Luffy picked up the bounty poster, looked at it from left to right, then excitedly held it high over his head and burst into laughter toward the open sea.
"Hahahaha! Did you see that?! I've got a bounty now! Fifty million beli! I'm a real pirate now!"
"Fifty million…"
Zoro stared at the number, a wild grin curling at the corner of his mouth.
"For a first bounty, that's insane. Looks like Marine Headquarters has finally taken notice of us."
Ronan stood to the side, eyes on the poster, his brows lifting slightly as his thoughts raced.
Something felt off.
According to the original course of events, Luffy's first bounty after defeating Arlong should have been thirty million beli. So why had it jumped to fifty million?
Ronan's mind spun quickly, and the answer surfaced almost immediately.
The butterfly effect.
In the original timeline, Luffy beat Arlong but didn't completely cripple Captain Nezumi—just gave him a beating.
This time, at Ronan's suggestion, they not only destroyed Arlong's base, but also left that Marine branch captain permanently disabled.
Assaulting a Marine captain and leaving him crippled—this was a direct slap in the face of "justice" in the eyes of Marine Headquarters, far more severe than an ordinary pirate clash.
That extra twenty million was probably the Marines saving face.
Realizing this, Ronan couldn't help but chuckle.
The storm stirred by his fluttering butterfly wings was coming faster than he'd expected.
"You idiots…"
Watching Luffy beam with pride and Zoro look completely unfazed, Nami felt a deep sense of helplessness.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and warned them seriously,
"Do you two have any idea how serious this is? This isn't a medal of honor!"
"A fifty-million-beli bounty means we'll be hunted by countless bounty hunters and elite Marines!"
"It means they're officially after your life! We can't afford to laze around in the East Blue anymore—we need to head into the Grand Line as soon as possible!"
"It's fine, it's fine!" Luffy laughed. "We were going to the Grand Line anyway! And we're strong, right?"
As everyone argued over the bounty—
Zoro, who had been leaning against the railing, suddenly stiffened.
His sharp senses caught something strange in the distant sky.
He lifted his head and squinted toward the horizon where sea met sky, his tone puzzled.
"Hey, Luffy. Ronan… what's that?"
Everyone followed Zoro's gaze.
Far to the east, the once-white clouds seemed to be churning, as if stirred by some massive force.
Then—
Huge green shapes burst through the clouds, slowly flying toward the Going Merry.
As they drew closer, their forms became clear.
Their bodies were enormous, wings spanning more than ten meters. They resembled ancient pterosaurs, their forms covered in thick green feathers.
But the strangest part was their heads—
They were unmistakably dragon heads, complete with long whiskers and an ancient, dignified presence.
They flew in groups, releasing long, desolate cries that echoed like calls from a bygone era, shaking the sea itself.
"Th-that's… dragons?!"
Usopp collapsed onto the deck, pointing at the sky with trembling fingers.
"Dragons really exist?! There are so many! We're going to get eaten!"
Luffy's eyes lit up instantly, drool spilling from the corner of his mouth.
"They look delicious! Is that meat? Flying meat?!"
Nami frantically flipped through her mental catalog of navigation lore.
"Th-this… could it be a legendary species? I've only seen drawings like this in ancient bestiaries…"
Ronan stared at the dragon-filled sky, a spark igniting in his mind as a nearly forgotten memory resurfaced.
"Thousand-Year Dragons."
He slowly spoke the words, his eyes blazing with unprecedented intensity.
These were creatures from the anime-original Warship Island arc—and yet, here they were, truly existing in this world.
"This is a group of Thousand-Year Dragons," Ronan said, his voice rising with excitement.
"They migrate once every thousand years, returning to their 'dragon lair' to lay eggs!"
He suddenly turned to Luffy and Zoro, his tone irresistibly tempting.
"Luffy. Zoro. Haven't you two been complaining that the second stage of horizontal body cultivation has been progressing too slowly?"
"I think… our opportunity has arrived."
"Opportunity?" Zoro froze, then looked back at the dragons overhead. "You mean…"
Ronan took a deep breath and explained rapidly,
"In ancient Eastern medicine—no, ancient martial medicine—tiger bones are already considered top-tier materials for strengthening muscles and bones."
"For horizontal body cultivation, tiger bones are rare treasures. But if we could brew medicinal baths using dragon bones…"
He inhaled sharply.
"These Thousand-Year Dragons live for centuries, their qi and blood are immensely powerful. Their bones contain essence that's easily a hundred times stronger than tiger bones!"
"They're true heavenly treasures!"
"Natural, top-tier 'catalysts'!"
"If we can obtain dragon bones and combine them with my secret formula, I'm confident that before entering the Grand Line, we can push 'Bronze Skin, Iron Bones' to full mastery!"
"We might even touch the threshold of the third stage!"
"By then, even cannon fire might not be able to seriously injure you!"
"Dragon bones… medicinal baths…"
Those words drilled straight into Luffy and Zoro's minds like a spell.
Zoro's battle intent skyrocketed instantly. When he looked at the dragons now, he no longer saw living creatures—
He saw flying piles of divine weapons.
His hunger for power crushed all other concerns.
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Zoro drew Wado Ichimonji, eyes blazing with killing intent. "Do we knock them out of the sky?"
"No. They're migrating," Ronan replied calmly.
"Follow them. They'll definitely head to their nest. That's where we strike."
"Nami! Change course!"
Luffy swung his arm wide, standing at the bow and pointing in the direction the dragons were flying.
"Going Merry—full speed ahead!!"
"Follow those dragons! We're going to eat—ah, no—we're going on an adventure!!"
"Honestly… you're all insane."
Nami muttered, but her hands moved quickly as she adjusted the sails.
"Hold on tight! We're accelerating!"
The Going Merry cut through the waves, chasing the dragons across the sky toward the unknown destination known as Warship Island.
Ronan stood at the prow, fingers brushing the cold iron of his spear as he gazed at the increasingly distinct dragon silhouettes, silently reciting:
"Thirteen Guardians Horizontal Training—minor mastery…"
"Bronze skin, iron bones…"
"Indestructible vajra."
"This wind… I'm borrowing it for sure."
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