New World, Castor Kingdom.
In a massive courtyard.
Raynor lay leisurely on a lounge chair, with Flame Flower and Linlin nestled in his arms like docile kittens.
A gramophone nearby played beautiful music. Sunlight bathed everyone in a warm, comfortable glow.
"Linlin, your Life Return (Seimei Kikan) is getting more and more proficient."
Raynor glanced at Linlin, whose body size was now nearly identical to his own, and spoke with satisfaction. To satisfy various needs, Raynor and Linlin had long since mastered the Navy's Six Powers (Rokushiki) to perfection. Life Return was second nature to them.
"Hmph, isn't that all because of you?"
Linlin, eyes still closed, muttered with a hint of grievance, as if recalling something.
"Hehehehe..." Flame Flower, already a seasoned veteran in these matters, covered her mouth and giggled.
"Captain! Captain! Your wanted posters are out!"
Just then, Jace rushed in holding a newspaper, followed closely by the other crew members. They walked right up to Raynor as if the scene before them was invisible, handing him the paper. They had seen this sight countless times and were long used to it.
"Jace, calm down. It's just a wanted poster."
Raynor smiled faintly, withdrew his arms from around Flame Flower and Linlin, and took the newspaper.
Raynor's photo was plastered right on the front page.
Opening it, various headlines, deliberately highlighted in red, grabbed everyone's attention.
[The Castor Kingdom Annihilates World Government Affiliate Romanov Kingdom—A Heinous Crime!]
[The Raynor Pirates Defeat Vice Admiral Garp and Vice Admiral Zephyr—A Shocking Debut!]
[Raynor Pirates Captain Raynor: Strength Unknown, Suspected Master of Taijutsu and Haki. Bounty: 1 Billion Berries!]
[Raynor Pirates Member Linlin: Tremor-Tremor Fruit User, Master of Taijutsu and Haki, Strength Comparable to a Navy Admiral. Bounty: 500 Million Berries!]
[Raynor Pirates Member Flame Flower: Soul-Soul Fruit User. Bounty: 400 Million Berries!]
Aside from these, there were photos of other crew members, but no descriptions of their abilities or clear bounty amounts were given. All the reports focused heavily on the Raynor Pirates; this newspaper issue was practically written specifically for them.
"One billion Berries for 'strength unknown'? They really think highly of me."
Raynor smiled slightly and handed the newspaper to the others, his interest waning. However, he knew very well in his heart that with his current strength, this bounty was actually on the low side.
"It's a pity I didn't fight that day. Otherwise, it wouldn't be just a photo."
Jace, who had no bounty amount listed, pouted in annoyance. In the entire pirate crew, only Raynor and Linlin were stronger than him. His strength was about the same as Flame Flower's. Seeing her get 400 million while he only got a photo made him feel extremely unbalanced.
In the pirate world, a bounty wasn't just a number; it was recognition of a pirate's strength.
"We know you're strong. You'll have chances to show off later." Raynor shook his head helplessly at Jace's childish nature.
"Big Brother is amazing! One billion Berries before even showing your full strength!" Linlin looked at Raynor with burning eyes, full of a little girl's hero worship.
In this era, unlike the chaotic "Worst Generation" of Luffy's time where bounties easily hit billions, a one-billion bounty was already extraordinarily high.
"Linlin, while a billion is high, there are still quite a few people in the New World with higher bounties."
"Besides, starting with a billion isn't necessarily a good thing."
Raynor didn't share the excitement of the others. Instead, his brow furrowed. If he remembered correctly, during these years, Rocks had been recruiting aggressively to expand his power. Many pirates across the seas had been brought under his wing.
Golden Lion, Whitebeard, John, Wang Zhi, Silver Axe—all of them were on that list. Of course, Linlin was impossible since Raynor had already snatched her up.
Now, due to the Celestial Dragon incident, Raynor had emerged out of nowhere and was completely exposed to the world. The news of defeating Zephyr and Garp would spread like wildfire throughout the New World.
