One Piece pirates salty life

"Alas... the world's top combat power at only eighteen years old."

Sengoku's voice carried a hint of disbelief as he glanced toward Crane, his trusted informant. "Is it true that someone with that strength has no chance of joining the Marines?"

Crane nodded solemnly. "It's almost impossible. When he was still a bounty hunter, we tried reaching out to him multiple times. But he resisted every approach — outright refusing any cooperation."

Hearing this, Sengoku's last thread of hope for recruitment slipped away. If they couldn't bring him into the Marine ranks, then the Straw Hat Crew would have to be handled differently—more cautiously and decisively.

Despite the shock of facing such an unprecedented talent, Sengoku proved why he was called the Resourceful General. Without hesitation, he swiftly gave new orders:

"The captain of the Straw Hat Crew, Monkey D. Luffy, shall carry a bounty of 30 million berries. The navigator, Nami, who bravely defeated the fearsome evil dragon, will have a bounty of 20 million berries."

Sengoku paused briefly, gathering his thoughts, before continuing.

"As for the magician Leo, he is now wanted by the Marines. The reward for capturing him is set at 100 million berries—for now."

At once, the Vice Admirals in the room erupted into hushed chatter. The figures just announced were unprecedented. A 30-million bounty was already a record-breaker, but a 100-million-berry bounty? That was shocking even to the hardened Marine officers.

One murmured, "Although these amounts are huge, they are still far from sufficient."

Sengoku remained calm and composed. "This is only the beginning. The price will rise as they continue to grow stronger."

Then, raising his voice to fill the room, he declared, "In the name of absolute justice, this meeting is adjourned!"

His voice, firm and resolute, echoed with the pounding of his fist on the table, sending a clear message to all Marines present.

With the meeting concluded, Marine Headquarters immediately shifted into high gear. The wanted posters had to be distributed at lightning speed. After all, the Marines needed to broadcast these warnings to every corner of the world.

Messenger pigeons were dispatched with freshly printed wanted notices, destined for the major newspapers, ports, and Marine outposts worldwide.

---

At the bustling newsroom of the World News Economic Times, Morgans, a large man whose face resembled an albatross, eagerly received the new batch of wanted posters. His beady eyes instantly locked onto the top one.

"Interesting. Really interesting!" Morgans chuckled to himself, rubbing his beak-like nose. "Not only does this crew have the infamous 'D' in their names, but one of them is also ranked as high as Hawkeye himself."

As the president of the newspaper, Morgans thrived on stories that sent ripples across the world—and this was a headline worthy of the highest excitement.

"This is terrifying! Such enormous bounties have never been seen before. The Marines are giving this unprecedented attention!"

Clapping his wings together, Morgans slammed the wanted posters down onto the table. "No matter what, this story will be my exclusive. The world will know the faces of the Straw Hat Crew by nightfall!"

His enthusiasm contagious, Morgans ordered his team: "Send these photos flying with the messenger pigeons! I want every port, every island, and every tavern to know who these people are!"

Soon, hundreds of pigeons took to the sky, carrying freshly printed newspapers that spread the shocking news far and wide.

---

The New World.

Unlike the relatively calmer first half of the Grand Line, the New World was a realm of chaos and unpredictability. Weather here was extreme, ranging from violent storms to suffocating heat. Only the strongest—whether they were the Four Emperors who ruled the seas or the most ruthless pirates—could survive here.

Even the cruelest of pirates knew better than to directly challenge the deadly tempests that roared through these waters.

One infamous Flying Pirate—who prefers to remain anonymous—was said to have lost his mind after a close encounter with a vicious storm here. He wore a strange rudder-shaped headdress as a permanent reminder of that disastrous day. He not only missed his chance to become King of the Pirates but also descended into madness.

In the midst of this dangerous sea, a massive pirate ship surged forward through the towering waves. Its bow resembled a white whale, and its enormous hull hinted at the size of its crew and the ambitions they carried.

"Dad, look! This is my little brother, Luffy—the one I told you about!" shouted Ace, a young man with messy black hair, freckles, and a worn cowboy hat, as he waved a newspaper excitedly while running toward a massive throne-like chair.

"Look! That's him!"

Flipping through the pages, Ace revealed a wanted poster with a bright, proud smile.

"This is my little brother. He's finally out at sea!"

A deep, hearty laugh boomed through the ship's deck.

The man sitting on the grand chair was none other than Edward Newgate, Whitebeard, known across the world as the strongest man alive.

He laughed heartily, the sound echoing like thunder. "He looks healthy and full of life. Good, good."

Standing nearby, Marco reached out and took the wanted poster, scrutinizing it for a moment before teasing Ace with a sly grin.

"Your brother, huh? He looks a lot livelier than you do."

Marco's eyes then flicked to the bounty on the poster.

"This 30 million berries bounty... it's a record breaker."

In the notoriously weak East Blue, such a bounty had never before been seen.

Ace's smile widened, pride swelling in his chest.

Suddenly, Marco's expression shifted as his gaze dropped to the newspaper just beneath Luffy's wanted poster.

His eyes widened slightly at the exaggerated headline alongside another wanted poster.

"A peerless warrior who fought the world's greatest swordsman."

"Why has the mysterious strong man been hiding in the weakest ocean, East Blue?"

"Shocked! The Marines made this unprecedented decision because of him!"

The headline was certainly sensationalized, but the facts beneath were undeniable.

The battle between Leo and Hawkeye had been captured in vivid detail. From the angle of the photograph, Leo seemed to hold a slight advantage.

The accompanying information was brief but striking: Leo was only eighteen years old, yet he carried a whopping bounty of 100 million berries.

Ace let out a whistle of admiration. "Wow... a hundred million berries. And that's before he even entered the Grand Line."

Edward Newgate nodded slowly, clearly impressed. "The newcomers these days are terrifying, Ace. You better work hard to keep up."

Leo's strength, capable of standing toe-to-toe with Hawkeye, was a revelation to many.

It was clear Hawkeye had used his full power in the fight—and yet, Leo held his own.

---

Meanwhile, in Wano Country, Jin's sharp eyes fixated on the new bounty notice of Leo.

Without a word, Jin tore the wanted order into pieces, his figure vanishing in an instant. Like a shadow, he disappeared into the horizon. Judging by his direction, he was headed straight toward Onigashima.

---

On Cake Island.

"Katakuri, keep a close watch on any news about this boy. Once he enters the New World, invite him to my tea party," Big Mom instructed, her crimson eyes gleaming with interest as she scanned the newspaper's information.

Her gaze flickered to a red-haired man in an undisclosed location somewhere in the New World. The man glanced at the paper and smirked. "So, you're finally here, Luffy."

With that, he called his comrades and began preparations for a celebration. Was it because Luffy had finally earned a bounty? Perhaps.

---

Far away, on one of the Grand Line's perilous routes, Dracule Mihawk stood aboard his coffin-shaped ship, touching his still-stiff arm with a faint smile playing on his lips.

"What a pity," he murmured, eyes narrowing as he glanced at the new bounty announcements. "Not a swordsman, and that straw hat... The New World calls."

With calm resolve, Mihawk set sail toward the new frontier, the horizon promising battles yet to come.

---

The world was shifting beneath the waves.

The monsters of the new era were awakening.

And with every new bounty posted, the seas grew ever more dangerous.

Øóffer going on for diamond tier

pàtreøn (Gk31)