An Oni in God's Valley

A full week had passed since the Koa Pirates escaped the pursuit of the Marines, and their escape from the hands of the Marine Hero, Monkey D. Garp, became a worldwide sensation across the seas. It was unprecedented news, as no one had managed to get away from Monkey D. Garp—except for the Roger Pirates.

Of course, with this kind of achievement, Koa and his crew received a bounty increase, which was decided by a council consisting of those who had participated in the battle and the higher-ups, to ensure that the strength and danger level of the Koa Pirates were properly highlighted.

[Three Days Ago]

In the office of the Fleet Admiral, Kong sat at his desk as the room filled with high-ranking officers who had been directly involved in the operation. Present were Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Tsuru, Vice Admiral Garp, former Admiral turned Instructor Zephyr, Bogard, Sakazuki, and Borsalino. Other Marine officers had only been interviewed and were not included in this meeting.

"Garp, what the hell happened?" Kong asked, clearly frustrated. Garp, munching on his senbei crackers without a care in the world, had already returned to his usual laid-back mood and seemed almost excited by the idea of having someone new to chase.

"They're stronger than we thought," Garp answered bluntly, offering no further elaboration. This response only irritated Kong further, especially since the Five Elders had been pressuring him over the colossal failure of an operation that was meant to reignite civilian support for the Marines. Instead, the outcome had once again damaged their reputation.

"WHAT KIND OF EXPLANATION IS THAT? DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH DAMAGE THIS BROUGHT TO OUR REPUTATION?" Kong roared, finally losing his patience. Garp simply laughed in response, clearly enjoying having pushed Kong to the edge—seeing him more as a friend than a superior. As this scene unfolded, Sakazuki spoke up, visibly displeased with Garp's casual attitude.

"Vice Admiral Garp, do you think it's a laughing matter that a bunch of powerful pirates are now roaming the seas? Please take this more seriously," Sakazuki said, his voice laced with fury. His hatred for pirates had been evident since his days at the Marine Academy, but this was the first time he had openly shown disrespect to a senior officer—something Tsuru did not appreciate.

"You've got a lot of nerve, young man. I don't know what kind of lessons Zephyr's been teaching you, but disrespecting a ranked officer is something you should know better than. Don't you have any sense?" Tsuru snapped, preparing to continue her lecture before Garp intervened.

"Tsuru, enough," Garp said, his tone suddenly much more serious. Despite holding a different view of Justice than Sakazuki, Garp still respected those who followed a clear sense of justice. He believed Sakazuki had the potential to be an excellent Marine—though he didn't yet know that this would be a man he'd come to despise in the future.

When Garp's demeanor shifted, the atmosphere in the room changed with it. Normally the one to lighten the mood, Garp's serious tone carried weight.

"Koa is a strong man with strange and powerful Devil Fruit abilities. He can use three different types—he can summon magma like Sakazuki, cause earthquakes like Newgate, and control lightning. I'm sure there's something different about his race, too. Physically, he's stronger than me, though my Haki is still slightly superior. Most importantly, he has strong pirates in his crew. Like Rocks, but the key difference is that Koa and his crew clearly have unity." Garp said, recounting what he had observed during the confrontation.

His words were taken seriously by Kong and the others. Despite Garp's carefree behavior, he had some of the best judgment when it came to character and potential.

"Tell us about his crew. You go first, Sakazuki. You fought his right-hand man, right?" Kong said, turning toward Sakazuki to hear his assessment of Kuzan.

"His right-hand man's name is Kuzan—I overheard it during the fight. As you all know, he's a Logia user, wielding the Hie Hie no Mi. He's incredibly difficult to fight. His control over his Devil Fruit is refined, and he hasn't neglected his Haki. He even managed to do this to my arm," Sakazuki said as he raised his arm, revealing its darkened hue from extreme hypothermia—proof of the vast difference in their strengths, despite Sakazuki being a magma human.

Then Borsalino and Bogard shared their own accounts, as they were the only ones who hadn't been outright overpowered by their opponents. The meeting dragged on for hours as they carefully assessed the situation, trying to depict the Koa Pirates as a credible threat without making the Marines seem completely incompetent.

After long deliberation, they finally agreed on what the new bounties for each of the Koa Pirates would be.

Captain: Maui D. Koa (The Father of Disasters)

Bounty: 2,607,000,000 (Dead or Alive)

Vice Captain: Kuzan (The Living Blizzard)

Bounty: 1,000,100,000 (Dead or Alive)

Enforcer: Greenbull (The Living Forest)

Bounty: 856,500,000 (Dead or Alive)

Chef: Joichiro (Serpent of the Sea) 

Bounty: 500,000,000 (Dead or Alive)

Sniper: Jhin (The Virtuoso)

Bounty: 300,000,000 (Dead or Alive)

Pet: Urf (The Dugong)

Bounty: 10,000 (Alive)

Enel (The Living Divine Punishment)

Bounty: 500,000,000 (Dead or Alive)

The bounties were then announced, with soldiers assigning epithets to the Koa Pirates to ensure the world understood the threat they posed. These posters were distributed across the seas, sparking varied reactions. Some saw the opportunity to collect on the massive rewards, while others were drawn by the allure and sought to join their crew. But there was one thing everyone agreed on—there was a new power rising, and the sea was about to witness the birth of another legend.