Chương 227: Chapter 227: New Bounty
{PS crossed 100, so 1 more??}
Grand Line, Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In the spacious and bright central meeting room, the atmosphere was heavy and silent. The senior generals, all wearing their Justice cloaks, had grim expressions on their faces.
The towering Marine Fleet Admiral Kong sat at the head of the conference table, his deep gaze sweeping over the elite Marines seated around the table.
As if unintentionally, Fleet Admiral Kong's gaze repeatedly fell on a young Vice Admiral with a missing portion of his right leg.
And the high-ranking officers who reacted similarly to Fleet Admiral Kong were not few.
After all, many, like Fleet Admiral Kong, were very surprised that the three renowned monster Vice Admirals of the Marine Headquarters had consecutively been defeated by the legendary great pirate, White Ghost.
And this time, it was even in a two-on-one situation!
At the table, Borsalino, dressed in a white suit and wearing a black top hat, also glanced at Sakazuki, who had joined the Marines and entered the elite training camp at the same time as he did.
Originally enjoying his 'Paid Leave', Borsalino had give up this benefit and return to headquarters to report after hearing the news.
Looking at the solemn-faced Sakazuki, a mysterious light flashed in Borsalino's eyes behind his yellow sunglasses.
"Even you failed, Sakazuki~" Borsalino said in his usual teasing tone, pushing up his sunglasses.
"That White Ghost is truly a terrifying monster~"
Sitting quietly in the meeting room like an invisible person, Kuzan felt inexplicably uneasy.
Even though he had participated in the Buster Call operation on Ohara and had also fought White Ghost, why was no one paying any attention to him? {I don't think he will be like that}
"Borsalino, you have fought that pirate before, haven't you?" Sakazuki suddenly raised his head, his cold gaze fixed on Borsalino.
"This time, I was indeed careless! Let's review White Ghost's abilities later!"
"Why do troublesome things always come to a seriously injured person like me—"
Sensing the atmosphere in the room becoming chaotic, Borsalino 'remembered' that Sakazuki's injuries were far more severe than his own and would continue to affect his future Marine career. He then 'belatedly' said:
"Sorry, Sakazuki, I didn't mean to~
"It's all that White Ghost's fault~
"Let's not talk about him; that would be a headache~"
"Ha ha ha, Borsalino, as expected, your words are really annoying!"
At this moment, a hearty laugh interrupted Borsalino's words.
A tall figure appeared at the door of the meeting room, dressed in a tightly fitting black suit with gray hair.
"You sound so sarcastic all the time!"
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
"Garp!"
Surprised exclamations echoed in the meeting room, and the senior Marine officers all stood up, looking joyfully at the Marine hero who had appeared at the door.
The heavy atmosphere that had nearly suffocated the entire meeting room was inexplicably swept away by the arrival of Monkey D. Garp.
"Garp!" Fleet Admiral Kong's eyes first showed satisfaction but quickly turned to annoyance and anger. "Don't just stand there, come in and sit down!"
"Ha ha ha, Kong, I already heard about this matter from the sailors on my way here."
Garp swaggered in, waving off the officers who wanted to give up their seats for him, and casually pulled up an empty chair to sit down.
Since the execution of Roger in East Blue in September of the year 1498 of the Sea Circle Calendar, Garp had been on "vacation."
The official explanation was that after successfully capturing the Pirate King, the Marine hero had returned to his hometown in East Blue to rest and recuperate.
Only a few knew that Garp had actually been in the South Blue.
Until the beginning of this year.
After those two ill-fated kids were born in the South Blue, Garp decided to return to Marine Headquarters.
He handed the baby girl, Anne, over to Dragon.
Before leaving, Garp also made a trip to his hometown in East Blue and entrusted the boy, Ace, to a familiar group of bandits for upbringing.
'Even if he bears the name of the Pirate King, as long as I train him well, I can ensure his safe growth!'
Holding this belief, the legendary Marine left East Blue after giving some instructions to the bandits of the Goa Kingdom.
Little did he know that Devil's Heir would land in the outskirts of Foosha Village just days after he left.
But that's a story for another time.
After sitting down, Garp felt a sudden sense of unease and shifted in his seat a few times.
He quickly forgot the feeling and loudly voiced his thoughts.
"Sakazuki, you shouldn't handle these kind of situation in future!"
Seeing Fleet Admiral Kong's stern face, Kuzan signaled Garp to stop and not further agitate the already seriously injured Sakazuki.
Kong sternly shouted, "Garp!"
In the absence of Admiral Sengoku, who was out on a mission, Fleet Admiral Kong was the only one in the meeting room who could to reprimand Garp.
