Fishman Island, which had been treated as a pushover for centuries, suddenly showed its sharp edge. In the past, it was as weak as a sea cucumber, forced to discard parts of its own body just to survive.
The world had grown accustomed to its weakness, but now that it had bristled with spikes, the World Government found itself momentarily unsure of how to respond.
"Ryugu Kingdom has gone too far."
"Then who can handle it? There doesn't seem to be a suitable candidate within the Marines."
New Fish-Man Island had been moved and its current location was unknown. Fish-Man Island itself lay in the deep sea, and because it was directly beneath Mariejois, certain destructive methods were simply not an option.
Moreover, due to the deep-sea environment, Devil Fruit users were completely unsuited for this mission. Whether Fleet Admiral or Admiral, even including themselves, Devil Fruit users were not suitable to rush into the depths of the sea.
If anything went wrong with the coating, it would result in non-combat losses on the spot.
No matter how powerful a Devil Fruit user was, once they fell into the sea, they couldn't exert their strength.
"The deep sea can wait for now. The urgent matter is Fisher Tiger. That man actually survived and hid himself all the way until today.
How did he manage that? Did he attach himself to the Beasts Pirates?"
"He also attacked Tequila Wolf. It seems he's established contact with the Revolutionary Army as well.
Mobilize forces to eliminate him as soon as possible. The Revolutionary Army's momentum needs to be suppressed. Tiger must be eliminated."
After deliberation among the Five Elders, an operation targeting Tiger was set into motion, and a new bounty notice for him was placed on the Marines' intelligence desk.
Fisher Tiger — the Fish-Man who faked his death
Bounty: 1.27 billion Berries
"To summarize, the World Government's directive regarding Fisher Tiger is as follows: capture and kill him as quickly as possible, and conceal news of his existence to the greatest extent."
Brannew continued to preside over the Marine meeting and brought out an old photograph of Tiger.
Due to the urgency of the situation, Brannew had not had enough time to make a proper "PPT" and couldn't obtain a recent image of Tiger. He had no choice but to pull some outdated materials from the Marine database to make do.
"In addition, a newly formed organization poses a considerable threat to us. Recently, a new organization has emerged on the seas - Cross Guild."
"Former Shichibukai Hawk Eyes - Dracule Mihawk, Sir Crocodile, Gecko Moria, and Buggy the Clown have joined forces and established this criminal organization!
Our intelligence agency intercepted communications between Hawk Eyes and Crocodile, confirming the authenticity of this information. Furthermore, several organizations have already provided funding to this group.
Recon units have also confirmed that both Hawk Eyes and Crocodile ultimately traveled to Karai Bari Island and joined up with Buggy's crew."
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Brannew pulled down the board, and several new bounty posters were pinned onto it.
"Judging from the global wave of rebellion, Cross Guild is an extremely dangerous organization to us."
"What about their bounties?"
"After deliberation, we've reached a general assessment. First, Crocodile - user of the Logia-type • Sand-Sand Fruit. Cunning by nature, once attempted to seize the throne of Alabasta.
He has experience leading an organization and is a dangerous schemer. Over the past two years, he has been highly active in the New World. His bounty is set at 1.965 billion Berries."
After his enlightenment, Crocodile had successfully caught up with the times and earned a bounty far exceeding his initial one.
"Gecko Moria once fought with Kaido decades ago, but after that failed to achieve much. Two years ago, he nearly lost to the rookie Straw Hat in the Florian Triangle.
He disappeared after the Summit War. During these past two years, he may have gained new powers, and his body has undergone significant changes. After comprehensive consideration, his bounty is set at 800 million Berries."
In short, the Marines hadn't realized that Moria had simply holed up for two years as a shut-in, and that the changes in his body were purely the result of fat. Taking into account the average combat strength of the former Shichibukai, they assigned a bounty appropriate for what they believed Moria to be now.
"Hawk Eyes - Dracule Mihawk, the world's strongest swordsman. His swordsmanship may even surpass that of the Emperor of the Sea, Red-Hair Shanks. Currently the strongest individual within Cross Guild. His bounty is set at 3.59 billion Berries."
