บท 27: CHAPTER 27

Marshal's office in Marlin Vandeau.

Sengoku frowned as he looked at the photo of a young man on the table. Beside it lay a document containing basic information about him.

[Name: Alastor]

[Age: 20]

[Affiliation: One of the Flying Six of the Hundred Beasts Pirates]

[Features: Highly resilient body, incredible defense, shows a reckless drive similar to the beast Kaido]

[Fruit Ability: Unknown]

[Bounty: Not Yet Assigned]

"Why is the most important category—fruit ability—listed as unknown?" Sengoku asked, visibly displeased, as he looked at the head of the Naval Criminal Investigation Bureau, a brawny man codenamed Dark Horse.

Dark Horse replied, "According to our investigations, he has never displayed any fruit ability in combat. He may not even be a devil fruit user. But if that's the case, it doesn't explain his resilience, which rivals that of Zoan ability users."

Sengoku fell silent, contemplating. After a moment, he said, "Perhaps it's a unique physique. But regardless, he poses a serious threat to the Navy. Let's put a bounty on him."

Dark Horse asked, "How much?"

Sengoku named a figure that left Dark Horse stunned. "330 million Berries!"

Dark Horse's eyes widened. 330 million Berries was an enormous amount, especially for a newcomer. Generally, individuals of this caliber, if not already aligned with a faction, would be invited to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Sengoku, however, was unfazed by Dark Horse's shock. He considered the figure high but justified, given Alastor's reputation for taking down Guleta and his status as a key member of the Four Yonkos.

As Dark Horse left with the new bounty notice, he opened the door and encountered Garp.

"Hey, whose bounty are you handling? Some new big shot in the Grand Line?" Garp asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Alastor, of the Hundred Beasts Pirates. The bounty is 330 million Berries," replied Dark Horse.

Garp laughed, "330 million Berries! Sengoku, you're spending Navy funds like water!"

Sengoku snapped, "Garp, the Navy's budget wouldn't be stretched if we didn't have freeloaders like you!"

Garp crossed his legs, smirking. "Come on, Sengoku. What about those layabouts Aokiji and Kizaru? They sit around HQ all day doing nothing."

Sengoku grumbled. Aokiji and Kizaru, the Navy's highest-ranking officers, were notoriously lazy. Sometimes, even he, the marshal, struggled to get them to act.

"Garp!" he roared, "admit it! You're the one who brought this slacker culture into the Navy!"

But knowing Garp would never own up, Sengoku pivoted to a different subject.

"Your grandson, Straw Hat Luffy, just entered the Grand Line and clashed with Baroque Works. Garp, you'd better hope he doesn't cross paths with the vicious Sand Crocodile!"

The Sand Crocodile, known as Warlord Crocodile, had control over Baroque Works and resided in the desert nation of Alabasta.

Garp's grin faded as concern crept onto his face. Luffy, don't do anything reckless…

---

As news of Alastor's bounty spread, the sea was abuzz with excitement.

New World

In Dressrosa's royal palace, Doflamingo stared at the bounty notice with a grim expression.

"The last time he was here, he was just an unknown soldier," he muttered to his subordinates. "Now he's one of the Flying Six of the Hundred Beasts Pirates, with a bounty like this. Quite a formidable young man."

"Gladius, you picked the wrong fight," Doflamingo said to his bandaged subordinate, whose wrist Alastor had broken in a previous clash. Fear flickered in Gladius' eyes as he recalled Alastor's immense strength.

Pica, another of Doflamingo's men, piped up, "330 million Berries… just 10 million short of your original bounty, young master."

"That's why I warned you not to provoke him," Doflamingo sighed.

Meanwhile, in a room below the palace, aunt and niece Viola and Rebecca shared a quiet reunion.

"Auntie!" Rebecca exclaimed joyfully, her face lighting up. She was no longer dressed in iron armor but in ordinary clothing, having been pulled from the arena by Viola.

"Rebecca," Viola said, "it's pointless to fight Doflamingo. No amount of training can make you a match for him. But now, we have an ally in the Hundred Beasts. That man, Alastor, has immense power and ambition. He has his sights set on Doflamingo."

