The great hall fell silent once more.
An unknown kid, to have Imu-sama make a move?!
Isn't that ridiculous?
Not even the Yonko or Dragon received such treatment.
If this matter were reported, Imu would probably eliminate them first.
And then still curse them as useless wastes.
"Are we to mobilize the entire Naval Headquarters to capture a kid who just started his journey as a pirate?!" The Blonde Five Elder spoke with displeasure.
Aside from a full encirclement, he couldn't think of a better solution.
The Blonde Five Elder immediately shook his head and retorted, "It's useless. Reynold isn't an idiot. If he can't win, doesn't he know to run?!"
"Once he uses teleportation to leave, it will only be a waste of our time."
"This won't work, that won't work, are we just going to let Reynold continue to act so arrogantly?!"
The impatient Curly-Haired Five Elder suddenly jabbed his staff, and the powerful force created a large hole in the ground.
"Actually, we can use others to kill him." The Long-Bearded Five Elder suddenly interjected.
"Hmm?!" The Five Elders's gazes all turned to him. "Elaborate."
The Long-Bearded Five Elder scanned everyone and slowly said, "We can raise Reynold's bounty, making the Yonko interested in him. Given their personalities, conflicts are bound to happen."
"At the same time, have the Marines constantly monitor the movements of the Yonko."
"Then, when the snipe and clam fight, we, the fisherman, will profit..."
Kaido?!
Linlin?!
As soon as the Long-Bearded Five Elder finished speaking, the figures of the two instantly appeared in the minds of the other Five Elders.
Whitebeard only cared about his sons; he didn't care about anything else.
Shanks never actively sought trouble with others.
That left only Kaido and Linlin.
Kaido, who revered strength, wished he could absorb all the strong individuals in the Grand Line into the Beasts Pirates.
As for Linlin, she was the type who couldn't live without a man.
Reynold was handsome, strong, and even stronger in stamina.
His genes were excellent.
The Blonde Five Elder's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and he agreed, "If Reynold cannot pose a fatal threat to Garp, then having Kaido and Linlin deal with him is not a bad idea."
Kaido, Linlin, and Garp were all beings with maxed-out defenses.
Reynold would be equally helpless against them.
"But they probably won't be able to do anything to Reynold either." The Sword-Wielding Five Elder shook his head again.
At most, it would be a mutually destructive fight, and if Reynold wanted to leave, no one could stop him.
"Who cares." The Long-Bearded Five Elder waved his hand dismissively, "Our goal is to stir up conflict between them. Don't forget, Reynold is our enemy, and Kaido and Linlin are too. Let them fight it out."
At this point, a hint of malice flashed in the Long-Bearded Five Elder's eyes.
No matter who died, they would be the ones to profit in the end.
"That's a good idea." The Mustache Five Elder immediately nodded in affirmation. They only needed to sit back and watch the tigers fight.
The other Five Elders then followed suit, nodding their agreement.
Sengoku stood to the side, cautiously interjecting, "How much should Reynold's bounty be set at? And what will be the reason?!"
The news of the Marine's defeat absolutely could not be leaked.
The newspapers issued by the Marines were basically whitewashed; any news unfavorable to the Marines was scaled down, or small details were omitted entirely.
This was to minimize the negative impact on the Marines.
If the public knew that Kizaru had his arm cut off by Reynold, the Marine's prestige would inevitably plummet.
How could a dignified Admiral not even defeat a rookie pirate, and still protect them?!
How could he uphold justice?!
At that point, the Revolutionary Army wouldn't even need to spread their ideology; the public would become disillusioned on their own.
Moreover, Kizaru's injuries were extremely severe this time, requiring a long period of rest.
By the time he recovered and reappeared in the public eye, people wouldn't connect his severed arm to Reynold.
As long as they kept silent, let the public guess. If absolutely necessary, they could simply fabricate a reason.
The Near Sea King of East Blue could bite off Shanks' arm, so is it strange for him to bite off Kizaru's?
Perfectly reasonable.
"What is Reynold's current bounty?!" The Sword-Wielding Five Elder asked in a deep voice.
"500 million Berries." Sengoku replied truthfully.
"Raise it to 3 billion berries!!!"
"3 billion?!" Sengoku was instinctively startled.
A full 3 billion Berries, a bounty second only to the Yonko of the sea.
Even many long-established Yonko' executives fell far short.
The most terrifying thing was that the 3 billion bounty was solely based on Reynold's strength.
It's important to know that when they set bounties for pirates, many factors had to be considered.
The overall standard was to assess the pirate's threat level to the Marines and the World Government; strength was just one factor.
Just like in the original story, after Straw Hat Luffy defeated Kaido, his bounty increased to 3 billion berries.
But Kaido's bounty was 4.5 billion Berries, still much higher than Luffy's.
