"The other two, huh..."
Dius rummaged through the warrants, first pulling one out and tossing it over, "Here, the 'Cross-eyed Sword Master' Tashigi, you should be familiar with this girl, right?"
"Huh?"
Ace was instinctively pulling back his neck, and upon hearing this, he was stunned:
"That's Tashigi? The Super Rookie from my class? Does she really look exactly like that fierce and violent Kuina?"
Jeez, just looking at her is intimidating.
"Mistaken identity, right? The Charlotte Pirates over there made the same mistake as you."
Dius shrugged, "According to the newspapers, when the great war was at a standstill, the Charlotte Pirates' veteran, a head chef named 'Streusen', hurriedly joined the battle."
"Rumor has it that this old man was a legendary pirate in his day, and he tried to sneak attack Kuina from behind, but mistaken identity led to Tashigi being severely injured, almost dying at his hands."
"So she was basically a stand-in for getting beaten up?"
Ace looked at the warrant with sympathy and pity, "Encountering an opponent on a completely different level, that's just pure bad luck... Huh? A bounty of 333 million???"
He opened his mouth wide, really?
As the strongest of this generation's Super Rookies, his own bounty was only 300 million Belly, and this girl, who just joined the Endgame not long ago, has already surpassed him?
"For those who care about their bounty, this could be considered a blessing in disguise."
Dius spread his hands, "The swordsman's indomitability showed in her, knowing full well she was no match, yet still risking her life to hold off Streusen for half an hour. This bounty is well-deserved."
Then what about the one I deserve? I've worked really hard too! Ace casually popped open a can of cola, his face full of displeasure.
Then he saw the second warrant Dius handed over.
"Pfft!"
Ace spit out a mouthful of the cola he just drank, "What the heck is this!"
In the photo... no, it wasn't a photo, but a hand-drawn portrait, showing that Green Algae Head he previously fought, merged with another Curly Eyebrow into a two-headed monster sharing one body.
And at the bottom of the warrant, it was boldly written:
["Fusion Monster" Suo Mountain]
Endgame Headquarters, Combatant
Bounty of 121,000,050 Belly, dead or alive!
"Pwahaha! What are these two up to!"
Ace laughed so hard his stomach hurt, and his earlier displeasure vanished without a trace, "And why did theirs end up as a hand-drawn picture!"
"Apparently, they each lost on the battlefield and merged together to fight the enemy."
Dius pointed to the small print in the corner of the report with a smile, "But the Navy didn't get a photo, and somehow a rumor spread that it was due to a Devil Fruit causing permanent fusion, so they just combined their warrants."
"They suffered such slander, and yet still didn't win?"
Ace scratched his head, puzzled, "Speaking of which, this new bounty is just their previous ones combined, so it hasn't actually increased."
"Yeah, they didn't win, given the immense strength difference, Owen and Daifuku can't be handled by just-entering-the-New-World Super Rookies."
Dius shook his head, glancing intentionally or unintentionally at Ace, "So, Ace, it's good to have confidence, but you also need to measure your strength, and start by challenging weaker opponents, rather than being overly ambitious..."
"That makes sense."
Ace nodded in agreement, after thinking for a moment, he clapped his fists together in front of his chest:
"This means, the course needs to change, it's a bit too early to challenge Whitebeard, after all, the old man and Shano's bounties exceed 5 billion Belly, let's pick a weaker opponent first!"
Oh, finally managed to convince the captain?
Dius was so excited he almost cried.
A week ago, Ace insisted on challenging Whitebeard, and no one could dissuade him, everyone was on the brink of collapsing.
"Who do you want to challenge first then?" Dius wiped his eyes, asking expectantly.
"Hmm..." Ace stroked his chin, thinking seriously, "Since it's gradual, let's start with that person! The one whose bounty hasn't increased for many years, should be much easier!"
Who?
Dius, full of question marks, hadn't reacted yet, when Ace had already jumped onto the ship's bow.
"All hands, raise the sails! Let's set off!"
Ace placed his cowboy hat on his head, held his waist, and laughed heartily, "Full speed ahead, next stop, Wano Country!!!"
---------
Ghost Island, top floor of Skull Castle.
In the dark night, Kaido sat alone at the edge of the terrace, clutching the latest newspaper in his hand, with dozens of empty wine jars scattered at his feet.
"Worororo..."
A low laughter broke the silence, Kaido tilted his head back to gulp the last sip of wine, and when he put down the jar, his drunken face was already streaked with tears and snot.
"Why... why on earth, you fool!"
Kaido beat his chest and stamped his feet, wailing at the sea, "That kid is strong! It's fine to fail, but how could you not even save your life! So pathetic, so weak! You old hag!"
"Hey, I can hear you! Who are you calling weak? Who's the old hag! Damn Kaido!"
A furious scolding voice suddenly came from beside him.
"Who! Didn't I say, no one is allowed to bother me on the rooftop!"
Kaido was furious, hurriedly wiping his tears from the corners of his eyes, and turned his head suddenly.