One Piece: Gawain The Knight Of The Sun

"This time, Headquarters will directly set the bounties."

"These two pose a threat far beyond other East Blue pirates."

"The East Blue is known as the most peaceful sea, with an average pirate bounty of under 5 million Berries. Even the biggest threat, Arlong, is only at 20 million."

"But it's clear that Fire Fist Ace and Knight Gawain's bounties will exceed that!"

"This is an insult to the East Blue and a denial of your capabilities!"

As Brannew's words landed, the branch officers' faces darkened.

His speech was a direct slap in the face, but since the problem arose in their jurisdiction, they lacked the ground to argue back.

Still, some couldn't swallow their pride.

To Brannew's left, the rat-faced Colonel of Branch 016 spoke with a sarcastic edge, "As expected from a Headquarters officer—always so direct."

His words drew sideways glances. Brannew frowned but didn't bother to explain.

He continued, "Headquarters, especially a certain East Blue native, will be watching closely. Mind your words and actions."

"East Blue native… Vice Admiral Garp?" the Colonel blurted, his pupils shrinking.

The room straightened up, faces grim as they looked at Brannew.

If true, it meant Hero Garp might return to the East Blue to suppress pirates.

And every pirate crackdown meant a purge of the Navy—top to bottom, inside out—rooting out corruption and replacing it with fresh blood.

Many would lose their positions.

"We need to prepare now!"

"Clear out the pirates around our bases and root out internal corruption!"

The officers' hearts tightened.

The Colonel was sweating, his back drenched by the meeting's end.

…

East Blue, on the open sea.

A gentle breeze, calm waves.

Seabirds skimmed the surface, luring sea beasts to leap out and sink back below.

Their massive, dozens-of-meters-long forms felt unreal.

It reminded Gawain he was no longer in his peaceful old world but in the One Piece world.

Plunder, violence, chaos—these were the sea's eternal themes.

Strong pirates rose and fell, but new ones always set sail. Now, Gawain was one of them.

Honestly, if he'd had a choice, the ideal start in this world would've been as a Celestial Dragon or a Marine.

Marines had clear promotion paths, access to the Six Powers, and far more opportunities for Devil Fruits than pirates.

But having just killed Axe-Hand Morgan and with his name on a wanted poster, joining the Navy was impossible.

So, he'd stick to the pirate path.

"Only strength lets you stand tall in this world," Gawain muttered.

A hatted News Coo flew in, circling the warship before dropping a newspaper on the deck and flying off.

A pirate on deck picked it up. Before opening it, a stack of wanted posters slipped out.

He bent to grab them, spotting Gawain's photo—but the number below wasn't the 8 million he remembered.

His breath caught. "Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands… f-f-four—!"

"Stuttering?" Another pirate snatched the poster, only to be stunned by the number, shattering the East Blue's recent bounty ceiling.

"Knight Gawain, bounty… 48 million Berries?!"

"How much?"

The crew gathered, staring at Gawain's bounty—six times its previous amount—speechless.

After a dozen seconds, they erupted in awe.

"48 million?!"

"The captain's name will echo through the East Blue!"

"Before this, the highest bounty here was just 20 million!"

"We just beat Morgan. Does this mean we'll face the entire East Blue Navy next?"

Some paled, seeing a dark future.

The bounty reflected the Navy's attention.

48 million was unprecedented in the East Blue in recent decades. Gawain would surely face relentless pursuit.

One pirate faltered, only to be mocked by his peers.

"Are you dumb?"

"There's no turning back now. The louder the captain's name, the safer we are!"

"And who's to say that island fight was the captain's full strength?"

…

Gawain noticed the crew's debate.

Pushing through the crowd, the pirate with the newspaper handed over the wanted poster. Seeing the skyrocketing number, Gawain's lips curled.

To his knowledge, no East Blue bounty was higher, and the fame would aid his plans.

He set his poster aside and flipped through the others.

"Captain Kuro, 16 million Berries…"

"Demon Man Jin, 12 million Berries…"

"Fish-Man Arlong, 20 million Berries…"

…

"Hm?"

Gawain paused.

A familiar face appeared.

Though younger than in his memory, the freckles and distinctive hat were unmistakable. The man was Portgas D. Ace, Roger's last living heir.

Fire Fist Ace, bounty 50 million Berries—higher than Gawain's!

The East Blue's bounty ceiling had been shattered by both.

Gawain touched his chin, eyes gleaming. "Ace's talent far surpasses these ordinary pirates."

"In just a few years, he reached the level of Whitebeard's Second Division Commander, even holding his own briefly against an Admiral like Aokiji."

"If I could recruit him, my growth would skyrocket."

"But…"

"A Natural-type ability without Haki is tough to handle."

"Zoro's a drifter, hard to track. That leaves the Baratie as my next stop."

With a plan forming, a system prompt rang in his mind:

"Congratulations on unlocking the Badge - Rising Fame!"

"Ability to view crew's latent potential unlocked!"F

---

If you want to read more than 20 chapters early feel free to visit pa tre on . com /Archus