldly, not even looking at him. "I have never regretted a single decision I've made! The failure of this operation was due to the Curtain Call's strength exceeding our estimates. But the next time we meet, I will make Shane pay!"
Aokiji opened his mouth, but said nothing. That's not what I was talking about, Sakazuki… or are you deliberately changing the subject to avoid my question? And you, Borsalino, what do you think? Aokiji's gaze shifted to the other side, but Kizaru seemed oblivious, staring blankly at the whiteboard, his mind a million miles away…
"Fellow officers, colleagues!" Sengoku's deep voice came from the front. "Everyone is here. Let's begin!"
"I'm sure you've all heard about the heinous atrocities the Curtain Call committed in the North Blue a few days ago!" Sengoku stood in front of the whiteboard, his face grim. He raised a hand, and an image of the molten hellscape that was once a valley in the Lvneel Kingdom appeared on the screen.
"Three hundred and sixty-six Celestial Dragons, from seventeen families in Mary Geoise, were just taking a trip to this country because they were bored in the Holy Land. But the Curtain Call somehow found out and launched a surprise attack, carrying out an unprecedented massacre!"
"Three hundred and sixty-six Celestial Dragons, not a single one survived!"
The conference room erupted! Apart from the three Admirals, many of the Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals were shocked. They had heard rumors that Headquarters had suffered a major defeat in the North Blue, but they had never imagined it was this bad! Three hundred and sixty-six Celestial Dragons? In the entire 800-year history, the total number of Celestial Dragons who had died unnatural deaths was probably a fraction of that number!
"Not only that, but in the battle, our Marine Headquarters also paid a heavy price," Sengoku's voice grew even more somber. "You've all seen Sakazuki's injuries. To stop the Curtain Call's atrocities, the eight thousand elite Marines we dispatched were completely annihilated! And even two of the great figures from the World Government who came to provide support have fallen!"
He took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the room, his voice rising. "From this, it is clear that the mastermind of this incident, Shane, has a level of brutality that far exceeds any other pirate! The threat he poses to the World Government and to our Marine Headquarters is the highest in history!"
"With the ever-growing Curtain Call under his command, it is no exaggeration to say that they are the greatest enemy our Marine Headquarters will face in the future!"
"Such a group of fanatics, brutes, and fiends! Their current bounties are no longer appropriate! They must be adjusted immediately! Brannew!"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!" Brannew stepped forward, his face solemn, and posted a large wanted poster on the whiteboard.
"Normally, this man's wanted poster would be the last to be revealed. But this time is different! The price we paid was too heavy. I ask all of you, from the very beginning, to remember this face! Remember this animal who has committed countless atrocities and plunged the world into deeper chaos! Shane!"
As he spoke, the high-ranking officers saw the familiar photo. And the updated bounty below it made the entire room gasp—
[DEAD OR ALIVE]
[SHANE, GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF THE CURTAIN CALL, WORLD'S STRONGEST SWORDSMAN]
[฿6,320,000,000]
"Six billion, three hundred and twenty million Berries?!!"
"I-I'm not seeing things, am I? That's over a billion more than Whitebeard's bounty!"
"Idiot, not just Whitebeard! It's a billion more than Roger! More than the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!"
"Not even that Rocks had a bounty this high!"
Amidst the shocked murmurs, some broke out in a cold sweat, others swallowed hard, and some just stared at the bounty, speechless. At a certain point, a bounty loses its original meaning. No external force or individual could ever hope to claim a bounty of this magnitude. Even pirates with bounties in the billions were rarely ever cashed in. At this level, a bounty was a measure of the threat they posed to the world! The higher it went, the harder it was to raise. Even an increase of a few tens of millions, even moving up one spot in the rankings, signified a significant increase in the World Government's concern!
And Shane's bounty had just skyrocketed from just over five billion to 6.32 billion! Not only had he left legends like Whitebeard and Roger in the dust, but he had also set a new, all-time record! Truly, the most vicious criminal in history!
The whispers died down, and the conference room fell silent once more. Everyone could feel the terrifying weight behind this new wanted poster.
Brannew waited a moment for everyone to process it, then began to post new wanted posters on the board. This time, he started with Shane and went down in descending order. So, this batch should have been the Curtain Call's four top officers. But… to everyone's surprise, there were five posters on the board.
"'Wind Erosion' Kuina, First Mate of the Curtain Call, Top Officer, bounty raised to 1,646,000,000 Berries!"
"'Starfall' Issho, Top Officer of the Curtain Call, bounty raised to 2,840,000,000 Berries!"
"'Thunderfall' Bartholomew Kuma, Top Officer, bounty raised to 1,600,000,000 Berries!"
"'Earth Rumble' Jack, Top Officer, whose bounty has not been adjusted for some time due to his defeat by Katakuri, will now have his bounty raised to 1,420,000,000 Berries! Dead or Alive!"
"The increases for these four are to be expected, so I won't go into detail," Brannew paused, his gaze sweeping over the room as he pointed to the last wanted poster. "And this next one is, without a doubt, the biggest focus of this meeting, aside from Shane himself!"
On the screen appeared the image of a divine angel with eight wings, clad in silver-white armor. The photo seemed to have been taken in the heat of battle and was a bit blurry, but the holy, majestic aura was still palpable. Some of the officers couldn't even meet its gaze, looking away in shame.
"Before I introduce this woman, I would like to apologize on behalf of the Marine intelligence department! We have made a grave error in our previous work!" Brannew bowed solemnly and then posted another wanted poster next to the angel's photo. It was a photo of an orange-haired girl, ferociously biting into something that looked like cotton candy.
"You are all familiar with this wanted poster. It belongs to Shane's sister, the Curtain Call officer, 'Pet-Eating Demon' Nami, bounty 350,000,000 Berries. This bounty was issued because we mistakenly believed that she had devoured the Curtain Call's pet, Mochi, and stolen its Flame-Flame Fruit power."
"However, that is not the case at all," Brannew said in a low voice. "The latest intelligence confirms that this so-called 'angel' is, in fact, Mochi, who we had presumed to be dead!"
"There is no such thing as a 'Pet-Eating Demon' in the Curtain Call. The source of all our misunderstanding is simply that this unknown creature, Mochi, is constantly evolving!"
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