At seven thousand meters above the White Sea.
Gran Tesoro floated on the pure white surface.
In the Golden City, with Robin using the Flower-Flower Fruit and her cooking firing on all cylinders, Karl began to feast.
There was not even any need for Karina and the others to carry dishes in. Two rows of arms linking the kitchen and dining room brought out plates piled with delicacies.
"It's finally over. During this stretch I was tense every waking moment."
Holding a handkerchief, Nami, Karina, and Perona helped wipe the sauce from Karl's lips. Nami propped her chin in her hand and sighed.
They had only taken part in the final Buster Call.
But for these days, Karina and the others had followed every shift of the battle.
First Karl stopping them, then the Buster Call escalating, then Karl's plan, which finally crushed it and ended the nightmare that had woken Robin in her sleep for more than ten years.
They had thought a sweeping victory meant no final ordeal.
The two Marine Admirals joined forces. If not for Karl's out-of-the-box use of the Float-Float Fruit, and the days the Admirals lost on rescue and travel, they might truly have had to abandon part of Gran Tesoro and flee.
Fortunately, Nami came through in the end.
While Karl delayed for nearly half a day, she finished the last buoyancy coverage and took full control of Gran Tesoro, carrying it up to the White Sea at seven thousand meters.
They lost only nine meteorite-scale chunks of gold and land, while annihilating several thousand Marines and a few officers.
On their side, apart from Karl collapsing from exhaustion at the end, no one was injured.
This Buster Call was an overwhelming victory for Karl's group.
"Tomorrow, I'm going to shock the world."
Karina also propped her chin as she looked at Karl with his cheeks stuffed full, and smiled meaningfully. "If nothing unexpected happens, your bounty is going to skyrocket again."
Just as Karina said.
A Buster Call that lasted about two weeks, mobilizing two Marine Admirals at the highest scale, was crushed by a crew of fewer than ten, and in the end they could only watch as the other side took Gran Tesoro into the sky.
This time, Mary Geoise and Marine Headquarters were utterly defeated.
Morgans, who had been following the story for about two weeks, would not help cover up the facts under pressure from Mary Geoise and Marine Headquarters. He would magnify their failure and sing Karl's praises to the skies.
It had to be said…
Morgans made a fortune over those two weeks.
But the price he paid was enormous as well.
Because he kept walking farther down the road of courting death.
And so…
When the next day's World Economy News sold across the globe, spreading the defeat of Mary Geoise and Marine Headquarters and the victory of Karl's group to every corner of the world.
The world was shocked, and Mary Geoise's fury did not subside.
Marine Headquarters used trained gulls that very day to issue new bounties for Karl's group across the seas.
[Dragon Knight Karl, bounty: 2,011,000,000 Berries, dead or alive.]
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon, bounty: 1,000,000,000 Berries, dead or alive.]
[Phantom Thief Karina, bounty: 300,000,000 Berries, dead or alive.]
[Cat Burglar Nami, bounty: 300,000,000 Berries, dead or alive.]
[Ghost Princess Perona, bounty: 300,000,000 Berries, dead or alive.]
[Devil Child Nico Robin, bounty: 200,000,000 Berries, dead or alive.]
Full-crew bounties.
Except for the newly joined Baccarat, everyone in Karl's group was wanted, the lowest bounty at 200,000,000 Berries.
Karl's bounty rose by one billion, breaking the two-billion mark and making him a Great Pirate second only to the Four Emperors and above their chief lieutenants.
The Blue-Eyes White Dragon's bounty doubled, entering the one-billion bracket at Emperor's lieutenant and All-Star tier.
Karina's bounty soared by 300,000,000, a world-famous super rookie whether in the first or second half of the Grand Line.
Perona and Nami, on their first posters, reached super rookie levels as well.
By contrast, Robin, previously second only to Karl and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon within the crew, suddenly became second from the bottom.
Without Baccarat, she would have been last.
Even Robin, who can read ancient script, did not surpass Karina and the other two in bounties.
This showed just how deep Marine Headquarters' hatred for the three ran.
Barrier-Barrier Fruit, Ghost-Ghost Fruit, Float-Float Fruit…
If not for the three looking like minors, with those broken abilities and combinations they would not have been capped at 300,000,000.
Given their potential and the feat of crushing a Buster Call, their first posters should have been at least 400 or 500 million.
Even so, Karl's group became a Great Pirate crew with a total bounty of 4,111,000,000 Berries.
Above them stood only the four sovereigns of the New World and a few massive pirate crews and alliances.
Karl's side was just five people and one dragon.
When the new posters blanketed the world, alongside that day's World Economy News, yet another storm churned across the seas.
"2,011,000,000 Berries. In this sea—no, in this world—when was the last bounty over two billion?"
"If I'm not mistaken, the last over two billion was Red-Haired Shanks ascending the New World, standing with three other monsters as the Four Emperors at 4,048,900,000. After that… it's been years since a two-billion-class poster."
"In the strongest sea, are we about to welcome a new Emperor?"
"…"
"Too… too strong, Dragon Knight… with only two battles he's become a figure at the top of the world… Is he recruiting crew? I have to become his subordinate."
"Following a man like that, I will become the fifth sovereign of the New World."
"…"
"Even two Admirals couldn't do anything? A few kids proved themselves this fast in these seas."
"So then, will you follow the Marines' bounties and become one of mine, and challenge the true summit, Dragon Knight Karl?"
"…"
Reactions varied around the world.
Ordinary people had seen a crew reach the summit with their own eyes over two weeks.
New World pirates had watched a behemoth rise.
Innumerable villains and those who hated the Celestial Dragons were won over by his deeds, becoming die-hard fans of Karl's group, even wanting to join them as subordinates or an affiliated crew.
