NOVEL WEB Chapter 114: A New Bounty, a New Record!
"If we're looking for a doctor…" Robin's brow furrowed, and a list of nearby islands flashed through her mind.
She quickly found her target and took out a specific Eternal Pose from a pouch.
"Let's go there. It's not far, we can be there in two or three days. The great medical kingdom, perpetually covered in snow…"
"Understood."
Under the moonlight, the turtle puffed on its pipe and cut through the calm sea, heading for the distant horizon.
…
In the New World, on an unnamed island, in the temporary base of the World Economic Journal, the sounds of Transponder Snails spitting out paper and typewriters clacking filled the air.
The president, Morgans, held a cigar in his beak and a stack of freshly developed photos in his wings—if you could even call them photos. They were more like highly realistic sketches.
Regardless, the image of Akainu, his military cap gone, his neck a bloody mess, was clearly visible.
On the wall in front of him was a large screen.
On the screen, a black vulture stood trembling, and beside it, a sea otter in pajamas stood with its arms crossed, looking annoyed.
"You're the one who messed up, and you're still staring at me like that? Huh? You unlucky duo!"
An assistant was scolding them. "Don't forget, after Baroque Works fell, you were the ones who came to Lord Morgans for help! That's how you became special correspondents for the World Economic Journal."
"Since you're official employees now, you have to follow our rules! We gave you the most advanced camera, so what's with the sketches? No matter how realistic they are, they'll never be as credible as a photo!"
The sea otter in pajamas turned its head away, snorting in disdain.
"Chirp, chirp!" the black vulture flapped its wings, trying to defend its partner.
"You say he's old-fashioned?"
The assistant was furious. "A journalist doesn't need that kind of strange stubbornness! You had the chance to capture a world-shocking event, and you wasted it! Are you trying to give me and the president a heart attack?!"
"Hey, don't include me in that," Morgans suddenly said, cutting off the argument with a wave of his wing. He examined the set of sketches, and the grin on his face grew wider and wider.
A close-up of the wound on Akainu's neck, the battlefield of interwoven magma fists and black lightning, the female Vice Admiral with her neck snapped, and the dark silhouette of The Curtain Call sailing away in the distance—
The series of sketches, like a manga, presented the entire battle scene, the paneling and details all impeccable!
"Even though we didn't get any photos," the news king suddenly grinned, blowing a smoke ring in his assistant's face, "this is much more exciting than a photo, isn't it!"
"P-President?" the assistant was stunned.
"Print an extra edition immediately!"
Morgans slammed his wing on the table, his eyes shining with excitement. "Color these sketches and put them all in! Say that the reporter's photos were destroyed in the battle, and these are perfect recreations drawn from memory."
"As for the headline… forget it, any headline will do! Big news! This is huge news! Just putting it in the paper will be enough to grab the world's attention! It'll sell out instantly!"
"But President," the assistant said, looking troubled, "didn't the World Government ask us not to report on the Warlord's death? If we release this story, won't that…"
"The World Government asked me to suppress the news for half a month, to give them time to capture the criminals!" Morgans grinned. "And half a month has already passed, you idiot! An Admiral personally went after them and still couldn't catch them! That's their own incompetence, what's it got to do with me?!"
"I was already pissed off that they made me suppress it once! They think they can do it a second time? What I want is sales! I want the whole world to be so shocked by our news that they're speechless! Understand?!!"
"And besides, do you really think Marine Headquarters can keep this under wraps any longer?" he said, picking up the coffee on his desk and chuckling. "They can't. Just wait. If you ask me, the new bounties for this crew are already on their way…"
To cause such a stir just after entering the Grand Line?
The future of this sea is going to be very interesting indeed.
————
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In the Wano-style meeting room, on the wide tatami mat, even more Marine officers were seated than last time, and the atmosphere was even more oppressive.
The heavy sandalwood doors were tightly closed, blocking out the light from outside. Only a few dim wall lamps cast flickering shadows.
The swirling smoke lingered in the room. The man with the green hair walked to the whiteboard, his face grim.
