The entire world was in an uproar.
Don's assault on the Holy Land of Mary Geoise—killing Celestial Dragons, blasting through the Red Line—was something so catastrophic that most people had already guessed the World Government would issue a bounty.
But the amount…
This was too outrageous.
Even the combined bounties of the three Emperors ruling the New World barely exceeded this number.
Yet those three were already figures the rest of the sea could only look up to.
And now Don's bounty had surpassed them all so dramatically.
"Perfectly reasonable."
Morgans was the first to receive the news.
After all, even the World Government and the Navy needed his cooperation to spread their announcements.
Though, regarding his earlier live broadcast of the entire battle… Morgans was certain the World Government wouldn't just let that slide. They'd definitely come knocking later.
After distributing the news exactly as the Government instructed, Morgans answered his secretary's doubts.
"Anyone who does something of this scale would naturally get a sky-high bounty. But yes… this time, Don's bounty is absurd. It eclipses everyone else."
The thrill from the earlier "Big News" had already passed. Morgans had entered his version of "sage mode," calm and analytical.
"But if it's that high, doesn't that mean no one can actually claim it? Why would they do that?"
His beautiful secretary still looked confused.
"Because it creates a target."
Morgans's eyes gleamed with a cold glint.
He already saw through the World Government's intentions.
They knew they couldn't hide the incident.
Even without the news outlet's live broadcast, the giant hole blasted through the Red Line and half of Mary Geoise missing made it impossible to conceal anything.
A man with a 99-billion bounty—Don had instantly become a blazing torch, drawing the attention of the entire ocean.
Tons of idiots with no sense of their own limits would go challenge him.
This was the Grand Line; lunatics were everywhere.
What's more, with a bounty far surpassing even Whitebeard's three titans, Don was now—implicitly—placed opposite those emperors, even without direct conflict.
Pirates did not coexist peacefully.
Even if they knew they couldn't beat him, they would still cause trouble.
A hint of amusement flickered in Morgans's eyes.
"Continue coverage on this incident. And that nickname—'Flame Demon'? That's too crude for a man like Don. Change it. 'Flame Swordsman' sounds far better."
Morgans stroked his beak with a wing.
"Yes, President."
The secretary bowed and hurried off.
"Make sure every corner of the world receives the news."
...
The shockwave unleashed by the 99-billion bounty was even greater than the original broadcast of the battle.
In an instant, the entire ocean was buzzing with discussions.
Of course, not everyone learned the news immediately.
For example—the Perfume Snake, already deep within the Calm Belt.
Ever since Boa Hancock left the Sabaody Archipelago, she had been heading straight back to Amazon Lily.
But her mood was anything but pleasant.
The culprit, naturally, was Rayleigh forcing her to leave.
To Hancock, Rayleigh was like a cherished elder.
Being driven away only made her angrier.
Even on her journey home, she was still sulking.
As a result, several Sea Kings ended up rather unfortunate.
Every massive creature that approached the Perfume Snake with hostile intent was promptly turned to stone and sank into the sea.
"Elder Sister!"
Boa Sandersonia, green-haired and wide-eyed, rushed into the main cabin, waving a newspaper in disbelief.
"Hm?"
Seeing her sister's expression, Hancock frowned.
"Don, he… he!"
Hearing the name "Don," Hancock instantly recalled the man who had taken her Fragrant Kick head-on on Sabaody.
"What about him?"
She stood up, took the newspaper from Sandersonia's hands, and lowered her gaze.
"He killed the Celestial Dragons!"
Sandersonia finally managed to say it clearly.
"What?"
Hancock froze, then snapped her head upward, staring at her sister with utter shock.
"It's true, Elder Sister! He killed many Celestial Dragons, destroyed half of Mary Geoise, and even blasted through the Red Line!"
Sandersonia nodded rapidly as she explained.
"That's impossible…"
Hancock's mind went blank.
Kill the Celestial Dragons?
That was something people barely dared whisper about—let alone actually do.
Her knees buckled, and she fell backward, caught by her giant pet snake, Salome.
Hancock stared rigidly at the newspaper.
Moments later, her pupils trembled violently.
It was real.
The words on the page stabbed straight into her deepest trauma.
Her memories as a slave—her greatest shame, the thing she hid more desperately than anything—surged back.
To Hancock, the Celestial Dragons were beings no one could defy.
In the simplest terms, her past had left her with crippling PTSD.
So when she learned what Don had done, she went completely numb.
Sandersonia called her several times, but she didn't respond.
"Elder Sister?"
Sandersonia gently shook her.
Hancock jolted back to awareness.
"Where is Lord Don?! Where is he now?!"
She shot to her feet, panic flooding her voice.
"It doesn't say! Is Lord Don injured?!"
"Uh"
Her sister blinked, stunned, but she understood Hancock's reaction.
"There's no information."
"Bring the latest newspapers—no, turn back immediately!"
Hancock issued a command, then immediately overruled it with a stronger one.
"But Elder Sister, we don't actually know where that man is…"
"I do not care! Turn back at once!"
Her voice rose sharply.
"U-understood!"
Once Sandersonia hurried out, Hancock once again settled onto Salome's coils, staring down at the images of the shattered Red Line and the ruins of Mary Geoise.
Don's figure surfaced in her mind again.
Even though they had met only once, the shadow he left in her heart grew taller—more overwhelming—by the moment.
Her eyes shimmered, glistening as though tears might spill at any moment.
"Lord Don will definitely be safe…
But where is he now…?"
END OF CHAPTER
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