The meeting had just begun when Sengoku slammed the document containing Fox's information heavily onto the conference table.
"I believe you all know the reason for this emergency meeting. It's all because of an extremely vicious criminal who has appeared in the East Sea—Fox! The number of casualties is currently unknown, including Marines, pirates, and even nobles. Up to this moment, at least five hundred people have been killed by Fox, among them dozens of nobles and even a king of an allied nation! This is outrageous, utterly outrageous. That bastard Fox is challenging the Marines and testing the limits of the World Government. The Gorosei are already paying attention to this matter, and many allied nations are pressuring us as well. We must find Fox in the shortest time possible, arrest him, and lock him away in the deepest depths of Impel Down!! Now, there is one more pressing matter: determining his initial bounty. Everyone, speak up. How many Berries should we set for this pirate who has slaughtered thousands and dared to assassinate the king of an allied nation?"
Although they had received this news in advance, everyone present was still shocked.
After all, allied nations are under the protection of the World Government. Killing the king of an allied nation is an act second only to killing a Celestial Dragon! It can be said that this is one of the most heinous incidents in recent decades!
In the conference room, many Marine officers began discussing in low voices. After a while, Vice Admiral Tsuru stood up and summarized the group's decision.
"Fox's actions are too heinous and must be severely punished. Therefore, we must set his initial bounty high to demonstrate the Marines' seriousness and reassure the allied nations and the World Government. So, I propose that Fox's initial bounty be set at 180 million Berries!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the conference room fell into silence, broken only by the sharp intakes of breath from some of the more unconventional-minded vice admirals.
It must be noted that Fisher Tiger, who caused chaos in the Holy Land Mary Geoise and freed countless slaves, had an initial bounty of only 230 million Berries. Even the initial bounties of Logia-type Devil Fruit users, who can cause massive destruction and possess troublesome abilities, rarely exceed 100 million Berries. For a rookie pirate in the East Sea, the Weakest Sea, to receive a bounty of 180 million Berries is undoubtedly unimaginable.
However, with the assassination of an allied nation's king as the backdrop, 180 million Berries, though high, is not entirely unreasonable.
Led by Akainu and Aokiji, the officers responded one after another:
"I second the motion!"
"I second the motion!"
Once the decision was made, an hour later, a portrait of a figure wearing a fox mask, exuding a formidable aura, along with a bounty of 180 million Berries, was disseminated across the world.
From this day forward, even the Four Emperors would remember this name due to Fox's audacity!
...
On the other hand, because the Orange had cost Ivan a large sum of Berries and incorporated the latest Seastone technology, it was able to traverse the Calm Belt alongside Garp's dog-headed warship.
Now, he was very close to Marine Headquarters. Presumably, it wouldn't be long before he saw Marineford.
Speaking of which, during this time, he often heard system notifications. The Approval Ratings of the three Templates he possessed had all increased to varying degrees.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached.
Tashigi ran over to Ivan, holding a newspaper, and anxiously shouted, "Colonel Ivan, something terrible has happened in the East Sea!"
Ivan's heart stirred slightly. Several days had passed since he received the information from his Wood Clone after it dispersed. Calculating the time, it was about right. It seemed the series of waves he had stirred up in the East Sea were finally beginning to ferment.
"Tashigi, don't panic," he said, stretching lazily, his joints emitting soft cracks. "Whatever it is, just tell me slowly."
Tashigi nodded and handed over the bounty poster in her hand.
Ivan reached out to take it, his gaze falling upon the familiar figure printed in the center of the poster.
The person wore an exquisitely patterned fox mask, stood tall and straight, and exuded a faint chill.
And at the very bottom of the bounty poster, a striking number caught the eye.
180,000,000 Berries!
"Wow!" an exclamation erupted beside him. Nami had somehow leaned over, her arm resting on Ivan's shoulder. "Who is this? What on earth did he do to get an initial bounty of 180 million Berries?!"
Tashigi, her expression still tinged with uncontrollable shock, explained:
"His codename is Fox, a pirate who recently appeared in the East Sea. In just these past few days, he has been slaughtering Marines and pirates on a large scale. The total number of victims has reached 1,243. Among them are even a king of an allied nation and dozens of nobles. Because his actions are so brutal, his first bounty was directly set at 180 million Berries. This not only breaks the highest bounty record for pirates in the East Sea but also sets a new record for the highest initial bounty for a pirate in recent years!"
Nami covered her mouth in disbelief. "Hey, hey, hey, this is just too outrageous! Getting 180 million Berries on your first bounty!"
Then, her eyes lit up, and she immediately leaned in closer, gently nudging Ivan with her elbow.
"Ivan, can you defeat this guy? 180 million Berries! I've never seen so much money in my life!"
Ivan rolled his eyes. Sure enough, it was Nami. The moment she heard the word "Berries," everything else was instantly forgotten. One second she was shocked by the high bounty, and the next, her mind was completely fixated on the money.
He shook his head helplessly and said uncertainly, "I've never actually fought him, so I can't say for sure if I can win. Moreover, the hardest part isn't defeating him but finding his whereabouts. After he killed the allied nation's king, the World Government immediately issued an order for his full-scale arrest. But until now, they haven't even caught a glimpse of him. This shows that his ability to hide is probably quite troublesome."
Joking aside, the Wood Clone was his alter ego. How could he possibly capture his own alter ego? Furthermore, this identity would be of great use in the future. He still planned to use this alter ego to carry out even more earth-shattering deeds!
Like slaughtering Celestial Dragons, like slaughtering Celestial Dragons, like slaughtering Celestial Dragons...
So, Nami was destined to be disappointed.
Sure enough, the next second, Nami's face fell, and she let out a heavy sigh. "Ah, what a pity about those 180 million Berries."
Thud!
The sound of something heavy hitting the ground echoed, followed by Garp's hearty laughter from not far away.
"Hahaha, kid Ivan, have you seen the latest bounty poster? I never expected the East Sea to be so lively lately. Not only did a genius like you appear, but there's also a pirate Supernova who has slaughtered over a thousand people, dared to kill nobles, and even assassinated a king of an allied nation. Wahahahaha! Indeed, although the East Sea is called the Weakest Sea, this miraculous sea breeds monsters!"