Xavier, who had been nearby, was still in a state of shock. Even without seeing it, he was certain the huge explosion he'd heard at the edge of the forest was caused by Andy's shot. What kind of sniper rifle is that? he wondered. It's a sniper cannon! And it's enhanced with Haki!
A chill of fear ran down his spine as he looked at Andy, this terrifying sniper with an 80 million Berries bounty. He truly was a menace; he had to leave the Coral Royal Court as soon as possible. Allowing him to stay would only cause more trouble.
"Red Hawk," Xavier said, his expression now wary. "You said you would leave tomorrow. A great pirate with an 80 million Berries bounty should be a man of his word, right?"
Andy felt the king's apprehension, but he remained indifferent. "Don't worry, King Xavier. I'll be gone by tomorrow morning."
With that, he shouldered his sniper rifle, went downstairs to his room, and left the king standing there. Now that he'd figured out how to boost his sniping power, all he had to do was strengthen his Haki even further. But before he could improve his Armament Haki, he needed to improve his own physique. A stronger body was the foundation for stronger Haki.
The explosion had been heard by many, and the royal guards were quick to arrive at the site. When they saw the shattered state of the Lily, they immediately reported back to King Xavier at the hotel. While Xavier had already guessed the cause, hearing it confirmed by his guards only deepened his shock. This pirate, Red Hawk Andy, was simply too formidable.
After returning to his room, Andy ordered a large amount of food from the hotel for a late-night meal. He was preparing to enhance his physical strength.
"System, consume all bounty points to strengthen my physical strength!" he commanded.
A familiar electronic chime rang out. "Strengthening… 3… 2… 1… Strengthening successful!"
In just three seconds, Andy's physical strength increased by 60 million Berries, from 76 million to 136 million Berries. While physical strength didn't represent a person's total power, a stronger body was the ultimate foundation for becoming stronger in every way.
Andy felt a familiar sensation and asked, "That's weird, System. My physical strength is at 136 million Berries now, so why haven't my muscles gotten bigger?"
"This system enhances physical strength by improving muscle toughness," the system replied. "Not by turning the host into a muscular man."
"Muscle toughness? Oh, I see," Andy said, relieved. He no longer had to worry about becoming a muscle-bound freak. Just then, his stomach grumbled. "Hiss! I guess every time I strengthen my physical strength, it takes a lot of energy! Time to eat!"
As night fell, the sea grew peaceful. The Marine intelligence officers at the Coral Royal Court, however, were busy. The day's events had left a strong impression.
Red Hawk Andy was indeed a bloodthirsty pirate; his first day in town had already caused chaos that terrified everyone there.
They meticulously recorded all the incidents and immediately sent a report to Marine Headquarters in Marineford. An 80 million Berries bounty was significant enough to require the direct attention of Marine Headquarters.
At Marineford, the intelligence report was immediately delivered to Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Marine's chief of staff, by Brannew.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru," Brannew said, "I think Duke Bones might not be able to handle Red Hawk Andy."
Vice Admiral Tsuru had a solemn expression, but she didn't respond directly. Instead, she was deep in thought about Andy's potential for future growth. Her mind then drifted to another matter. And that Kuzan fellow… he still hasn't returned from the West Blue…
Looking up, she asked Brannew, "Tell me about Admiral Kuzan's reaction during the meeting when we decided on Red Hawk's bounty."
Brannew seemed surprised for a moment, then quickly recovered. "Right, Vice Admiral Tsuru. At the time, Admiral Kuzan…"
When Brannew finished speaking, Vice Admiral Tsuru's gaze drifted out the window, looking toward the West Blue. "Sigh… Kuzan, that guy, is he really still holding a grudge over the Ohara incident all those years ago…?"
Back then, the World Government had ordered the Marines to use a Buster Call to eliminate Ohara. Sengoku, who was an Admiral at the time, was in charge of the mission. He sent Akainu and Aokiji, both of whom were still Vice Admirals, to carry it out.
However, Akainu and Aokiji had a major disagreement about the evacuation ship. Aokiji wanted to let the civilians on board, who were not Ohara scholars, escape.
But Akainu, claiming that a scholar might be on the ship, destroyed it, killing all the innocent people inside.
The Marines then twisted the story and blamed eight-year-old Nico Robin for the destruction of the ship, which led to her being branded the "Devil Child" and receiving a 79 million Berries bounty.
Ever since the Ohara incident, Aokiji's faith in the Marines' justice began to waver, and his own sense of justice became a "lazy justice." Vice Admiral Tsuru knew that Aokiji had been following incidents related to Nico Robin ever since. With the appearance of Red Hawk this time, he probably wanted to prove something as well.
Back at the Coral Royal Court, the night was fleeting and a faint morning light filtered through the windows, casting a warm glow across the room. Andy slowly woke up, his mind still groggy. The first thing he noticed was that his hands were tightly held and he could feel warm breaths near his ears.
He slowly opened his eyes and saw two beautiful young ladies nestled close to him, sound asleep. Their breathing was soft and gentle, and a faint blush remained on their cheeks from the wine they'd consumed the night before.
Andy remembered now. As he was returning to his room, he had met two ladies who were carrying two bottles of wine and invited him to drink with them. Andy, not one to refuse, agreed.
The air in the room was filled with a rich, fragrant aroma that made him almost too comfortable to get up.
But Andy knew that while a brief moment of indulgence was fine, constantly wallowing in it was no different from a frog being boiled slowly in warm water. He gritted his teeth and, with great willpower, managed to get out of bed.
As he sat up, his eyes suddenly became cold. "You actually chased me all the way here," he muttered to himself. "Fine, I'll take care of you here…"
Then, a voice came from the bed. "Hiss! Miss, don't move around…"
"Hehehe~ I'm not moving…"
"I'm not either…"
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