The hall fell into silence once more.
Having 'That Person' take action against some unknown rookie?!
That was pure nonsense.
Not even the Emperors or Dragon had warranted that.
If they reported this, Im-sama would probably eliminate them first.
And likely call them useless fools as a parting gift.
"Are we supposed to mobilize the entire Marine Headquarters to capture a rookie who just set sail?!!" The blonde Elder spoke, his tone displeased.
Aside from a full-scale encirclement, he couldn't think of a better method.
The blonde Elder immediately shook his head in refutation. "It's useless. Leo isn't a fool. If he can't win, wouldn't he just run?!"
"The moment he uses his teleportation to leave, it would only waste our time."
"This won't work, that won't work. Are we just supposed to let Leo run rampant?!"
The impatient, curly-haired Elder stabbed his cane downward forcefully, punching a large hole in the floor.
"Actually, we could let others do the dirty work for us," the long-bearded Elder interjected suddenly.
"Huh?!" The gazes of the other Elders turned to him. "Elaborate."
The long-bearded Elder scanned the group, speaking slowly. "We can significantly increase Leo's bounty, piquing the interest of the Four Emperors. Given their respective personalities, conflict would be inevitable."
"Simultaneously, have the Marines constantly monitor the Emperors' movements."
"When they fight, we can profit from their conflict."
Kaido?!
Big Mom?!
As soon as the long-bearded Elder finished speaking, the figures of these two immediately came to the minds of the other Elders.
Whitebeard only cared about his sons and nothing else.
Shanks never actively sought trouble with others.
That left only Kaido and Big Mom.
Kaido, who revered martial power, desperately wanted to recruit all the strong fighters on the seas into his Beast Pirates.
As for Big Mom... she was someone who couldn't live without men.
Leo: handsome, strong, even greater stamina.
Top-tier genes.
The frown on the blonde Elder's face slowly eased. "If Leo cannot pose a lethal threat to Garp, then having Kaido and Big Mom deal with him isn't a bad strategy."
Kaido and Big Mom, like Garp, had their defensive capabilities maxed out.
Facing them, Leo would be equally helpless.
"But they probably can't do much to Leo either," the sword-wielding Elder shook his head again.
At best, it would be a stalemate. And if Leo wanted to leave, no one could stop him.
"Who cares?" The long-bearded Elder waved his hand dismissively. "Our goal is to sow discord between them. Don't forget, Leo is our enemy, but so are Kaido and Big Mom. Let them fight it out."
As he said this, a trace of venom flashed in the long-bearded Elder's eyes.
Whoever died in the end, the ones to profit would be them.
"Not a bad idea," the mustached Elder immediately nodded in agreement. They only needed to sit back and watch the tigers fight.
The other Elders quickly followed suit with nods of agreement.
Sengoku, standing to the side, cautiously interjected, "What should Leo's new bounty be? And what will the reason be?!"
The news of the Marines' defeat absolutely could not be leaked.
The newspapers released by the Marines were essentially polished; any news unfavorable to the Marines was downplayed if major, or outright omitted if minor.
This was to minimize negative impact on the Marines' image.
If the public learned that Kizaru had his arm severed by Leo, the Marines' prestige would plummet.
How could a full Marine Admiral, unable to even defeat a rookie pirate, protect them?!!
How could he uphold Justice?!
By then, they wouldn't need the Revolutionary Army to spread their ideas; the public's faith would waver on its own.
Furthermore, Kizaru's injuries were severe this time; he would need a long rest.
By the time he recovered and reappeared in public, people wouldn't connect his missing arm to Leo.
As long as they kept their mouths shut, let the public speculate. If necessary, they could just fabricate a reason.
The Lord of the Coast in the East Blue bit off Shanks' arm; was it so strange for it to bite off Kizaru's?!
Perfectly reasonable.
"What is Leo's current bounty?!" the sword-wielding Elder asked gravely.
"Five hundred million Berries," Sengoku reported truthfully.
"Raise it to three billion Berries!!"
"Three billion?!!" Sengoku was instinctively shocked.
A full three billion Berries—a bounty second only to the Four Emperors themselves.
Many long-established Emperor officers didn't even come close.
The most terrifying part was that these three billion were purely for Leo's combat strength.
When setting bounties for pirates, many factors were considered.
The overall standard was based on the threat level the pirate posed to the Marines and the World Government; strength was only one factor.
Just like in the original story, after Monkey D. Luffy defeated Kaido, his bounty rose to 3 billion Berries.
But Kaido's bounty was 4.589 billion Berries, still much higher than Luffy's.
The reason lay here.
The Beast Pirates' main base was on Onigashima, but their influence wasn't limited to it.
