Did this kid really take it seriously?
Looking at Ace's confident, grinning pose with his hands on his hips, everyone exchanged glances, speechless.
It had to be said—
This guy was undoubtedly the Supernova with the highest bounty in this generation, and when it came to sheer arrogance, he was probably second to none among his peers…
"Oi, oi, oi! So this is where everyone disappeared to? What a lively gathering!"
At that moment, a loud, cocky laugh suddenly rang out:
"All the officers of the Curtain Closer are here too—Kuina, Kuma, Jack… and the main attraction of this whole event, the World's Greatest Swordsman, Xiano!"
Another strong contender?
Everyone turned their heads in unison.
A red-haired, spiky-headed man strode forward with a wide grin, his muscular frame clad in an open shirt that revealed a massive scar across his chest.
The wound, likely left by a Pacifista not long ago, hadn't even been properly bandaged—just wrapped haphazardly with a strip of cloth torn from his pants, adding to his wild, untamed aura.
Behind him followed a masked, burly man.
"Eustass Kid, bounty of 300 million Berries, and Killer the Manslayer, bounty of 165 million Berries."
Kuma flipped through the wanted posters and spoke softly:
"The second-ranked Pirate Crew among this generation of Supernovas—the Kid Pirates' Captain and Vice-Captain. Their bounties are so high because, from the moment they set sail, they've massacred a total of 19 towns and villages, along with 6 ports."
"Big guy, you sure know your intel!"
Kid grinned but didn't even spare Kuma a glance, his burning gaze fixed directly on Xiano instead:
"Hey, Xiano! Heard you just cut down a Celestial Dragon? Nice work, suits my taste! But you can't hog all the glory for yourself, huh…"
"Come on!"
He laughed recklessly, jabbing a thumb at himself. "Fight me! If you lose, hand over all the fame, prestige, and that so-called 'World's Greatest' title you earned today—to me!!!"
The scene fell silent.
Zoro and Sanji wore strange expressions, Ace stared at the guy in shock, and Law raised an eyebrow, his gaze tinged with pity…
"Hey, masked guy."
Law spoke quietly to Killer. "It's normal for a Captain to be blinded by fame and bite off more than he can chew. But you—shouldn't you be the more level-headed one? Couldn't you at least try to talk some sense into your Captain?"
"Once Kid makes up his mind, no one can change it," Killer replied in a low voice. "I also—"
"Shut it, Killer! No point wasting words on small fry like this!"
Kid cut him off with a cold snort. "Hey, what's the matter? Cat got your tongue? Give me an answer, Xiano!"
"Not interested."
Xiano didn't even lift his eyelids, showing no intention of entertaining the guy. He casually waved a hand at Jack. "Too noisy. Take care of it."
As fellow Supernovas—
He was quite close to people like Tashigi, Zoro, and Sanji. If they wanted to challenge him, he wouldn't mind sparing the time to humor the younger generation.
But scum like Kid can forget about it.
He doesn't have the qualifications.
What suits him isn't a dojo—it's a morgue.
"Understood, boss!"
Jack had heard Kuma's description of Kid earlier and immediately understood what Xiano meant by "deal with him."
Boom! With a vicious grin, he took a step forward.
His towering 8.3-meter frame, muscles coiled like steel, cast a shadow as massive as a mountain, completely engulfing Kid with overwhelming pressure.
"Don't look down on me, bastard!"
Though a trace of tension flickered in Kid's eyes, his face twisted with fury. "Sending some small fry to mess with me? What kind of joke is this, huh?! Where's the guts you had killing Celestial Dragons? Too scared to fight me now?!"
So what if this Jack guy was some top executive? He wasn't worthy!
He was the most fearsome rookie from the South Blue—Captain Kid!!!
Leader against leader, king against king—only Xiano was fit to be his opponent!
"Get lost, you oversized freak! Don't block my way!"
Kid flung his arms wide, activating his ability. Countless metal fragments around him—discarded swords, cannonball shrapnel, even the distant amusement park's gate sign—were instantly pulled by magnetism, flying toward his arms and fusing onto them.
Within seconds, two colossal mechanical fists formed, slamming together with a thunderous clang. Feeling the surge of power, Kid's grin stretched ear to ear.
He trusted the ability he had developed—it had never failed him before reaching Sabaody!
"Magnetism·Mechanical Giant Fist!"
BOOM!