"Big Brother Kong, do you think I'm here to provoke this kid who lost a leg?"
Garp shook his head, showing unexpected calmness.
"A Marine! On a mission, getting injured, that's all part of the job!
"What I really can't stand is Sakazuki's order to bombard that innocent refugee ship!"
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
Kuzan suddenly spoke up.
Since returning to headquarters, Kuzan had been feeling uneasy.
He could clearly feel that his belief in "burning justice" had been completely shaken after the Ohara incident.
Although he had fought alongside Sakazuki against White Ghost, it didn't mean he could overlook what Sakazuki had done.
A whole ship of innocent lives lost before his eyes, and the order to fire came from within the Marine, in the name of "justice"!
Every time Kuzan looked at the "burning justice" plaque in his office, he felt an indescribable discomfort.
Seeing the Marine hero he had always admired and respected openly criticize Sakazuki for the refugee ship incident, how could Kuzan not be moved?
"Eh? Kuzan, you're here too?" Garp scratched his head. "I thought you died on Ohara!"
Kuzan's expression immediately turned awkward.
No injuries…
Well, many couldn't understand why two Marine monster Vice Admirals on the same mission had such different outcomes.
Sakazuki lost part of his right leg and was left disabled for life.
While Kuzan, who had fought White Ghost first, emerged almost unscathed except for some exhaustion.
"Ha ha ha, I was just joking, Kuzan!"
Garp laughed loudly again, patting Kuzan's shoulder vigorously.
"Vice Admiral Garp!" Sakazuki coldly interrupted. "I ordered the bombardment of the refugee ship to ensure no archaeologists escaped."
Garp responded, "White Ghost is full of tricks. How do you know he didn't let those archaeologists escape beforehand?"
"Garp!"
The one who stopped Garp again was still Fleet Admiral Kong.
Kong looked extremely displeased. As the Fleet Admiral, how could he not know that the Buster Call operation was essentially a failure?
Although the scholars' island of Ohara was destroyed by cannon fire, the real target, the archaeologists, were likely rescued by White Ghost!
"I think Garp finally spoke some sense!"
Zephyr, who had been silent till now, suddenly spoke up.
"Bombarding innocent civilians, how can that be 'justice'?"
"Even if there were archaeologists on the refugee ship, wasn't there time to search the ship during the Buster Call?"
"Like White Ghost said, it's Corrupted Justice."
Seeing the hawks, doves, and the neutral factions about to erupt into another debate on 'justice,' Fleet Admiral Kong felt a headache coming on.
The Marines were indeed the true overlords of the sea! Compared to the pirate groups, they were the bigger, organized and had the strongest forces.
But who knew about the severe internal ideological conflicts they faced?
Sometimes, conflicts of ideology were the most deadly and non-negotiable…
Kong exerted his authority as Fleet Admiral, managing to temporarily suppress the arguments in the meeting room.
"Don't forget the main purpose of this meeting! We're here to discuss the latest bounty on White Ghost and how to deal with him!"
"Hahaha, Kong, how much are you planning to set the bounty for that kid this time?" Garp asked curiously. "It won't be over two billion Berries, right?"
"Garp." Zephyr shook his head. "Though White Ghost is quite capable, he has shown no intention of forming a crew. A lone wolf's bounty can't be that high."
"Speaking of which, haven't we been suppressing White Ghost's bounty?" Vice Admiral Tsuru said slowly.
"He has fought Charlotte Linlin multiple times. Normally, a pirate's bounty would have skyrocketed by now."
At this point, Vice Admiral Tsuru paused briefly.
"Moreover, according to the latest intelligence, White Ghost seems to have fought with Whitebeard on Hand Island in the New World for about half an hour.
"The most surprising part is, White Ghost seems to have successfully completed the challenge as a rookie pirate!"
The meeting room burst into an uproar at this news.
Whitebeard's title as the "World's Strongest Man" wasn't just for show; it was earned through countless battles with his fists and his naginata, Murakumogiri!
After the disbandment of the Roger Pirates and the Flying Pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates had become a dominant force in the New World.
There were always rumors of rookie pirates challenging Whitebeard, but those arrogant youngsters were either easily defeated or so impressed by Whitebeard's spirit that they joined his crew, becoming his "sons."
In the memory of the senior officers at Marine Headquarters, White Ghost seemed to be the first rookie pirate to successfully challenge Whitebeard!
Kong asked, "Tsuru, is this true?"
"This is one of the rumors circulating from the Moby Dick. We can't confirm it yet, but if we send personnel to investigate Hand Island, we should be able to verify it soon."
