A single day after the news of the Ox Bell ritual saturated the news, the Marine Headquarters was in turmoil. The chaos of war had been replaced by the cold, bureaucratic terror of a new, unpredictable threat.
In a secure conference room filled with Vice Admirals and high-ranking staff, the discussion was furious, centered entirely on one man.
"The decision is ludicrous!" shouted a Vice Admiral, slamming his fist on the table. "Six hundred million Berries for a rookie? He doesn't even have a crew! He's only been publicly active for one day!"
"The message is what matters, not his current strength," countered Vice Admiral Tsuru, her sharp eyes resting on the images projected onto the wall—images of a glowing blue shield and a terrified, mud-caked young man. "This 'Leo ' not only stood with Silvers Rayleigh and Jinbe at the final act of defiance, but he also successfully blocked a direct, full-powered Dark Hound from Admiral Akainu. The political damage is immense."
Another officer leaned forward, his voice low with disbelief. "A Vice Admiral's full power wouldn't stop that attack. The implication alone—that he possesses a Devil Fruit with such defense—justifies a high bounty. He must be taken seriously. This is the government compensating for its visible failure at Marineford.
The argument was cut short when Vice Admiral Momonga, stern and decisive, stood up. His presence immediately silenced the room.
"The debate is over," Momonga stated, his voice firm, his gaze sweeping across the faces. "The World Government and the Fleet Admiral have already made the final decision. This bounty is not merely for his current strength, but for the symbol he represents. A new face, wearing no traditional flag, who publicly defied an Admiral and disrupted the execution of justice. If we treat him lightly, it encourages other newcomers to believe they can achieve the same results. His identity is unknown, his uniform is strange, and his power is defensive and absolute. He is a glitch in the system, and the World Government wants him eliminated."
Momonga walked to the central display board, took a new bounty poster, and, with a heavy thwack, slammed it onto the cork.
"His bounty has been set by the Gorosei themselves, with the endorsement of Fleet Admiral's command."
The surrounding Marines gasped, eyes widening in genuine, collective shock as they read the number.
"Six hundred million Berries!" one Officer stammered, running a hand through his hair. "That is higher than some of the older supernova! It's an outrageously high first bounty!"
"The message is clear," Momonga concluded, his voice low and dangerous. "Leo is now classified as an Extreme Danger to the World Government authority.
Far from the panicked debates of the Marines, on the secluded, wild jungle island of Rusukaina, the next phase of the two-year training was set to begin.
Under the harsh sun, Luffy and Leo sat near a small clearing, waiting for Rayleigh. Luffy, already fully recovered and energetic, was bouncing slightly, his usual impatient restlessness having returned.
"Man, I'm getting bored," Luffy whined, tearing a large, ripe piece of fruit with his teeth. "I need to start punching things! When's Rayleigh getting here? I'm supposed to be getting stronger!"
Leo chuckled, resting his Kukri knife—cleaned of Marine blood—on his lap. He felt a deep, almost serene calm, a strange contrast to the existential dread that had been his companion for the last week.
He has no idea what's coming, Leo thought, watching the future Pirate King. The bounty that changed his life is about to drop. And mine… well, mine is probably just some starter cash. Maybe enough to buy a decent ship, if I ever get off this island.
"Just be patient, Luffy," Leo advised. "Look at it this way: at least you know you're alive and your crew is safe. What's the worst that can happen now? We're with the Dark King.
A shadow fell over them. Rayleigh materialized from the thick jungle canopy, moving with the silent grace of a ghost. He was holding a stack of freshly printed bounty posters.
"Ready to begin your training?" Rayleigh asked, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He paused, holding two posters. "But first, a small delivery from the Navy. They certainly didn't waste any time getting these printed."
Rayleigh handed the first poster to Luffy. Luffy grabbed it, tearing it open eagerly.
"Oh, yeah! A new bounty!" Luffy cheered. He squinted at the number. "What? Four hundred million Berries? That's barely an increase! Only a hundred million more? Too little! They're underestimating the Pirate King!" Luffy crumpled the paper in mock frustration, then tossed it aside.
Leo nodded internally. Classic Luffy. Doesn't care about the number, just the adventure. And that's a perfect setup for my own reasonable, starter bounty. One hundred and fifty million, maybe two?
Rayleigh then turned to Leo, a deep, knowing smile playing on his lips, a twinkle of amusement in his aged eyes. "And you, young Leo. You certainly made an impression. They consider you a high-value asset, I suppose. It seems the shame of an Admiral being physically repelled is worth more than a modest increase for the son of Dragon." He passed the second poster to Leo. "You also have a bounty on your head, and it's a big one."
Leo took the paper, trying to appear nonchalant while a pit formed in his stomach. B-big? How big is 'big'? Okay, okay. This is fine. I blocked Akainu, so maybe they're being generous. Three hundred million? Max. Right? Anything more is utterly ridiculous.
He slowly unfolded the crinkly, wet paper. The bold, black text and his own furious, grimy face stared back at him. His eyes scanned down to the number. The sheer quantity of zeroes made his brain short-circuit.
600,000,000
Leo froze. The number didn't compute. He blinked, rubbing his eyes, thinking the tropical sun had played a trick on him. He read it again, slowly.
Six. Hundred. Million.
"N-Nani?" Leo's voice cracked, sounding like a rusty hinge. His jaw dropped, and his eyes seemed to physically pop out in disbelief, mirroring a classic anime reaction. He waved the poster frantically at Rayleigh. "Six hundred million?! For me?! I'm a Level 2 with a blunt knife and a two-use shield on cooldown! Are they insane?! Do they know how much trouble that is?! That's more than a supernova captain bounty! They're trying to get me killed by every bounty hunter in the world!"
Luffy, surprisingly, paused his chewing and looked genuinely impressed. "Whoa! That's more than mine! You must be super, super strong, Leo! You hid your strength!"
Rayleigh laughed—a deep, booming sound that echoed through the trees. "It seems they value your potential, young man.
Want to read more?
Join my Patreon --https://patreon.com/kazama677
Advance chapters available