Capítulo 79: Sengoku Shocked, Bounties Raised!
"The Buster Call led by four Vice Admirals, Hero Garp, and Admiral Aokiji ended with one Vice Admiral critically injured, most of the fleet destroyed, and heavy Marine casualties. The world is once again shaken by the Thunder God Pirates. This time, however, people are talking less about Sanders defeating a Vice Admiral and more about the mysterious blind swordsman, Issho, who brought down meteors to decimate the fleet, and the island that rose back up to ten thousand meters in the sky."
"He brought down meteors and destroyed most of the fleet?!" "That can't be true. A Buster Call is powerful enough to harm even the Four Emperors. But the Thunder God Pirates came out unscathed, and a Vice Admiral was critically injured?"
"Incredible! That blind swordsman can actually pull meteors down from the sky!"
"Those were meteors—natural disasters capable of obliterating entire villages. No wonder the fleet was destroyed!"
"The bounty for Issho was severely underestimated. If he can go toe-to-toe with Garp and pull down meteors, his bounty should be over a billion!" "Could even the deputies of the Four Emperors pull off such a feat?" "He's terrifying! I declare, the fifth Emperor of the Sea is about to rise!"
"Really? The Thunder God Pirates may have powerful fighters, but they're still small in number. Only Sanders and Issho can really fight, while the Four Emperors control vast territories and have legions of loyal followers. Sanders is still quite a ways off from that."
"Is no one going to talk about that island floating back up? That has to be the power of the Float-Float Fruit!"
"Could it be that the legendary Golden Lion Shiki isn't dead and has joined the Thunder God Pirates?"
"No way! If Shiki were alive, the Flying Pirates would have regrouped with the Thunder God Pirates instead of running amok everywhere." "So then, did the Thunder God Pirates acquire the Float-Float Fruit? Do they have another person with float powers?"
"Who knows? But it's clear now that the Marines will never be able to catch the Thunder God Pirates. They can just stay up in the sky where no one can find them."
"Enough speculation! Go read the latest issue of the World Economy News! The Golden Lion Shiki has been confirmed dead!"
"Did anyone notice the new recruit with the Thunder God Pirates? The little girl with red hair?"
"Yeah, she was releasing lightning attacks. She must be a Devil Fruit user, though she seems young and likely not very powerful."
"The Marines made a massive blunder this time. Even after deploying two top forces, they couldn't injure the Thunder God Pirates."
"How is Garp considered top-tier?"
"How not? He was one of the Navy's elite of the last generation and the one who pursued the Pirate King, Roger."
Pirates across the world eagerly discussed the news, while the atmosphere at Marine Headquarters was tense. In the main meeting room, Fleet Admiral Sengoku sat at the head, looking grim. The loss of thousands of elite Marines and several massive warships had humiliated both the World Government and the Marines. Even the Five Elders personally questioned Sengoku.
"Can anyone explain why we suffered such a massive defeat this time?" Sengoku pounded the table angrily. "We haven't suffered such losses even when facing the Four Emperors!"
At that moment, a crisp munching sound broke the silence, and Sengoku's face darkened as he glared at Garp.
"Damn it, Garp! Is this the time to be eating?"
Garp stopped mid-bite and offered Sengoku a rice cracker. "Want some?"
"You fool!" Sengoku's face turned livid.
Garp laughed heartily before turning serious. "Sengoku, you must've read the battle report. This had nothing to do with me."
"The island was lifted, and I thought both sides would exchange a few punches and call it a day. That seemed to be Sanders' plan as well, but…"
Garp didn't finish, but everyone understood. Issho attacked the Marine fleet because the other Marines had tried to capture Nico Robin. Even Doberman was seriously injured because he attempted to ambush Sanders.
What should have been a scuffle escalated when the Marines aboard the ship—and the Vice Admirals leading them—decided to act, resulting in this disaster. Vice Admiral Tsuru quickly tried to mediate. "They were simply following orders to capture the pirates. This mission failed entirely because we underestimated the strength of the Thunder God Pirates."
"No one expected Issho to be this powerful, nor could anyone have foreseen the island rising back into the sky."
