At the Marine G-5 Branch, the atmosphere in the meeting room was as heavy and oppressive as the sea before a storm. A projection Den Den Mushi faithfully cast a silent, moving image onto the wall.
In the picture, a young figure emerged from a cloud of swirling smoke. Suspended in mid-air, the naginata in his hand burst forth with a dazzling light.
"Sound Slash: Exploding Phoenix Cry!"
Even without sound, the ferocity of the attack was clear. A massive, phoenix-shaped shockwave violently erupted from the blade, striking a three-masted ship with perfect accuracy. In the next second, the sturdy hull disintegrated, sending splinters of wood and human figures scattering in all directions.
Slam!
A file bag stuffed with documents was slammed onto the conference table with a loud thud.
Branch Captain Bryan's face was ashen, and his thick fingers pressed so hard into the tabletop they looked as if they might pierce the wood.
"The Giant Axe Pirate Crew," he began, his voice echoing in the quiet room, filled with barely suppressed rage. "Their captain had a bounty of 600,000 Berries. The total bounty for the entire crew exceeded one million! Now, can someone please tell me why they were completely annihilated by a single, unknown kid in a matter of minutes?!"
No one answered. The Marine officers in attendance stared at the frozen image on the wall. The young man's defiant expression as he unleashed his final attack was enough to make their hearts pound.
"Captain…" an intelligence officer finally spoke, his voice strained. "According to the testimonies of the surviving pirates and our analysis of the footage, the target is a Devil Fruit user. Our preliminary judgment… is that he has a Paramecia-type ability that allows him to manipulate shockwaves or sound waves. It could also be a special type of Logia."
"I don't care what type he is!" Captain Bryan roared. "I only know that a newcomer destroyed an entire armed pirate ship with a single strike! That kind of destructive power, that kind of potential… if he isn't contained, he will become a huge threat to us in the future!"
The room erupted into heated discussion.
"His method of approach was also very strange. He was able to walk on the sea. That's definitely not an ordinary ability."
"The attack had a range of over a hundred meters, and it was instantaneous… This kid has a very high level of mastery over his Devil Fruit."
"But the most crucial detail is that he appeared on Roger and Rayleigh's ship." A bespectacled Rear Admiral said this in a low, serious voice, and the single sentence instantly silenced the entire room.
Gol D. Roger and Silvers Rayleigh. Those two names were just beginning to make waves on the Grand Line. They were rarely seen, but every time they made a move, it was world-shaking. Was this monstrous newcomer their companion?
Captain Bryan's expression grew even more solemn. He remained silent for a long time before finally picking up a pen and writing a few words on a blank bounty poster draft.
"Draft a wanted poster," he ordered, his voice leaving no room for argument. "Distribute it immediately to all major branches and news agencies. The whole world needs to know about this dangerous kid!"
A few days later, a brand-new wanted poster flew with the news birds to every corner of the Grand Line. On it, a black-haired young man held a naginata, his body stretched into a perfect arc in mid-air. The sea breeze ruffled his short hair, and his golden eyes showed no fear—only a burning, defiant fighting spirit that seemed to want to set the world ablaze. It was the exact expression he had when he unleashed "Sound Slash: Exploding Phoenix Cry," perfectly captured by a distant image Den Den Mushi.
[WANTED]
[DEAD OR ALIVE]
['IRON' KYLE]
[Bounty: 1,500,000 Berries]
…
"Kuhahahahaha! We finally made it to an island! Time for supplies! Time for a party!"
Roger cheered as he stepped onto solid ground, throwing his arms open wide. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Rayleigh and Kyle, the battered ship—which he had personally punched a hole through—had been patched up just enough to limp to the next island. It was a bustling commercial port, with people coming and going, full of life.
"I'm going to go find some rum and meat," Roger announced enthusiastically before rushing toward the town center.
"I'll go look for nautical charts and other necessities," Rayleigh said, adjusting his glasses and walking toward a shop on the other side of the street.
"Then I'll…" Kyle looked left and right, his gaze finally settling on a stall selling newspapers and wanted posters. He was curious to see if any new "celebrities" had emerged on the Grand Line recently.
He strolled over, his eyes sweeping across the rows of posters hanging on the wall. Most were unremarkable, with ordinary bounties. Just as he was about to lose interest and leave, a brand-new wanted poster, the ink seemingly still wet, caught his attention. That face… why did it look so familiar?
Kyle leaned closer. When he saw the person in the photo clearly, his eyes widened. The young man in the picture had black hair and golden eyes, a defiant expression, and was striking a ridiculously handsome pose as he swung his blade. Who is this guy? He's so damn handsome! Oh, wait, it's me. Never mind then.
With a heart that was suddenly pounding, Kyle tore the wanted poster off the wall. He looked at his name, "IRON KYLE," and then at the string of zeros below it. An uncontrollable, bright smile bloomed on his face.
"Not bad, not bad, they got a pretty good shot of me," Kyle stroked his chin, lost in his own thoughts. "It perfectly captures my defiant, kingly aura. The only problem is that the photo is too good. What if lovesick girls see it and start chasing me all day? Ah, being this handsome is such a burden."
He savored the image of his handsome face for another moment, then let his gaze shift downwards to the bounty amount.
"One million, five hundred thousand Berries…"
The smile on Kyle's face instantly froze.
"One million five hundred thousand? Only one million five hundred thousand?!" he complained wildly in his mind. "Are you kidding me?! Who do they think they're looking down on? My world-destroying 'Exploding Phoenix Cry' is worth more than that in special effects alone! And what about my peerless, stylish wave-walking? Doesn't that count for a single Berry? The Marines really need to replace their price assessment department!"
He was still fuming when the nearby vendor hung up a few new wanted posters. Kyle casually glanced at them.
[DEAD OR ALIVE]
[GOLD ROGER]
[Bounty: 15,500,000 Berries]
In the photo, Roger was grinning from ear to ear, laughing like the village idiot. Kyle's gaze moved to the next one.
[DEAD OR ALIVE]
[SILVERS RAYLEIGH]
[Bounty: 13,000,000 Berries]
In his photo, Rayleigh leaned calmly against the ship's railing, the light glinting off his glasses.
Kyle was speechless. He silently lowered his head to look at the "high" one-and-a-half-million Berry poster in his hand, then looked back up at the two posters that were both over ten million. Suddenly, the paper in his hand no longer seemed so appealing. It was even more depressing when he considered that Roger and Rayleigh were only in their twenties. Their pirate crew had just been formed, and in an era without bounty inflation, those numbers were terrifyingly high.
"Kuhahaha! Kyle! What are you looking at so intently?"
Roger's loud voice rang out behind him. He walked over, carrying several barrels of rum in one hand and a large slab of raw meat in the other. When he saw what Kyle was holding, his eyes lit up.
"Oh oh oh! Isn't this your wanted poster?!" Roger snatched it, held it up to his eyes, and laughed loudly. "Kuhahaha! Not bad, Kyle! You already have a wanted poster! One and a half million! That's amazing!"
Rayleigh also walked over. He saw the poster and a faint, proud smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he adjusted his glasses. "It seems your first battle was noticed by the Marines."
Kyle looked at his two "guardians," who were looking at him with expressions that screamed, "our child has finally made something of himself." He then glanced back at their ridiculously high bounties and felt a cold wind named "disparity" blow right through him.
He pouted and muttered softly, "Tch, what's so great about it… It's just one more zero than mine…"
The joys and sorrows of people, he decided, were truly not the same.