"If I had to guess… probably zero. For now. But it won't stay that way," Rakuya said after a beat. For a man like him, a bounty would never be small, but the poster hadn't been printed yet. At this exact moment, his total really was zero.
How high it would go depended entirely on what price Marine Headquarters chose to put on his head.
"Zero? With your strength?" King Neptune stared at Rakuya, baffled. A pirate's bounty usually tracked power. He had only asked to gauge the man's level, and the answer he got was zero?
"Yeah. I used to keep a low profile," Rakuya said, perfectly straight-faced. "Planned to stay that way too. But some people didn't know when to quit, so now I've been forced to get loud. The bounty is only a matter of time."
"Then… sir, what do you estimate it will be?" Neptune bowed his head, asking as politely as he could.
Rakuya lifted his right hand and wiggled five fingers.
"Fifty million berries?" Neptune's brain hiccuped and blurted a number that could only be called terrifying to a commoner.
"Pfft." Rakuya sprayed his tea.
Sometimes he wondered if the king was dense. Fifty million for a man who had swatted a two-hundred-million crew into paste with a single slap? Please.
Flushing, Neptune hurried to correct himself. "No, no, not fifty million. With your power you crushed an entire crew. A mere fifty million is impossible. Then… could it be five hundred million?"
"Five hundred million?" voices echoed around the hall.
"Heavens, five hundred million already counts as a great pirate, right?"
"Great? More like capital-G Great."
"If that's true, then sir's strength is on par with Roger, Whitebeard, and Shiki."
"With a five-hundred-million protector, who would dare run wild on Fish-Man Island? Even Marine Headquarters might think twice."
The hall erupted. Five hundred million was a staggering figure. And that was just Rakuya's first projection. In time, he might even catch Whitebeard and Roger.
"Five… hundred million?" Neptune repeated, eyes wide.
"Please continue to watch over Fish-Man Island," he said, shedding his royal pride without shame. "You are our great benefactor. You are our god."
Rakuya didn't hear groveling in that. He heard a ruler putting his people first. He respected that.
"Mm." He nodded, and Neptune finally let himself breathe.
"Sir, which pirate crew are you with?" the king asked next.
He had to be careful. A famous flag deterred fools. If Rakuya belonged to a renowned crew, the warning effect would be tremendous. If Whitebeard covered Fish-Man Island, small fry would never dare approach.
Rakuya caught the intent at once. "A crew? I'm on my own for now. No banner. But since you asked… I'll start one."
Hearing he had no crew, Neptune's heart dipped, then steadied. He chose to trust his judgment.
"In that case, have you decided on a name? Recruits? A jolly roger?" Neptune had already slipped into the role of steward.
"A name? Not yet." Rakuya thought for a moment. "Call it the Drifting Cloud Pirates. As for the emblem… wait, I'll draw it."
He produced paper and pen from who-knows-where and sketched in quick, sure strokes. A cloud took shape, outlined in white and filled a deep, glaring red. Against black cloth, it was striking.
Clouds usually meant peace and calm. Stained red, they promised the opposite. Blood. Invasion. Judgment.
It fit Rakuya's intent perfectly. He didn't plan to coax the world into kindness. He planned to cut the rot out and leave light behind.
He drew a coat next, jet black with several red clouds stitched across it.
"Make a few sets exactly like this," Rakuya said, handing the designs over. "And have the emblems produced to spec. I'll need them."
The banquet wound down. After a day of chaos, Momousagi was dead on her feet and crashed in a palace room. With her under his thumb, escape was impossible, so Rakuya didn't bother worrying. He found a room of his own and slept.
At dawn, King Neptune was already waiting outside his door.
Creak.
"Come in," drifted a lazy voice from within.
Neptune blinked at the man's uncanny awareness and stepped inside. "Sir, the clothes and emblems you asked for."
"Not bad." The craftsmanship matched his sketch to the stitch.
"Everything is prepared, aside from the ship, which will take time," Neptune said.
Rakuya nodded.
"If I may ask… what will you do with these?" Neptune couldn't help himself.
"Warn the world," Rakuya said, shrugging on the black coat with its red clouds. "Fish-Man Island is under my protection."
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