Chapter 45: The Second Emperor of the Sea

How to set a new bounty?

Under normal circumstances, if it were other pirates, everyone would surely speak up eagerly.

But since it concerns Barzab, mainly involving Vice Admiral Sakazuki and others who fought Barzab, the headquarters officers suddenly found themselves at a loss.

If they set it too high, it would easily cause the Navy to fall into argument.

Those pirates on the Grand Line would surely think the Navy is just like that; even a brat who just set sail can have such a high bounty, so we should challenge the Navy too.

By then... it would actually be quite interesting.

There would be no need to hunt pirates everywhere anymore.

If they set it too low, wouldn't that be a tacit admission that Vice Admiral Sakazuki and Vice Admiral Kuzan cannot even capture a pirate with such a bounty?

It is said that Sakazuki and Kuzan are about to be promoted to Admiral; the promotion report has already been submitted, and they will be promoted immediately after returning from executing the Buster Call.

Then, if Barzab's bounty is set too low, wouldn't that directly offend two Admirals?

A group of officers silently looked at Admiral Kizaru: Admiral, the task of offending Admirals is left to you.

Sensing the gaze concentrate on him, Kizaru looked at his nose, his nose at his heart, and directly emptied his mind.

So troublesome; just make it three billion total.

Vice Admiral Tsuru fell into dilemma; as the headquarters strategist, she had to consider the influence on all aspects: on one hand, the World Government ordered the bounty adjustment, and on the other, whether the Navy's deterrent power would be affected.

Seeing this, Fleet Admiral Sengoku asked in a deep voice.

"Sakazuki, Kuzan, do you two have any suggestions?"

The parties involved have the most right to speak; regarding the bounty matter, no Navy officers have more right to speak than Sakazuki and the other.

The Den Den Mushi spoke: "Provisionally set it at three billion."

Sengoku frowned tightly: "Barzab three billion, and the other two each twenty billion?"

Kuzan's voice rang out through the Den Den Mushi: "I have no objection to Master Tenghu's twenty billion."

Immediately after, the voices of the mole and others rang out: "Jorakoer Mihawk... also twenty billion; although we were not his match, we resisted for a long time."

"Good." Sengoku slapped the table heavily.

"Issue the bounty order according to this standard, and send it to every Navy base as soon as possible; whenever the Morning Star Pirates' whereabouts are discovered, it must be reported to headquarters."

"Nicole Robin, rescued by Barzab, is provisionally set at a one hundred million bounty."

"Yes." Brannew saluted.

When the news of the Navy issuing the bounty order reached the ears of News King Morgans, Morgans was still staring at those photos that could make sales explode, worrying.

Morgans originally thought—the World Government and the Navy would suppress the news just like last time when the Celestial Dragons were kidnapped; he never expected they would not suppress it at all.

Morgans stood frozen in place, then put his hands on his hips and laughed wildly with his head thrown back.

"A big news indeed, this is truly earth-shattering news!"

"Buster Call, Ohara turned into ruins, Barzab led the Morning Star Pirates, defeated the Navy's Buster Call fleet, and rescued the Devil Child Nicole Robin."

"Sales! Sales are going to double!"

"Reprint, must reprint."

Morgans personally wrote the news draft, but when he looked back and forth at the final draft, he always felt something was missing, until his peripheral vision caught the news clipping of the Emperor of the Sea Whitebeard; Morgans jumped straight up.

"Emperor of the Sea, the second Emperor of the Sea!"

After Pirate King Luo Jie was executed, Morgans originally thought Xia Luote Charlotte Lingling was the most likely to become the second Emperor of the Sea after Whitebeard.

Who could have thought Barzab would stand out.

Although the Morning Star Pirates only had three crew members, Captain Barzab had a thirty billion bounty, Vice Captain Mihawk had twenty billion, and Master Tenghu Yisheng had twenty billion; added together, it was a full seventy billion bounty.

