Looking at the still-burning flame vortex, Zephyr's expression was terrifying, possibly related to the fact that his hair had been burned off. The defense of Haki protected him from major burns, but his clothes and hair were not spared.
Due to the mistakes of the excellent photographers, Zephyr didn't know this flame vortex was Arceus's handiwork and mistakenly thought it was a skill of King's.
King also used massive flames during the fight, but the intelligence clearly stated that he was a Zoan-type ability user.
"A Mythical Zoan, huh... The power of this flame might be stronger than the Flame-Flame Fruit..."
The flame vortex left by Arceus lasted for a long time. It only dissipated after consuming its power, long after they left the island.
During this time, neither strong winds nor anything else could extinguish this flame, making many survivors on the island believe it was the wrath of a god.
"Brother King, your new wanted poster is out."
A few days later, on their return journey, King's wanted poster was updated, with the bounty directly reaching 300 million Belly, becoming the highest bounty under Kaidou in the Hundred Beasts Pirates.
This was due to Zephyr's report, indicating that his ability to temporarily trap a former admiral warranted this price. At this time, the Belly hadn't depreciated, and 300 million was already a considerable amount.
The opposition only chose to trap him without further action, leading Zephyr to conclude that they had no follow-up strength, which, combined, resulted in this bounty.
"Three hundred million Belly, as expected of Brother King, so strong."
"Yeah, even the boss lady's bounty isn't this high. But what has Brother King done lately?"
There has to be a reason for the increase in a bounty. In their impression, King hadn't done anything and had just been following Arceus. How did his bounty rise like this?
"Focus on steering, and don't bother with these useless things." King could guess why his bounty had increased, but it was better not to mention that it was due to Arceus's influence.
This trip did not yield what they needed. Due to the destruction of the war, they could not replenish supplies at their destination and even distributed some relief food to the survivors.
With the confirmation that there were Navy on the island, the subsequent matters were no longer their concern. At this time, it was time to replenish again, and following the recorded pointer's instruction, they docked at a nearby island.
Their purpose here was not just resupplying but also seeking ancient plants. The island's climate is that of an Ancient Island, but the residents here have kept up with modern developments.
Because the deep mountains on the island occasionally harbor extinct medicinal herbs from the outside world, the island's economy was relatively stable. However, King felt a sense of foreboding, first running into Zephyr and the Navy and then facing new troubles here.
He was just following Asie's sketch to find similar herbs. Finding the herbs was one thing, but new troubles cropped up even before he could purchase them and leave.
A group of bounty hunters had surrounded the place. Bounty hunting was one of the primary professions in this world. Those unwilling to join the Navy or pirates but also not wanting regular production work often became bounty hunters, earning a living off pirate bounties.
But they were just people who worked for money. It's not all about capturing pirates; if the price is right, many things fall within their professional scope.
But their target was not King, but the shop owner behind him.
"Do whatever you want but don't trouble me. I have business to attend to."
He didn't want any part in these matters at all. Finding a plant he needed was already a good result. Now he just wanted to take it back and report, but some people didn't want to let him leave easily.
"A bounty of three hundred million..."
Although King had his disguise, it hadn't changed all these years. The World Government's high bounty on pirates was meant to attract bounty hunters to hunt them, not to deter people from going after them.
Greed stirs the heart. Faced with King's bounty, there were those tempted. There is never a shortage of people in this world who are oblivious to their limitations.
Furthermore, a pirate's bounty considers their niche, the World Government's overall impact assessment, and the captain's influence.
Subordinates of great pirates have higher bounties than other pirates outside. Their strength isn't weak, but they're also influenced by their captain, leading to some cadres' bounties being inflated.
If they encounter these inflated bounties, it's an opportunity for some strong individuals to capitalize on them.
"Reckless."
Seeing that the gunmen still aimed at him without any intention of backing off, King's wings moved behind him.
"Blaze Star King."
The sharp wings instantly cut two people in half, and then stones appeared beside King out of nowhere. After being set aflame, they crashed toward the rest.
After gaining their abilities, they did not follow a rigid approach. They discovered different uses based on their understanding and habits.
Queen integrated the Seed Machine Gun with body modification, Shaina's Flame Kick became part of her original kicking skills, Zeraora Volt alternated different usages, and Kaidou's protection impact.
Even wild Pokemon found different ways to use skills, let alone them. Rock Slide and Stone Edge were King's most frequently used skills. His Flame Power merged with them, making Rock Slide more like a burning meteor.
But after he stepped through the door, he found another circle of people outside.
"You seem quite valuable?"
They only changed course temporarily because of insufficient supplies. These people couldn't possibly be here for him, meaning their target was the herbal shop owner behind him.
An ordinary herbal shop owner couldn't draw such a crowd. Over a hundred people loitered outside, and even two cannons were aimed here. King's Fire Meteor had just shattered the outer wall, and seeing the situation inside, those outside chose to fire.
But after the cannonball exploded, what dispersed wasn't shrapnel but a green gas. At some point, those around also wore gas masks.
"This is a special anesthetic, a secret recipe I bought from that group. Even dinosaurs can't withstand a whiff. I doubt you can!"
That group he mentioned was an organ-trafficking assassination organization, known for their talent in anesthetic drugs, though they've had a hard time lately.
After Kaidou destroyed their headquarters, the remaining forces were devastated by the BIG MOM Pirates, leaving no place for them in the New World.