"Gentlemen,"
Brannew's low voice broke the silence. He pinned a stack of wanted posters to the whiteboard, six in total, in a neat row.
"The battle of Thor Island has become the biggest topic of discussion at Headquarters recently. I'm sure, given your ranks, you have all read the detailed report."
His gaze swept over the officers. "But there are some details that the staff office believes require special analysis."
"The cause of this battle can be traced back to the Loguetown Incident. Faced with a vicious criminal, Vice Admiral Onigumo fought to the death and was martyred. And because of this, the Curtain Call Pirates received their first bounty."
"Next was the murder of the Warlord, Crocodile, on Whiskey Peak."
"With this, Marine Headquarters has lost a trusted friend and ally, and as a result, the arrogance of the Curtain Call Pirates, led by Shane, has grown even more rampant!"
"According to post-battle intelligence analysis, the fight did not last long. It can be said that the Tachi Swordsman, Shane's, strength has completely surpassed the average level of the Warlords!"
"Headquarters has therefore determined that he is now a threat that a Vice Admiral cannot handle. Thus, with the approval of Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Admiral Akainu was dispatched to annihilate this group!"
"And the result… as you all know, was the battle of Thor Island, which shocked all of Headquarters."
Brannew sighed.
"Vice Admiral Dalmatian was seriously injured, Vice Admiral Broumaya was martyred, and several Rear Admirals and Captain-ranked officers were also severely wounded. Even Mr. Sakazuki himself sustained a minor injury…"
"And what did we get in return?"
"The Curtain Call Pirates escaped! Not a single one was captured!"
"But this was by no means the fault of the two Vice Admirals, and certainly not the fault of Mr. Sakazuki!"
"It was our fault!"
Brannew's voice was heavy with regret.
"There are two main reasons for the failure of this operation. First, according to Vice Admiral Dalmatian's report, the Curtain Call Pirates had a mysterious accomplice who secretly assisted them by sabotaging the key parts of the warship. And second—"
"…the most critical mistake was that our intelligence agency and staff office severely underestimated the overall strength of this pirate crew!"
"This fatal mistake will not happen again!"
He suddenly slammed his hand on the whiteboard and roared, "Since the Crocodile incident can no longer be covered up, then let's just reveal it! We'll settle the score from last time and show the world just how dangerous and vicious these pirates are with their new bounties!!!"
"First!"
"'Rain-Slicer' Kuina!"
"Previously, we only knew that she had reached the level of a Swordmaster, but we had underestimated her true strength because of her youth and appearance. But in the battle at the Thor Island docks, she displayed incredible swordsmanship."
"On her own, she was only at a slight disadvantage against the veteran elite Vice Admiral, Dalmatian. And with the support of her comrades, she was able to fight him to a standstill as the main front-line combatant!"
"And there's another key piece of intelligence…"
"In this battle, because Captain Shane was held up by Mr. Sakazuki on the other side of the island, all the battlefield arrangements were commanded by this young swordswoman alone. From this, we can conclude that within the Curtain Call Pirates, Kuina essentially serves as the vice-captain!"
"With such strength and position within the crew, her original bounty is no longer a match!"
Brannew continued in a low voice, "Therefore, after careful consideration, the staff office has unanimously decided to raise her bounty to—140 million Berries!"
One hundred and forty million?
The officers in the room chewed on their cigars, saying nothing.
Most of them, even the Vice Admirals, were no match for Dalmatian.
If the report was true, then this young swordswoman was indeed dangerous enough to warrant such a bounty.
"Next, 'Red Leg' Zeff and the 'Defector' Smoker!"
"The two of them also engaged Vice Admiral Broumaya together and, after a fierce battle of more than ten minutes, defeated her. Although part of the reason is that Vice Admiral Broumaya was newly promoted and ranked… lower among the Vice Admirals at Headquarters, we can still see that these two are also extremely powerful!"
"Therefore, Zeff's bounty will be increased by 20 million, to 100 million Berries!"
