One piece: Establishing a Pirate Family

Chapter 480: The Red Count Joins

As the Navy's newspaper spread across the world, everyone was shocked.

"What? Golden Lion Shiki and Red Count were broken out of prison? By Rockefeller Sharo? That's impossible!"

Almost everyone who read the news was stunned speechless.

"Impel Down was breached? That's impossible! It hasn't happened once in 800 years!"

Those who understood the place were utterly incredulous.

"Even the Warden died in action? The Rockefeller Pirates are terrifying!"

Countless readers were left in awe of the Rockefeller Pirates' strength after reading the reports.

"Wait! The Navy also launched a Buster Call on Ohara? What's going on?"

As they read the section following the Impel Down report, many were left frozen in shock.

Though the prison break was printed at the top, most civilians weren't familiar with Impel Down.

The destruction of Ohara, however, left a far deeper impact.

Ohara—renowned as a gathering place of the world's greatest scholars—was a holy land in the hearts of academics everywhere.

Now it was gone. Scholars around the world were devastated.

"How could the World Government do this? Ohara preserved the history of the world! How could they destroy it?"

Grief and fury overwhelmed many of the world's intellectuals.

"You didn't read the next line? They say Ohara was studying dangerous history, spreading hazardous ideas, and plotting to revive ancient weapons. I don't know what those are, but they sound scary. No wonder the World Government wanted them gone."

The people fell into silence.

The destruction of Ohara filled them with both fear and regret.

A treasure trove of knowledge—wiped out. What a tragic loss.

As they flipped the pages of the paper, a bounty poster slipped out.

"Ohara Remnant – Demon Child Nico Robin – Destroyer of Eight Navy Ships – Bounty: 79 million Berries – Dead or Alive."

When the bounty appeared, everyone was stunned.

A childish face was printed next to a bounty of 79 million Berries. No one could believe it.

"She's just a child, isn't she?"

Citizens began questioning what they were seeing.

"Who cares? That bounty is massive. Don't you want it?"

Almost everyone was blinded by the reward.

Seventy-nine million Berries, just for capturing a little girl? It was like a gift from the heavens.

In an instant, greed took over.

Bounty hunters and ordinary people dreaming of wealth etched her face into memory.

She became a walking 79 million Berries. That's rare.

As for her crimes—no one paid them any attention.

West Blue.

In a filthy port town, a small girl wrapped in a cloak stared at a discarded newspaper, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Mom… Professor… I'll survive. I swear."

From that frail body burst a storm of hatred and defiance.

"Hurry! I saw the Demon Child in this area. Catch her and turn her in to the Navy!"

Nearby gang members mobilized, scouring the streets.

Robin's small frame trembled for a moment, but she quickly calmed down, quietly leaving the area.

Marine Headquarters.

While on leave, Aokiji looked at the newly released bounty:

"Demon Child – Nico Robin – Bounty: 79 million Berries – Destroyer of Five Navy Ships at Age Eight – Dead or Alive."

He stared at the bounty poster, at that face—defiant and terrified at the same time.

Aokiji let out a small sigh.

He headed toward the Navy's harbor.

"Vice Admiral Aokiji, where are you going?"

His aide asked, noticing Aokiji's lazy manner.

"Vacation in West Blue. Might catch Nico Robin while I'm at it."

Aokiji waved half-heartedly, hopping on a bicycle and pedaling toward the ocean right in front of everyone.

New recruits looked on, jaws dropped. They'd never seen anything like it.

New World. One week ago.

The Rockefeller Pirates, along with their fleet of warships, returned to the New World.

Their numbers were vast, and the journey was delayed because of it.

Some prisoners refused to join the crew.

Sharo simply let them go.

If they didn't want to join, what could he do?

There was no point in forcing loyalty. Sharo didn't care whether they joined or not.

By the time they reached their destination, half had disembarked.

Of the 4,000 prisoners he had taken from Impel Down, only 2,000 chose to follow him.

He placed these 2,000 under Caesar's command.

They were mostly cannon fodder.

Though, there were some powerful individuals—perfect to bolster the mid-tier ranks.

Among them were several pirates with bounties in the tens of millions, and even a few over 100 million.

Altogether, they significantly increased the Rockefeller Pirates' lower and mid-level strength.

But that wasn't Sharo's greatest gain.

The greatest prize… was the Red Count.

This was Sharo's third time inviting the Red Count to join him.

He truly wanted this man as a friend and ally.

Though he wasn't even sure what he'd ask the Red Count to do.

He couldn't just keep making him clean up weak pirates while Sharo lazed at home.

This time, the Red Count neither refused nor accepted.

He simply stood silently by Sharo's side.

Sharo knew that meant he was conflicted—that the resistance in his heart had faded.

That was a huge step forward.

The Red Count also didn't ask to disembark. He followed Sharo all the way back to Carmine Island.

He even bought property there.

Was he planning to stay?

Sharo was overjoyed.

Having the Red Count join made the Rockefeller Pirates more confident than ever.

This news wasn't made public.

The Red Count never announced it—he simply used his actions to show Sharo he now lived on Carmine Island.

Perhaps a year in prison had changed him.

That night, Sharo held a banquet in the Red Count's honor.

He introduced him to the members of the Rockefeller Pirates and the Rockefeller family.

Everyone celebrated into the night.

But Sharo remained vigilant.

Golden Lion Shiki had also been released. He'd left Impel Down with over 10,000 prisoners.

These were not weaklings.

When Shiki returned to the New World and found all his territory taken…

Once he rallied his old crew, he might launch a campaign to reclaim it.

Of course, this was only Sharo's speculation.

Maybe Shiki would just go to the East Blue again and try to destroy it, like in the previous timeline.

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