"This is the main focus of today's meeting."
Brannew returned to the whiteboard, his gaze sweeping across the room as he spoke solemnly:
"The second tier of the Curtain Closer's forces consists of three key officers beneath the Captain."
"After evaluation and discussion, our strategy department has temporarily designated these individuals—destined to bring countless calamities upon the world—as the 'Three Calamities'!"
"The level of threat they pose is equivalent to the Beast Pirate Crew's 'Three Great Plaques' and the Charlotte Family's 'Sweet Four Generals'!"
Brannew's right hand slapped heavily against the leftmost poster—a silent, burly man wearing a fluffy bear-eared hat:
"On the far left is the newest addition, who joined just before this war... or perhaps had secretly been a member long before we knew—'Tyrant' Bartholomew Kuma!"
"He once single-handedly orchestrated the 'One-Man Revolution Incident,' illegally seizing the throne of the Sorbet Kingdom in the South Blue. More recently, he stormed Dressrosa alone and crushed the entire Donquixote Family!"
"His performance in this war was even more astonishing."
"He effortlessly dominated the battlefield, brutally executing Enel, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit user and Warlord of the Sea, while sustaining negligible injuries himself!"
"With such power and such a ruthless, dangerous nature... his previous bounty of 600 million Berry is utterly inadequate for him now. There's no question about it!"
"After evaluation, headquarters strategists unanimously agreed to raise his bounty to 870 million Berry!"
"He is one of the Three Calamities—'Thunderfall'!"
870 million?!
Hearing this number, many Marines in the room collectively gasped.
No wonder these three were being elevated to the same threat level as Marco and Katakuri...
Just their bounties alone were already approaching those figures!
"Next, the one on the far right."
Brannew skipped the middle poster and turned directly to the right side of the screen, continuing:
"A complete nobody just half a year ago, essentially a key officer cultivated entirely by the Curtain Closer himself—utterly loyal to Captain Xiano—the 'Rampaging Elephant' Jack, wielder of a rare Ancient Zoan ability!"
"Reckless and impulsive by nature, he thrives on combat, and his strength is in a constant state of growth!"
"In the last battle report, he could only charge around as a mammoth. But this time, he's already mastered his Half-Beast Transformation combat form with remarkable proficiency."
"Even Dalmatian and Doberman—two renowned veteran vice admirals of headquarters—joined forces against him... and still suffered a crushing defeat."
This happened too?
The assembled high-ranking Marines paled, many pupils constricting in shock.
Both were star pupils trained by Instructor Zefa, promoted to vice admiral over a decade ago, ranking among the elite of their rank.
Yet even working together, they stood no chance...
Another troublesome monster indeed!
"In summary, the original bounty of 500 million Berry for Jack has now been revised to a new bounty of 777 million Berry!"
"He is known as 'Rumbling,' one of the 'Three Calamities'!"
Rumbling, huh?
The attending Marines nodded thoughtfully. When that mammoth charged, the sheer force was terrifying—it truly felt like an earthquake.
The epithet seemed quite fitting.
"Following these two, the next key figure to highlight is the core of the Three Calamities, the first mate deeply trusted by Xiano—'Gale Swordsman' Kuina!"
Brannew's hand slammed down heavily on the most central wanted poster.
In the photo, the black-haired young woman stood atop a wind-swept icy plain, gripping Wado Ichimonji, her expression cold. Her tied-up hair was whipped into disarray by the gales, revealing bloodstains on her forehead and cheeks.
Yet these marks did nothing to diminish her striking presence. Instead, they added a sword-like sharpness to her bearing, accentuating her formidable aura.
"Even before entering the New World, this female Master Swordsman's combat record was already intimidating. Recently, her strength—especially her physical prowess—has shown significant improvement!"
"Back on Sabaody Archipelago, she could barely hold off Mr. Kaji for about an hour. Yet in this war, she fought evenly with Vice Admiral Gion from noon until deep into the night without faltering!"
"According to Vice Admiral Gion's assessment, her swordsmanship has nearly reached the same level. She stands uncontested as the pinnacle of swordswomen among all pirates!"
"Her new bounty has been set at 940 million Berry! She is known as 'Wind Erosion,' one of the 'Three Calamities'!"
The meeting room was thick with smoke, and some Marines were beginning to feel numb.
Bounty after bounty kept climbing—even the first mate was nearing the billion mark. So just how high would the captain, the strongest of the Falling Stars Adventure Pirates, be...?
"Finally, we come to the man who has drawn the most attention—the World's Greatest Swordsman, a true monster who ranks among the most formidable figures in the entire world—"
"Captain of the Falling Stars Adventure Pirates, Xiano!!!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the new wanted poster appeared—just one, enlarged several times over, dominating the entire screen.