Given Rocks' nature, it was very likely that...
"Raynor, what are you thinking about?" Sensing something amiss, Flame Flower extended a slender finger and teasingly lifted Raynor's chin.
"Nothing."
"Ahem... How about this? Today is a day worth celebrating. Why don't we have a banquet?!" Streusen suggested.
"Yeah, yeah! We haven't had a banquet in a long time. We just finished a battle, so it's a perfect time to relax."
Everyone agreed instantly.
"I'll go prepare the ingredients!" "I'll set up the grill!" "I'll get the charcoal!"
The crew members chattered as they assigned tasks. Linlin and Flame Flower happily went to help as well.
Once everyone had left, Raynor's smile faded slightly. With a thought, he summoned the system.
[System Panel Opening!]
[Host: Raynor][System: Great Voyage System][Swordsmanship: Lv49 — 50/200,000][Observation Haki: Lv25 — 26/250,000 (Future Sight)][Armament Haki: Lv25 — 26/250,000 (Internal Destruction)][Conqueror's Haki: Lv19 — 20/350,000][Voyage Points: 520,000][Recruited: Linlin (Tremor-Tremor Fruit), Jace (Rumble-Rumble Fruit), Flame Flower (Soul-Soul Fruit), Roger (Gold Lion Ability), Streusen (Cook-Cook Fruit), Rupert (Pocket-Pocket Fruit), Black Shadow, Hajrudin]* [Fortune Points: 50][System Warehouse: Massive amounts of Gold, Pure Gold, Navy Six Powers Manuals]
(Note: "Gold Lion Ability" likely refers to a specific Zoan or Paramecia ability related to a gold lion, distinct from Shiki the Golden Lion)
Obtaining the Tremor-Tremor Fruit had successfully netted Raynor 500,000 Voyage Points and 30 Fortune Points.
Looking at the Fortune Points bar, the corner of Raynor's mouth lifted. He only needed another 50 points to reach 100, which would allow him to trigger a Fortune Event.
Since setting sail, Raynor had triggered three Fortune Events. The first allowed him to share Linlin's "Iron Balloon" body talent. The second allowed the rebirth of the Soul-Soul Fruit. The third allowed him to share Jace's Rumble-Rumble Fruit ability.
Every time a Fortune Event was triggered, the rewards were immense.
Raynor considered whether he should wait until he had 100 points to share Linlin's Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability. After all, he already possessed the Iron Balloon talent and monstrous strength. If he added the destructive power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, he would be virtually invincible!
"I'll wait until I hit 100 points."
Raynor temporarily set the thought aside and focused on his Voyage Points.
As his swordsmanship and three types of Haki leveled up, the Voyage Points required for each subsequent level became massive. In the past, 500,000 points would have been enough to raise four stats by several levels simultaneously. But now, 500,000 points could at most boost two stats.
"Let's go with Conqueror's Haki." Raynor quickly made his decision.
350,000 Voyage Points were successfully deducted.
[Congratulations Host! Conqueror's Haki upgraded to Level 20. Awakened Conqueror's Coating!]
"Hmm?!"
The sudden notification brought a look of joy to Raynor's face.
Future Teacher Kaido once said that in the world of pirates, only Haki can transcend all other means. He was specifically referring to Conqueror's Haki.
And within Conqueror's Haki, the technique with the greatest power and lethality was undoubtedly Conqueror's Coating.
Even with Kaido's abnormal defense, he couldn't withstand attacks infused with Conqueror's Coating. The power was evident.
"Today really is a good day for a banquet."
In high spirits, Raynor closed the system, stood up happily, and joined his companions to prepare for the celebration.
...
New World, Second Half – A Vast Expanse of Sea.
A massive whale-shaped pirate ship cut through the waves. On the mast, a Jolly Roger with a crescent-moon mustache flapped loudly in the sea breeze.
"Gurararararara... This brat!!"
At the bow of the ship, Whitebeard looked at the photo in the newspaper and let out a hearty laugh.