"My heavens, this is an Emperor of the Sea!"

Morgans was so excited he was howling.

"Barzab, do not disappoint me; I am betting all of the newspaper sales for the next twenty years on you today!"

After rewriting the final draft, Morgans kissed the news draft heavily twice: "I, too, will become famous throughout the four seas."

There are six underground kings, but only I, the News King, reign supreme!

Morgans personally went to the printing factory and slapped the news draft heavily onto the factory manager's face.

"According to this standard, do not change a single word; print the newspaper at ten times the usual amount, no, twenty times!"

After the manager finished reading the final draft, his facial expression became extremely wonderful: Boss, are you not crazy?

"A pirate crew of three people? Emperor of the Sea? There must be a limit to joking, Boss?!"

Morgans looked sideways: "What's wrong with three people? Won't they recruit new crew members? Stop the damn nonsense, hurry up and do as I say; if you won't do this job, there are plenty of people who will!"

The factory manager smiled on the surface but cursed in his heart: "Boss, I'll start printing right now!"

Anyway, it's not my money that will be lost; if you go bankrupt, you damn turtle grandson, on the day you go bankrupt, I will definitely ride on your head and pee, pee right into your bird mouth!!!

Early the next morning.

When copies of the newspapers, smelling of fresh ink, were sent to all corners of the world via thousands of News Crows, the world immediately boiled over.

"Extra, extra, Ohara Buster Call."

"Second Emperor of the Sea? What kind of joke is this? How can an Emperor of the Sea with only three crew members possibly exist! Is the news agency crazy?!"

"Thirty billion? Twenty billion? Twenty billion?"

"Is the Navy crazy too?!"

Not only did hundreds of millions of people feel puzzled, but even the nobles of the World Government member countries, small pirates of the Four Seas, and great pirates on the Grand Line were equally shocked.

They all expressed: The Navy is indeed crazy.

Grand Line, New World.

On the Moby Dick, which looked like a killer whale.

Ma Ma Ma Erke, with his pineapple hairstyle, did not make a fuss like last time; instead, he stared at the newspaper in his hand, lost in thought and depression.

No way, thirty billion just two years after setting sail?

Young Saint Saint Saiwen, you make me, an old timer who has been at sea for sixteen years, feel like a failure in life.

When the God's Valley battle ended, Ma Ma Ma Erke followed his biological father and, together with Dad Whitebeard, founded the Whitebeard Pirates; it has been exactly sixteen years since then.

But Saint Saint Saiwen has only been at sea for two years; even counting the five years on Luo Jie's crew, that's only seven years total.

Damn genius, truly despicable!

Ma Ma Ma Erke's abnormality immediately drew the attention of the brothers; Flower Sword Vista shouted.

"Ma Ma Ma Erke, what does the newspaper say?"

Ma Ma Ma Erke shook his head, ran quickly to Dad's side, said nothing, silently handed the newspaper into Dad's hands, and then stood there in silence.

Whitebeard focused his gaze.

When he saw the bounties for the three members of the Morning Star Pirates on the newspaper, and the depiction of Barzab as the second Emperor of the Sea, he laughed wildly without stopping.

"Gurarararara!"

"To actually repel the Magma Brat, five Fleet Admirals, and over ten thousand Marine soldiers, excellent!"

"Ma Ma Ma Erke, throw a banquet!"

The bounties for the Morning Star Pirates on the newspaper gave Whitebeard another reason to hold a banquet.

"Dad, what is so funny?"

The sons gathered around.

Whitebeard smiled and handed the newspaper to Vista: "Read it aloud, so we don't waste time passing it around one by one; we still need to hold a banquet."

Vista took the newspaper, glanced at it, and his eyes immediately shook: "Th-this... this is too fake!"

How can someone become an Emperor of the Sea at seventeen?

A personal bounty of thirty billion?

A total bounty of seventy billion for the three members of the pirate crew.

"Read quickly, Vista."