Staff Officer Tsuru calmly addressed the room, "Let's notify Morgans first."
Sengoku nodded gravely. "Yes, that seems to be our only recourse."
He continued, directing the Marines, "Alert every branch: if Rolan and his crew's location is discovered, do not act rashly. Report at once. Let an Admiral handle the situation."
"Very well, meeting dismissed," he added. "Borsalino, recover quickly. Your speed will be needed. We must contain Rolan."
Kizaru, battered but composed, nodded. Soldiers gently pushed him out of the office. Akainu stormed out with his usual ferocity, while Aokiji, weary, shifted gently and reclined again to resume his rest.
---
Early the next morning, flocks of newspaper-gulls soared over the seas, distributing fresh editions across the world.
The headlines once again cast Rolan and his Ion Tempest crew into the spotlight.
---
New World — Onboard the Moby Dick
"Pops! Big news!" A man burst in, papers in hand.
Marco frowned at him. "What is it, Sim? Why so worked up?"
"Look at this, Pops!" Sim handed over the newspaper, breathless.
The headline screamed: Shock! The New Sea Emperor — Rolan!
Whitebeard's booming laugh shook the deck. "Gurararara! Rolan-Boy, you've grown bold. Defeating an Admiral, are you?" Then, turning to his crew, he said with pride, "What are you afraid of? I am Whitebeard!"
Marco exchanged a worried glance with others. "He's so young… but his strength is no joke."
---
New World — Cake Island (Big Mom's Territory)
Big Mom slammed her hand on a newspaper. "What Fifth Sea Emperor nonsense is this? He's hardly more than a kid! Is he some kind of different race?"
Perospero sneered from the side. "Mama, he's still stuck in the Grand Line, not even in the New World properly."
Big Mom roared, "You brat! Bring him here! I want to see what kind of pirate thinks he can call himself Emperor!"
---
New World — Red Force
Lucky Roux sighed as he read the same news. "Cap, this Rolan fellow seems to thrive on chaos. Sure, he beat an Admiral, but does having strength alone make someone an Emperor?"
Shanks gazed thoughtfully at Rolan's face printed in the paper. "Could this be some ploy? World Government or Marines stirring things up to provoke the Emperors into fighting him."
Benn Beckman nodded. "If he's strong enough, they don't need to go all in. They just want to use him as a distraction."
---
Wano Country — Onigashima
Kaido bellowed, slamming a gourd-shaped flask to the ground. "So now any upstart kid can call himself an Emperor just by beating an Admiral? Ridiculous. He's too young, too foolish."
---
East Blue — Windmill Village
Makino read the paper quietly. "This Rolan looks oddly pleased," she said softly.
Luffy, beside her, tilted his head. "What's a Sea Emperor, Makino?"
She smiled gently. "A Sea Emperor is one of the strongest pirates, someone very close to the Pirate King in power."
Luffy's eyes sparkled. "If Rolan is the Fifth Emperor, that means he's one of the top five strongest pirates in all the seas?" He stood up, adjusting his hat. "Shanks, Rolan — I'm gonna beat you both someday! Hahahaha!"
Makino laughed softly. "That's the spirit, Luffy."
---
On the ship (Rolan's Ship)
Nami folded her arms, glancing at the newspaper gull that had just landed. "These papers cost more each day. Your news agency's bleeding money."
She tore open the latest edition, then froze when she saw the headline. "Rolan… on the front page again?"
Rolan strolled over, expression blank, and leaned in. "Same old tactics. They want to bait the Four Emperors into a clash so they can make money. We don't need to care."
Nami flipped to the back and scoffed. "They're saying you don't take the other Emperors seriously at all."
He patted her shoulder. "Exactly. We do our thing."
Still upset, Nami kept flipping. Several wanted posters fluttered out.
"One of these is yours, Rolan."
Four posters floated in view:
Rolan — WANTED DEAD — 1,800,000,000 berries
Sand Crocodile — Dead or Alive — 500,000,000 berries
God of Thunder (Enel) — Dead or Alive — 340,000,000 berries
Nami — Dead or Alive — 280,000,000 berries
Nami stared in disbelief. "Why are our bounties so high even though we haven't done anything?"
Crocodile came over, took his poster, and smirked. "Well, well. After all these years, I've got a wanted poster again."
Enel rushed to look at his own, excitement flickering in his eyes. "What is this thing, exactly?"
Crocodile explained matter-of-factly, "A bounty. The Marines and World Government place money on your head. Whoever captures or kills you gets paid."
Enel laughed, crackling with electricity. "Ha! I'm the God of Thunder. This bounty is nothing. Next time I'll take down that Yellow Monkey, and then my bounty will be even higher."
Crocodile narrowed his eyes. "Aren't you forgetting something? You don't even have a proper name yet."
Enel's sparks flared. "You don't understand, Crocodile! The world of a god is on a different level. Just you wait — my bounty will overtake yours."
Crocodile raised a small swirl of sand in his palm. "Is that a challenge?"
Enel's grin stretched wide. His body flickered with electricity as he readied himself. "Bring it on. Let me show you what a natural disaster looks like."
Rolan rubbed his temple, annoyed. "Alright, there'll be time for that fight. But right now, we need to move. Next stop: Water 7."
He turned to Nami. "Nami, is this the right direction for Water 7?"
She nodded firmly. "According to the Eternal Pose, this way leads straight there."
---
Arrival — Water 7
The island of Water 7 rose ahead like a giant, elegant fountain city. Its canals wound through the town like veins, making boats its main thoroughfares. Everywhere, gondolas and small watercraft glided through the waterways.
Rolan stood at the rail, watching. "So this is Water 7."
Nami's eyes shone. "It's amazing.
The perfect mix of shipbuilding hub and maritime trade. This place is one of the most important cities in the world of One Piece."