Three days after the end of the Pirate Expo.
Inside a tavern in Red Maple Town, an autumn island serving as a gateway to the New World.
Dozens of pirates crowded around the ten or so tables in the main hall. A lone figure sat at the bar, a cigar clamped between his teeth, shrouded in swirling smoke.
Bang!
"I found it, Allen! An Eternal Pose for Punk Hazard."
A beautiful figure pushed the door open with a delighted expression, holding an Eternal Pose in her hand as she walked briskly to the bar.
Nami took a seat, twirling the Eternal Pose between her fingertips with a proud smile.
"Robin and I bought it at a nautical supply shop while we were out shopping. This way, we won't have to stop at the next island to transfer. We can set sail right after lunch."
"Ah, you actually found one. I should quickly reward my excellent navigator with a drink."
Allen chuckled, picking up a bottle and pouring two glasses. He slid one over to Nami and raised his own in a toast.
"Cheers."
"Hehe, cheers."
Clink.
Nami smiled, clinking her glass against Allen's before tossing it back in one gulp.
Robin and Perona walked in through the door, followed by the Nyaban Brothers, who were carrying bags of all sizes. They held the clothes, bags, and shoes the girls had bought, along with various local snacks they had purchased for themselves.
"Boss, Sanji has finished the grocery shopping. He and Gin are loading the supplies onto the ship right now. Are we heading back to eat lunch on board today?"
"Call them and tell them to come to town. It's rare for the cooks to get a break, and we have a few days of traveling ahead of us."
"Got it, Boss."
After Allen gave his orders, Buchi turned around to contact the crew on the ship.
Sham then stepped forward, waving over a few subordinates who were carrying a fully loaded treasure chest and several wooden crates of supplies.
"Boss, this was delivered by Shipping Magnate Umit's people. It includes the one billion Berries Cobra paid back this month, along with some local specialties from Alabasta."
"Specialties?"
Allen cast a strange look at the crates and ordered,
"That old man sure knows how to handle things. Open them up and let's take a look."
A few subordinates then took out crowbars and pried the lids off the wooden crates.
Inside were mostly dried fruits, handicrafts, clothing, and Alabasta's most famous perfumes.
They weren't particularly valuable items. If bought locally, their worth probably wouldn't even cover the shipping costs, but they were considered rare overseas.
"It's perfume!"
Nami approached with delight, crouching down to pull out two bottles of perfume. She grinned and showed them to Robin, saying,
"The two bottles we bought before are almost empty. Now we won't have to worry about running out for a long time."
"There's also dried fruit and yogurt from Alabasta! I've missed this so much, hehehe."
Buchi excitedly scooped up a handful of snacks, drool practically dripping from the corner of his mouth.
Allen smiled and waved his hand. "Put the goods away for now. Let's count the money first."
"Right, right, that's the most important part."
At the mention of money, the greedy girl Nami's eyes immediately sparkled with golden light. She hurried over to the treasure chest and threw open the lid.
The chest was piled high with glittering treasure.
In the corner sat five black briefcases. When taken out and opened, they revealed neat stacks of Berries.
"Money... so much money... ohohoho!"
Seeing this, Nami grew so excited that her eyes turned into Berry symbols. She covered her mouth with one hand, unable to stop grinning.
"Store the treasure in the vault. As for the five hundred million Berries in cash..."
Allen pondered for a moment, the corners of his lips curling up as he spoke.
"It's been a while since we distributed money among the crew. Take out one hundred million for a banquet, and we'll split the remaining four hundred million among everyone later."
"Whoa!!"
"We're getting paid?! This is awesome!"
"Long live the captain!!"
"Banquet! Banquet! Banquet!"
A massive cheer erupted within the crowded tavern. All the pirates were so thrilled and frantic that they practically jumped for joy.
Just then, two subordinates suddenly burst through the door, clutching a newspaper and a bounty poster in their hands.
"Captain! Huge news!!"
"You're wanted by the World Government again, Captain! The new bounty poster is out!!"
The two subordinates yelled as they rushed into the tavern, immediately coming to a halt in front of Allen and handing over the newspaper and bounty poster with both hands.
Robin fixed her gaze on Allen, a gentle smile on her face as she spoke softly.
"Given your current influence, the bounty shouldn't be low. After all, rumors are already spreading across the seas that you'll be the new Emperor."
"I thought so too, but it seems I still underestimated myself."
