Chapter 245: Shocking the World! The 2.5 Billion Extremely Evil Shura
The scene cut away from the devastated Marineford, soaring straight into the clouds to the massive airship of the World Economic Journal.
"Big News" Morgans stood before his wide desk, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the top-secret photos his reporters had risked their lives to capture.
In the images were the Perfect Susanoo that had cleaved the sky, the thrilling moment black flames forced back Admiral Akainu, and the mountain-like silhouette of Whitebeard in his prime.
And then there was the heroic sight of the three sworn brothers fighting back-to-back; every single photo radiated an overwhelming, heart-shaking power.
Morgans was so excited that his white feathers were trembling violently.
He slammed his hand on the desk and let out a sharp, loud laugh:
"Big news! This is absolutely a ultimate big news worthy of being recorded in the history books!
"Layout department, immediately print another hundred million copies..."
"No! Print a billion copies! Send them to every corner of the world for me!"
Countless News Coos, carrying heavy bags of newspapers, flew out from the airship in a massive swarm, looking like a flurry of white snow covering the sky.
They swarmed toward the East Sea, West Blue, South Blue, North Blue, as well as the first half of the Grand Line and the New World.
People all over the world grabbed the newspapers, which still carried the fresh scent of ink.
The crimson, eye-catching headline directly shattered everyone's worldview—
"The Marine's Darkest Hour Approaches! Fire Fist Successfully Escapes! Whitebeard Pirates' Grand Retreat! The God-like Crimson Demon!"
And at Marineford after the war, just as the newspaper stated, the darkest hour had truly arrived.
Marineford, which once symbolized absolute justice and grand solemnity, was now a mess of ruins.
The plaza was torn apart by countless chasms, and smoke still lingered among the broken walls.
Continuous rows of white medical tents filled the open spaces, and the wails of the wounded rose and fell.
This invincible army, which had gathered a hundred thousand elites and all its trump cards, had not only failed to execute Fire Fist Ace.
Instead, in this broadcast watched by the entire world, they had greatly lost the face and majesty that the Marines had accumulated over hundreds of years.
Morale had dropped to the freezing point, and a lingering gloom permeated the air.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku sat in his office, which was covered in cracks.
With thick white bandages wrapped around his head, he looked as if he had aged ten years.
He looked at the latest bounty orders just drafted on his desk and let out a long sigh.
That sigh contained far too much helplessness and weariness.
He understood better than anyone that someone needed to take responsibility for the failure of this war.
To appease the thunderous wrath of the World Government's high-ranking officials and to give the world an explanation.
His position as Fleet Admiral... he had to resign to take the blame.
"Messenger!" Sengoku shouted in a low voice.
The damaged wooden door of the office was quickly pushed open, and a Marine stood straight and saluted: "Sir! Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
Sengoku closed his eyes and rubbed his aching brow:
"Go and call Sakazuki... tell him I have something important to say to him!"
"Yes, sir!"
On the other side, in the intensive care unit, the air was thick with the smell of medicine.
Admiral Akainu, his right arm and chest wrapped in heavy bandages, was roaring madly at several trembling officers who were reporting on the battle situation.
The burning pain left by the Amaterasu black flames was still stimulating his nerves, making his temper incredibly volatile.
He grabbed the newspaper from the nearby table and stared fixedly at the faces of Tatsuya and Luffy on the page.
His eyes spat out a venomous fire of rage, and the sound of his gritting teeth made it seem as if he wanted to tear those two pieces of paper apart and swallow them whole.
Along with the frantic spread of the newspapers.
Two bounty orders with staggering numbers exploded among pirates, civilians, and bounty hunters worldwide like two heavy nuclear bombs!
[Straw Hat Luffy]: In the photo, he was covered in pink steam, standing on the execution platform with a wild, reckless laugh.
Latest Bounty: 1 Billion Berries!