Sengoku turned to Garp. "Did you manage to gauge Issho's strength?"
"Yes, I've got a clear grasp of his abilities. Whether it's Haki, swordsmanship, or his Devil Fruit powers, Issho uses them all with impressive mastery. Without a doubt, he's a top-tier fighter. Sanders really managed to recruit an extraordinary person!" Gritting his teeth, Sengoku muttered in frustration, "Why do fighters of this caliber keep becoming pirates?"
With so few truly powerful people on the seas, each one that joins the pirates is another formidable enemy for the Marines, adding to the already heavy pressure they face. "And what's with this Float-Float Fruit power?" he continued, turning to Aokiji.
"The Float-Float Fruit ability is likely in Sanders' possession," Aokiji replied casually, removing his eye mask and stifling a yawn. Having fought Sanders the most, he had a good sense of the man's abilities. During the battle, Aokiji noticed several instances where Sanders seemed to use powers resembling those of the Float-Float Fruit, like creating massive waves to flood the battleships and obstructing Aokiji's attempts to intervene during the meteor attacks by freezing the surface.
"Impossible! No one can wield two Devil Fruit powers at the same time!" Sengoku snapped, firmly rejecting the idea. This was an iron rule discovered over centuries of experience.
"Sengoku," Tsuru interjected, "the world is vast and full of mysteries. If Devil Fruits can be artificially created, who's to say someone couldn't wield two of them? And remember, we're talking about Sanders here."
Sengoku was taken aback for a moment. Tsuru had a point. If Devil Fruits could indeed be manufactured, then perhaps the idea of someone possessing two abilities wasn't so far-fetched. And when it came to Sanders… this was a man who had pulled off countless surprises over the years. It might be an outlandish possibility for others, but for Sanders, it almost seemed plausible.
This recent encounter revealed that Sanders possessed swordsmanship on the level of a great swordsman, the advanced Haki technique of Conqueror's coating, and potentially a second Devil Fruit ability. Though startling, it felt oddly believable coming from him.
"The Five Elders have sent word: from now on, we are to treat Sanders with the same caution as Whitebeard and avoid engaging him casually," Sengoku announced gravely. With two top-level fighters and the Float-Float ability in their ranks, the Thunder God Pirates had reached a point where they could impact the balance of power in the world.
"Now, what do we know about the Thunder God Pirates' newest member?" Sengoku asked. Presently, the Thunder God Pirates were a team of only four. Sanders and Issho were powerhouses in their own right, and Nico Robin, while not particularly strong, possessed abilities that posed a unique threat to both the World Government and the Marines. Given this, Sengoku was very interested in learning more about the newest recruit.
"We've identified her," the intelligence officer said, opening a dossier. "Her name is Nami, hailing from the East Blue. She goes by the nickname 'Cat Burglar' and was the reason for the deaths of Arlong and the Marine Captain Nezumi in the East Blue. She's skilled in cartography and navigation, and currently serves as the Thunder God Pirates' navigator. Her suspected Devil Fruit ability is..."
"What? What Devil Fruit ability?" Sengoku pressed.
"Suspected to be the Rumble-Rumble Fruit," the intelligence officer replied hesitantly.
"What the heck? Sanders already has the Rumble-Rumble Fruit!" Sengoku shot back, irritated by the report. "Everyone knows that Sanders ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Are you telling me there's a second one? Do you think I'm a fool? You might as well just say it's some random lightning-based Paramecia Fruit!"
"Based on our intelligence and thorough analysis, it's indeed very likely the Rumble-Rumble Fruit," the intelligence officer replied, bracing himself.
Sengoku, about to rebuke him, suddenly stopped. He recalled the existence of artificial Devil Fruits and swallowed his words. The sea was vast and full of the unknown. With such mysteries in play, he couldn't afford to dismiss anything outright; he had to save face as Fleet Admiral.
"Alright. That's all for now," he said.
"Issue a bounty for Cat Burglar Nami," came the order. "Initial bounty set at 32 million Berries!"