Allen glanced at his bounty poster, chuckled, and casually tossed it into the air. He then turned back to the bar, picking up his glass and pouring himself a drink without a second thought.
Behind him, the crowd immediately swarmed forward, frantically scrambling for the bounty poster as it fluttered down.
"Let me see! Let me see!"
"Quick! How much is the bounty?!"
"Hahaha! I bet it doubled at least!"
One pirate managed to snatch the poster and unfolded it with both hands. Heads eagerly crowded around to get a look.
"Two hundred and ten million... Wait a minute, isn't this his old bounty?"
"Eh? They just reinstated his old bounty? The World Government is so stingy."
"They're looking down on us way too much."
"That's not right. The picture on the poster has changed. This photo was definitely taken recently."
"Hold on, are you blind? Can you not even count, you idiot?"
Another pirate scolded with a look of utter disgust. He snatched the bounty poster, slapped it down onto the table with his large hand, and shouted forcefully at the crew,
"This is clearly 2.1 billion Berries!!"
A collective gasp echoed through the room.
The pirates all leaned back, drawing in sharp breaths of cold air, their eyes widening in sheer shock.
"2.1 billion Berries!!"
"That has to be the highest bounty outside of the Four Emperors!"
"It increased tenfold!!"
Seeing the true bounty, no one in the room could remain calm.
Even Robin was stunned, speaking in disbelief,
"It's truly unbelievable. With this bounty made public, the rumors of you becoming a New World Emperor will only grow louder."
"How could this happen? Doesn't that mean even more pirates will be targeting us in the future, on top of the Marines..."
Nami wept two streams of tears, looking as if she had lost all will to live.
The two pirates who had just run in suddenly remembered something and handed a few more bounty posters to Nami.
"Oh right, Big Sis Nami, there's a bounty poster for you too."
"What?!"
Hearing this, Nami grabbed her head in terror and screamed. She snatched the bounty poster and hurriedly looked at it.
Staring at the long string of zeros, Nami tossed the poster away in sheer denial, collapsing to the floor in tears of fright.
"You've got to be kidding me! I'm dead meat! Make it stop!"
"This bounty is indeed a bit exaggerated. Your performance must have caught the Marines' attention,"
Robin said with a smile, before pulling out her own bounty poster to examine.
"What about us?! What about us?! Our bounties should be over a hundred million this time!"
The Nyaban Brothers, however, were extremely excited. They eagerly jumped forward, grabbed their bounty posters, and looked down.
"It really is over a hundred million!"
"This is so cool, Sham!"
The two brothers threw their arms around each other's shoulders and danced with joy.
Meanwhile, outside the town surrounded by mountains of red maple trees, the Freewill was quietly docked at the shore.
At the port, the pirates who had been busy loading supplies onto the ship had all stopped. They gathered in small groups, animatedly discussing the newly published bounties.
"Getting this bounty on my first time making the list just shows the Marines have a decent eye for talent."
Sanji sat leaning against the ship's rail, a cigarette clamped in his mouth. He looked at the bounty poster in his hand, the corners of his mouth lifting in a satisfied smirk.
"However, setting Miss Nami aside, what really pisses me off is that you two have higher bounties than me."
Sanji's expression shifted, and he glared in annoyance at Gin and Killer across from him.
Gin lowered his bounty poster and offered an awkward smile. "After all, this is Mr. Sanji's first bounty. I'm sure you'll surpass us in no time."
"A low bounty just means you're too weak. Well, at least you have some culinary skills. Just stick to chopping vegetables as the ship's cook. Leave the fighting to us,"
Killer shrugged, spreading his hands in a dismissive, mocking gesture.
Hearing his words, Sanji furiously leaped to his feet, glaring daggers at him.
"What did you say?! You wanna fight, you stupid mantis?!"
"As if I'm scared of you! Bring it on if you want a fight! I'll chop you into eight pieces!"
"Come on, you bastard! I'm going to shatter your mask and give you some plastic surgery today!"
The two of them pressed their foreheads together fiercely, raging fires burning in their eyes.
Beside them, Gin looked on with utter helplessness.
The autumn wind rustled through the hills, slowly turning the windmill towers. Maple leaves drifted over the red-tiled roofs, landing beside the stone-paved paths of the village.
Inside the tavern, a lively banquet commenced in grand fashion. It wasn't until night quietly fell that the raucous sounds of revelry finally subsided.
Early the next morning, the Freewill slowly sailed out of the port, leaving the peaceful island behind.
...
