Chapter 132: Unprecedented Bounties
The conference room fell silent for a moment. Everyone turned their puzzled gazes towards Yamakaji.
This seemingly honest and simple-looking Vice Admiral, as one of Head Instructor Zephyr's proud disciples, possessed undeniable strength.
A pirate who had just set sail recently could actually defeat him?
If it were their captain, it might be slightly more acceptable – after all, Garp's grandson, right? A great general doesn't have cowardly sons.
Back when Dragon was still in the Marines, he was already monstrously strong at a young age.
Yamakaji noticed Momonga's gaze. He merely pondered for a moment, scratched his head, and said with a nonchalant smile:
"Mah~ Before Old Me fought him, I had already battled that Reiner fellow for a while and suffered heavy internal injuries. It just so happened that the injuries flared up at that moment, giving him the opportunity."
"Oh, so that's how it was."
"Indeed, that makes sense."
The crowd voiced their agreement. Fleet Admiral Sengoku, seated above, had a strange expression but probably also understood the situation.
Yamakaji was usually quite close to Garp; likely, he was just going through the motions back then and not fighting seriously.
"But even so, the opponent's strength still cannot be underestimated."
Yamakaji's expression remained gentle as he continued:
"Although I didn't fight Roronoa, based on Old Me's observations and experience, the strength of these two (Sanji and Zoro) is not far apart. It's just that his attacks aren't as sharp and ferocious as that swordsman's."
Hearing this, the others roughly understood.
A pirate's style of conduct was also one of the factors in assessing their bounty. It could reflect their threat level to civilians, the potential losses if the Marines engaged them, and so on.
More extreme examples were those few Emperors who reigned over the seas.
Those were existences against whom war was absolutely forbidden without the World Government's permission. Once a battle began, the resulting losses would be immeasurable.
Of course, the Straw Hat Pirates were still far from that level.
Thump—Thump—Thump.
"Since that's the case..."
Sengoku gently tapped the desktop with his index finger, thought for a moment, and said, "The bounty is tentatively set at 160 million Beri. If the surname is unknown, grant the epithet 'Black Leg'. What do you all think?"
"This..."
"This is his first bounty, right?"
"It's not that the bounty is unreasonable, but it's a bit..."
The Vice Admirals below looked at each other. It would have been better if he had been wanted before.
Although the increase was large, considering it was a heinous incident like Enies Lobby, it was somewhat acceptable.
But for a first bounty to exceed 100 million was a bit too astonishing. Back then, Nico Robin's first bounty was only 79 million Beri.
This would inevitably cause a considerable sensation, so they had to consider whether it would bring any negative repercussions.
"I know what you're thinking."
Sengoku looked down and explained, "The Enies Lobby incident can no longer be concealed. The Straw Hat crew will inevitably draw worldwide attention."
"In comparison, the matter of debuting on the list with an extremely high bounty won't be as eye-catching; it will be overshadowed by the impact of this incident."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku is truly farsighted."
"Then 160 million it is."
"Seconded."
"Since that's the case, let's look at the next one. Also an individual who requires attention."
Brannew projected the image of a girl with short orange hair onto the screen.
"Nami, navigator of the Straw Hat crew, self-proclaimed 'Cat Burglar', from Cocoyasi Village in the East Blue. I checked the archives and found she was adopted and raised by retired Marine Bellemere..."
"A victim of the Arlong incident?"
"She actually became a pirate?"
The Arlong incident had a very severe impact, involving civilians from over a dozen villages across the archipelago, and also corrupt Marines. Therefore, many of the flag officers were aware of it.
"A Marine's adopted daughter actually became a pirate!"
"Hmph! This is simply a disgrace..."
"Ahem!"
A Vice Admiral below spoke with extreme indignation, but was quickly cut off halfway by another.
Suddenly, he realized: the focal point of their meeting this time... wasn't he a Marine's grandson?
And the grandson of a Marine Hero at that!
"Phew~~"
That was close, that was close. The Vice Admiral sighed in relief; he had almost cursed Garp along with her.
"Another unheard-of individual."
"Did she have any noteworthy performances?"
The Vice Admirals all looked towards Brannew. Besides the five Vice Admirals who personally participated in the Buster Call, only they knew why this person needed attention.
"She is a Devil Fruit user."
Brannew lowered his hand, met everyone's gaze, and said gravely, "Possessing the power to control lightning. Her Devil Fruit is named: Logia-type—Rumble-Rumble Fruit!"
