One Piece Solar Rift Conqueror!

The sun was high overhead, its bright yellow light winking on the endless blue waves. The sea breeze was filled with the salty scent as Solian and his men embarked, their ship slicing through the waves. The atmosphere on board was charged with excitement.

A couple of days had passed since their audacious escape from the Marine base. With 60 million berries worth of stolen treasure safely stored in their ship's warehouse, they were now well-equipped to take their next step.

They were not the only ones who knew, though.

The world had taken notice.

The Marines React – Trouble Brewing in Headquarters

In Marine Base G-5, one of the cigar-smoke filled rooms had been filled with the scent of stale whiskey as it had suddenly gone quiet. A group of senior officers were clustered around a big, wooden table with newly issued wanted posters spread out before them.

A grizzled, gray-haired Marine Vice Admiral with a jagged scar on his cheek cracked a bounty notice on the table. His expression was unreadable, but the tension in the room was intense.

"Solian Flare – 65,000,000" berries

He glanced over at the other notices.

"Kael Dain – 48,000,000" berries

"Jorin Voss – 42,000,000" berries

"That son of a bitch rookie was just some unknown nobody and then suddenly he's a ₿65 million thorn in our sides in a few weeks," growled a Marine captain, slapping his hand on the table. "And he's not the only one! His crew is getting to be something to be reckoned with. If we let them have their way, we could have another major headache later on."

A younger officer swallowed nervously. "Sir, should we request a Rear Admiral or a Vice Admiral to deal with him?"

The scarred Vice Admiral smiled, but there was no amusement in his tone. "Too soon. He's strong, but not that strong. But." His fingers drummed against the table. "We should start planning before he becomes an actual monster."

The Underworld Takes Notice – Bounty Hunters and Pirates Stir

A world away from Marine's headquarters, in a dingy bar well into an island ruled by unscrupulous mercenaries, a man in a long coat was chuckling as he waved one of the posters of the wanted.

"Solian Flare, is it? 65 million berries already?" There was a cold humor in his voice.

A bounty hunter sitting opposite him leaned forward, his blade glinting in the dim light. "Sounds like a cakewalk to me. If we take him out before he gets too strong, we can make a killing."

The man in the long coat snorted. "You're free to try. But I've seen newcomers before. If the Marines have already marked him this highly, it means he's got potential."

The bounty hunter snorted, drinking a swig of his drink. "Potential or not, he's still a rookie."

Across the world, on a pirate ship with frayed black sails, a giant man grinned as he balled up a wanted poster in his hand. His reward was over ₿100 million, and the idea of trying out a new up-and-coming pirate intrigued him.

"Maybe I'll go pay him a visit."

Normal People React – Fear, Respect, and Rumors

Across the Grand Line and elsewhere, townspeople and merchants alike gossiped about the sudden emergence into fame of Solian Flare and his crew. Some feared the sudden emergence of another pirate menace, while others saw them as possible new sea monarchs.

"Sixty-five million?! I heard he burned a whole Marine base and stole their loot!"

"I heard he can teleport across fire—he's some kind of demon!"

"Word is, he's going to battle the Warlords of the Sea!"

The truth, of course, was far from these exaggerations.

Onboard the Ship – Dealing with the Bounties

On the Solar Rift again, Solian held his own bounty poster in his hand, looking at his new physique.

65,000,000 berries.

He breathed out. "Damn, that's quite a jump."

Kael grinned, spinning his own poster about and catching it. "48 million berries , huh? I admit, I like the sound of that."

Jorin chuckled, leaning against the railing as he tossed his poster back and forth. "And 42 million berries for me. Guess we're officially on everyone's list now."

Solian looked at the two of them, then the sea stretching out before them.

"With these bounties, bounty hunters, Marines, and rival pirates will all come after us," he said. "We'll need to train harder, fight smarter, and build a real crew if we're going to survive in this world."

Kael smirked, cracking his knuckles. "I say bring it on."

Jorin nodded in agreement. "The bigger the challenge, the bigger the reward."

A gust of wind caught the reward posters and sent them swirling into the air before they were swallowed by the endless horizon.

Their journey had just begun.