It was the same photo taken in the heavy rain of Sabaody: a strikingly handsome young man with black hair, black clothes, and black eyes, stepping toward the camera, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword. His cold, mocking gaze looked down with an almost divine arrogance.
For some reason...
Just looking at this photo—just a photo—many of the Marines present grew restless, cold sweat beading on their temples.
As if they feared this monster in human skin might step out of the image, laughing wildly as he unsheathed his sword...
"Previously on Sabaody, he battled Silvers Rayleigh and emerged victorious, capturing the world's attention."
"Many declared then that it wouldn't be long before this man officially joined the ranks of the world's strongest, standing toe-to-toe with Marine Admirals and Sea Emperors!"
Brannew's gaze swept over the assembled Marine leadership:
"Most agree with this assessment—including, I presume, all of you here today."
"But... none of us, including myself, could have anticipated that this day would arrive so swiftly!!!"
"Just in the past two months, this man first forced Mr. Sakazuki into retreat after an all-night battle that ended in a stalemate."
"Then, in this very war, he utterly defeated Admiral Kizaru, even subjecting him to a fate similar to that of Silvers Rayleigh!"
"Physique, mastery of all three Haki types, swordsmanship, martial arts... in nearly every aspect, he stands at the pinnacle of this world—a flawless, all-rounded powerhouse!"
"Such strength ensures he need never retreat before any of the Four Emperors, fully qualifying him to become a Sea Emperor!"
"The only thing lacking, perhaps, is a direct confrontation with one of the current Four Emperors..."
Everyone present understood Brannew's implication.
Being regarded by the world as having strength close to the Four Emperors and actually becoming a true Sea Emperor were ultimately two different things.
The Curtain Closer's high-tier combatants were already formidable, but in terms of overall strength, a gap clearly remained.
The most crucial factor lay with Xiano himself.
He lacked the recognition of the Four Emperors, much like Red-Haired Shanks years ago. Hadn't the latter only solidified his emperor status after clashing with one of the Sea Emperors and emerging undefeated?
"Regardless..."
After allowing the audience to digest his words, Brannew continued:
"This man is undoubtedly the most dangerous and untouchable figure to emerge among all Pirates in recent years, second only to Red-Haired Shanks!"
"His bounty has now reached the level of the highest below the Four Emperors, infinitely close to—"
Thud!
As Brannew slammed his fist onto the whiteboard, his voice abruptly rose in pitch:
"'World's Greatest Swordsman' Xiano, latest bounty: 2.86 billion Berry!!!"
——————
Somewhere in the New World, beneath a twilight-shrouded sea.
From an airship marked with the words "WE NEWS," a masked figure clad in a white trench coat strode out, ascending into the sky with Moon Walk and vanishing from sight within moments.
Inside the airship.
Morgans watched through the window as the mysterious figure in white disappeared into the distance before chuckling and reclining back into his seat.
"Well, isn't this a surprise? The CP0's orders this time weren't about restrictions or demands..."
"Instead, they told me to write freely and report boldly?!"
"They even encouraged me to exaggerate facts and hype up Xiano's reputation? How intriguing, truly intriguing!!"
Morgans lifted his coffee cup, took a leisurely sip, and a gleam flashed in his eyes. "Being this blatant... are they trying to provoke the other Sea Emperors into eliminating the Curtain Closer through alternative means?"
But it didn't seem quite that simple.
What hidden schemes lay behind the calculations of those five old men—secrets even he wasn't privy to?
"Shahahahaha!!!"
Morgans burst into laughter again. "Overthinking just leads to unnecessary trouble! What does any of that have to do with me? For now, all I need to do is follow the World Government's instructions and rake in the profits!"
"Someone, bring me my quill!"
"Huh? Chief, you've been tailing and taking photos nonstop for the past few days. Aren't you exhausted enough? Why not leave the rest to the staff?"
"Enough nonsense!"
Morgans glared fiercely, "I want to write this myself!"
He chose this path out of passion and couldn't forget his roots.
Writing drafts was exhausting, but for world-shaking news like this, how could he call himself a journalist if he didn't pen it personally?!
...
As expected…
That very night, Morgans was rushed to the hospital.
After days of nonstop work—acting as a frontline war reporter and pulling all-nighters to draft tens of thousands of words—the world-renowned super-tycoon finally succumbed to his age, collapsing unconscious at his desk.
But the first draft was mostly complete.
The editors polished and organized it, making it just passable.
Knowing exactly what their chief would want to see upon waking, they wasted no time and worked overtime to print it.