"—Hiss!"
"Lightning!"
"The Rumble-Rumble Fruit has appeared!?"
Even Sengoku was stunned for a moment. He, of course, knew about this fruit. The Buster Call fleet had only returned not long ago, and only Aokiji had given him a rough briefing.
But Aokiji, that bird-brain, had spoken vaguely, taken a few curses from him, then lazily departed, making no mention of this person.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit was no joke. If Gion or Tokikake ate it, after some development time, they'd directly become an Admiral.
If Garp were willing to eat it, Sengoku would dare to apply to the Five Elders to go fight the Four Emperors tomorrow!
Vegapunk of the Marine Science Division!
Wonder how the research on Devil Fruits is progressing...
A torrent of thoughts surged through Sengoku's mind. He then turned and asked, "To what extent has she mastered the ability? How was her combat performance?"
"In this Enies Lobby incident, her performance was unremarkable."
Brannew looked at the report and stated calmly, "She defeated one Rear Admiral and CP9's Rokushiki master, Kalifa. Apart from that, there are no records of her fighting other strong opponents."
"However, the number of casualties among ordinary soldiers and elite troops at her hands was extremely high, second only to 'Black Snake' Reiner."
"Regarding this navigator, I have some clues."
Gion, who had been silent for a long time below, spoke up:
"She utilized the thunderclouds at the time to continuously use her abilities over a wide area. When I discovered she was a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, I made the first move, intending to deal with her quickly."
"But I was immediately stopped. This included Roronoa and 'Black Leg' Sanji as well. 'Black Snake' Reiner intentionally tied us down to prevent us from attacking those few, seemingly to cover for her."
Hearing this, Sengoku understood. She had probably eaten the fruit not long ago and hadn't yet developed it to a high degree.
Otherwise, with the strength of this fruit, fighting several Vice Admirals wouldn't be difficult.
Logia types were hailed as the strongest Devil Fruits, and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was among the most top-tier of them. The World Government naturally paid attention to some powerful fruits.
"You few have all seen her display her abilities..."
Sengoku looked around at the five below. "In your assessment, what bounty would be appropriate for her?"
The five Vice Admirals were silent for a moment.
Two hundred million wasn't high, but one hundred million wasn't low either. Both seemed reasonable.
To ordinary soldiers, even officers, she was practically unbeatable. However, based on her performance...
Insufficient combat experience, hadn't mastered Haki, and current fruit development wasn't very high.
More importantly, bounties aren't determined by strength alone!
Considering another factor, before the Enies Lobby incident, she hadn't committed any heinous crimes; there was nothing in her record to significantly increase her bounty...
"...Emmm, 150 million?" Gion asked tentatively.
"Around that, perhaps. It's just..."
Doberman stroked his stubbled chin. "Having several over-100-million bounty pirates appear all at once... might not be good, right?"
Hearing this, the others also began to discuss amongst themselves.
"Indeed. Among the newly over-100-million wanted criminals, there's a Roronoa, a 'Black Leg' Sanji, and now another one."
"Don't forget, there are still two key figures to come."
"Giving face to pirates is not a good thing."
"But this can't be helped, right? In the current environment, a Logia fruit user over 100 million isn't excessive."
"Yeah, and it's such a powerful fruit too."
"Then let it be so."
Sengoku finally made the decision, saying gravely:
"Openly challenging the World Government... what the Straw Hat Pirates did this time is already absurd enough. Making too many exceptions means it's no longer an exception. Tentatively set at 130 million Beri. Also, assign an epithet. If there are objections later, bring them up then."
Regarding this, the others had no strong opinions. It was her first bounty, and her past performance was too limited. Any major discrepancies could be adjusted later.
"Well then, only two members of the Straw Hat crew remain."
Brannew displayed two figures simultaneously on the screen. Everyone squinted, their gazes fixed intently upon them.
One figure they were already familiar with. The other, however, seemed somewhat new, though some Vice Admirals had already heard of him.
"Summoned meteorites to destroy seven warships, fought five Vice Admirals to a standstill – 'Black Snake' Reiner. And... the most important one..."
Brannew took out another report, paused, and said gravely, "The main culprit behind this Enies Lobby incident! Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Straw Hat—Monkey D. Luffy!"
"News of this incident can no longer be suppressed! Its influence is spreading rapidly! After only one day, even before the bounty posters have been released, his fame has almost reached the New World!"