A significant portion of the New World seas fell under the Beast Pirates' shadow, with countless underground dealings.
In contrast, Leo, apart from collecting women everywhere, only had his ship.
He had no territory, nor did he dominate any sea.
The 3 billion bounty was purely for raw strength, its value undeniable.
Of course, at least 2 billion of that was for his teleportation ability.
"As for the reason..." The sword-wielding Elder pondered for a moment. "Say he destroyed Enies Lobby."
It had to be said, Enies Lobby was an awkward place.
Although it was known as one of the three great institutions alongside Marine Headquarters and Impel Down, its defenses were the weakest, without any truly powerful figures stationed there.
Any pirate with a bit of strength could destroy it.
It's just that Marine Headquarters was right behind it, so most didn't have the nerve.
Of course, there was also no need, unless provoked—otherwise, it would be pure foolishness.
"This..." Sengoku hesitated, feeling somewhat embarrassed. "Will they believe it?!"
Destroying Enies Lobby leading to a bounty increase of 2.5 billion?!!
Too exaggerated!
The blonde Elder shot a cold glance, his voice icy. "Who do you mean by 'they'?!"
"Pirates or the public?!"
"If it's pirates, do we need them to believe it?!"
"If it's the public, what do they know? Sengoku, you only need to unconditionally execute our orders and maintain the Marines' image."
"Don't say anything unnecessary."
Sengoku gritted his teeth, his expression shifting.
In front of the Five Elders, the Fleet Admiral was less than a dog.
"I understand," Sengoku replied, bowing his head.
"Since you understand, go and handle it," the long-bearded Elder waved impatiently.
Today, everything about Sengoku irritated him.
Sengoku felt as if granted amnesty and quickly strode out of the hall.
He didn't want to stay in this damned place for a second longer.
The Marines acted swiftly.
Under Sengoku's strong insistence, in less than a day, fresh new wanted posters were issued.
The first to get the news was naturally the most professional, the President of the World Economic Journal, Morgans.
Upon learning that Leo had destroyed Enies Lobby, Morgans went crazy.
"Hurry up!!! All of you, speed up!!" In the office, Morgans screamed hoarsely at the staff in front of him.
"This is the biggest news in recent years! Everyone works overtime! Triple pay for these few days! After this busy period, I'll give each of you a ten-day vacation!!"
"Woo!!!" All the staff cheered in unison, then focused intently on their work.
The daily nine-to-five grind had truly worn them out.
A month off sounded wonderful.
"Hahahaha..... I'm going to let the whole world know about this! We're going to make a fortune again!!"
Morgans rubbed his hands together, fantasizing about counting banknotes, his pupils turning into Berry symbols.
After a brief moment of wild fantasy, he felt something was off.
Many aspects of this reported news didn't add up; some were even full of holes.
The 3 billion high bounty was one thing—Enies Lobby was, after all, the World Government's face—so they could勉强 (barely) explain it away if forced.
The main issue was why would Leo do this?!!
There wasn't even a stated motive for destroying Enies Lobby.
Just to display his power?!
To proclaim his strength to the world?!
Hmm.
Not impossible.
Morgans nodded silently.
With thousands of pirates out there, maybe Leo was just the exceptionally arrogant one.
Pity there was no one from his agency inside Enies Lobby; otherwise, they could have recorded the events.
The next day.
With Morgans fanning the flames, more news birds carrying more newspapers flew out from the news agency, heading to all corners of the world.
It was like a massive rock dropped into a calm sea, stirring up monstrous waves.
[Leo: Captain of the Leo Pirates. Bounty: 3,000,000,000 Berries. Dead or Alive!]
[Leo's Reckless Rampage: Destroys Enies Lobby!]
[Challenging Marine Authority: Leo's Crimes Are Unforgivable, All Should Condemn Him!]
[Scum of the Seas!!]
[Saboteur of Maritime Peace!!!]
[Leo Declares His Intent to Seize an Emperor's Throne!!]
[Crisis for the Four Emperors?!!]
One eye-catching, red headline after another grabbed people's attention.
Finally, the Marines didn't forget to sow discord between Leo and the Four Emperors.
The whole world began to buzz with discussion. The news continued to ferment, spreading farther and wider, until soon, the entire world was boiling.
Wano Country, Onigashima.
"Wororororo... The Marines' methods are as despicable as ever. Trying to stir up trouble with this?!!"
Kaido, Governor of the Beast Pirates, looked at the headlines in the newspaper and shook his head disdainfully.
"Lord Kaido, don't you think something is strange about this?!" King, the lead Disaster, wearing an oni mask, spoke gravely.
Kaido glanced at him sideways. "Speak."
