And so, the members of the Silver Pirates spent a very pleasant and peaceful day on Fish-Man Island.
As time passed, most of the residents of Fish-Man Island learned that a pirate crew had saved their people, and the gazes turned toward Shirakawa were filled with respect.
But unlike the depths of the sea, the surface world was rocked by a massive upheaval the very next day.
Because word had spread of the Silver Pirates' battle with the Marines.
At first, the Marines reported it like this:
While pursuing other pirate crews, the Marines had regrettably allowed the Silver Pirates to escape. However, the expedition had still been a resounding success, capturing no fewer than a dozen pirate crews.
But because the Silver Pirates had escaped, their bounties had skyrocketed.
Captain Adolph K. Shirakawa—bounty: two billion berries, doubling his previous amount in one stroke.
The Great Swordsman, Uralchora—bounty: two hundred million berries.
The Tyrant Dragon, Riedel—bounty: three hundred fifty million berries.
The Ghost Sniper, Juristin—bounty: six hundred million berries.
The Bloodthirsty Chef, Saral—bounty: three hundred million berries.
The Berserker, Kurokam—bounty: six hundred million berries.
The Scholar, Mol—bounty: one hundred million berries. As for why Mol carried the title of "Scholar," it was because his appearance gave off a refined, scholarly air.
The Scheming Doctor, Lisa—bounty: fifty million berries.
The Ghost Step, Adara—bounty: fifty million berries.
The Battle Axe, Abro—bounty: one hundred fifty million berries.
The Long Legs, Mut—bounty: eighty million berries.
The Archer, William—bounty: eighty million berries.
The Tempest, Wend—bounty: two hundred million berries.
And with that, apart from Taeyeon, every single member of the Silver Pirates had been given a bounty.
This kicked up quite the storm across the seas.
Older figures were reacquainted with the name of this pirate crew, while the newer generation was only now learning of them for the first time.
But none of that stopped the Silver Pirates from returning to the pinnacle of the world once more.
Still, some people were puzzled. How could a pirate crew that had simply *escaped* warrant such enormous bounties?
It wasn't until another newspaper appeared that their confusion was resolved—a paper personally laid out by Morgans himself.
It contained not a single word about the battle from the day before. There were only four photographs.
One was a photo of Shirakawa fighting Garp. One was Juristin battling Kizaru. One showed Kurokam clashing with Akainu. And the last was a photo of the rest of the Silver Pirates fighting the Marines.
Though not a single word was printed, any clever person could tell at a glance what had happened.
The Marines had engaged the Silver Pirates in a fierce battle, but had failed to capture them. So instead, they had turned their sights on the other pirate crews.
Which led to every pirate crew present in the Sabaody Archipelago at that time meeting total annihilation.
"He's already that strong, Shirakawa? Looks like I need to put in some serious work too."
At that moment, aboard the Red Force sailing through the Grand Line, the Red Hair Pirates' captain, Shanks, felt considerable pressure after seeing the newspaper.
But he was also happy for Shirakawa. At least with strength like that, he wouldn't have to worry about danger in the New World.
"So that brat is still alive, huh?"
Somewhere out on the open sea, the Golden Lion—who had been in hiding for years—also saw the paper and exclaimed in surprise. It had already been a few years since he'd broken out of prison.
But before he'd been locked up, hadn't the news already reported Shirakawa's death?
"Still, if he can fight Garp now, his strength must be nothing to scoff at."
The Golden Lion once again dismissed any thought of stealing that blade. What he needed now was to lie low and build up his strength. He wouldn't set out to sea until all his preparations were complete.
After that battle at Marine Headquarters, he'd learned that staying low-key was the true path to victory.
Though that time at Marine Headquarters, his judgment had been clouded by rage. Otherwise, why had he always made thorough preparations when facing the Roger Pirates before?
"Hey, Pops, come look at this—that guy's actually still alive."
On the Moby Dick in the New World, Marco, the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, said with a shocked expression.
"Oh?" Whitebeard took a glance and immediately spotted the photo of Garp and Shirakawa locked in combat.
As someone who had once been Garp's opponent, Whitebeard could naturally tell that Garp was currently fighting at full power.
Of course, Whitebeard knew that while this was Garp's full power, the man could still push further—all the way to his absolute limit state.
But that version of Garp... Whitebeard had only ever seen it once.
"That brat has already gotten this strong?"
Whitebeard said in mild surprise. He was genuinely taken aback by Shirakawa's growth.
For five years, there hadn't been a single piece of news about him. Who would have thought that after five years, he'd make such a stunning return?
"That's right, Pops. To think he can go toe-to-toe with Garp now... though Garp probably wasn't using his full strength, right?"
Marco said. He'd never fought Garp himself, so he had no idea what state the old Marine's power was actually in.
"Ha," Whitebeard let out a cold chuckle.
"Marco, you should step up your training."
If Whitebeard wasn't mistaken, there had once been a time when Marco had been able to beat Shirakawa down.
But now? Though he hadn't seen the current Shirakawa in person, he estimated Marco was no longer his match.
"Don't worry, Pops. Next time we meet, I'll make sure he gets a taste of what I can do."
"Hahaha! Marco got scolded by Pops! How pathetic!"
One of the Whitebeard crew members jeered at Marco.
"Shut up." The only response was Marco's angry roar.
They were the Whitebeard Pirates. Among the crew, they were like family, so a few harmless little jokes were completely normal.
But Marco's mood was honestly a bit gloomy, because his father's words clearly meant, *You're no match for him.*
As for everything happening in the outside world, the Silver Pirates knew nothing of it. Or rather, not a single living thing on Fish-Man Island knew anything at all.
After all, they lived ten thousand meters beneath the sea. Information was still quite slow to reach them.
Otherwise, once the Silver Pirates learned of their bounties, there would surely have been a civil war. *Someone weaker than me has a higher bounty than I do?*
Of course, bounties didn't perfectly represent strength—but they were still a symbol of face.
No matter where you went, a person with a high bounty commanded respect. Even bounty hunters picked their targets based on whoever had the higher price on their heads.
*Thanks to Wuyue Xinghai for the 588 book coins tip. Thank you, boss!*
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