The reason lies here.
The Beasts Pirates' main base was Onigashima, but they weren't limited to just Onigashima.
A considerable portion of the New World sea area had the shadow of the Beasts Pirates.
Various illicit dealings were rampant.
In contrast, Reynold, apart from collecting women everywhere, only had one flying ship.
He had no territory, nor did he dominate any sea area.
A 3 billion bounty, purely based on raw strength, its value was undeniable.
Of course, at least two billion of those three billion Berries are for his teleportation.
"As for the reason…" The Sword-Wielding Five Elder pondered for a moment, "Just say he destroyed Judicial Island."
It must be said that Judicial Island was a very awkward place.
Although it was known as one of the three major institutions alongside Naval Headquarters and Impel Down.
The defenses of Judicial Island were the weakest, and there were no powerful individuals guarding it.
Any Pirate Crew with a bit of strength could destroy it.
It was just that Naval Headquarters was right behind it, so they didn't have the guts.
Of course, there was no need either, unless there was a specific reason, otherwise it would just be foolish.
"This…" Sengoku hesitated, somewhat troubled: "Will they believe it?!"
Destroying one Judicial Island, and the bounty poster increases to three billion Berries?!
Too exaggerated!
The Blonde Five Elder looked at him coldly, and said in a chilling voice: "Who do you mean by 'they'?!",
"Pirates or civilians?!"
"If it's Pirates, do we need them to believe us?!"
"If it's those civilians, what do they know? Sengoku, you just need to unconditionally follow our orders and maintain the Marine's image."
"Don't say what shouldn't be said."
Sengoku gritted his teeth, his expression constantly changing.
In front of the Five Elders, an Admiral was worse than a dog.
"I understand." Sengoku lowered his head and replied.
"Since you understand, go and get to work." The Long-Bearded Five Elder impatiently waved his hand.
He found Sengoku particularly annoying today.
Sengoku, as if granted a great pardon, quickly walked out of the hall.
He didn't want to stay in this wretched place for another second.
The Marine's actions were swift.
At Sengoku's strong insistence, in less than a day.
The freshly printed bounty poster was released.
The first to receive the news was naturally the most professional president of the World Economic News Publishing Company—Morgans.
After learning that Reno had destroyed Judicial Island, Morgans went completely insane.
"Faster, faster!!! Everyone speed up!"
Inside the office, Morgans yelled at the staff in front of him, his voice hoarse.
"This is the biggest news in recent years! Everyone, work overtime! You'll get triple pay for these few days, and after this busy period, I'll give each of you a month off!!!"
"Oh!!!" All the staff cheered in unison, then continued to focus on their work.
Working from nine to five every day, they were truly tired.
A month's rest would be wonderful.
"Hahahahaha, I'm going to let everyone in the world know this news! I'm going to make a fortune again!!"
Morgans rubbed his hands, imagining the scene of counting money in his mind, his pupils even turning into the shape of Berries.
After a brief fantasy, he felt something was off.
Many parts of this news report didn't make sense, even riddled with loopholes.
The three-billion-Berry high bounty poster was one thing; Judicial Island was, after all, the World Government's facade, and if one really tried to explain it, it could barely pass.
The main thing was, why would Reno do this?!
There wasn't even a reason for destroying Judicial Island.
Simply to display his power?!
To declare his strength to the world?!
Hmm.
It wasn't impossible.
Morgans nodded silently.
There were countless Pirates, and perhaps Reno was just exceptionally arrogant.
It was a pity he didn't have anyone in Judicial Island, otherwise he could have captured what happened at the time.
The next day.
With Morgans's promotion, more News Coo carrying more newspapers flew out from the publishing company, heading to various parts of the world.
It was as if a giant rock had fallen into a calm sea, stirring up a raging storm.
[Reno: Reno Pirate Crew Captain, bounty poster three billion Berries, dead or alive!]
[Reno goes insane, destroys Judicial Island!]
[Challenging Marine authority, Reno's crime is unforgivable, everyone should punish him!]
[Scum of the sea!!]
[Destroyer of peace on the sea!!!]
[Reno declares he is preparing to seize the title of Yonko!!]
[Yonko in crisis?!]
"..."
One eye-catching red-lettered headline after another drew everyone's attention.
Finally, the Marine didn't forget to sow discord between Reno and the Yonko.
The whole world began to discuss, the news continued to spread further and further, and soon, the entire world was abuzz.
Wano Country, Onigashima.
"Uororororo, the Marine's tactics are as despicable as ever. Do they want to sow discord this way?!"
Kaido, Governor of the Beasts Pirates, looked at the headlines in the newspaper and shook his head in disdain.
"Lord Kaido, don't you think something is strange?!" King, the first of the Three Disasters, wearing a demon mask, spoke in a deep voice.
Kaido glanced at him sideways, "Speak."