"A truly notorious, heinous arch-criminal!!"
Brannew read aloud. As his voice fell, the room was deathly silent, everyone utterly shocked.
They were somewhat prepared for Straw Hat.
But the other one...
Summoned meteorites?
Destroyed seven warships, fought five Vice Admirals... Where did such a character pop out from?!
What did that mean?
One person single-handedly took on a Buster Call!
And retreated completely unscathed!
The last person to do that was Bullet, and he's now in Level Six of Impel Down, Infinite Hell.
Although Garp and Sengoku were the ones who acted back then, it already indicated that Reiner's strength had reached a very high level.
No one spoke. Regarding the bounties for these two, the Fleet Admiral probably already had a figure in mind.
Sengoku's original thought was to add 200 million Beri to Luffy's previous bounty based on the impact of the Enies Lobby incident, making it 350 million Beri.
But now, tallying it all up, the threat of the Straw Hat crew was simply too great. Even in the first half of the Grand Line, one couldn't find a pirate crew to compare them with.
"Monkey D. Luffy, as captain, commands so many over-100-million bounty criminals..."
Sengoku's expression was grave as he stated coolly, "His very existence is a huge threat. This means, with a single order from him, he could potentially overthrow a nation."
"Moreover, they have another powerful crew member on their ship, 'Black Snake' Reiner, who possesses the strength to simultaneously tie down five Vice Admirals, including Gion, and also manufactured meteorites to destroy a Buster Call."
350 million... compared to their threat level, is simply too low.
"His previous bounty was 150 million."
Sengoku barked, "I've decided! Straw Hat Luffy's new bounty will be... 550 million Beri!!"
"Truly exaggerated."
"An increase of 400 million Beri."
"More than tripled."
"But it is indeed as the Fleet Admiral said."
In fact, once a bounty reached 300 million, it wasn't so easy to increase further, unless it caused a major sensation and the individual's influence significantly grew.
Sengoku had added another 200 million Beri to his initial idea of 350 million. Firstly, the overall strength threat of the Straw Hat crew was very high. Secondly... it was because of one person...
The others pondered for a moment and understood Sengoku's reasoning, all nodding in agreement.
"Then finally... it's him."
"Although his past performance isn't noteworthy, when strength reaches this level, he himself becomes a threat."
"And in this incident, his style of conduct was also considerably ruthless."
The Vice Admirals began to discuss Reiner animatedly, each holding their own opinion, even looking like they might start arguing.
"His strength is comparable to several of the Yonko's second-in-commands in the New World."
"Should we set his bounty around one billion too?"
"Are you nuts!?"
A Vice Admiral cursed, sneering coldly, "It's not like their bounties jumped up all at once either! Did you only grow muscles and not a brain?"
"Old bastard! What did you say!?"
"Then around seven or eight hundred million?"
"Idiot! How can a crew member's bounty be higher than the captain's?"
"You're smart, real smart! Last time he was set at five million Beri, you laughed the loudest! Why don't you go try him yourself?"
BANG!!
"Everyone quiet! Quiet!"
Sengoku slammed his large hand on the table, stood up, and yelled, "What kind of decorum is this!? Am I asking you to haggle!? Anyone who didn't know better would think Marine Headquarters is a vegetable market!"
Once the conference room quieted down, Sengoku slowly sat back down, pushed up his glasses, and spoke in a low voice:
"A crew member's bounty being higher than the captain's... let's not set such a precedent for now. 'Black Snake' Reiner's bounty... 520 million Beri!"
"That's good too."
"This amount is already high enough."
"After all, he hasn't even entered the New World yet."
Seeing no one else below raising objections, Sengoku prepared to conclude the meeting.
"Well then, to summarize, matters concerning the Straw Hat crew will be closed for now. Additionally, to avoid losses on our side..."
"If no Vice Admiral-level or higher officer is present, do not act rashly when encountering the Straw Hat crew. Focus on surveillance. Does anyone have any other questions?"
"No."
"No problem."
"Then this meeting is adjourned."
Sengoku placed his hands on the table, pushed himself up, and barked, "Dismissed!"
Below, a sea of figures stood up, all ramrod straight, and roared in unison:
"JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL!!!"
The Straw Hat crew, far away in Water 7, remained completely oblivious to the astonishing bounties about to be issued for them.
Throughout the entire first half of the Grand Line, the gazes of all pirates...
Would soon be focused on them!!
(End of this chapter)
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