Chapter 151: Bounty Poster Released! Pirate Ren Arakawa's Bounty!
The waves crashed against the ship's hull.
Pirate Ren Arakawa felt the sea breeze, which was like the gentle caress of an eighteen-year-old female college student, and stretched lazily.
The warship he was on had already sailed out of the Calm Belt, arriving near the Red Line in the middle section of the Grand Line.
Ivankov emerged from the cabin. Seeing Ren Arakawa, he asked, "Passionate boy, where were you headed again?"
"Skypiea."
Ivankov scratched his afro. "Oh, Skypiea, Skypiea... Are you sure such an island even exists?"
"Of course."
"Do you know its exact location?"
Ren Arakawa thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. It seems to be near Alabasta, or maybe near Water 7. I can't figure out the specifics, but it should be in Paradise, anyway."
Ivankov was puzzled. "Is there an island called Skypiea in any of those places? Why haven't I heard of it?"
Ren Arakawa patiently explained, "Because it's called Skypiea. It's an island in the sky."
"What! A place like that actually exists? Is it your dream destination?"
"Ehh, not really. How should I put this... I need to go to Skypiea to find a Devil Fruit."
To make it sound convincing, he covered his face and wailed, "Only with that fruit can I confront the Celestial Dragons head-on and rescue my beloved Xiao Yao."
But at the same time, he was thinking to himself, *'If I can get the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, I could even blast the Holy Land, Mariejois, to bits! Xiao Yao? Who's that?!'*
At his wailing, all the okamas on the ship started crying along with him, unable to stop.
After about ten minutes, Ren Arakawa could barely suppress his smile anymore and finally continued, "But I should head to Reverse Mountain first, right?"
"No need, no need," said Ivankov. "We have a Marine warship capable of traversing the Calm Belt. Its hull is plated with durable Seastone, so we can use the Marine-only passages to exit the Grand Line through the Calm Belt."
Just as Ivankov finished, Lightning walked out of the cabin, sipping red wine, and interrupted him. "That won't work. Our ship has already been flagged for pursuit. If we rashly enter the Calm Belt, a large number of Marines will definitely be waiting for us."
She took out a standard-issue Marine Den Den Mushi. "I've heard that large numbers of Marines are converging on Impel Down, forming an encirclement. If we want to avoid them, it's best to head to the Sabaody Archipelago first to get around these pursuing forces."
"Also, Commander..." Lightning sighed. Though reluctant, she spoke up, "The organization has recently..."
Ivankov nodded. "Understood."
Then Ivankov looked at Ren Arakawa. "Passionate boy, we will be heading to the New World to support our organization's headquarters. I'm sorry, we can't travel with you."
"It's fine. All pirates head to the New World; who ever goes backward? I understand."
He thought for a moment. "If you're going to the Sabaody Archipelago, I'll tag along. I need to get myself a ship."
Ivankov gave a thumbs-up. "Leave it to me! I know a shipwright and can get you a ship you'll be satisfied with!"
As the three were talking, a few seagulls passed by overhead.
Ren Arakawa looked up. His Sharingan saw that the seagulls had something tied to their legs, and he grew suspicious. "Will that thing expose our position? Should I shoot them down?"
Ivankov quickly stopped him. "Don't do that! Those are News Coos, part of a third-party industry separate from the Marines and pirates. Both sides desperately need a neutral party like them, whether it's for delivering news or for rescue after a disaster at sea. We need the help of those fellows flying up there."
"Got it."
Just then, the largest seagull in the flock swooped down toward the warship.
It landed on the railing in front of Ren Arakawa and used its claws to pull a stack of papers from a satchel it was carrying.
"Caw! Caw! Caw!"
As the seabird squawked, Ren Arakawa looked over his shoulder. "What does it want?"
Lightning explained, "It's a pushy salesman. It wants us to buy its newspaper."
"Heh! What kind of bird is this?" Ren Arakawa considered swatting it into a pot of soup.
But just then, Lightning cried out in surprise, "Wait! What it's holding doesn't look like an ordinary newspaper... This is..."
Lightning stepped forward to grab the paper from the seagull, but the bird let out two caws and flew up. It didn't leave, however, just circled in place.
Its intention was obvious.
*Pay me.*
Only then did Lightning take out her wallet and toss a few bills into the air. The seagull expertly caught them, cawed a few more times, and let the papers clutched in its talons flutter down. The okama crew members scrambled to pick up the identical sheets and began to read.
"This... This is...!"
Ivankov also picked one up. When he saw what was on it, he was dumbfounded.
It wasn't a newspaper.
It was...
Ren Arakawa's bounty poster!
"Three hundred million Berries."
Lightning stared at the number, also finding it somewhat bizarre.
Even the Supernovas of the worst generation only had bounties just over one hundred million; none had reached three hundred million.
After seeing his own bounty, it took Ren Arakawa a long moment to process it.
If he remembered correctly, Luffy had defeated Buggy, Captain Kuro, Don Krieg, and Arlong the Fish-Man, then went through the Alabasta incident, defeated the Warlord Sir Crocodile, wreaked havoc on Enies Lobby, challenged the World Government, defeated CP9, and rescued Robin.
Only then did his bounty barely rise to three hundred million Berries.
And even after participating in the great Impel Down breakout and the Summit War at Marineford, Luffy's bounty only rose to four hundred million.
Ren Arakawa muttered to himself, "How is it that I break out of one prison and it's equivalent to someone else committing dozens of 'bad deeds'?"
The worldly-wise Ivankov's expression grew solemn. "Passionate boy, you have to be careful. The World Government has undoubtedly branded you as the ringleader of this breakout. They'll make an example of you and will surely expend tremendous effort to bring you in!"
Lightning also looked concerned. "I've never seen a situation like this. To set sail with a three-hundred-million-Berry bounty from the start... It won't just be the Marines giving you trouble; pirates and bounty hunters will target you as well. No one knows what you actually did or how your bounty got so high."
Fearing Ren Arakawa's morale might crumble, Ivankov quickly comforted him. "Don't be discouraged! Every one of us has a bounty. Yours is just a little higher, that's all. As long as you're careful, you'll be fine. Besides, you're quite strong, and you can fly! Not many people on this great sea can catch you!"
"I understand."
Ren Arakawa silently rolled up his bounty poster and put it away. Amidst Ivankov's and Lightning's worried expressions, who expected him to be crushed by the news, he spoke up.
"It's nothing. I'll collect this one for now. But soon, my bounty posters will cover an entire wall as the amount continues to skyrocket!"
"Hah..."
Ivankov and Lightning glanced at each other, feeling they had worried for nothing.
(end of chapter)