No one had any objections to Hawk Eyes' bounty. Even Marines who wielded swords unconsciously reached for their weapons. The acknowledged Strongest Swordsman in the World left them speechless; anyone could see that he was an opponent not to be underestimated.
"And lastly, a former crew member of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. A pirate said to stand shoulder to shoulder with Red Hair Shanks.
The mastermind behind the Impel Down breakout, the pirate who led numerous Impel Down inmates in their escape.
Perhaps he is the one who gathered the other three together. At present, Cross Guild also receives the majority of its manpower from him.
Buggy the Clown, bounty: 2.1 billion Berries."
With that, the bounties of the four leaders of Cross Guild were announced. Strictly speaking, this lineup could already be called that of an Emperor of the Sea.
In terms of both manpower and high-level combat strength, they now possessed the capability to rival an ordinary Emperor of the Sea.
It was just that the Beasts Pirates had raised the bar of what it meant to be an Emperor of the Sea so high in recent times that the term "Four Emperors" had almost become a thing of the past.
At the very least, the current Cross Guild was not yet enough for the Marines to officially label them as an Emperor of the Sea.
"So who exactly is the leader of this organization?"
"At the moment, we don't know. Based on the intelligence we have, we can only confirm that Moria is not the leader. The others are all proud individuals. This organization is likely just a loose alliance.
And the latest reports indicate that many pirate crews are heading toward this island. It seems that some major event is about to take place there."
Brannew covered the four bounty posters with a sea chart. A red dot marked a particular island.
"Pirates Festival. I assume you're all aware of it, so I won't elaborate. But this time, there's an especially troublesome figure attending, the Demon Heir - Douglas Bullet.
Some of you may find that name unfamiliar. He also had close ties with Gol D. Roger and was once a member of his crew. Years ago, he even triggered a Buster Call.
Although we once captured him, Bullet also escaped from Impel Down during that breakout incident."
Meanwhile, on the very island marked by the Marines, two men were engaged in conversation.
"Before Gol D. Roger died, he ushered in this Great Pirate Era. Back then, I already died once. You did too, Bullet."
The wall behind the man was plastered with countless bounty posters. Nearly every notable pirate was represented there. The man's name was Buena Festa, the driving force behind the Pirates Festival and a notorious warmonger.
At this moment, he had formed an alliance with Bullet, using something pirates could hardly refuse to lure a large number of them to this island.
However, Buena Festa lacked the ability to handle what would come afterward, which was why he joined forces with Bullet.
Bullet's goal was simple: gather the pirates together, and kill them.
Years ago, Bullet was born in Galzburg, a nation perpetually ravaged by war.
An orphan of war, he was taken in by a country's military and eventually trained as a child soldier.
Originally, these child soldiers were sent on suicidal missions. They were called "bullets"—once fired from the chamber, they would never return. That was how Bullet got his name.
But during the war, Bullet's abilities gradually revealed themselves. He did not become cannon fodder. Instead, he continued to grow stronger amidst the fighting.
In the end, having played a decisive role in the war, Bullet became a national hero.
However, the soldier who had once taken him in began to harbor different thoughts. Fearing he could no longer control Bullet, he planned to kill him in the final battle.
Due to the gap in strength, the general ultimately failed. From that point on, Bullet ceased to trust anyone.
In his youth, he was nearly unmatched, until he encountered Roger.
He lost to Roger. And after Roger's death, Bullet forever lost the chance to surpass him.
After being imprisoned, Bullet resolved to become the world's strongest by surpassing Roger. To prove it, he intended to kill every powerhouse, including the Four Emperors and Marine Admirals.
That was why he joined hands with Buena Festa.
"Are you certain your plan will succeed?"
"Of course. I've invited some very special guests. Combined with this time's reward, this Festival will be an unprecedented gathering. Even the Emperors of the Sea themselves might show up."
"Hmph. Emperors of the Sea? Only cowards need companions and subordinates."
Bullet left expressionlessly, seemingly to prepare for something. But before departing, he left behind one final remark.
"Oh, by the way… his name is D."
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