As the Thunder God Pirates' navigator and a suspected wielder of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, her first bounty of 32 million Berries was already quite high. "Blind Swordsman Issho's bounty has increased to 2 billion Berries!" His bounty skyrocketed, increasing fivefold. "Sanders' bounty is now at 2.861 billion Berries! And Devil Child Nico Robin's bounty has been raised to 110 million Berries!"
The entire Thunder God Pirates crew saw an increase in their bounties, with Issho's rise being the most substantial. Given his considerable power, confirmed by the Marines, and his role in the fleet's devastation, a fivefold increase seemed justified. Sanders' increase stemmed largely from his recent victory over the infamous Golden Lion Shiki. Nami's high bounty was due to her affiliation with the Thunder God Pirates and her rumored Rumble-Rumble Fruit powers, landing her an impressive 32 million for a first bounty. This was an exceptionally high amount for a new bounty in the first half of the Grand Line, though if her Rumble-Rumble powers were verified, it could skyrocket into the hundreds of millions.
In Cocoyasi Village, ever since Nami had set off, Genzo had been buying newspapers daily, hoping to hear news of her. When he heard about Shiki's defeat, there were mentions of the Thunder God Pirates, but no specifics on Nami's involvement, leaving the villagers concerned. After all, facing a legendary pirate crew was dangerous, and Nami was just a young girl. That morning, as usual, Genzo arrived at the dock to wait for the news delivery birds. One arrived with a satchel, and after paying, Genzo unfolded the paper, only to have several bounty posters fall out.
Among them, Genzo's eyes widened when he saw Nami's. "Cat Burglar Nami, Navigator of the Thunder God Pirates, Bounty: 32 million Berries, Alive or Dead!"
He was shocked—Nami's first bounty was incredibly high! The tyrant Arlong, who had previously ruled over them, had only a bounty of 20 million Berries, which was a significant amount for the East Blue. But now, this little girl from their village had a bounty of over 30 million! Without delay, Genzo rushed back to the village, shouting, "There's news of Nami! Nami's got news!"
The villagers, who had been worried, gathered around him eagerly. "Wow! Little Nami's doing amazing—she's already worth 32 million Berries!" "This is great; a bounty poster means she's safe!" "Haha! And that Issho guy is now worth over a billion Berries! That's incredible!"
"And Sanders, worth 2.8 billion now... it's hard to believe such a notorious pirate once visited our little village and even shared drinks with us!" someone remarked, awestruck. "Let's tell Nojiko; she's been worried sick these past few days!" "We should throw a feast to celebrate; our Cocoa Village has produced a big-name pirate!"
But Genzo's face turned stern. "A feast?!" he retorted, "Our village is now home to a pirate, which brings shame to us all! Everyone, go home and remind your children not to follow in Nami's footsteps!" With that, he clutched the bounty poster and headed toward Nojiko's house, leaving the other villagers in puzzled silence.
"What's with Genzo? Isn't he happy?" someone asked curiously.
"Psh, I saw him smiling from ear to ear as he turned away," the village doctor chuckled. "He's just worried the Marines might cause trouble for us or make things harder for little Nami." After all, Cocoa Village had produced a pirate, and who knew how the Marines might react. Genzo was just trying to protect everyone.
"What's there to worry about? The new Marine base captain seems easy going. He's even helped us fend off some small-time pirates lately." Ever since the Thunder God Pirates left, a Marine vessel had been patrolling near Cocoyasi Village, which made the villagers nervous at first. They feared the Marines might retaliate against the village for Nami joining a pirate crew. But to their surprise, these Marines were quite understanding. Not only did they never mention Nami, but they even lent a hand in dealing with minor pirate threats and helped the villagers when they ran into trouble at sea.
The new captain, who replaced Captain Nezumi, had explained his motives. He wasn't exactly thrilled to be posted there but knew that if Cocoyasi Village were to be attacked by pirates, Sanders himself might come looking for him, which wouldn't end well. Besides, he owed his promotion entirely to Cocoyasi Village, so showing goodwill seemed like the right choice.
"Why not do a good deed here and there? The sea isn't just about fighting; it's about connections too. And who knows? Small gestures now might save me in the future," he'd thought to himself.
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