"Bounties?"
Everyone turned to look.
Nami immediately set down her juice and walked over alertly. "What's going on? Did my bounty go up too?"
She hadn't forgotten she was already a wanted woman of some value.
Luffy took the stack of posters from Zambai, flipped through them casually, then pulled one out. He grinned at Nami.
"Nami, your bounty went up a lot."
He drew out the words deliberately, then held up the poster.
Nami leaned in curiously.
Cat Burglar Nami — Bounty: 100,000,000 Berry
"NANI?!"
Nami's hands flew to her cheeks. Tears instantly spurted.
"A hundred million? What heinous crime did I commit?! I don't want this!"
Becoming a wanted criminal had been bad enough. Now her bounty had jumped to a hundred million?!
Did that mean she'd be hunted by the Marines for the rest of her life?!
A hundred million Berry!
It sounded like a lot—but it was a bounty, not a bank account!
What was she supposed to do with a bounty that high? Even she was tempted by that much money!
She thought it over. She hadn't shown any overwhelming strength. Why did her bounty need to be a hundred million?
Slander! Corruption!
But she couldn't refuse. The posters were already printed, probably being carried by news coos to every corner of the world.
On the verge of tears, Nami grabbed Luffy's arm and shook it hard.
"What do I do, Luffy?! How am I supposed to live with a hundred million bounty?!"
"Don't worry, I'll protect you!"
Luffy's head spun from the shaking. He quickly answered, then shouted: "Everyone, come see the bounties!"
He broke free and jumped onto the table in the center of the hall, holding up the stack.
"Just as expected—big increases, right?"
"The World Government must have pinned everything on us."
"How much did we go up?"
Hearing about new bounties, everyone gathered around.
Even Iceburg, Kokoro, and the shipwrights came closer.
"Everyone got one!"
Luffy grinned, spreading the posters across the table.
Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro — Bounty: 150,000,000 Berry
A hundred and fifty million?!
Gasps went through the crowd.
That was an exceptionally high bounty.
In the first half of the Grand Line, pirates with bounties over a hundred million were rare. They were usually called Supernovas.
Zoro looked at his new poster. The photo showed him with fierce eyes, Enies Lobby's burning ruins behind him.
The corner of his mouth curved up. "Not bad."
Black Leg Sanji — Bounty: 80,000,000 Berry
"Only eighty million."
Sanji stared at his poster. The image wasn't a photo but a drawing. And what a drawing—so sloppy! Besides the curly eyebrows, it looked nothing like him.
He lit a cigarette to calm himself.
Otherwise he might do something impulsive—like going to protest at the World Government.
But what he feared most was...
And there it was.
Beside him, Zoro laughed outright, picking up Sanji's poster. He couldn't keep a straight face.
"Oho, Number Five's bounty is just over half of mine? And who drew this? It suits your face perfectly! Hahaha!"
He laughed so hard he had to slap Sanji's shoulder for support, nearly choking.
Veins popped on Sanji's forehead. He got right in Zoro's face, yelling: "You want to fight, you moss-headed idiot?!"
"Oh, an eighty-million talking to a hundred-fifty-million?"
"I'll slice you into sashimi!"
"Bring it on, curly-brow cook!"
They squared off, ready to throw down.
None of the crew even looked up. They were used to this.
Usopp and Chopper nervously searched for their posters.
Sniper King Usopp — Bounty: 40,000,000 Berry
"Forty million?!"
Usopp grabbed his poster, his face turning green. "I'm finally a real wanted criminal! But isn't this too high?!"
Chopper picked up his poster, squeezing his eyes shut, then peeking through one.
Tony Tony Chopper, the Cotton Candy–Loving Reindeer — Bounty: 100 Berry
Chopper looked at his bounty—doubled from before. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Isn't that... too low?"
"Not too low. There's lower."
Luffy pulled out another poster.
Unidentified White Creature Nika — Bounty: 50 Berry
"Puhahaha! Fifty Berry!"
Usopp temporarily forgot his own fear and burst out laughing.
Nika's previous bounty had been ten Berry. Now it had gone up five times—to a staggering fifty Berry!
Nika had been sneaking drinks, but when she saw her poster, she was hopping mad. She threw her jug to the floor and cursed loudly:
"What the hell! Fifty Berry?! Are those Marine and World Government idiots blind?! I'm a—... Garbage! All garbage!"
She bounced on the table in Fury.
Besides Zoro and Nami, two others had crossed the hundred-million mark.
Devil Child Nico Robin — Bounty: 140,000,000 Berry
Robin picked up her new poster calmly. A hundred and forty million—nearly double her previous seventy-nine million.
She smiled faintly.
"That's so high, Robin... boohoo. This bounty system is obviously broken."
Nami pulled out Vivi's poster. The three women's bounties together were pushing a billion.
Nefertari Vivi, Princess of Alabasta — Bounty: 500,000,000 Berry (unchanged)
Note: Capture alive condition revised. If resistance is encountered or safe capture is impossible, necessary measures may be taken.
Vivi's bounty hadn't changed—still a staggering five hundred million. But the revision in the fine print made her expression shift. She bit her lip, her eyes complex.
Finally, all eyes were on the last poster—the one that mattered most.
Luffy picked it up and slowly unfolded it.
Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy — Bounty: 660,000,000 Berry
HISS!
The hall fell completely silent. Only the sound of sharp intakes of breath remained.
Everyone—Iceburg, Franky, Paulie, the shipwrights—was stunned by the astronomical figure.
Six hundred and sixty million Berry!
Once a pirate's bounty passed a hundred million, every increase was difficult. It required causing enormous impact.
Luffy's previous bounty was two hundred million. This time it had jumped by four hundred sixty million. Outside the New World, this was unheard of.
It surpassed the vast majority of pirates active in the first half of the Grand Line—approaching the bounties of those who ruled in the New World!
***
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