["Crimson Lotus" Tatsuya]: His bounty photo rarely featured a close-up of his face, but was instead a suffocating long-distance shot.
—A hundred-meter-tall Crimson Demon, clad in Karasu Tengu Armor and holding a colossal sword, looking as if it could cleave through the photo paper and charge out at any moment.
Latest Bounty: 2.5 Billion Berries!
In the eerie ruins of Kuraigana Island, Zoro, who was struggling in a hard fight against a group of baboons that imitated human swordsmanship, panted heavily.
He reflexively caught the newspaper Perona threw down from mid-air.
When he saw the words "Luffy Safely Rescues Ace" on the front page, a smile finally appeared on his murderous face.
But when he flipped to the inner pages of the newspaper.
And saw Tatsuya's bounty order with the astronomical figure of [2.5 Billion], along with that hair-raising photo of the Susanoo.
Zoro's hand holding his sword gave a sudden jerk, and the famous blade fell directly onto the dusty stone floor with a "clang."
"Are you kidding me..."
The corner of Zoro's mouth twitched.
"That red-eyed bastard!"
"Just what kind of world-shaking event did he pull off at Marineford?!"
Weatheria.
Nami sat on the edge of a cloud, holding the newspaper that had drifted down.
She was tearfully crying with relief that both Luffy and Tatsuya were safe.
Meanwhile, her gaze moved down and landed on the long string of numbers on Tatsuya's bounty order.
She extended her slender fingers and counted the zeros one by one.
As she counted, her beautiful eyes, which still held teardrops, instantly turned into glittering Berry symbols.
"Two... 2.5 billion?!"
Nami gasped and let out an exclamation.
"Oh my! My Vice Captain is actually worth this much!"
She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and laughed through them:
"If I sold my Vice Captain, I could buy many, many things!"
"Just kidding!"
After saying that, she held up Tatsuya's bounty order featuring the demon high against the pure sunlight of the Skypiea.
Her expression gradually became exceptionally tender, and crystalline tears welled up in her eyes again...
"That's great, Tatsuya. I can't be the one holding you back either..."
Nami took a deep breath and turned to shout into the distance: "Clay! Come look at your master!"
With a sound of flapping wings, Clay flew over: "Goo-goo ga-ga! The Overlord of the Sky, Lord Clay, has arrived!"
In the Forest of Gluttony on the Boin Archipelago, Usopp, who had already eaten himself into a massive fat man.
And in the Kamabakka Kingdom, Sanji, who was forced to wear pink women's clothing and heavy makeup.
After seeing the newspaper falling from the sky, both of their jaws hit the ground hard in shock.
Looking at the world-shaking news and the ridiculously high bounties, they finally realized with absolute clarity.
Their Captain and Vice Captain had truly stirred up a top-tier storm on this danger-filled sea.
In the secret base of the Revolutionary Army headquarters.
Robin sat quietly at her desk, her long fingers gently stroking the group photo of the three brothers—Luffy, Sabo, and Ace—fighting side-by-side, as well as the striking individual photo of Tatsuya.
In her deep eyes, which always held a sense of rationality, a look of incomparable tenderness appeared:
"That's wonderful... everyone is safe.
"Tatsuya... you'll be back soon, right?"
Whether it was Chopper, who was diligently studying medicine on the snow-covered Karakuri Island; Franky, who was undergoing modifications on the Winter Island Baldimore; or Brook, who was holding a fanatical concert in the Kingdom of Poverty.
After passing through the initial brief shock and wild joy.
The eyes of all the Straw Hat members became firmer than ever before at this moment.
They all gripped the heavy newspapers in their hands, their gazes crossing the snow, clouds, and oceans to look at the distant sky.
"The Captain and Vice Captain are already standing on that top-tier stage where monsters gather, and they've even achieved a great victory.
"As their partners... how can we just stay stagnant here!"
In everyone's heart, an unquenchable determination ignited: "I must become stronger!"
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