Three days later, in the waters surrounding Punk Hazard.
The waves surged violently, and fierce winds whipped up a blizzard, casting a vast white veil over the entire sea.
The Freewill rode the wind and waves, pressing forward against the blizzard until the turbulent sea gradually calmed, and the sky-filling snow dissipated completely.
"Strange. Punk Hazard isn't a winter island, is it? Why is it like this? Could the information be wrong?"
On the third-floor balcony, Nami peered through her binoculars at the snow-covered island in the distance, a hint of confusion appearing on her face.
Lowering the binoculars, she prepared to head into the captain's cabin to call Allen, but just as she turned around...
Thud.
"Ah!"
Nami bumped headfirst into Allen, who was just walking out. Startled, she stumbled back a few steps.
"I was just about to go call you. Why don't you make any sound when you walk? You're like a ghost."
Nami puffed out one cheek and shot him a resentful glare.
From behind the door, Perona poked her little pink head out and blinked adorably.
"Ghost? Where's a ghost?"
Nami was left speechless.
"It's nothing. I was just saying we've arrived."
"Oh, oh, is that it? It's a winter island this time! I can finally build a snowman."
Perona gazed out, her expression suddenly lighting up with excitement.
Allen gave her a strange look and asked instinctively, "You've lived in the Grand Line your whole life. Have you never been to a winter island?"
"Nope. I was taken in by Lord Moria when I was very young and grew up entirely on Thriller Bark. Before I met you guys, I'd hardly been anywhere else."
Perona answered matter-of-factly, then broke into a smile.
"It wasn't until I set sail that I realized there was food as delicious as ice cream in this world."
Allen and Nami cast her looks of profound pity.
"Ice cream, huh... Sigh."
"So pitiful..."
Perona bared her teeth in exasperation and yelled, "Hey! What's with those weird looks?!"
...
Shortly after, the ship docked. Allen led the crew ashore and issued his orders.
"There's an abandoned research facility here. Leave a team to guard the ship, and the rest of you search the island. Stay alert."
"Yes, Captain."
Soon, the Nyaban Brothers stayed behind to lead the guard detail, while the rest of the crew scattered.
Perona also stayed behind, playing in the snow on the shore with the Nyaban Brothers.
Allen took Nami and a small group of subordinates and headed deeper into the island.
According to yesterday's news reports, Akainu had officially been appointed as the Marine Fleet Admiral. This meant the conflict between Akainu and Aokiji had completely concluded.
If his guess was correct, the far side of the island had likely been transformed into a flaming mountainous terrain, completely opposite to this side.
Published alongside the news of Akainu's promotion was Aokiji's departure and the Marines' [World Military Draft] initiative.
To replenish the forces lost during the Summit War and rapidly expand their military might to advance into the New World, the World Government was recruiting exceptional soldiers from the civilian populace and the armies of allied nations into the Marines.
Those who performed exceptionally well could even be granted exceptional promotions regardless of seniority, potentially even filling the two currently vacant Admiral positions.
At the same time, to strengthen their control over the Grand Line, the Marines had scaled back their forces in the Four Blues, transferring a massive number of soldiers to the various "G" branches in the Grand Line.
While this measure would naturally bolster the Marines' strength in a short period, it was undoubtedly a fatal blow to the Four Blues and the affiliated nations.
Only with an extreme hawk like Akainu in power could the World Government implement these policies so smoothly.
It was highly likely that before long, the newly reinforced Marines would launch a massive campaign into the New World.
It had only been a little over half a month since the Summit War, yet the global situation was rapidly shifting.
Within the Marines, aside from Aokiji, another veteran had also departed—or rather, broken away from the Marines entirely.
That was the Marine Chief Instructor, former Headquarters Admiral "Black Arm" Zephyr!
Taking a large number of soldiers with him, he left Marineford and founded the [NEO Marines] with the ideology of eradicating all pirates. This news had also been reported in yesterday's papers.
This veteran, who had dedicated his entire life to the word "Justice" emblazoned on his back, had finally been crushed by the darkness and chosen to leave.
Allen couldn't help but sigh in lament.
Upon reaching the peak of the snowy mountain, the two gazed out at the other side of the island in the distance.
Crimson flames blazed fiercely across the mountains and plains. Centered around a lake formed by seawater pouring in, it created a stark boundary against the continuous, snow-swept mountains on their side.
This was Punk Hazard, a spectacle of ice and fire forged by an epic battle that lasted ten days and ten nights.