By dawn, the job was done.
The first batch of newspapers, emblazoned with bold, black headlines, were packed into News Birds' mailbags and scattered like snowflakes across the world…
——————
East Blue, Mount Colubo.
Morning mist still lingered, and dewdrops glistened in the sunlight filtering through the trees.
Luffy rubbed his sleepy eyes, yawning as he crawled out of a tree hollow, patting his growling stomach.
"Ace—! Ace—! Where are you? I'm hungry!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the valley.
No response.
Scratching his head, Luffy was about to hunt for food himself when he heard rustling nearby.
Following the sound, he pushed through the bushes and found Ace sitting on a rock, clutching a crumpled newspaper, staring blankly.
"Ace!"
Overjoyed, Luffy bounded over. "What're you looking at? Ah, never mind… Got any meat? Any leftovers from yesterday?"
Ace seemed not to hear, still fixated on the paper.
"Hey! Ace!" Luffy waved a hand in front of his face, annoyed. "Are you deaf?"
Snapping out of it, Ace looked up at Luffy, his expression complicated.
"Luffy… I'm setting sail."
Ace gazed into the distance, his eyes distant. "In a few days, it'll be a new year. I'll leave then, just like Sabo did—sailing a year before coming of age, to conquer that place called the Grand Line."
"Huh?"
Luffy scratched his head, displeased. "Why the rush? Can't you wait till after your birthday?"
"Can't wait."
Ace clicked his tongue. "Blame my broke self for buying a rare newspaper and stumbling on shocking news. Here, see for yourself."
He pointed to the headline, which read in bold letters:
«A New Sea Emperor Rises? Curtain Closer Xiano, Latest Bounty 2.86 Billion Berry! Crushes Navy Admiral, Challenges the Four Emperors, Rightfully Crowned World's Greatest Swordsman!»
"Uh…" Luffy squinted, increasingly confused. "I can't read, Ace…"
"Idiot!"
Ace couldn't help but punch him, "If you want to sail the seas, you should at least remember basic words! Don't forget to ask Dadan for help more often. But seriously, even if you can't read words, how can you not understand numbers?"
Luffy suddenly realized and was about to count the zeros when Ace shook his head helplessly:
"It's about big brother Xiano. That guy seems to have become a world-famous, incredible figure now."
Really?
Luffy perked up, flipped open the newspaper, and sure enough, beneath the front-page headline, he found that familiar figure—
He couldn't help but grin widely.
It's been so long since you came to perform magic for me, big brother Xiano! You look so cool now, and even handsomer!
But still, this bounty is a bit pathetic.
28,600,000 berries? What were the bounty-issuing uncles thinking? How can such an amount match a world-renowned figure?
Once I set sail, I might surpass it in no time!
"Big brother Xiano has already gone too far ahead. If we keep wasting time here, we'll eventually be left so far behind we won't even see his shadow."
Ace stood up and ruffled Luffy's hair:
"That guy beat me up pretty badly back then. I don't want to spend my whole life unable to catch up, so it's better to set sail sooner rather than later. Don't miss me too much when I'm gone!"
"You're the one who'll miss me!"
Luffy rolled his eyes. "But I don't think you'll ever catch up to big brother Xiano. He might even knock you out with just his pinky finger!"
"No way!"
Ace was amused by Luffy's childishness and burst into laughter. "That's impossible! I'm gonna be the Pirate King!"
"Nonsense! I'm gonna be the Pirate King!"
"Idiot! There's only one Pirate King!"
"I don't care! I'm gonna be it!"
"Then I'll just have to knock you out first!"
"Bring it on! Who's scared of who?"
The two of them bickered back and forth, their voices startling nearby birds and echoing far, far through the mountains and forests...
————
Paradise, Kuraigana Island.
"Good morning, Mr. Kuhomi."
Inside the castle, Tashigi yawned as she entered the dining room. Still half-asleep, she twisted open a jar of peanut butter but hadn't yet spread it on her toast when she noticed a newspaper neatly folded on the table.
Perhaps by coincidence, the folded page happened to reveal a certain someone's photo.
"Huh?"
Tashigi instantly snapped awake, snatched up the newspaper, and began reading eagerly. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and she couldn't help but gasp in amazement from time to time.
On the opposite sofa.
Hawkeye didn't even glance her way, crossing his legs and sipping his tea with a calm expression.
"Mr. Mihawk! Lord Xiano's bounty has risen to 2.86 billion!"
"He's being called a man worthy of standing equal to the Four Emperors!"
"He defeated Admiral Kizaru and even cut off one of his arms!"