"It's just Enies Lobby. It shouldn't warrant a 2.5 billion Berry increase in one go," King's tone was certain.
If it were that easy, Jack would have gone long ago.
Jack the Drought, standing nearby, laughed heartily, unconcerned. "Hahahaha... Who cares! Lord Kaido, what do you think of this kid?!"
"If you're satisfied, I'll set off now and bring him back." Jack thumped his chest in guarantee.
Some guy who raised his bounty by destroying Enies Lobby? He wasn't afraid.
Correction.
Except for Kaido and the other two Disasters, he feared no one.
Not just one Leo; even if Kaido ordered him to attack Marine Headquarters, if he so much as frowned, he wouldn't be called Jack.
Kaido glanced at the brave Jack and shook his head. "No need. After he enters the New World, I'll go catch him myself."
The Grand Line was vast. Finding Leo there was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
But the New World was different. Although also large, his intelligence network was everywhere, and his connections were wide.
Unless Leo went into hiding, a single phone call would reveal his location.
"By the way, what is Yamato doing?!" Kaido suddenly changed the subject.
Ulti, one of the Flying Six, scratched her head helplessly. "Young Master Yamato is... role-playing again."
Kaido's face darkened. That damned Kozuki Oden again, still haunting him?!
He immediately stood up, grabbed his kanabō, and strode out of the hall.
Totto Land.
"Bastards! Why didn't you tell me about such an outstanding man sooner?!!" A sharp shriek echoed through Whole Cake Island.
Big Mom glared furiously at the gathered ministers, flames rising in her pupils.
The ministers below trembled, not even daring to breathe heavily.
They all felt deeply wronged.
It wasn't that they didn't try to tell her, but Big Mom had seemed to experience a second youth recently.
Constantly... 'busy', and after being busy, she would indulge in feasts.
And she allowed no one to disturb her, refusing to listen to any other matters.
She claimed other things would ruin her mood while enjoying food.
That's why it had been delayed until now.
Big Mom propped her chubby cheeks in her hands, gazing infatuatedly at Leo's photo on the table.
Appearance: Handsome.
Destroyed Enies Lobby: Brave.
Killed Crocodile: Powerful.
Specifically recruited female crewmembers: Lustful.
Most importantly, in good health!
This... wasn't this exactly what she wanted?!
Every point struck a chord in her heart.
Over all these years, none of her husbands had truly satisfied her.
So, it was fate all along!!
Leo was her one true destiny!!!
Big Mom clutched the newspaper, staring at Leo's photo, her eyes dazed.
Her voice became strangely singsong. "Everyone, find Leo immediately! Spare no expense to bring him before me!!!"
Including Katakuri, all the ministers twitched at the corners of their mouths and left with grim expressions.
Damn it, another fucking 'father'.
The latter half of the New World.
Aboard the Moby Dick, flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Wahahahaha..... Pops, the rookies these days are bolder than we were back then, daring to smash Enies Lobby," Diamond Jozu looked at the newspaper, laughing and teasing.
"Wahahaha.... Leo probably felt that killing Crocodile wasn't enough, and wants to make a name for himself this way," Vista shook his head, speechless.
Truly a newborn calf unafraid of the tiger.
Once he's being chased across the world by Marine Admirals, he'll learn the meaning of regret.
The Whitebeard Pirate commanders laughed heartily, their words full of teasing and sarcasm.
They had seen much, but it was their first time encountering someone as audacious as Leo.
Without any apparent reason, he dared to destroy Enies Lobby.
Wasn't this the same as shitting on the World Government's head?!
"Pops, don't you find it strange?!!" Only the meticulous Marco frowned slightly, spotting the inconsistencies.
Facing Marco's doubts, Whitebeard, sitting imposingly on his chair, listlessly tossed the newspaper aside.
Whether it was fact or there was something fishy, he had no interest in these matters.
His main concern right now was~
"Any news about Ace?!!" Whitebeard chugged a bottle of rum and looked at his sons.
Hearing this, the smiles instantly vanished from all the commanders' faces. They shook their heads in unison.
They had sent people to search, but there was still no trace of Ace.
Naturally, they hadn't found any sign of Blackbeard Teach either.
The words Shanks had said to him always lingered in Whitebeard's mind. A sense of foreboding surged in his heart. He stood up decisively and commanded, "Sons! Pass the order! Notify all captains of the Whitebeard Pirates' subsidiary fleets! Have them use all their connections and resources! Spare no cost! Find Ace for me!"
"Yes, Pops!!"
"Yes, Pops!!"
All the commanders shouted in unison, pulling out Den Den Mushis to contact the various fleet captains.
Whitebeard gazed into the distance at the gradually darkening sky, his heart filled with unease.
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T/N :
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