"The next one is a bit special."
Brannew glanced back, his tone becoming more complex. "I believe everyone here, especially those who were once students of Mr. Zefa, will be quite familiar with this person."
Tap!
The tip of the pointer landed on a white-haired man with a cigar in his mouth, sitting expressionlessly on a motorcycle, exhaling smoke.
"Formerly known as the White Hunter, notorious for his temper in the Navy, and a user of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, the former base captain of the Loguetown branch, Smoker."
Brannew sighed. "Multiple naval soldiers have testified that he engaged in a fierce fight with Vice Admiral Onigumo on the warship. After being subdued, he harbored resentment. Upon waking, he took advantage of the ship's weakened state and brutally murdered the poor His Majesty Altai, then disappeared without a trace. According to reliable intelligence, he has since joined the Falling Stars Adventure Pirates."
"Such heinous actions can only be seen as a betrayal of the Navy! Considering that his position was hindered by his temperament and style, his true strength far surpasses that of a branch captain. Therefore, we have tentatively set his bounty at 70 million Berries, with the alias 'Defector Hunter'!"
Tap!
The pointer then moved to the final wanted poster, which depicted not a person, but a massive silver wolf, three meters long.
It was howling at the moon, its fur cascading like a snowy waterfall under the moonlight, exuding both elegance and a regal aura.
"What kind of creature is this?"
Several of the officers present showed interest. "It's quite handsome, much more appealing than the grotesque transformations of the Beast Pirates..."
"We haven't been able to identify its species yet, but one thing is certain: this wolf, named 'Agin,' is the second most powerful force hidden on the ship!"
Brannew's expression turned grave. "Another Rear Admiral under Mr. Onigumo's command engaged it in battle and was left severely wounded within minutes, nearly having his neck bitten off. According to his post-battle recollection, the wolf was extremely casual during the fight, clearly not using its full strength!"
A wolf that could defeat a Naval Headquarters Rear Admiral without even trying?
The room fell silent, and Brannew continued:
"Since this wolf also demonstrated the ability to control thunder during the battle, we have tentatively given it the alias 'Thunder Silver Wolf,' with a bounty of 80 million Berries!"
"And now, the main focus of today—the man who personally twisted Vice Admiral Onigumo's neck..."
At this point, Brannew removed all the wanted posters from the whiteboard and placed a brand-new one right in the center.
"Captain of the Falling Stars Adventure Pirates, the 'Tachi Swordsman,' Xiano!"
"Years ago, he was already famous in the East Blue. At just fourteen years old, he defeated the Arlong crew, formerly under the Sun Pirates. He then went on to kill multiple pirates with bounties exceeding tens of millions of Berries. In the eyes of the local islanders of the East Blue, he almost became a more trustworthy symbol of justice than our Navy!"
"But make no mistake, all of that was merely a facade. During the recent Loguetown incident, his true, vicious nature was fully exposed!"
Major Farn frowned, about to say something, but was immediately cut off by Brannew. "His blatant act of overstepping his authority by publicly executing Vice Admiral Onigumo is a direct provocation to the Navy and the World Government! Moreover, according to our investigation, he also uprooted the execution platform used by the headquarters to intimidate Pirates, the one where Roger was executed, and threw it into the sea. He then declared to the world that he intends to become the one who ends the Great Pirate Era, the so-called 'Falling Star.' Such arrogance is beyond measure!"
"And it was at that moment that he displayed the rare Conqueror's Haki, a talent found in only one in a million!"
"Such a reckless individual, with both ambition and strength, even if it's his first bounty, deserves us to break the rules and assign him a bounty that matches the level of threat he poses!"
Bang!
Brannew's right hand slammed heavily onto the whiteboard.
The force caused the corners of the wanted poster to lift, making the jet-black bounty figure beneath the photo of the black-haired youth with a long sword on his back even more glaring—
180 million Berry!!!
...
"How much?"
In the East Blue, near Reverse Mountain, Xiano, who had been comfortably lounging under a sun umbrella sipping a cocktail personally mixed by Zeff, spat out his drink in shock.
"Yes, Captain, you heard it right. A full 180 million Berry."
Kuina took the bounty poster from the newspaper and handed it over. "It's broken all previous records. Never before has a Pirate been given such a high bounty before even entering the Grand Line."
"It seems the Navy Headquarters is really eager to see me dead."
Looking at his own wanted poster, Xiano grinned.
He had anticipated that his bounty might break the East Blue's historical record.
But he had estimated it would be around 100 million Berry. He never expected it to be this exaggerated right from the start.
Even four years later, among the Worst Generation Supernovas who reached Sabaody Archipelago, this bounty would rank quite high.
And he hasn't even entered the Grand Line yet...
"Captain of the Falling Stars Adventure Pirates... Tsk, their intelligence system is quite impressive. They found out about this name just days after we decided on it."
Behind him, the mast proudly flew a white flag.
The 'Falling Stars Adventure Crew'—this was the final group name Xiano had settled on for his crew. Of course, the World Government wouldn't acknowledge the existence of an 'Adventure Crew,' so the public, influenced by the media, would likely still call them Pirates.
Not just the crew name, but after leaving Loguetown, Xiano had finalized all sorts of names and flags.
Even the ship's name, which had been undecided for a long time, was officially settled as the 'Sunset.'
Corresponding to the name 'Falling Stars Adventure Crew,' it signifies the ship that will carry the mission of bringing the Great Pirate Era to an end.
The flag was also distinctly different from the typical Pirate flag, not using a skull as the base, which Xiano wasn't particularly fond of.
Instead, he opted to mimic Drake's style, designing the emblem on a white background with two swords intersecting diagonally through the Navy's iconic scale and seagull.
This made it look much more impressive when raised.
As for whether the Navy would find it extra taunting and be infuriated, well, that wasn't his concern.
"By the way, the newspaper reports seem to be quite unfavorable to us."
Kuina flipped through the newspaper in her hands and shook her head. "They glossed over Vice Admiral Onigumo's shelling of civilians and his indiscriminate attack on us, making it seem like we were the ones who attacked Loguetown first, while Onigumo turned into a tragic hero who came to save the civilians."
"Typical."
Xiano wasn't surprised. How could he not be aware of the usual antics of the World Government and the Marine Headquarters?
But lies can't stay hidden forever. Justice lies in the hearts of the people, and with so many civilians in Loguetown witnessing the truth, it might not be long before the real story spreads throughout the East Blue.
"After all, even the largest newspaper, the World Economic Journal, has to cater to the World Government's whims. And right now, we clearly don't have the clout to make Morgans turn against the World Government."
He casually set down his cocktail and smiled.
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