Chapter 418: A Hegemon of the Seas
A day has passed since the end of the war on Egghead.
To seize and guide public opinion, the printing factories controlled by the World Government printed a large number of newspapers at the fastest speed and distributed them to the major news agencies.
In just one night, the results of the war had quickly spread throughout the world.
On the Sabaody Archipelago, a lush green cluster of giant trees, colorful bubbles floated in the dense crowns, popping and dissipating in the sunlight that passed through the gaps in the branches and leaves.
Splash—
A lovely green-haired head broke the surface of the water with a splash. Camie looked around, her small face a little nervous.
After confirming that no one was around, she quietly swam to a nearby peninsula. After some searching, she finally got a copy of the latest newspaper. She opened it and began to read.
"That's great! I knew Luffy-bro and the others would be fine!"
Seeing the content of the newspaper, Camie was so excited she couldn't help but cry out with joy.
On her shoulder, a stylishly dressed starfish with a hat quickly jumped out and covered her mouth.
"You're too loud, you idiot, Camie! Where do you think this is? Take the newspaper and let's hurry back."
"Mm-hmm. I have to bring this news to everyone on Fish-Man Island."
Camie suppressed her excitement and nodded.
In the newspaper, the scene of a city engulfed in fierce flames was the cover photo. The accompanying text, at the very end, mentioned the Straw Hat crew's successful escape.
The matter of the Marines' defeat was presented in the form of 'failed to successfully arrest the Straw Hat crew'.
Even from the start of the battle to the end, the article portrayed the Straw Hat crew's ferocious pirate image to the fullest. The righteous Marines had fought valiantly, engaging in a cruel and tragic war with the sea hegemon, the Straw Hat crew.
At a critical moment in the war, it was interrupted by the arrival of the revived Giant Warrior Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates. Under the siege of multiple forces, the Marines were stretched to their limit and were forced to abandon their war objective.
[Failed to successfully arrest the Straw Hat crew], [The Giant Warrior Pirates have been revived], [The Whitebeard Pirates have come to support their brothers], [The Marines have abandoned their war objective].
Every keyword was a fact. When combined, it directly turned black into white.
There was not a single indication in the article that the Marines had been defeated. In the eyes of the uninformed, it even seemed that the Marines had an overwhelming advantage and had forced the Straw Hat crew into a desperate situation, and had only failed to capture them due to the interference of other forces.
As for the matter of the Five Elders descending on Egghead, not a single word could possibly appear in the newspaper.
Hachinosu. Here, the sun was warm and the wind was calm all year round. A dilapidated small warship slowly docked.
After a while, a few pairs of feet stepped onto the beach.
"Stussy has already contacted Jabra and the others. We'll rest here for two days. After we've regrouped, we'll set off to find Lucci."
Kaku's expression was dim. On his back was the heavily injured and unconscious Kalifa. Blueno was carrying a large bag of supplies at his side.
After the Five Elders had all been sent back to the Holy Land, the Marines had also quickly withdrawn completely. At the last moment, Blueno, relying on the last shred of his consciousness, had activated his ability and had brought the heavily injured few to the edge of the coast.
After recovering a little stamina, they had found an abandoned, dilapidated warship and, relying on the supplies on the ship, they had fled Egghead overnight. They had finally arrived at the nearest island.
The Pirate Paradise, Hachinosu.
"The higher-ups probably think we're already dead. What do we do in the future?"
Blueno asked in a low voice.
Kaku looked at the island in silence, his eyes filled with an endless confusion.
Even if we go back, we'll probably just be discarded as trash.
In the end, the reason they had been able to become CP0 together was, to a certain extent, because the higher-ups valued Lucci's ability.
From being trained and selected as a child, to step by step entering CP9 and serving the World Government... twenty years had passed in the blink of an eye. On the vast sea, there was not a single place that could bring him peace of mind.
He recalled his life of rushing around on missions on the sea, having set foot in so many places. At this moment, what he missed the most was actually the days of sawing wood under the sun.
After eating breakfast with his colleagues in the cafeteria, he would take his tools and go to see a ship, or work as a carpenter in a shipyard.
Occasionally, some tactless guys would try to refuse to pay and cause trouble. The shipwrights would swarm up and beat them up, and then, under the admiring gazes of the citizens, they would carry the troublemakers like little chicks and throw them out of the shipyard.
He would also often receive the cheers of the citizens, and under the name 'Yama-kaze', he would shuttle between the tall buildings in the streets, feeling the cool sea breeze brush past.
It was just such an ordinary and mundane morning.
Such a scene would always appear in his dreams, and then dissipate into thin air upon waking, leaving behind a lingering aftertaste of regret that filled the bedroom.