The massive mechanical fist smashed toward Jack, compressing the air with explosive force, the ground shattering beneath its path.
The destructive power was nothing short of terrifying.
But Jack merely sneered, not even bothering to use Armament Haki. He crossed his arms and stood unmoving.
THUD!
The giant fist collided with Jack's body—yet left not a single mark. Instead, the sheer recoil warped the metal, sending parts flying in all directions.
How…?
Through the gaps of the scattered debris, Kid's pupils shrank as he saw Jack standing completely unharmed. Cold sweat trickled down his back.
"Is that all you've got?"
Jack scoffed, raising a massive hand and swinging it down. "Seems like your 300 million Berry bounty isn't worth much, huh…"
Back when his bounty was just a few hundred million, he'd already faced Kaido and Aokiji!
Shit!
Kid realized the palm was coming too fast to dodge. Gritting his teeth, he raised his other mechanical arm to block.
CRACK!
The mechanical arm shattered instantly, not even lasting a second, metal fragments scattering everywhere.
Kid grunted, but before he could react, Jack's other hand clamped around his throat, lifting him effortlessly like an eagle snatching a chick.
"Let go of the Captain!"
Killer's eyes flashed with fury beneath his mask. Drawing his scythes, he slashed through the air like a whirlwind, darting toward Jack like a phantom.
"Piss off, trash!"
Without even glancing, Jack swung his leg in a sweeping kick, striking Killer square in the head.
BAM! The impact sent him flying like a lightning strike, crashing into the distant rubble.
"Pathetic. Truly pathetic."
Jack shook his head, looking down at the struggling Kid in his grasp with a trace of disdain in his eyes. "With skills like these, you dare challenge our boss?"
"You... bastard..."
Kid's face flushed crimson, veins bulging at his temples as he desperately tried to pry Jack's fingers apart, yet couldn't budge them an inch. His breathing grew increasingly labored.
"This is the retribution you deserve. In your next life, remember to be a good man."
Jack spoke impassively, his fingers suddenly tightening.
Crack!
A crisp sound of bone breaking echoed as Kid's struggles ceased abruptly. His eyes remained fixed wide on the sky, but his head slumped lifelessly.
Jack casually tossed the body aside like trash, then strode toward the distant ruins. To uproot weeds, one must remove the roots—he naturally wouldn't spare Killer either.
Watching the burly figure's retreating back, the other Supernovas nearby stood dumbfounded.
Eustass Kid... just died like that?
The entire ordeal had lasted barely a minute or two... Yet this was the second highest bounty among their generation of Supernovas!
Had Xiano himself taken action, they wouldn't have been surprised by how swiftly Kid was dispatched—it would've been expected.
But... even the younger officers under the Curtain Closer possessed such strength?
Ace let out a dry chuckle, suddenly feeling grateful he hadn't rashly challenged them earlier...
Law, Sanji, and Zoro exchanged glances, each seeing the same shock and a sense of urgency reflected in the others' eyes.
Indeed, it seemed the power level of the New World existed in an entirely different dimension.
For rookies like them to make a name for themselves within the Curtain Closer and keep pace with Big Brother Xiano... it appeared they'd need to redouble their efforts...
——————
Time passed in a flash.
Before they knew it, two days had gone by.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Within the Japanese-style castle-like structure, the long-unused grand conference hall was brightly lit. The tatami mats below were filled with high-ranking Marines, each clad in white justice coats and puffing on cigars.
Even Brannew, the Headquarters' senior staff officer, had no authority to preside over such an assembly. He stood dutifully by the lowest seat, handling clerical duties.
As for the grim-faced old man occupying the central position...
It was none other than Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself.
Brannew stole a glance at Sengoku—this was the first time he'd seen the Fleet Admiral in such poor condition.
His complexion was alarmingly haggard, with sunken eyes veined red. His goatee, usually well-groomed, now looked disheveled, as if untouched for days.
Brannew couldn't help but feel a chill.
Rumor had it that the Fleet Admiral, Admiral Kizaru, and Instructor Zephyr had been summoned to the Holy Land a few days prior and only returned the next day.
While the latter two seemed fine, only Fleet Admiral Sengoku appeared to have aged considerably after whatever transpired in Mariejois...
Being Fleet Admiral was truly no easy task.
"Gentlemen."
