บท 17: _ Billion Bounty!
Kizaru stood on the wreckage of the battleships, guarding the fallen Marines.
After about half an hour, the supporting Marine fleet finally arrived.
Looking at the scattered wreckage of the ships on the sea, the arriving Vice Admiral had a grim expression.
"Admiral Kizaru, has Sanders already escaped?"
Vice Admiral Doberman asked Kizaru.
"He was gone by the time I got here."
"Quick, get those guys out of the water. The Sea Kings are about to have their fill."
Kizaru motioned for the support fleet to start rescuing the Marines from the sea.
"What a terrifying guy. How on earth did he escape from Impel Down?"
"And what about Vice Admiral Onigumo?"
Doberman sighed in disbelief.
"He was punched into the sea by Sanders. Not sure if he's still alive."
Kizaru pointed toward the sea.
Before the support arrived, Kizaru had already asked the surviving Marines for details.
The Marines didn't know much about what happened before Sanders escaped from Impel Down.
But they did witness him destroy the fleet and defeat Vice Admiral Onigumo with a single punch.
"One punch?"
"When did this guy become so terrifying?!"
Kizaru with a cigar in his mouth, couldn't believe it.
The others also had shocked expressions.
They were all familiar with Onigumo's strength, as they were fellow Vice Admirals of the Marine Headquarters.
Sanders had sparred with them frequently three years ago.
He was strong, but not strong enough to defeat an elite Vice Admiral in one blow.
What had this guy been doing during those three years in Impel Down?
Kizaru nodded and said, "Just one punch. You guys handle the rescue. I'll head to Impel Down to check things out and report to Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
With that, Kizaru turned into a beam of light and sped toward Impel Down.
Before long, Fleet Admiral Sengoku at Marine Headquarters received the full report.
"What did you say? Magellan is seriously injured as well?!"
Sengoku's expression was grave as he held the Den Den Mushi.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Aside from Vice Warden Hannyabal, who stayed in the control room, all of Impel Down's high-ranking officers were severely injured. According to Hannyabal, Sanders practically bulldozed his way out of Impel Down."
Kizaru's sly expression appeared on the Den Den Mushi.
After a moment of silence, Sengoku asked, "Kizaru, in your opinion, how strong is Sanders now?"
"Hard to say, but he probably isn't much weaker than I am."
Kizaru replied honestly.
If he were in Sanders' position, he would have escaped as quickly as possible using his speed, rather than bulldozing through everything like Sanders did.
"I understand. Stay on standby there for now until further instructions from the World Government."
Sengoku ordered before hanging up.
With Magellan and Shiryu both gravely injured, Hannyabal alone couldn't keep the dangerous prisoners of Impel Down in check, so Kizaru couldn't be withdrawn just yet.
Sengoku sat back in his office, his face dark with worry.
The situation had spiraled out of control.
Sanders now possessed the strength to contend with an Admiral, making it nearly impossible to capture him again.
Now, he had to figure out how the Marines should respond.
The seas were growing more chaotic.
Kaido, Whitebeard, and Big Mom were already known as the Sea Emperors.
And there were growing voices calling Shanks the Fourth Emperor of the Sea.
The Marines had completely lost control of the New World.
And now Sanders had escaped.
Given his strength, there was no telling what kind of storm he would stir up on the seas.
All of this gave Sengoku a splitting headache.
If Sanders' adoptive father hadn't died three years ago, things would be much easier for him right now.
With the three Admirals, plus Sanders, who had Admiral-level strength, the Marines could easily stand against the Four Emperors.
But now…
That Marine prodigy had turned completely against the Marines and the World Government.
Now, the Marines had one more powerful enemy to face.
Sigh...
With a heavy sigh, Sengoku picked up the Den Den Mushi to call the Gorosei.
This wasn't something he could solve alone.
After all, this whole situation had been caused by the World Government and the Gorosei.
They should share in the headache as well.
At the World Government, the Gorosei gathered in a meeting room, where the atmosphere was tense.
"You've all heard Sengoku's report. Let's discuss how to handle this."
Jaygarcia Saturn, holding a cane, dressed in a black suit, with white curly hair and a bushy white beard, spoke softly.
"What is there to discuss? Issue a bounty and have the Marines pursue him. That's all there is to it."
The bald Gorosei, who held a katana, replied in a low voice.
"Impel Down really is useless. We should have executed Sanders when we had the chance."
"Who could have predicted that he would break out of Impel Down and grow this strong?"
The balding Gorosei with a mustache chimed in.
If Sanders could grow this strong in Impel Down, who knows how powerful he could become in a few more years?
More importantly, Sanders was only 19 years old.
"He's just one man. It's no big deal. We've ruled the world for hundreds of years. How many powerful figures have turned to dust and bones? No matter how chaotic the seas become, the World Government will always hold its ground."
The long-bearded Gorosei, Marcus Mars, said nonchalantly.
Whether it was Rocks' crew in the past or Roger's crew after them, they were long gone now.
But the World Government still stood tall atop the seas, unshaken.
"The problem with Sanders isn't just his strength. It's that he will surely target the World Nobles."
"Unlike the lowly pirates, he doesn't care about the status of the Celestial Dragons."
The balding Gorosei spoke again.
The room fell into silence.
There were some on the seas who weren't afraid of the Celestial Dragons.
But few actively provoked them.
Even the Sea Emperors didn't actively target the World Nobles.
But Sanders was different.
His adoptive father had been killed by a Celestial Dragon.
And now, with his newfound strength and lack of allegiance, he might start actively hunting them down.
That was what truly concerned them.
If too many Celestial Dragons were killed, their mystique and authority would diminish greatly.
And once that happened, more people would dare to challenge them.
"Why not invite him to become a Warlord of the Sea?"
The curly-haired Gorosei suggested.
The Warlord system was a mechanism established by the World Government.
Every member was a well-known and powerful pirate.
Only those with high notoriety and immense strength qualified to become Warlords.
At the moment, the ranks of the Warlords weren't fully filled.
"As long as he doesn't harm the World Nobles, giving him a seat isn't out of the question."
"But will he agree?"
The bald Gorosei doubted that Sanders would agree.
"Let's try, anyway."
"But first, we need to discuss the bounty for Sanders."
"1.5 billion berries. His strength and threat level certainly warrant that."
"Perhaps this could cause him some trouble. Many pirates care about bounties. It's common for them to kill each other for a higher bounty."
"If Kaido or Whitebeard cross paths with Sanders, it could work in our favor."
The curly-haired Gorosei added.
"Agreed!"
"Agreed!"
"..."
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T/N:
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