The announcement of the Straw Hat Pirates' freshly updated bounties was like throwing another log onto an already raging fire, pushing the world's feverish excitement to yet another boiling point.
For the people of the Four Blues, it merely meant one thing: yet another audacious and extremely dangerous pirate crew had risen upon the seas.
But for the true powerhouses of the New World, these bounties carried a very different weight.
They made one truth unmistakably clear—
A new era had already arrived!!!
…
…
"Hey, hey, hey—don't tell me this is the 'surprise' Red was talking about earlier!?"
Dressrosa Kingdom.
Inside the royal palace, Donquixote Doflamingo set his teacup aside, the newspaper in his hands trembling slightly as a grave expression spread across his face.
Behind his crimson sunglasses, his eyes quivered faintly.
On the table before him lay a neat stack of bounty posters belonging to the Straw Hat crew, arranged from highest to lowest.
"Doffy… I think it's time we call a meeting of the officers and seriously discuss our relationship with the Straw Hat Pirates."
From the shadows in the corner of the palace, Trebol slowly emerged, making his suggestion.
Behind his dark lenses, fear flickered unmistakably in his eyes.
As someone who served beside Doflamingo in a near–strategist role, Trebol understood all too well—
To rampage through Mary Geoise and then retreat unscathed as a group…What kind of terrifying power did that require?
At the very least, the Donquixote Family didn't possess such strength.
Which meant—
This Straw Hat crew, active for less than a year, had already surpassed them.
Trebol continued, voicing his concerns.
"From that live execution broadcast to now storming Mary Geoise… every single move has been completely unexpected—and yet, they pulled all of it off flawlessly."
"Doffy, you know exactly what kind of intelligence control and execution capability that represents."
"This crew is far too dangerous. No one knows what they're planning—or what they're already doing."
"Compared to them, even Kaido, who's always trying to squeeze our family dry, feels almost gentle."
"If we keep entangling ourselves with them, I'm afraid we'll suffer some unknown backlash."
"Backlash…?"
A sharp glint flashed beneath Doflamingo's sunglasses.
But the next moment, he shook his head lightly.
"Maybe… the backlash has already begun."
With a flick of his finger, a white thread shot out, plucking a single bounty poster from the pile beside the Straw Hats' notices.
The photo depicted a resolute man wearing a spotted hat.
Beneath it, the details read:
Trafalgar Law
Captain of the Heart Pirates, one of the Supernova
Participant in the Mary Geoise Incident
Severely harmed the interests of the Celestial Dragons
Bounty: 790,000,000 BeliDead or Alive
"This is…!"
Trebol's expression trembled.
They were well aware that Trafalgar Law had returned to the seas.
But—
"When did he get mixed up with the Straw Hat Pirates!?"
Trebol hurriedly grabbed the remaining bounty posters and began flipping through them one by one.
Soon, his breath caught.
"All of this year's Supernova… they all joined the Straw Hats!?"
Every poster bore the same words: "Supernova" and "Participant in the Mary Geoise Incident."
Doflamingo nodded slowly, falling silent.
The pirates of the New World had always looked down on those scrambling around the first half of the Grand Line.
But this generation of Supernova was different.
In the past, a pirate with a bounty over 100 million might appear once every year or two.
Now, not only had the Straw Hat Pirates skyrocketed into fame, but a whole wave of Supernova with bounties exceeding 100 million had emerged.
And now, all of them had aligned themselves under the Straw Hat banner, charging straight into the Holy Land.
The stench of conspiracy leapt off the page.
Trebol finally set the posters down, doubt creeping into his heart.
"Could it be… that this era truly belongs to the Straw Hat Pirates?"
…
…
The edge of the Calm Belt.
Having learned his lesson from last time, Dracule Mihawk carefully ensured no ships were nearby before calmly plunging the Black Blade · Yoru into the back of his raft.
A surge of sword energy erupted!
In an instant, the previously still sea exploded into towering waves, propelling Mihawk and his raft forward at tremendous speed.
Moments later, he crossed the final stretch of the Calm Belt and officially entered the Grand Line.