"It's just Judicial Island; it's impossible for a bounty poster to jump by two and a half billion Berries all at once." King's tone was certain.
If such a good thing existed, Jack would have gone already.
Jack, the Drought, laughed dismissively from the side: "Hahahahahaha, who cares? Lord Kaido, what do you think of this kid?!"
"If you're satisfied, I'll set off now and bring people to capture him." Jack patted his chest, guaranteeing.
He wasn't afraid of a guy who boosted his bounty poster by destroying Judicial Island.
No.
Besides Kaido and the other two Disasters, he wasn't afraid of anyone.
Let alone a Reno; even if Kaido ordered him to attack Naval Headquarters, if he were to frown, he wouldn't be called Jack.
Kaido glanced at the brave Jack and shook his head: "No need. When he enters the New World, I will personally capture him."
The Grand Line was so vast that finding Reno was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
But the New World was different; although also vast, it was full of his intelligence networks and extensive connections.
At that time, unless Reno hid, one phone call would allow him to find Reno's location.
"Oh, by the way, what is Yamato doing?!" Kaido suddenly changed the subject.
Ulti, one of the Tobiroppo, scratched her head and said helplessly: "Young Master Yamato is playing dress-up."
Kaido's face darkened. It was that damned Kozuki Oden again, haunting him, wasn't he?!
He immediately stood up, grabbed his spiked club, and walked out of the hall.
Totto Land.
"Bastards, why didn't you tell me about such an excellent man sooner?!" A sharp roar echoed throughout Cake Island.
Big Mom glared at the family ministers in front of her, flames rising in her pupils.
The ministers below trembled, not even daring to breathe loudly.
Everyone expressed how wronged they felt.
It wasn't that they didn't tell her, but Big Mom had been like a person experiencing a second spring recently.
Continuous lovemaking, followed by enjoying delicious food.
And she didn't allow anyone to disturb her, nor would she listen to anything.
She said that talking about other things would ruin her mood for enjoying food.
That's why it had been delayed until now.
Big Mom propped her chubby cheeks with both hands, gazing infatuatedly at Reno's photo on the table.
Appearance: handsome.
Destroyed Impel Down: brave.
Killed Crocodile: powerful.
Specifically recruits female crew members: lustful.
Most importantly, healthy!
This… wasn't this exactly what she wanted?!
Every single point touched her heart.
Over all these years, none of her husbands had truly satisfied her.
It turned out that in the dark, there was always a divine will!!
Reno was her true love!!!
Big Mom clutched the newspaper, staring at Reno's photo, her eyes hazy.
Her voice also became strange, "Everyone, find Reno immediately! Bring him before me at all costs!!!"
All the ministers, including Katakuri, twitched their mouths and left with grim expressions.
Damn it, another dad.
Second half of the New World.
On the Whitebeard Pirates' main ship, the Moby Dick.
"Hahahahahaha… Pops, the new Pirates nowadays are much braver than we were back then. They even dare to smash Judicial Island." Diamond Jozu looked at the newspaper and laughed teasingly.
"Hahahahaha… Reno probably feels that killing Crocodile wasn't enough, so he wants to make a name for himself across the sea this way." Flower Sword Vista shook his head, speechless.
Truly a newborn calf not fearing the tiger.
When he gets chased all over the world by an Admiral, he'll know how to spell the word 'regret'.
The Whitebeard Pirates Division Commanders laughed heartily, their words full of teasing and sarcasm.
They had seen a lot, but they had never seen anyone as daring as Reno.
He dared to destroy Judicial Island without any reason.
How was that different from shitting on the World Government's head?!
"Pops, don't you think it's strange?!" Only the meticulous Marco frowned slightly, noticing something amiss.
In response to Marco's confusion, Whitebeard, sitting grandly in his chair, unenthusiastically tossed the newspaper aside.
Whether it was true or there was a trick, he had no interest in these matters.
What he cared about most right now was:
"Any news on Ace?!" Whitebeard chugged a bottle of rum before looking at his sons.
At his words, the smiles on all the Division Commanders' faces instantly vanished as they all shook their heads.
They had already sent people to search, but there was still no news of Ace.
Of course, they also hadn't found any trace of Blackbeard Teach.
Shanks' words kept echoing in Whitebeard's mind, and an ominous premonition surged within him. He abruptly stood up and commanded, "Sons, pass down the order! Inform all the Captains of the Whitebeard Pirate Crew's affiliated ships to use all their connections and resources, no matter the cost, to find Ace!"
"Yes, Old Man!"
"Yes, Old Man!"
"..."
All the Division Commanders shouted in unison, pulling out their den den mushi (transponder snails) and beginning to contact the various Captains.
Whitebeard gazed at the sky, which was gradually darkening in front of him, a sense of unease in his heart.
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