Sengoku's hoarse voice broke the silence in the hall. Scanning the assembled Marine leadership, he spoke slowly:
"The gravity of the execution incident at Sabaody several days ago is something I trust you all now understand. The World Government has expressed unprecedented outrage and issued me their highest directive—"
He took a deep breath, raising two fingers as he enunciated each word:
"First, the vacant positions among the Warlords of the Sea have now reached three. No matter what, we must quickly finalize the candidates and submit them to the Holy Land for approval to fill these positions."
"Second, all ceasefire agreements previously reached between the Curtain Closer and the Holy Land are officially null and void as of today! Compared to the other Sea Emperors, the Curtain Closer led by that Xiano will henceforth become the Marine Headquarters' highest-priority target for eradication!!!"
These two points had already been anticipated by the high-ranking officials present.
Thus, no one interrupted, continuing to puff on their cigars in silence as they listened.
"Previously, after the conclusion of last year's Dressrosa War, the Curtain Closer had already committed numerous offenses against the Marines. However, due to the Holy Land's stance, we had no choice but to exercise restraint. This was also reflected in the bounties—the rewards for the Curtain Closer's members haven't been updated in a long time."
"And what was the result? Our forbearance and compromise only led to even more brazen provocations! Even more outrageous atrocities!"
Sengoku roared, slamming his palm on the table with such force that the teacups rattled:
"Executing a Celestial Dragon, declaring war on the World Government, using broadcast signals to incite the masses... Their crimes are too numerous to mention! The Five Elders have personally ordered that the entire Curtain Closer crew's bounty standards must be reassessed!"
He glanced at Brannew.
The latter immediately understood and hurried to the whiteboard, posting a stack of fresh bounty posters one by one.
"First, the officers who remained behind in their territory!"
Sengoku said gravely. "These criminals from the same gang, though they didn't participate in the recent Sabaody operation, are equally guilty! However, their importance is relatively low, so I'll just go through them quickly here. Brannew."
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
By now, Brannew had already posted all the wanted posters.
Seven in total.
Facing the focused gazes of the assembly, he solemnly read them out from left to right:
"「Thunder Wolf」Agin, previous bounty 300 million, now increased to 420 million Berry!"
"「Pet-Eating Demon」Nami, previous bounty 228 million, now increased to 350 million Berry!"
"「Defecting Hunter」Smoker, previous bounty 365 million, now increased to 412 million Berry!"
"「Winter Fist」Nojiko, previous bounty 330 million, now increased to 400 million Berry!"
"「Devil Child」Robin, previous bounty 300 million, now increased to 400 million Berry!"
"「Red Leg」Zeff, previous bounty 220 million, now increased to 300 million Berry!"
"As for the last one..."
Brannew hesitated as he looked at the photo of the small white cat:
"This one is a bit special. It's a new pet the Curtain Closer adopted late last year. We initially thought it would soon be eaten by that female demon, but it surprisingly survived until now."
"Either it has some genuine self-defense skills or it's particularly favored by the Curtain Closer's officers. Either way, this cat clearly still has significant hunting value. The original bounty of 1,000 Berry is no longer appropriate, so the new bounty has been substantially increased to 10 million Berry!"
Among the assembled high-ranking officials, the earlier bounty changes hadn't raised many eyebrows.
But at this point, many of their expressions flickered with obvious surprise.
Just a mere cat, yet it managed to survive under that notorious demon for so long?
What a miracle...
"Now comes the main event."
Brannew coughed lightly, drawing everyone's attention back. He swiftly removed the seven photos and replaced them with a new batch of wanted posters.
This time, there were four.
"If I recall correctly, the Curtain Closer's top executives were originally three, weren't they?"
A Naval Headquarters Vice Admiral couldn't help but ask, "I just returned from an external mission and don't have all the details about the recent Sabaody incident. Has another strong member been promoted to the top executive ranks within the Curtain Closer?"
His gaze fell on the last photo—a somewhat plump blind man, completely unfamiliar, with no recollection of him at all.
"It wasn't an internal promotion. He fell from the sky."
Sengoku spoke coldly, "Who knows what kind of luck these scoundrels stumbled upon, managing to quietly recruit such a previously unknown powerhouse."
"Regardless, it was this man who blockaded the harbor that day, successfully stopping Zephyr's reinforcements. Otherwise, the situation in Sabaody wouldn't have deteriorated to such an extent!"
(End of Chapter)