"Nicely done."
"Exactly. Only the elite of the elite deserve a monster like you."
Standing in front of Romu, Rocks swirled his drink and offered rare, open praise.
Instantly, the pirates who'd just begged to join Romu's division straightened their backs. Kaido planted himself behind Romu like a banner, making sure the entire island knew he already belonged.
"Mm."
Romu answered coolly — but inside, he was stunned.
He's terrifying…
Thanks to the special properties of the Wood-Wood Fruit, Romu could sense the vitality of nearby lifeforms — like an enhanced Vivre Card reading. And Rocks' life signature…
It was absurd.
Stronger than Whitebeard. Stronger than Golden Lion. Stronger than Big Mom. Stronger than Zephyr.
Not by a little — by a landslide.
At the same time, Rocks was thinking:
This makes the operation in three months even safer…
Maybe… it's time to start warming things up now.
A grin spread across his face. He pointed toward the harbor.
"That banner of yours — I want to borrow it."
Banner?
The surrounding pirates frowned in confusion.
Romu understood immediately.
He dismissed his shock and replied calmly:
"If you like it, Captain, it's yours."
"Good!"
Rocks clapped Romu on the shoulder — then his expression twisted into something feral.
"Men!"
"Raise a new mast at the harbor — and hang that Celestial Dragon corpse on it!"
Silence swallowed Hachinosu.
Then—
an eruption of savage laughter tore through the island.
Minutes later, the body of Saint Charloss was lowered from the cruise ship mast and hoisted onto a freshly erected pole overlooking the harbor.
The banquet resumed.
By Rocks' decree, it would last three days and three nights.
The Next Morning
Dawn crept in — but Hachinosu still burned with firelight.
Some pirates snored in heaps. Others woke from drunken sleep and immediately resumed eating and drinking. Bones littered the ground — stripped clean.
"Caw! Caw!"
A news bird circled nervously overhead, too frightened to land after spotting bird skeletons among the remains.
Then it saw the corpse hanging from the mast.
"CAW?!"
The bird spasmed midair. Newspapers and bounty posters spilled from its bag like confetti.
It fled.
A rain of paper drifted down across the island.
Whitebeard caught one and grinned.
"Romu — looks like your new bounty. Guess the number."
Romu didn't answer. A vine shot up, snatched a poster midair, and dropped it into Whitebeard's hands.
Whitebeard blinked.
"…One and a half billion?!"
Even he was stunned.
His own bounty — the highest among Rocks' commanders — was only seven hundred million.
Romu's was more than double that… nearly rivaling Rocks himself.
"Could be twenty billion," Romu shrugged. "Still can't turn myself in to collect it."
Whitebeard threw his head back and laughed.
Romu smirked.
They clinked drinks beneath the falling paper rain.
Elsewhere — The World Reacts
Across the seas, newspapers spread like wildfire.
Near Fish-Man Island, a bar buzzed with bounty hunters whispering over fresh headlines.
"The Marine got humiliated…"
"That Romu guy's insane — killed a Celestial Dragon…"
"Keep your voice down! The paper doesn't even print that — just says he repelled Zephyr!"
"He paraded the corpse! Everyone knows!"
"…Fifteen hundred million bounty… if I caught him, I'd retire and marry Xiaofang…"
They sat at a round table, voices hushed.
From a shadowed corner, a tall, thin man listened.
"Interesting…"
He rose, carrying a slender purple umbrella, and approached.
"Let me see the paper."
The bounty hunters looked up, irritated.
Tall. Braided hair. Crimson shirt. Blood-red trousers. Gold-trimmed shoes. Flowing cloak. A blue rose at his collar. Gold chain at his lips.
Style dripping with arrogance.
They sneered.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Buy your own damn paper!"
"Broke idiot—"
A flash of steel.
Seven necks opened with nearly invisible cuts.
"No manners," the man sighed.
He collected the paper and returned to his seat.
The bodies collapsed in unison.
Screams exploded through the bar.
Customers fled.
The man poured wine, scanning the article. His expression hardened.
"…So the age of chaos begins."
He finished the glass, left coins on the table, and stood.
The doors burst open.
Marines stormed in — then froze.
One shouted in terror:
"B-Baron Tamago—?!"
Another corrected, voice shaking:
"No… that's…"
"Baloric Redfield!"