Kaku was silent for a while longer. Finally, he strode towards the island and said softly:
"I should probably go back to Water 7..."
"Should I say, 'as expected'?"
Blueno was still expressionless. In private, he was also always like this, with not much expression on his face, looking like a quiet, mature man.
Only when he was working in the tavern, every night he would receive many shipwrights from the shipyard and listen to them chat with a憨笑 on his face.
The more absurd and comical the topic, the more interested everyone was in chatting. Amidst the lively laughter, they would drink heroically. Blueno felt that he had done a perfect job. No one could see that his smile was a disguise. He also didn't think so.
Until late at night, when the tavern closed, and he began to clean up the messy tables left by the customers. He watched as they, drunk, supported each other, swaying as they walked down the moonlit street.
In a daze, he seemed to see the rats in the stinking ditch by the street, just like them now, detested wherever they went.
Things have changed now...
A dimness without a trace of light appeared in the depths of Blueno's eyes.
"Actually, we can't really go back to that Water 7 anymore."
"Mm. That's fine too."
Kaku's tone was flat. He just walked forward, step by step, as if this could strengthen his determination a little.
"I haven't said a word of apology to them yet. It's fine no matter how they deal with me. At the very least, I have to see them again..."
"I don't have any other place I want to go."
"You're hopeless."
Blueno shook his head and sighed, "I'll go with you then."
The island was as bustling and lively as ever, especially after seeing the newspaper that had just been published today. Every tavern was loudly discussing the deeds of the Straw Hat crew.
The pirates had no hatred for this crew that had just invaded their island. The strong prey on the weak. The rules of this island had always been like this.
They would only think that Teach was too weak, or lament that the Straw Hat crew was too strong, and then become a fan of one of the strong ones.
For example, Luffy, Reiner, or Zoro and Sanji. The pirates would talk about them with great enthusiasm, as if they could become sworn brothers with one of them the next time they met.
"After the Summit War, the new generation has come to the fore, one after another competing for the title of Sea Emperor. But now, it's back to the situation of the Four Emperors."
"That's what they say, but it's completely different from back then. The current Four Emperors are all rookies who have come to the fore in the last two years."
"Yeah. Only Red-Hair is left as an old-timer. Don't tell me he's going to be pulled down soon."
"Hahahaha!"
A loud laugh erupted in the tavern. Kaku pushed open the door. He found that no one had shifted their gaze to them and casually walked towards a table in a corner.
The pirates were very keen on any fresh news on the sea. And even more keen than that was another topic.
That would inevitably be comparing the strength of the powerhouses in all sorts of ways.
"It's different, it's different. Whitebeard and the others were old, after all. That guy Red-Hair is in his prime now. His combat power is definitely at the peak of the Four Emperors."
"Don't give me that. Kaido wasn't old, was he? But he was still defeated by Black Snake Reiner. If you ask me, the new Four Emperors have more potential."
"Don't talk nonsense. That guy Black Snake Reiner is an exception and doesn't count. His Devil Fruit is too ridiculous. How could anyone beat him in a one-on-one fight?"
"That's right. Compared to him, the three, Straw Hat, Ace, and Buggy, seem much more normal."
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't forget that Ace is Roger's bloodline! I still think he's more likely to inherit the position of Pirate King."
"You say Ace is the most likely to become the Pirate King?!"
"Bullshit!"
At this point, the atmosphere suddenly became heated. Two pirates slammed the table and stood up, glaring at each other, which attracted the attention of the several tables around them.
"Buggy the Star Clown has three former Warlords under him! Do you know what the world's greatest swordsman is? With Hawk-Eye, how could he possibly lose!"
"That's just one Hawk-Eye! The Whitebeard Pirates have sixteen commanders! Marco, Yamato, Jozu, Vista, and Jinbe... so many powerhouses! How many can Hawk-Eye fight!"
"Hey, hey, hey! You two! Have you forgotten the strength of the Straw Hat crew!"
Just as the two were arguing, another pirate squeezed through the crowd and slammed his large hand, joining the fray.
"One Black Snake Reiner's summoned undead can take on both of their pirate crews! Not to mention, Straw Hat also has the great swordsman Roronoa and Black Leg Sanji under him."
"What's the use of having strong subordinates! I heard that Straw Hat has never won against Ace! The Pirate King is not for his subordinates!"
A pirate grabbed the newcomer's collar and shouted. The pirate who was grabbed immediately turned red and retorted loudly:
"As long as you can win, what do you care so much! Even if you're talking about the captain's strength, Straw Hat shouldn't be at the bottom! That guy Buggy is the weakest, okay!"