Mihawk still didn't look up, merely giving a faint "Hmm" before continuing to sip his tea, as if all of this were utterly trivial.
"How can you not be surprised at all?!" Tashigi grumbled. "This is 2.86 billion! Several times higher than yours!"
"Bounties are just numbers assigned by the World Government. They don't represent true strength."
Hawkeye said calmly, "If I were to resign from my position as a Warlord of the Sea, my bounty would undoubtedly be much higher than this. But what does that even prove?"
"If I were you, I wouldn't focus on such meaningless numbers. Instead, I'd feel the pressure. Don't forget, I only agreed to take you as my disciple for one year, and nine months have already passed."
"By late spring or early summer next year, you'll have to leave this ancient castle. By then, the entry threshold for the Curtain Closers will likely be terrifyingly high. Will you... have the confidence to make Lord Xiano accept you into their ranks?"
Hearing this, Tashigi stood frozen in place, her mind blank.
Yes...
Lord Xiano had already reached such heights, but what about her?
She had struggled so hard just to grasp the basics of Armament Haki, and she still couldn't use it effectively in actual combat.
As for swordsmanship, she felt she was making decent progress, but Hawkeye was impossibly strict, nitpicking every little detail—there was always something for him to criticize.
"I understand."
She took a deep breath, carefully folded the newspaper, and placed it back on the table.
"Starting today, I'll double my efforts in all training—no, I'll give it a hundred, no, two hundred times the effort! I'll fight with my life on the line, Mr. Kuhomi!"
After quickly finishing her breakfast, the young girl grabbed her sword and hurried out of the castle. The baboons were already waiting outside.
For some reason, these creatures—especially that King Baboon—had been terrified of her at first. But now that they'd gotten familiar, they kept bullying her, beating her black and blue, then gleefully pounding their chests and howling nearby.
So annoying!
Just wait!
Once she could easily defeat that King Baboon, she'd be qualified to join Lord Xiano's crew!
Clutching her sword tightly, the girl's figure gradually disappeared into the thick fog outside the window.
Hawkeye still didn't look up, merely blowing lightly on his steaming black tea, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
———
Calm Belt, Amazon Lily Royal Palace.
The fading light of sunset bathed the towering walls of Kuja Island, gilding the giant serpentine stone carvings coiled along the cliffs.
"Snake Princess, Snake Princess! The latest newspaper is here, and there's news about that boy again!"
Grandma Tsuru hobbled into the bedchamber on her cane, panting heavily. The Empress was leaning by the window, idly teasing the python wrapped around her arm.
"I've told you before, old hag."
Hancock didn't even turn her head. "This empress has no interest in such common men. If you force me to look at that vulgar face again, don't blame me for banishing you from Kuja!"
"This time is different!"
Grandma Tsuru hurriedly explained, "Just take a look! That boy has even defeated a Navy Admiral. His strength is probably not far from Kaido or Linlin now. To achieve this at his age... This old woman can't help but see Rocks in that young man!"
"How familiar you sound..."
Hancock glanced at the wrinkled face and couldn't help shaking her head.
"Though you've mentioned before that you were once a member of Rocks' crew, this empress always found it hard to believe... Would a Pirate Crew of that caliber really accept an ugly old hag like you?"
"What kind of talk is that!"
Grandma Tsuru was furious. "Damn it... Don't get too arrogant, Hancock! In my youth, I was just as stunning as you are now, captivating countless handsome men. Otherwise, how could I have had the face to become the Empress of Amazon Lily?"
"Say whatever you like."
Hancock lazily stroked Salome's scales with her fingertips, her tone indifferent and cold:
"Whether it's Rocks or Xiano, they're just vulgar men. What is there for this queen to pay attention to?"
In this world, there simply existed no man who could pique her interest!
Unless...
"Attendants!"
"Here!"
"Throw Grandma Tsuru out of the castle! This queen doesn't wish to see her or her tattered newspapers ever again!"
"Yes!"
"Let me go! Let me go! How dare you—I am still your— Aaaah!!"
Thud!
Hearing the dull thump from outside the window, one of the female guards couldn't help voicing concern, "Grandma Tsuru is quite elderly after all. Aren't you worried she might actually get hurt?"
"It matters not, because—"
Hancock slowly rose to her feet, tilting her slender neck back slightly. She placed her left hand on her hip while using her right hand to sweep her cascading black hair behind one ear, revealing her flawless profile.
"For this queen... is simply too beautiful!"
Before the words had fully left her lips, all the female guards in the hall instantly developed heart-shaped eyes, their cheeks flushing red as their weapons clattered to the floor:
"Eeeeek~! Lady Hancock!!!"
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