Chapter 101: New Bounty Over 100 Million! (Request First Subscription!)

The Grand Line.

Paradise.

Hanafuza stared at the report from his subordinates and the bounty notice in his hand, his fury so intense he felt his lungs might burst.

“Those two idiots!”

“They got themselves killed trying to steal a Devil Fruit in the East Blue?”

The more he thought about it, the angrier Hanafuza became.

He slammed his palm down, sending the massive boulder behind him flying, yet the nameless fire in his chest still had no outlet.

Boom!

The boulder crashed to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust that left the pirates frozen in fear, none daring to speak for fear of being caught in the blast.

Only when Hanafuza’s breathing steadied and he regained a shred of composure did someone finally muster the courage to speak hesitantly:

“This isn’t entirely the Cat Brothers’ fault.”

“They already had the fruit—only when they tried to re-enter the Grand Line did Knight Gao Wen intercept them.”

“Besides, Knight Gao Wen easily crushed the Cat Brothers. His strength isn’t weak even by Grand Line standards.”

“Someone of his caliber would likely not swallow the fruit immediately, especially without knowing its ability.”

“Captain, we still have time.”

Hanafuza’s lips curled into a cold sneer:

“What if the fruit has already been eaten?”

“I myself am already a Devil Fruit user—I can’t consume another. But this is something even that person took interest in.”

“If this goes wrong on my watch, are you going to take the blame?”

The speaking pirate trembled violently and dropped to his knees instantly, cursing himself for opening his mouth.

Hanafuza glanced at him, gradually calming down, and said coldly:

“Not just anyone is qualified to carry that blame.”

“Besides, you’re right—if there’s even a sliver of chance the fruit hasn’t been eaten yet, I still have an opportunity.”

“Whether he ate it or not, his only path ahead is one.”

“Death!”

As he spoke, Haanafuza’s Haki spilled outward, whipping up a violent gale around him.

Looking at the surroundings and the pirates kneeling far away, he felt a crushing sense of humiliation.

“If only I hadn’t lost to that brat Jack, how could I have sunk to this level?”

“Damn it!”

After a deep breath, Hanafuza turned toward the window, sensing the once-overwhelming threat he’d felt now gone.

He asked:

“How’s that old Marine doing?”

“He withdrew a few days ago, leaving only a few warships on standby—no real threat.”

Hanafuza grinned with cruel satisfaction:

“Perfect. I’ll handle it myself.”

…

…

…

East Blue.

Gentle winds, calm waves, clear skies—a rare fine day.

A small pirate ship slowly sailed into Raven Port, guided by dockworkers to a mooring at the harbor’s edge.

The townsfolk paid it no mind.

For the pirate flag flying on that vessel was none other than the Straw Hat Pirates’—the very banner that had pulled this port back from the brink of destruction multiple times in recent months.

Even many children stood curiously watching.

Jasmine, the Cat Brothers, and the recovered Fan Aoka had all gathered here to welcome Gao Wen’s return.

The gangway lowered.

Gao Wen and his crew stepped down slowly.

Jasmine immediately spotted Gasha, and seeing his torn, battered clothes, her eyes filled with tears.

“Miss~”

“Waaah~”

The two embraced tightly, weeping together.

Gao Wen’s gaze fell on the Cat Brothers, their faces twisted in despair, and he frowned slightly:

“What’s wrong?”

“Captain… we… we ate several hundred million Beri worth of food…”

Sam wept silently; Buji burst into tears right there—until Fan Aoka waved Gao Wen over and explained:

“They accidentally swallowed two Devil Fruits—likely the ones the two attackers who raided Raven Port had consumed.”

“Huh?”

Gao Wen stared blankly.

Then it clicked: each Devil Fruit, especially Animal-Type ones, possessed its own consciousness and could, to some extent, choose its own master.

The clearest example was Luffy’s Nika Fruit—it had even evaded the World Government’s pursuit on its own. Utterly insane.

The Cat Brothers had almost certainly encountered this exact scenario.

Gao Wen casually cast a scan at the two:

【Name—Sam】

【Potential—Bronze】

【Rating—Black Iron: Animal-Type—Cat-Cat Fruit—Puma Form Ability User!】

…

【Name—Buji】

【Potential—Bronze】

【Rating—Black Iron: Animal-Type—Cat-Cat Fruit—Maine Coon Form Ability User!】

…

As expected.

After consuming the Devil Fruits, both had surpassed their previous potential limits, reaching Bronze level—matching Jin’s.

With proper development, their future combat power would surely not fall short of the original owners of these fruits.

Gao Wen ruffled their heads and comforted them:

“Stop acting like you got the short end of the stick—you’ve got abilities now. Work hard, your strength will skyrocket.”

“Just make sure to bring more life preservers on future voyages.”

The two snapped out of their gloom, scratching their heads with foolish smiles on their faces.

Gao Wen asked:

“When did you eat the fruits?”

“Three or four days ago.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

Gao Wen frowned:

“Labute and Lachet died over ten days ago—do Devil Fruits have a respawn delay?!”

After some thought,

Gao Wen found no answer in his memory.

He dropped the question and turned his scan toward Fan Aoka beside him.

Fan Aoka’s profile appeared before Gao Wen:

【Name—Fan Aoka】

【Potential—Silver】

【Rating—Black Iron: Sniper Specialization, Huge Potential!】

Although Fan Aoka’s potential hadn’t reached Gold level as Gao Wen had hoped,

he wasn’t surprised—system-calculated potential was based on current abilities pushed to their absolute limit.

Once he later awakened Haki or obtained a matching Devil Fruit, this potential would surge upward.

Besides, even now, his skill was more than sufficient for a sniper role.

Gao Wen’s lips curled slightly:

“I killed those two cats. From today on, you’re mine.”

“Ahhhh~”

Fan Aoka feigned resignation:

“I never agreed to your bet, but since the crew splits profits by strength, I’ll look forward to working with you, Captain.”

“Captain!”

"Hmph!"

Gao Wen let out a soft grunt, about to say more, when his gaze was caught by a newspaper descending from the sky.

Whoosh!

The newspaper scattered across the ground.

Among the spread-out bounties, a familiar face made Gao Wen’s eyelid twitch—but the skyrocketing reward beneath it left all who saw it breathless.

“One, ten, hundred, ten million… billion?”

“Two, two, two… two hundred forty-eight million?!”

“The captain’s bounty’s over a hundred million?”

Nami trembled as she picked up Gao Wen’s bounty from the ground, her palm slick with sweat.

Fan Aoka, upon seeing the bounty, simply shook his head:

“We just joined, and the captain’s bounty’s already over a hundred million? Is it too late to quit now?”

Keluo glanced at him, a faint smile tugging at his lips:

“What do you think?”

“If you can’t even accept this bounty, you’d better prepare your mind for what’s coming on this journey.”

“That guy…”

“is destined to become a king!”

The Cat Brothers danced awkwardly in place, ecstatic:

“The captain’s bounty went up again!”

“Wuuuuuuuuu~”

…

Everyone, gazing at Gao Wen’s skyrocketing bounty, was thrilled—bounties reflected a pirate’s strength more than anything else.

In terms of bounty alone, Gao Wen had already surpassed nearly all East Sea pirates by one or even two orders of magnitude.

They knew exactly what this meant.

Only Gao Wen, surrounded by the crowd, felt dazed—for the familiar system notification echoed again:

“Congratulations! Badge unlocked: Bounty Over One Hundred Million!”

“You shall be favored by the sea!”

(End of Chapter)