Chapter 8: Rising Bounty

"This time, the bounty will be set directly by the Headquarters."

"After all, the threat these two have demonstrated is on a completely different level from other pirates in the East Blue."

"Remember, the East Blue is known as the most peaceful sea in the world, with an average pirate bounty of less than five million, and even the most dangerous among them, A Long , only has a bounty of twenty million."

"But it is foreseeable that the bounties of Fire Fist Ace and Knight Gao Wen will surely exceed this figure!"

"This is an insult to the East Blue—and a denial of the capabilities of everyone here!"

As Branui’s words fell, the faces of the branch officers grew dark.

For Branui’s remarks were essentially slapping them in the face, yet since the problem had arisen in their own jurisdiction, even if they wished to argue, they lacked the conviction.

But someone could not swallow this insult.

To Branui’s left, the 016 Branch Colonel, whose face resembled a rat, sneered sarcastically:

"Only someone from Headquarters can speak and act so directly."

The rat’s words drew sidelong glances from those around him; Branui glanced at him, his brow slightly furrowed, yet he Landejieshi anything.

Branui turned and continued:

"The few at Headquarters, especially the one who hails from the East Blue, will be closely watching this matter. Everyone, be more careful in your words and actions."

"Hails from the East Blue... General Garp?"

The rat blurted out, his pupils contracting sharply.

Everyone present straightened up instantly, their expressions grim as they stared at Branui.

If this news was true, it meant the hero Garp might be planning to return to the East Blue to suppress pirates.

And every suppression of pirates meant a purge of the East Blue Marines—from top to bottom, from within to without—removing the parasites feeding on the Marines’ flesh and replacing them with fresh blood.

It was plainly visible that countless individuals would fall as a result.

"If this is truly the case, we must prepare in advance!"

"Pirates near the base must be cleared out, and internal parasites must be thoroughly investigated!"

A chill settled over their hearts.

The rat was already drenched in sweat; by the time the meeting ended, his back was soaked.

…

…

…

East Blue.

On the sea.

The wind was light, the waves gentle.

Seabirds skimmed the surface, prompting sea beasts hidden beneath to leap out and then sink back down.

Their bodies, often dozens of meters long, felt unreal.

It also jolted Gao Wen awake—he was no longer in his past world of peace, but in the world of pirates.

Plunder, violence, chaos—these were the eternal themes of this sea.

The strongest atop the hierarchy changed again and again, yet new sailors kept setting sail, and now Gao Wen had become one of them.

To be honest, if he had a choice, the ideal start in the pirate world was either a Celestial Dragon or a Marine.

A stable promotion path, gradual rank advancement unlocking Marine Six Powers, and far more opportunities to obtain Devil Fruits—all far more accessible than for pirates.

Gao Wen, who had just slain Monk and now had his name on a bounty, had no chance of joining the Marines.

He could only grit his teeth and walk the pirate path.

"Only great power is the capital to stand in this world."

Gao Wen murmured.

At that moment, a messenger bird wearing a hat flew in from afar.

After circling the warship several times,

the bird dropped a newspaper onto the deck and slowly flew away.

The pirate guarding the deck picked up the newspaper; before he could open it, a stack of bounty posters slipped out and scattered across the deck.

As the pirate bent to collect the posters, he saw Gao Wen’s photo—but the number beneath it was not the eight million he remembered.

Realizing what had happened, the pirate’s breath caught:

"One, ten, hundred, thousand... four, four, four—"

"Stuttering?!"

The pirate beside him snatched the poster—and was stunned by Gao Wen’s absurd bounty, for the number shattered the East Blue’s recent bounty ceiling.

"Knight Gao Wen, bounty... forty-eight million Beri?!"

"How much?"

Everyone nearby was drawn by his voice, gathering around to stare at Gao Wen’s sixfold-bumped bounty, speechless with shock.

They stared blankly for over ten seconds before finally bursting into exclamations.

"Forty-eight million?!"

"Now we—no, Captain Gao Wen will be famous throughout the entire East Blue!"

"Before this, the highest bounty in the East Blue was only twenty million!"

"This... we just defeated Monk, and now we’re facing the East Blue Marines?"

Some turned pale, feeling their future was pitch black.

For the bounty amount reflected the Marines’ level of attention.

Forty-eight million—this was an unprecedented sum in the East Blue in over a decade. It was easy to imagine Gao Wen would soon face relentless pursuit and blockade by the Marines.

One man grew fearful, but was mercilessly mocked by his comrades.

"Are you stupid?!"

"We’ve already burned our bridges. The more famous our Captain becomes, the safer we are!"

"Besides, who says that was Captain’s full strength on the island?"

…

Gao Wen naturally noticed the commotion.

He pushed aside the pirates crowding around; the pirate holding the newspaper obediently handed him the poster. Gao Wen’s lips curled slightly as he saw the skyrocketing number.

In his mind, there was no higher bounty in the East Blue—and the bounty and reputation would benefit his future plans, not harm them.

Gao Wen glanced at his own poster, set it aside, and flipped through the others.

"Baiji Keluo, 16 million Beri..."

"Ghost Man Jin, 12 million Beri..."

"Fishman A Long, 20 million Beri..."

…

"Hmm?"

Gao Wen’s hand paused slightly.

For a familiar face appeared before him.

Though the man in the photo looked much younger than he remembered.

Yet the freckles across his face and his uniquely shaped hat made him instantly recognizable—the man on the poster was the last living bloodline of the Pirate King Roger.

Portgas D. Ace, alias Fire Fist, bounty: 50 million Beri—higher than Gao Wen’s!

The East Blue’s former bounty ceiling had been shattered in succession by these two.

Gao Wen thought of something else, raised a hand to his chin, eyes gleaming:

"Ace’s talent must far surpass these ordinary pirates."

"Otherwise, how could he have reached the level of Whitebeard’s Second Division Commander in just a few years, and even briefly stand against a Fleet Admiral like Aokiji?"

"If I could bring him aboard, my growth rate would undergo a qualitative leap."

"But..."

"A Logia ability without Haki is hard to handle."

"Zoro is nomadic and hard to track—so my only remaining option is the Haishangcantingbaladi ?"

As Gao Wen thought this, a plan gradually formed in his mind.

At that moment, a system alert echoed again in his mind...

"Congratulations! Badge unlocked—Rising Fame!"

"You may now view your subordinates’ latent abilities!"

(End of Chapter)