Vice Admiral Tsuru continued.
"Additionally, there's another matter related to Whitebeard that I wasn't planning to mention in this meeting… It seems the Whitebeard Pirates have found Whitebeard's son."
"Hahaha!!"
Garp, who had been listening seriously, burst into laughter, nearly shedding tears.
"Tsuru, are you joking? Isn't everyone on the Moby Dick Newgate's son?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru calmly brushed her hair aside and dropped a bombshell.
"I mean Whitebeard Edward Newgate's biological son!"
Thud!
Garp lost his balance and fell to the floor.
The other officers were equally shocked and stunned.
"Tsuru…" Fleet Admiral Kong had a strange expression. "Are you sure a man like Whitebeard Edward Newgate would marry and have children?"
Tsuru glanced at Garp calmly.
"If someone like Garp (Monkey) can have a son, why can't Whitebeard?"
Garp got up from the floor, scratching his head.
It was indeed strange. Even the senior officers at Marine Headquarters didn't know how someone as carefree as Garp could father such a clever son like Dragon, though perhaps a bit too clever…
Garp cleared his throat, embarrassed to discuss his son who had left the Marines, and tried to change the subject.
"Ahem… Tsuru, you make a good point! But what does Newgate's son look like? Does he have a weird white beard like his father?"
"How would I know!" Tsuru looked at Garp in exasperation. "We only recently got this information."
Bang!
Kong tapped the table heavily with his finger.
"Everyone, let's stop discussing Whitebeard and his son. Let's get back to White Ghost."
"I think, considering White Ghost's recent actions and his impressive past record," Tsuru said, "his bounty should not be less than one billion Berries."
"Agreed!"
"Agreed!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru added, "To clarify, White Ghost's abilities include, but are not limited to, 'Flight,' 'Emotional Interference,' 'Blue Energy Cannon,' 'Future Sight,' 'Teleportation,' 'Sea Current Manipulation,' and more.
"In my opinion, with his rapid growth, White Ghost might soon reach the level of Redfield or Golden Lion Shiki. Considering his abilities, he seems like a combination of the two."
{IDK why author is constantly comparing Adrian with Redfield and Golden Lion Shiki}
For some reason, Tsuru added two more points.
"Fortunately, despite being a high-threat 'pirate' in our eyes, he doesn't seem to enjoy causing trouble like other pirates."
"In fact, aside from interfering with World Government orders and retaliating when provoked, he acts more like a pirate hunter who enjoys fighting crime."
Kong dismissed these additional points. "Tsuru, there's no need to mention that."
{Are you afraid of the favors being swayed?}
After a heated discussion, Fleet Admiral Kong issued a new bounty order.
Seeing the new bounty amount, the high-ranking Marines were momentarily stunned.
A Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral in a justice coat murmured, "This is an really…"
"Ahem!"
As the meeting was about to end, Fleet Admiral Kong coughed twice to regain attention.
"Finally, the latest order from the World Government: Dispatch Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp and Vice Admiral Borsalino with warships to capture White Ghost!"
Garp showed little reaction, but Borsalino pointed to himself. "Me? Fleet Admiral Kong, isn't this mission too difficult?"
Kong's tone was firm. "This is an order from the World Government!"
"I know it's an order from the World Government!"
Borsalino's tone had a hint of disdain, clearly still resentful of the recent handling by the World Government.
"But I'm saying—
"White Ghost can fly—
"How can Vice Admiral Garp and I possibly find him?"
Kong explained, "The CP units of the World Government will collaborate with the Navy's search department to gather information on White Ghost's location."
"But—"
Borsalino tried to argue.
Kong interrupted him decisively.
"You two will go to Mary Geoise after your leave, cross the Red Line, and head to the West Blue!"
Seeing Kong's firm stance, Borsalino finally stopped resisting.
But he still muttered sarcastically, "The legendary Holy Land… I'm really looking forward to it~"
The next morning.
White Ghost's new bounty poster, along with news of Ohara's destruction, was delivered worldwide by the World Economic Journal's News Coo.
"The scholars of Ohara attempted to study forbidden history and revive the ancient weapons that could destroy the world. They were recently annihilated by a Buster Call ordered by the World Government!"
"Anyone attempting to study forbidden history or revive ancient weapons will be executed!"
[White Ghost]
[[Image].jpg]
{Drop your images here}
[Bounty: 1,680,000,000 Berries!]
[Status: DEAD OR ALIVE]
{But just saw that i was the biggest contributor. Contributed 324. Haha!}
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