"As for Smoker, considering that he was a former Marine and one of Z-Sensei's prize students, his fame as a pirate will undoubtedly have a more negative impact on the Marines' reputation. Therefore, his bounty will be increased to 118 million Berries!"
Another two over a hundred million…
Including the swordswoman, that's three of them in the crew?
The officers in the room grew even more silent.
A pirate crew where every member was a powerhouse, with almost no weaknesses, reminded them of a certain terrifying group in the New World.
Fortunately, Brannew's next words pulled them from their dark thoughts.
"Next, 'Orange-Hair' Nami!"
"Previously, the staff office was puzzled as to why Captain Shane would keep such a seemingly useless, underage sister with him."
"But now, based on the battle report, which shows the Curtain Call Pirates fighting with all their might to get her to the ship first, and subsequent analysis, the mystery has been solved!"
"This underage girl has an outstanding talent for navigation and is the indispensable professional navigator of the ship!"
Brannew's face was grim.
"The tentative bounty of 8,000 that the staff officers hastily set before was indeed inappropriate. It was a gross underestimation."
"Therefore, this time, her bounty will be significantly increased!"
"A tenfold increase, to 80,000 Berries!"
"As for her sister, Nojiko, she performed exceptionally well in assisting the vice-captain, Kuina, in battle. And like the other crew members, she has also mastered Armament Haki, which is rare for a pirate in Paradise. So, her bounty will also be increased."
"Of course, the increase will not be as substantial as her sister's, Nami's."
"Her new bounty is 65 million Berries!"
Brannew turned and looked at the last of the six wanted posters.
The giant wolf, howling at the moon, its fur like a cascade of snow, handsome and imposing.
"And now for the most critical point of this meeting."
"Those of you who attended the last bounty meeting for the Curtain Call Pirates will remember my bold prediction that this animal, known as Gin, is the second strongest fighter, second only to Shane."
"And the recent battle has proven that my prediction was, in fact, correct!"
"It has been confirmed that this wolf possesses the dual abilities of controlling lightning and fire. On the battlefield at the docks, it provided support from all directions, tearing through most of our formations, and no one was able to contain it! It can be said that it was the main reason for the Curtain Call Pirates' successful escape!"
"According to post-battle evaluation, this wolf's strength is already on the level of a Headquarters Vice Admiral and is extremely dangerous!"
The level of a Headquarters Vice Admiral?
You've got to be kidding me!
This time, there was a murmur in the room.
Just a wolf… and you're saying it can match a Vice Admiral from Headquarters?
Doesn't that mean that most of the people in this room would be forced to flee if they encountered this wolf alone?
"Quiet!"
Brannew scanned the room, and when the murmurs had died down, he continued, "Considering this, this wolf's bounty will be raised to the second highest on the ship."
"The new bounty is set at 150 million Berries!"
"And its epithet, due to its demonstrated ability to control fire, will be changed from 'Thunder Silver Wolf' to 'Thunder-Fire Wolf'!"
"And finally…"
"…that man!!!"
SWISH!
The moment he finished speaking, Brannew suddenly reached out and tore all the wanted posters from the whiteboard!
In their place, he put a single, very familiar wanted poster in the very center.
That handsome, refined face, a face that looked so harmless and approachable…
In the past few days, everyone in this room had seen it countless times in various reports and documents!
"The plague of Headquarters, the leader of the new generation of evil, the bounty head who has caused a new storm to rage in Paradise, the extremely dangerous and terrifying—"
Brannew's voice suddenly rose several octaves.
"'Tachi Swordsman,' Shane!!!"
"He has killed two Vice Admirals, Onigumo and Broumaya, and the Warlord, Sand Crocodile, and he has successfully escaped from Admiral Akainu! Such a troublesome individual, such cruel and vicious methods…"
"Even if we have to break the rules again for him, it is necessary under the current circumstances!"
"Therefore, the staff office has unanimously passed the final resolution to increase his bounty from 180 million Berries, a threefold increase—"
"—the new bounty is 540 million Berries! The highest record in the history of the Sea Circle Calendar for a pirate in the first half of the Grand Line!!!"
☆☆☆
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you