Big Sis Kiki…
After the Dragon Wolf Pirates docked at the Sabaody Archipelago, Fang Yi immediately led the crew to Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
"Oh~ it's little Yi! What brings you here? And Shanks, Barrett too! Looks like you've all been doing well—you've grown quite a bit taller!" Shakky, who was resting in the shop, greeted them warmly with clear delight.
"Hehe, of course!" Fang Yi grinned. "What about Rayleigh? Out wandering again?"
"Don't even mention that old man—he's always off running wild!" Shakky chuckled. "And these folks here, they're your crewmates now?"
"Yup! We're officially the Dragon Wolf Pirates. This cute girl here is our cook, Tiffany. The one with the cold expression is our musician, Jessica. And this chubby guy is Lucky Roo—he's a new addition!" Fang Yi proudly introduced.
"Already shaping up into a proper pirate crew! So, are you planning to head into the New World?" Shakky smiled knowingly.
"Mm-hm! But before that… we plan to make a name for ourselves here in the Sabaody Archipelago first." Fang Yi nodded, grinning widely.
"That makes sense. It's about time you made your reputation known. Let the old friends out there realize—you've all grown up." Shakky exhaled a puff of smoke, her tone carrying approval.
"Yeah…" Fang Yi nodded, recalling Teacher Jabba, the island of Jaya, and their old companions.
That day, after catching up with Shakky, they didn't stay long at her place. Instead, they bought supplies and returned to their ship.
Back in his quarters, Fang Yi immediately opened up the Bounty Tower.
Inside the first layer, only the last cell was still empty.
The first cell no longer even looked like a prison—it resembled a proper room. It was Jessica's "home," so to speak. With the Recall ability, Fang Yi could summon her back to this space instantly, no matter where she was, then re-summon her again later.
Of course, he could only use this ability once per day.
The main point was the second cell. After capturing the pirate "Curlybeard," who had a bounty of 64 million, a new Soul Power appeared within.
Unlike before, this one glowed faintly green—exactly as the system had prompted: a Green-grade Soul Power.
Fang Yi guessed this meant that some Soul Powers were stronger depending on their color.
Closing the Bounty Tower, he next opened the Shop Interface.
Right below the Goro Goro no Mi, a new Devil Fruit had appeared:
"Devil Fruit (Paramecia – Defense Fruit): 10,000 points (Only usable on souls from the Bounty Tower; limited to one purchase)."
"Defense Fruit? So that was Curlybeard's ability? No wonder he could withstand my attacks!" Fang Yi stroked his chin, slowly understanding.
So, when he defeated a Devil Fruit user, their power would appear in the shop, available to purchase and bestow on one of his Soul Powers.
And while 10,000 points seemed expensive, it wasn't. In a way, this was the system giving him benefits—after all, those fruits were trophies he'd already earned.
Aside from that, the shop had also updated with something new:
"Soul Power Upgrade Scroll: 50,000 points (Used to increase the grade of a Soul Power)."
Seeing the high cost, Fang Yi immediately felt it was a scam.
Rather than spending that much to upgrade Curlybeard's soul, it'd be better to just capture another bounty target with an even higher reward.
Fang Yi suspected the strength of a Soul Power wasn't just based on the pirate's ability, but also on the bounty amount.
For example, when he first obtained Jessica's soul, she had come from an ordinary bounty target—not even close to Curlybeard's 64 million.
A bounty of 64 million was already enough to terrify many pirates in the first half of the Grand Line.
So instead of wasting 50,000 points, he might as well wait until they reach the New World and capture a pirate worth over 100 million. That Soul Power would surely be much stronger.
From this update, Fang Yi could tell the system wanted him to keep hunting bounty targets, then using the Bounty Tower to summon new Soul Powers.
After thinking it through, he realized this wasn't a bad deal. Still, his main focus was strengthening himself. Even with Curlybeard's soul now available, his top priority remained purchasing the two Inheritances.
The next morning, the whole crew gathered on deck, awaiting his orders.
"Captain, what's the plan?" Shanks asked first.
"For now… Tiffany, Jessica—you'll stay behind on the Dragon Wolf. I'll get the ship coated while you hold things down here. Once we bring back bounty targets, you two will handle turning them in to the Marines for Berry.
