Sengoku didn't deliberate for long before deciding to issue Maude's latest bounty poster.
In less than half an hour, Navy branches across the world received the newly transmitted bounty notice from Marine Headquarters.
...
New World – Navy G-5 Branch.
As one of the few Marine outposts stationed in the New World, the G-5 branch stood apart in many ways.
The Marines stationed there were, without exception, a ruthless and vicious lot. Brutality was second nature to them, and the merciless slaughter of pirates was merely a daily routine.
Stripped of their Marine status, they would be indistinguishable from pirates themselves.
Yet, this very anomaly of a Marine division was what kept the G-5 branch operational in the unforgiving waters of the New World.
The commanding officer of G-5 was a Vice Admiral from Marine Headquarters—a man named Vergo.
Inside the Base Commander's Office.
Vergo, clad in a checkered coat, with sunglasses perched on his face and lightning-shaped sideburns running down his cheeks, stood before a Transponder Fax machine.
Below the machine lay a fresh bounty poster.
Vergo lowered his gaze to examine the poster. Behind the tinted lenses of his sunglasses, his eyes smoldered with cold, murderous intent.
The bounty poster in his hands was the newly issued notice for Maude, directly transmitted from Marine Headquarters.
Unlike previous versions, this one bore a newly added title beneath Maude's name—Shadow Sovereign.
Below the title, an eye-watering series of digits was printed.
Vergo didn't bother scrutinizing the exact amount. He simply picked up the bounty poster and crushed it in his bare hands. Then, opening his palm, he let the shredded pieces drift to the ground.
"Absolutely… I will kill you."
The words squeezed out through clenched teeth carried the ferocity of a beast's growl, radiating an aura of pure menace.
This man, the acting commander of the G-5 branch, was, in truth, an undercover agent placed within the Marines by Donquixote Doflamingo.
During the Summit War, he had personally witnessed Maude cutting down Doflamingo. The fury that had been festering within him since that day now erupted with overwhelming intensity.
Seeing Maude's new bounty poster sent a surge of murderous impulse through Vergo, causing his entire body to exude a chilling, suffocating aura.
Clatter—
Behind him, the sudden crash of a bowl and plate hitting the floor shattered the tense silence.
Vergo snapped his head around, his tiger-like gaze locking onto the source of the noise, his frigid killing intent enveloping the room.
At the doorway, a burly Marine stood frozen, his body stiff with fear as he stared at Vergo, who radiated a murderous aura so intense it seemed almost tangible.
"V-Vergo, sir…?"
Vergo slowly retracted his aura, his face devoid of emotion as his eyes flicked to the spilled food on the floor.
...
Sabaody Archipelago.
A flock of News Coo soared over the mangrove-covered islands.
Being the closest major island to Marine Headquarters, Sabaody naturally became one of the first places where the new bounty posters were distributed.
With impressive speed, Maude's latest bounty posters were spread across the archipelago by the News Coo, reaching every corner in no time.
Lawless Zone – A Certain Bar.
In a place teeming with scoundrels and vagabonds, a bar was rarely, if ever, quiet.
Yet, at this moment, an eerie silence had overtaken the establishment.
The various individuals inside—all sorts of shady and hardened figures—had their gazes fixed on a freshly printed bounty poster that the bar owner had just pinned to the wall in a prominent spot.
Gulp.
The stillness was punctuated by the sound of numerous throats swallowing in unison.
After a long pause, a drunken man, eyes hazy with intoxication, raised a trembling finger to the bounty amount and slurred, "A-Am I seeing things…? H-How come… it looks like there's an extra '1'?"
"You idiot, you're not seeing things."
A burly man with an eye patch stared, slack-jawed, at the bounty amount.
Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he might have thought someone was making up numbers for fun.
"Not seeing things…? Then… it's really 1.98 billion?? No… No way!!!"
The drunken man's eyes widened as he fixated on the bounty amount.
"I-I remember… Bacardi Maude's last bounty was 500 million… and now it's 1.98 billion, which means…"
The drunkard swayed on his feet, trying to count the exact difference with his fingers. But with his alcohol-addled brain, he simply couldn't manage the calculation.
"Get out of my way, you fool."
The drunkard was unceremoniously kicked into a corner by a bald man.
"He jumped nearly 1.5 billion???"
The bald man stared in disbelief at the bounty amount.
"Have any of you… ever seen such a ridiculous jump?"
"Forget seeing—I've never even heard of it before!!!"
"Wait, isn't it 980 million?"
"You moron, are you drunk too? Look again—it's 1.98 billion!!"
"Hissss—"
A sharp intake of breath echoed in the bar, followed by the sound of someone coughing after choking on their own saliva.
"From 500 million straight to 1.98 billion… If I hadn't seen it myself, I'd think this was a joke."
"This kind of increase… has to be unprecedented!!!"
"This is insane… Did the Marines make a mistake?"
"A mistake? Hah! You idiot, do you even know Whitebeard's bounty?"
"5.046 billion…"
"Oh, so you do know. Then tell me this—do you know that Maude single-handedly killed Whitebeard?"
"..."
"Not just Whitebeard—Maude also took down Doflamingo, Diamond Jozu, Shiki the Golden Lion, Izo… Hell, I can't even keep count!"
"Don't forget—Maude cut off the left arm of Marine Hero Garp."
"Hissss—"
Once again, the room was filled with sharp intakes of breath.
It was only at this moment that everyone seemed to finally recall the terrifying dominance Maude had displayed during the Summit War.
The bar fell deathly silent.
After a long pause, someone murmured, "You know… maybe the Marines really did make a mistake. 1.98 billion… feels a little too low."
"..."
No one could argue.
Similar reactions played out in bars all across the archipelago.
At first, people were astounded by the unprecedented bounty increase.
But once they remembered Maude's feats in the Summit War—slaying Whitebeard, Doflamingo, Shiki, and more—their perspectives shifted.
The more they thought about it…
The more it seemed like the Marines might have underestimated his worth.
...
Grove 13.
One of the Supernovas, Basil Hawkins, stood alone outside Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.
In his hand, he clutched Maude's latest bounty poster.
"..."
Hawkins stared at the bar's entrance in silence.
A full minute passed before he finally pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Inside, Shakky, as usual, leaned against the counter, a cigarette smoldering between her fingers.
Seeing Hawkins enter, she smiled lightly but showed no particular reaction.
However, Urouge and Perona, seated at the bar, frowned as they eyed Hawkins like an unwelcome guest.
Hawkins met their gazes calmly and stated, "You are Maude's subordinates, correct?"
Urouge immediately stood, towering over Hawkins. "Yeah. What of it?"
Hawkins, expressionless, replied, "Then… staying here should allow me to meet Maude."
"Hmm?"
Urouge's expression darkened. His stare grew sharp.
In that moment, he recalled Eustass Kid's previous intrusion and assumed that Hawkins, as another Supernova, was here to challenge Maude's strength.
As Maude's right-hand man, it was his duty to defend the boss's reputation.
Just as he was about to make a move, Hawkins spoke again.
"I wish to join Maude's crew."
"???"
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