Marine Headquarters — Marineford
The corridors of Marineford were chaos.
Officers ran through the halls with stacks of bounty posters, messengers barked orders, and the sound of typewriters thundered like machine guns. The smell of ink and tension filled the air.
Inside the main conference room, the atmosphere was heavier than ever. Fleet Admiral Sengoku stood at the head of the table. Around him were Tsuru, Garp, and the three wounded Admirals — Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru.
A large projection showed the image of Nyx D. Ada standing over the burning ruins of Mariejois — her crew at her back, lightning flashing behind her.
Sengoku's voice broke the silence. "Seven billion. That's the official number. But not even that can measure what she's done."
He set a single poster on the table. The paper was still warm from the press.
Wanted Dead or Alive
Nyx D. Ada
7,000,000,000 Billion Berries
"The Crimson Shadow."
Sengoku exhaled slowly. "Seven billion… She's officially the most wanted woman in history."
Beside him, Tsuru adjusted her glasses. "After what she did at Marie Geoise, anything less would be an insult."
Akainu's jaw clenched, the red glow of magma still flickering faintly from his fists.
"She humiliated us. Destroyed the Holy Land. If we don't crush her now, she'll become a symbol."
Aokiji leaned back, his breath visible in the cold air. "You think she isn't already? The world saw her free slaves. That's what people will remember."
Kizaru sighed, voice as lazy as ever. "Yare yare… the light from that fight might take a while to fade, ne? She's faster than I expected."
An officer handed Sengoku another poster. "Sir, the next one… Mihawk."
Sengoku's brow furrowed as he read.
Wanted Dead or Alive
Dracule Mihawk
4,200,000,000 Billion Berries.
"The Strongest Swordsman in the World."
The room went silent.
Even the officers stopped moving.
"'Strongest swordsman,' huh…" murmured Garp, leaning on his chair. "Guess the title's official now."
Tsuru nodded. "No man alive has matched his precision or power. Even the World Government can't deny that anymore."
Sengoku placed the poster on the table, expression grave. "He stood toe-to-toe with three Admirals at once. If that doesn't make him the strongest, I don't know what does."
Akainu, still bandaged, glared at the image. "He's not just strong — he's calm. That's what makes him terrifying."
Kizaru smirked faintly from the corner. "Light bends around his blade. That's… quite the compliment."
Sengoku ignored the banter. He passed down the stack of new posters — each stamped with red ink and a seal of:
"EMERGENCY CLASSIFICATION."
One by one, the faces of the Nyx Pirates filled the table.
Wanted Dead or Alive
Douglas Bullet
4,000,000,000 Billion Berries
"The Demon Heir."
Wanted Dead or Alive
Enel
3,000,000,000 Billion Berries
"The Lightning God."
Wanted Dead or Alive
Fisher Tiger
2,100,000,000 Billion Berries
"The Sun That Defied Heaven."
Wanted Dead or Alive
Lilith
1,200,000,000 Billion Berries
"The Mad Angel of Science."
Wanted Dead or Alive
Okiku
780,000,000 Million Berries
"The Wandering Sword."
Wanted Dead or Alive
Perona
420,000,000 Million Berries
"The Ghost Princess."
Wanted Dead or Alive
Hiyori Kozuki
350,000,000 Million Berries
"The Moon Princess."
Akainu crushed his cigar between his fingers. "Children. You're giving children hundreds of millions?!"
Tsuru didn't flinch. "Those 'children' helped tear down Mariejois and free hundreds of slaves. The world government won't risk underestimating anyone on her ship."
Sengoku's expression hardened. "Children or not, they helped bring down Mariejois. The world government doesn't care how old they are — only how dangerous."
Garp's chuckle cut through the silence. "Heh… sounds like another crew I knew."
Akainu scowled. "This isn't a joke."
Garp shrugged. "Neither was Roger's dream."
Sengoku shot him a warning look, then turned toward the window. "Mobilize Cipher Pol. Alert every fleet. I want Ada's ship tracked. The world won't survive another legend."
The posters scattered across the table like fallen cards — the dawn of a new age written in ink and blood.
————————
The Oro Jackson sailed beneath a soft golden dusk, the waves calm for the first time in weeks.
Lilith had just returned from the communication deck, clutching a handful of bounty posters she'd intercepted from a Navy frequency.
She threw them on the deck with a grin. "Hot off the presses! Straight from Marineford!"
The crew swarmed the pile instantly.
Lilith then stomped out from below deck, waving a stack of bounty posters. "They finally did it! Look at this madness!"