Even the sovereigns firmly remembered the five-and-one-dragon.
Only Karl's group smiled faintly.
"A pirate crew? Who would choose to be pirates…"
Nami casually tossed the paper to Perona. Gazing at the city of gold before her and the three hundred billion Berries in cash stored in the vault, her eyes turned into symbols and flashed with dazzling gold. She shouted, "We're rich. If we're going to be anything, we'll be kings of the underworld."
"Click click… a total of 4,111,000,000 in bounties, and mine with Nami's, Perona's, and Sister Robin's comes to 1,100,000,000."
Karina looked at Karl writing beside her and sighed. "You really called it. The four of us together are truly a ten-figure combination."
"I said it before. Once your abilities were exposed, you would shock the entire world."
While speaking, Karl folded a slip of paper and tucked it into the mail tube of the News Coo, which was shivering on the table.
Looking at the birdling the little white dragon had plucked from beneath the White Sea, Karl patted its head and showed a gentle smile. "Please deliver this slip to the president. Make sure you don't lose it."
"Kwaa, kwaa…"
The News Coo bobbed its head like a pecking chick, then shot skyward with the tube on its back, wobbling in fright as it flew back to the Blue Sea.
"Did you give it something?"
Seeing this, Karina spoke her doubt aloud.
"A string of numbers. My Den Den Mushi number."
Holding the little white dragon and looking at the beaming Nami, Karl smiled. "Just like Nami, even if I'm designated a pirate, I have never considered myself a pirate, and I will not form a pirate crew."
"Gran Tesoro is my turf and my foothold in the New World."
"Since I took Gild Tesoro's turf, I may as well take his identity too."
"I'm going to have Morgans do an exclusive interview and announce my decision to the whole world."
"An interview?"
Karina's eyes lit up. "Great idea. As expected."
In truth, Karl's group had no love for pirates.
Karl and Karina became orphans because the Great Pirate Era ruined countless families and their parents had to abandon them.
0 seeking flowers
Before meeting Karl and Karina, Nami was even more disgusted by pirates.
As for Robin, pirate was less fitting than wanted by Mary Geoise. She was simply an ordinary wanted person.
Only Perona grew up with Gecko Moria on Thriller Bark after being taken in as a child and picked up some pirate habits.
In fact, even that was not strictly piracy.
When Moria picked her up, he had already become one of the seven legal pirates.
As for Baccarat, whether or not she had been a pirate before meeting Gild Tesoro, once she joined Gran Tesoro she would automatically become a good citizen.
So those pirates and rabid fans who wanted to join Karl's group, to follow him, and to leverage the summit-level might of Karl and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon to rise as the fifth sovereign power of the New World, would likely be disappointed.
Karl's group would not be pirates, even if the Marines posted bounties on them.
By relying on Gran Tesoro and their newly crowned New World reputation, they would become one of the kings of the underworld.
And so…
When the News Coo carried Karl's slip back to the mobile headquarters of the World Economy News and delivered it to Morgans.
That very night Karl received a call from one of the underworld's kings.
No one knew what the two discussed, but Morgans left headquarters in secret, excited, and went to the agreed interview site.
A few days later, at the agreed spot, Morgans conducted an exclusive interview with Karl.
No one knew exactly what Morgans asked, but he left with clear satisfaction.
A few days after that, the World Economy News gave the public—who had thought the Buster Call incident had closed—a surprise bonus.
Morgans canceled the day's front-page news specially and made a feature column the top story.
In the column was first a photo of Morgans with Karl, with the text interview beneath.
To satisfy Morgans' curiosity and to reward his long journey and willingness to risk being taken out to keep the appointment, Karl answered almost every question.
Morgans began with Karl's bounty hunter days in the East Blue.
First his career as a hunter, then why he killed a Celestial Dragon.
Karl's answer, just like when he first faced Kizaru, was full of aggrieved innocence, deepening the world's disgust for the Celestial Dragons.
It also let those who had been biased against Karl feel the frustration and helplessness of a bounty hunter pushed into being a Great Pirate.
Lastly he asked why Karl killed Gild Tesoro.
Karl, with superb acting, painted Gild Tesoro as a dog of Mary Geoise who, like the Celestial Dragons, coveted the Golden Bell and wanted to steal it to curry favor, forcing Karl to counterkill in self-defense.
On this point, the guests in Gran Tesoro could testify.
Before making his move, Karl had specially told the guests to leave. He was very kind and did not forget his original heart.
Even when Mary Geoise and Marine Headquarters finally launched the Buster Call, he and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon only blocked them again and again. Only at the very end were they forced to crush the warships and counterkill.
[Karl: Even my crew can sink warships. With my strength and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's, do you think we couldn't have done more?]
Reading this, people forgave Karl completely.
What a kind young man, driven to the opposite side by swine.
As if feeling the same sting, people around the world began to reproach and mock Mary Geoise and Marine Headquarters.
There was no doubt about it…
The interview made Mary Geoise and Marine Headquarters see red. They wanted to send all three Admirals to launch another Buster Call on Karl's group.
Finally, Karl announced his decision to the whole world.
He would not be a pirate. Even if Mary Geoise and Marine Headquarters put bounties on him, he would remain a good man true to his heart. From now on he was only a businessman.
Gran Tesoro would reopen in one month, everything as before.
Aside from Gran Tesoro, he wanted none of Gild Tesoro's other legacy. He would leave it to those scrambling for it.
And so…
By using Morgans' public opinion, Karl came ashore and washed his name clean, won the favor of countless people, and made countless others forget their fear and prepare to carry fistfuls of cash to Gran Tesoro to be happy spenders.
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