The meeting dragged on until late at night.
No one knew what the Navy had discussed.
But once it ended, a brand-new bounty was released worldwide via the News Coo!
[Pirate Quincy, real name unknown — Bounty: 777,000,000 berries!]
That's right — seven hundred seventy-seven million!
Yuno's bounty had skyrocketed from nearly 200 million to an incredible 777 million berries!
This was an unprecedented leap in the pirate era.
A jump of nearly 600 million berries — the world was shaken!
Dressrosa.
The Donquixote Family had already tightened their grip on this kingdom, returning it to what Doflamingo considered its "rightful" ruler.
Seated in the royal palace, Doflamingo held the newspaper, his expression dark before twisting into a laugh:
"What a madman… killing Celestial Dragons, and even escaping from an Admiral! Fufufufufufu… Quincy, you're really dangerous to deal with. You even dared to strike at the Heavenly Dragons! So, when you spared me back then, was it because you really wanted to work with me to turn the underworld upside down? Fufufufu…"
His sunglasses glinted as he muttered on:
"What's your game? To devour me? Or something else? Are you aiming for the throne of the Yonko themselves? With your boldness, it can't just be the title of some petty 'Shipping King' you're after…"
"Since you've set sail for the New World, then… accept the little 'gift' I've prepared for you! Come quickly… I'm actually looking forward to it! Fufufufufu…"
Whole Cake Island.
Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin, tossed the newspaper aside, her booming laughter echoing:
"Maamama~ma! The Navy's really losing its grip. They even let a man escape right under an Admiral's nose at Sabaody!"
Nearby, Charlotte Snack, one of her Four Sweet Commanders, growled:
"Tch! Just for killing a few Celestial Dragon trash, his bounty shoots up by nearly 600 million? That's ridiculous!"
Snack's own bounty stood at 490 million berries, yet Quincy had suddenly leapt far beyond him.
The humiliation gnawed at him — how could a newcomer surpass one of Big Mom's Sweet Commanders so easily?
He clenched his fists, muttering in frustration.
Meanwhile, deep beneath the sea, Yuno had no idea of the chaos unfolding above.
As their ship descended, the once-bright seabed grew dim, the sunlight fading until only endless blackness remained.
An oppressive silence fell over the vessel.
But this clearly wasn't the crew's first time. No one panicked; instead, lanterns were lit, casting a warm glow across the deck.
"Strange…" Yuno muttered.
"The seawater should be crushing us by now, yet it feels like there's no pressure at all…"
He stirred the water with his hand. The pressure here was no different from the surface.
It was unnatural.
But then again, this world was full of impossibilities.
He shook the thought away.
Suddenly, a crewman shouted in horror:
"Sea King ahead! It's coming right for us!"
The massive beast surged from the shadows, its jaws yawning wide as it lunged to devour the ship whole.
Yuno's eyes narrowed. His pupils shrank, and in the next moment, his Conqueror's Haki erupted across the depths.
The snake-like Sea King froze mid-lunge, its enormous body trembling violently.
Cold sweat beaded across its scales — even here, at the bottom of the ocean.
In that instant, the creature realized it was facing a predator far above its place in the food chain.
With a pitiful whimper, it turned and fled, vanishing into the dark currents like a worm escaping a bird.
"Keep going," Yuno ordered coolly.
"Y-yes, Captain!"
The crew, seasoned as they were, could hardly believe their eyes. A Sea King — repelled by a single glance!
Following the currents, the merchant vessel sailed on.
Before long, a glowing radiance appeared ahead.
There it was — Fish-Man Island, the gateway to the New World.
Originally, the merchant ship had intended to bypass Fish-Man Island and head straight into the New World, but Yuno's orders forced them to change course and descend beneath the sea.
Fish-Man Island.
In the vast world of pirates, there were a few places Yuno had always been fascinated by.
The legendary Sky Island in the clouds was one.
And the dazzling, mysterious Fish-Man Island at the bottom of the sea was another.
That was why Yuno changed course and set his sights on Fish-Man Island.
Of course, he had more than one reason for coming.
The legendary Sea Kings, and the mermaids rumored to be able to foresee the future, piqued his interest the most.
For a legitimate merchant ship, entering Fish-Man Island was not difficult.
After all, the island's supplies largely depended on trade with humans.
Following routine inspections and formalities, the ship was granted entry without issue.
At the harbor, Yuno turned to his companions.
"You're free to move around as you wish. We'll regroup here in three hours."
He then left on his own.
The crew exchanged knowing glances. It wasn't their first visit to Fish-Man Island, so they were already familiar with the place.
Yuno, however, was different. This was his first time here.
His memories from his previous life weren't much help when it came to the winding coral streets and glowing seashell-lit plazas.
Still, Yuno wasn't worried.
On this island, no one posed a real threat to him.
After a few days of rest, his wounds had almost completely healed. Kido had proven to be remarkably effective.
Strolling casually, Yuno soon noticed something was off.
Fish-Man Island, usually bustling with people, felt strangely empty.
"What's going on…?"
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a cry imbued with an inexplicable power echoed through the water.
Yuno frowned and turned toward the sound—where a faint flash of light caught his eye.
His Observation Haki expanded outward, and what he sensed made his lips curl into a smile.
"So it's around this time…"
With a laugh, Yuno's figure blurred as he shot forward like an arrow!
In the blink of an eye, he reached the source of the disturbance.
The scene was utter chaos.
Mermaids and fish-men crowded together, confusion spreading through the streets.
Among them, the towering, broad-shouldered figure of the "Knight of the Sea" Jinbe stood out.
Sensing Yuno's sudden approach, Jinbe's Observation Haki sharpened like a blade. His expression hardened.
"Who goes there?"
But Yuno ignored the question. His eyes locked instead on the enormous mermaid girl whose tears carried a strange resonance.
"Sea King… Shirahoshi…"
His gaze deepened as he tried to catch that unique vibration again—
A pulse that seemed to come not from sound, but from the very depths of the soul.
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