"What did you say! Haven't you read the Marine's report? Buggy was once on Roger's ship, on equal footing with Red-Hair! His strength is at least at Red-Hair's level, you understand!"
"Bullshit! That guy Buggy is worthy of being compared to Red-Haired Shanks!"
Another Red-Hair supporter joined the battle. Soon, the small space in the tavern was engulfed in the chaotic sound of cursing.
In the corner, Kaku closed his eyes, a vein popping on his forehead. He clenched his fists, holding back his impulse.
He really wanted to rush up and shout that Straw Hat had awakened a new form and his strength had greatly increased, but he still tried his best to restrain himself.
Perhaps seeing his thoughts, Kalifa gave him a speechless, disdainful look.
To be able to argue over such a thing... how can men be so stupid?
Simply incomprehensible.
"Hey! You guys, look at this! The new wanted posters are out! It's the Straw Hat crew's!!"
An excited shout came from outside the door, finally interrupting the continuous, fierce argument. The tavern instantly fell silent.
A second later.
"Quick, let me see!"
"I want to see Black Snake Reiner!!"
"Don't grab it, hey! You're going to rip it, you bastard!"
"There's more, there's more! There's more outside!"
The crowd of pirates who had been watching the argument just a second ago all erupted at the same time and rushed towards the door.
"This time, the speed is a bit too fast."
Kaku and the other three exchanged a look. They were all a little puzzled. Blueno nodded and directly used his ability to go outside, grab a copy, and then came back through the wall.
Less than half a day had passed since the World Government had released the report on the war, and the newly confirmed bounties had been obtained by Morgans.
The World Economy News Paper had bribed the people at the printing factory and, ahead of the World Government, had distributed the wanted posters to the whole world at the fastest speed.
As for the reason for doing so, it was naturally because of Luffy's latest wanted poster photo.
"Wait a minute! Is this Straw Hat?!"
"What's with this form?!"
Looking at the photo of Luffy on the wanted poster, the pirates' faces were filled with astonishment. It was none other than the Nika form that the Five Elders had tried to hide.
As for the long string of numbers below that they had to count on their fingers...
"5.2 billion Berries!!"
On a blue sea, a small, white, sheep-headed boat was sailing slowly.
A seagull streaked past, lightly touching the water and creating a ripple. A fish that had surfaced to blow bubbles was startled and, with a flick of its tail, it disappeared with a thump, leaving only a large number of fine, dense bubbles floating up.
"Come and look, brothers! Earth-shattering news!"
On the lawn of the deck, Usopp held a roll of wanted posters and shouted excitedly:
"Chopper! Quick, look, Chopper! Your bounty has skyrocketed!"
Hearing this, the people in the ship's cabin walked out one by one with curiosity. Luffy stretched his arm and grabbed the second-floor railing, and like a rocket, he flew out.
"Let me see! Quick, let me see!"
Chopper, with his two small feet going pitter-patter, rushed over impatiently, full of excitement.
The others couldn't help but be curious. What kind of bounty, for this 1000-Berri pet, could be considered a skyrocket?
"Tada!"
Usopp grinned and extended his hand, directly showing the wanted poster to Chopper.
The picture on it was, as always, a cute photo of Chopper holding a cotton candy. But the string of numbers below was almost twice as long!
[Ship's Doctor: Tony Tony Chopper]
[Bounty: 324,000,000 Berries!]
"3... 3... 3... 300 million Berries!!"
Chopper was so surprised his mouth hung open. The wanted poster before him seemed to be shining with a dazzling golden light, making it hard for him to look directly at it.
"His title has also been changed from 'pet' to 'ship's doctor'. That's amazing, Chopper."
Robin knelt down and, with a gentle smile, she patted his head.
"Hee hee~~ Hee hee~~"
Chopper's face flushed red. His two eyes were completely lost in the hero fantasy in his mind. With a blissful look, he fell backward.
Reiner shook his head and sighed:
"He's ruined. Completely ruined. The pet Chopper is gone forever."
But then again, there were only a few of them in total. And they had had a full-blown battle with the Marines. It was hard for Chopper's performance not to be conspicuous. It was normal for his bounty to be changed.
In fact, if his bounty was still only a few thousand Berries after this battle, Reiner would have suspected if Chopper was a World Government spy.
"Luffy, Reiner, these are yours."
Usopp said, spreading all the wanted posters in his hand on the lawn.
"Sun God Nika? Luffy's title has changed."
"The bounty is 5,232,000,000 Berries!!"
The group couldn't help but widen their eyes in shock, and then they quickly looked at Reiner's wanted poster.
"Necro-Lord Reiner, Bounty: 5,646,000,000 Berries!!"
"Just the two of you have a bounty of over 10 billion, hey!!"
(End of chapter)
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