"Seven billion!?" Enel yelped, staring at Ada's poster. "Captain, that's the highest bounty for any woman on the sea!"
Ada rolled her eyes. "Don't sound so surprised."
Bullet laughed. "That's my captain!"
Bullet then glanced up, smirking. "About time they printed mine right."
But the laughter quieted when Mihawk picked up his own poster.
He read it silently, eyes narrowing just a touch.
Ada noticed. "What's it say?"
Lilith answered before he could. "Four point two billion. Title says… 'Strongest Swordsman in the World.'"
The crew collectively turned toward Mihawk.
Even Bullet whistled. "The Marines themselves said that?"
"Looks like it," Enel muttered. "Guess you finally got your crown."
Ada stepped closer, her voice softer. "Titles aside… they finally acknowledged what we've always known. You're the greatest swordsman in the world."
Mihawk's eyes flicked toward her, just a glimmer of something — not pride, but quiet respect.
"It's a hollow title," he said. "There's always someone chasing the next swing."
Ada smiled faintly. "Maybe. But you earned it — and you carry it with dignity. That's what sets you apart."
Perona floated above them, hugging her poster. "And that's why he's so grumpy all the time. Too much dignity."
Mihawk exhaled slowly. "You mistake restraint for grumpiness."
The crew burst into laughter, the tension fading into warmth.
Even Bullet chuckled. "You can dress it up however you want, Hawk-Eye. Seven billion for the Captain, four for you and me — we're walking legends now."
Ada turned to the horizon, her smile lingering.
"Legends maybe… but the world won't see it that way. To them, we're monsters."
Tiger folded his arms. "Let them call us monsters. As long as the truth spreads, we've done our part."
Mihawk glanced at her, and for a brief moment, there was the faintest flicker of something like gratitude behind his stoic calm.
Fisher Tiger crossed his arms, smiling faintly. "If they're calling you the strongest, they're not far off. I've seen you slice mountains like seaweed."
Lilith snorted. "And he did it with perfect posture."
"Precision is everything," Mihawk said dryly, earning another round of laughter.
Perona floated overhead, teasing, "Strongest swordsman in the world and still no sense of humor."
Ada chuckled softly. "That's why we balance him out."
Ada then leaned on the railing nearby, her long coat fluttering slightly in the wind. She smiled faintly. "You all look dangerous enough. The government must be terrified."
Enel stretched, the faint crackle of lightning running along his arm. "'Lightning God.' Tch. They should've just said 'Handsome Genius.'"
Lilith scowled, holding up hers. "'Mad Angel of Science'?! I'm not mad, I'm methodical!"
Fisher Tiger's laugh rumbled across the deck. "If you're methodical, I'd hate to see chaos."
Okiku's eyes widened as she stared at her poster. "Seven hundred and eighty million?! I haven't even killed that much!"
Perona drifted above them, holding hers upside down. "Hmph. Only four hundred? I should've haunted more Celestial Dragons."
Hiyori giggled softly beside her, clutching her own poster. "At least yours doesn't call you 'Moon Princess.' What am I, a bedtime story?"
Ada chuckled under her breath, arms folded. "Titles don't define you. The world just needs a name to fear."
Tiger crossed his arms. "Let 'em be afraid. It's about time the surface sees truth."
Ada looked up at the sky — golden, streaked with red. "Fear isn't what I want. I want them to question who they're really bowing to."
A quiet beat passed. Then Lilith squinted toward the newest member of their crew, Tesoro, who leaned against the mast, reading one of the papers.
"No bounty for you yet, gold boy," she teased.
Tesoro smirked faintly. "Fine by me. The longer I stay off their radar, the longer I get to enjoy this view."
Mihawk raised an eyebrow. "That view being your reflection?"
The crew laughed — even Enel, though he quickly pretended he wasn't.
Ada's expression softened as she looked around at them all — her mismatched family of monsters, warriors, and dreamers.
"We've made enemies of the world," she said quietly. "But we've also given hope to those without voices. Never forget why we fight."
Fisher Tiger nodded. "For freedom."
Ada smiled. "and for truth."
"These bounties…" she said, gazing at the posters fluttering in the wind, "they're not medals. They're warnings."
Mihawk nodded. "Then let the world be warned."
Ada smiled faintly. "Let them remember the name Nyx D. Ada and the crew who stood against heaven."
The Oro Jackson cut across the sea, the wind carrying their laughter — and the posters of the world's newest legends — into the horizon.