As for you, Shanks—take Lucky Roo with you and act as a pair. Barrett and I will move together.
Our goal… is the strongest, most notorious group of bounty targets on this island!" Fang Yi smirked confidently.
"Understood!" everyone replied in unison.
"Tiffany, Jessica—you two go cash in Curlybeard's bounty. I'll head to the shipwrights to start the coating process," Fang Yi added.
The others didn't need detailed instructions. They were plenty capable on their own.
And so, chaos spread across Sabaody.
The archipelago, already swarming with unruly pirates, now erupted into even greater disorder. The Dragon Wolf Pirates' actions were like throwing an electric eel into still waters—everything churned violently.
Naturally, Marine Headquarters received word immediately.
Ever since the God Valley Incident, the World Government and Celestial Dragons had been far less reckless. If Celestial Dragons strayed beyond Marine protection, they could easily lose their lives to ruthless pirates.
Thus, in recent years, the Celestial Dragons have only traveled between Mariejois and the Sabaody Archipelago.
The Marines were therefore on high alert.
"Are any Celestial Dragons currently at Sabaody?" asked Fleet Admiral Kong (Steel Bone Kong).
"Sir…" The messenger flipped through the records quickly. "Yes. Saint Donquixote Musgarud and his sister, Lady Tiffany Donquixote, are there at the moment."
"Hm?" Kong frowned. "What are they doing? Buying mermaid slaves again?"
The soldier hesitated, then nodded. "Yes… Recently, some slavers near Fishman Island have been attacking merfolk, so…"
Kong rubbed his forehead in frustration. Since Roger's execution and final words, pirates had sprung up everywhere. Even the Marines were overstretched.
With Fishman Island directly below Sabaody, many pirates passed through on their way to the New World. The island's situation had worsened—pirates kidnapping mermaids and selling them to human nobles had become rampant.
This only deepened the tension between Fishmen and humans. Even as Fleet Admiral, Kong had no easy solution.
"Send word—tell them to return to Mariejois immediately. Sabaody is unstable right now. Especially with this Dragon Wolf Pirates…" Kong ordered grimly.
"Uh… but sir, Celestial Dragons rarely listen to us," the messenger said nervously.
"Doesn't matter. Send the message! And also—tell Vice Admiral Yovan Cameron, stationed there, to monitor the Dragon Wolf Pirates closely. Above all—protect the Celestial Dragons at all costs. Nothing must happen to them!" Kong commanded firmly.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!" The messenger saluted and rushed out.
Meanwhile, at the Sabaody Marine Branch—
"So you're saying all these captures were done by the Dragon Wolf Pirates?" Vice Admiral Yovan Cameron asked, scanning a list.
"Yes, sir. They made no effort to hide it—openly defeated their enemies, then sent those two girls to collect the bounties. Based on intel, they are the Dragon Wolf Pirates' musician Jessica and cook Tiffany," a Marine officer reported.
"Hahaha… what an interesting crew! Looks like they want to establish a name here before heading to the New World. Conquer the pirate rabble here first, then charge onward? Hah, troublesome youngsters indeed!" Cameron laughed heartily.
"Shall we apprehend them, sir?" the officer asked cautiously.
"Arrest them? Why? With them cleaning out these other pirate scum, it saves us the trouble! Once they've dealt with the lot, then we'll swoop in and take them. By the way, do we have their bounty posters yet?" Cameron asked with a sly grin.
"Yes, sir. Their captain, 'Phantom Marksman' Fang Yi, has a bounty of 80 million.
'Red-Haired' Shanks, bounty 55 million.
'Demon's Heir' Douglas Barrett, bounty 60 million."
"Oh? Pretty high bounties for such a small crew…" Cameron raised a brow as he took the posters.
"Yes. Their figures are so high because before reaching Sabaody, they defeated CP9 member Foz Fu in Water 7, and later crushed Curlybeard's crew worth 64 million. Headquarters judged them dangerous enough for these amounts," the officer explained.
"I see… but after this Sabaody uproar, their bounties will surely rise even higher. A handful of rookies already taking down pirates worth over 50 million? Truly impressive… these youngsters are going to be a real headache!" Vice Admiral Cameron said with a mix of admiration and unease.