Rebecca, who'd already been impressed by Alastor, nodded, remembering the coat he'd given her. She followed her aunt's advice, quitting the arena to the disappointment of the fans.

Viola showed Rebecca Alastor's bounty notice. Rebecca studied it closely, her eyes filled with hope.

"Lord Alastor is incredible. He'll save Dressrosa!"

Viola sighed. "Yes… for a first bounty to be this high is truly astonishing."

As for Rebecca's words about saving Dressrosa, Viola didn't respond. Unlike Rebecca, she wasn't so innocent; after all, that man was still a pirate—a very ambitious one. She couldn't predict how he would treat Dressrosa once Doflamingo was gone. But even so, what choice did she have? The World Government and the Navy couldn't be counted on, so her only option was to rely on Alastor.

---

Aboard the Moby Dick.

Marco held Alastor's bounty notice and showed it to Whitebeard.

"This is the guy who defeated Teabeard. He's definitely one of Kaido's men."

Whitebeard narrowed his eyes slightly, committing Alastor's face to memory.

Suddenly, a shout echoed across the sea. "Hey, Pops, I'm heading out!"

Whitebeard looked over and smiled. "Go ahead, Thatch!"

It was Thatch, captain of the Fourth Division, about to set sail on a new expedition.

Thatch waved goodbye to the other Whitebeard Pirates on deck. "Wait for my good news, everyone!"

Blackbeard Teach shouted with the crowd, "Don't forget to bring back plenty of treasure, Thatch!"

Elsewhere, members of the Red-Haired Pirates and Big Mom Pirates also took note of Alastor's bounty. With the Four Emperors constantly vying for power, keeping tabs on each other's movements was essential.

Meanwhile, in the Kuri region, Alastor himself finally saw his bounty notice.

"330 million Berries!" his follower, Billy, exclaimed, jumping up excitedly. "Lord Alastor, you're truly amazing!"

Alastor, however, wasn't moved. His first thought on seeing the bounty was how many supplies 330 million Berries could buy. If he turned himself in to the Navy, he wondered if they would actually pay him.

After a moment, he chuckled and dismissed the thought. The Navy wouldn't be that generous.

Turning to Billy and Speed, he said, "Over the past few days, I've established rules for managing affairs in Kuri. Make sure to follow them from now on."

Billy and Speed replied with deep admiration, "Understood, Lord Alastor!"

Alastor's rules differed significantly from the previous practices of the Hundred Beasts Pirates—no harming civilians, no polluting the environment needlessly, and so on. Yet, no one questioned him; no one dared. The words of Mr. Flying Six, Alastor, the man with a 330 million Berries bounty, were beyond challenge.

Satisfied, Alastor left. His first stop was Amigasa Village, where he planned to visit a little girl named Tama, whom he hadn't seen in nearly a month.

"Big brother!"

Seeing him, the girl rushed over, pouting. "I came to look for you so many times, but you weren't there. Where have you been?"

Alastor picked her up, gently tapping her nose. "I was taking a little trip across the sea."

"The sea?" Tama's eyes sparkled with wonder. "It must be beautiful! And I bet there's so much tasty food!"

"There is, indeed. And I didn't forget about you—I brought back lots of treats!"

As he spoke, Alastor opened a large box filled with various foods. Tama's eyes lit up, and she gave him a kiss. "You're the best, big brother!"

She quickly dived into the food, her eyes shining with excitement. Poor Tama had likely never seen such an abundance of treats before. She was so happy she could hardly contain herself.

After playing with Tama for a while, Alastor said goodbye, leaving her with a wistful look in her eyes. But he had important tasks to attend to.

However, as he left, a pair of hateful eyes peered out from a crack in the door of Tama's cabin. It was Kozuki Sukiyaki, glaring at Alastor's back with resentment.

"Damn him. Why is he still alive? Why hasn't the cursed Sandai Kitetsu brought him misfortune and death?"

Kozuki Sukiyaki seethed with rage. Since the day Alastor had threatened to expose his true identity and taken his beloved Sandai Kitetsu, Sukiyaki had hated him to the core. Every day, he wished for misfortune to strike Alastor down.