Just then, a News Coo flew overhead, witnessing everything.
"Ga?"
Its eyes gleamed with Beli-shaped symbols as it swooped down.
But before it could reach the raft, an overwhelming pressure swept over it like a hurricane.
Overwhelmed by the spiritual shock, the helpless News Coo rolled its eyes and began falling—only to be caught by Mihawk.
"How careless of me… I didn't expect you to see that."
He tied the bird to the mast.
"Until you completely forget what you just saw, you'll stay with me."
A News Coo wasn't an ordinary bird.Aside from speech, its intelligence was on par with humans—and it was deeply intertwined with human society.
Letting it go could mean tomorrow's headlines would feature him.
As the bird fainted, newspapers and bounty posters spilled from its bag.
"Hm? Why so many bounties today?"
Mihawk reached out and grabbed one.
The next instant, his eyes widened.
Reflected in his hawk-like pupils was a green-haired swordsman.
"…You've grown again, haven't you, Roronoa?"
…
…
"Luffy… I didn't think we'd meet again so soon."
The New World, amid stormy seas.
The Red Force, flagship of the Red-Haired Pirates, rose and fell with the waves.
Yet the pirates on deck laughed exuberantly, letting the rain wash over them.
At the bow, Red-Haired Shanks, wearing sandals and a black cloak of questionable fashion sense, rested one foot on the railing and gazed into the distance.
Suddenly, he raised his sword and shouted:
"Listen up!"
"Luffy and his crew are about to enter the New World! And that brat's bounty has already surpassed his captain's!"
"That won't do at all!!!"
"Gyahaha! That's just because you've been slacking off, Captain!"
Lucky Roux, chewing on a giant drumstick even in the downpour, laughed.
Shanks grinned.
"Slacking? Maybe. But that's the past."
"From here on… Luffy and his crew might become our rivals at the summit."
"And if I catch any of you slacking then—don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"If that happens, I'll laugh at you mercilessly!!!"
"Heh! Shanks, you're fired up!"
The Red-Haired Pirates surged with battle intent.
After all—
Being mocked by their idiot captain was the one thing they absolutely refused to accept!!!
…
…
Baltigo, the White Earth Island.
Amid roaring winds, Monkey D. Dragon stood holding Luffy's 5.5-billion-Beli bounty poster, a mysterious smile on his lips.
"Leader!"
A youth wielding a metal pipe appeared behind him.
"The king of the Lip Kingdom has agreed to our revolution plan and invites you for final negotiations."
The boy lifted his head, revealing a handsome, resolute face.
Hope burned brightly in his eyes.
…
…
North Blue — Germa 66 Kingdom.
"Impossible!!!"
"How could that failure Sanji reach this level!?"
Bang!
Vinsmoke Judge slammed the table, clutching half his face as if refusing to accept his own misjudgment.
"Father…"
Reiju stepped forward.
"Sanji's high bounty may be related to killing a Celestial Dragon."
"There's no need to torment yourself."
"Tomorrow we're hired for war. If you keep spiraling, our losses will only grow."
"What would you know!?"
Judge roared, eyes fixed on rows of cloning pods.
"I know the World Government well! They have unspoken rules with pirates!"
"Killing a Celestial Dragon alone wouldn't spike a bounty this much!"
"For Sanji to reach nearly 2 billion Beli, only two possibilities exist!"
"Either he truly has that strength—or he possesses something the World Government can't ignore!"
"But either way—none of that should belong to a piece of trash!!!"
Reiju sighed softly.
She knew her father would lock himself away, pursuing his so-called 'path to godhood.'
The lab doors slowly closed.
Outside, Ichiji and his brothers exchanged glances.
"What a waste, losing composure over a failure."
"Agreed. Guess we'll just deploy more clones tomorrow."
Reiju watched them leave, then quietly unfolded a hidden bounty poster.
A blond man wreathed in flames smiled back at her.
"Sanji… it seems Mother's experiment succeeded."
She folded it away, her expression turning cold.
…
…
"Ma-ma-ma-ma~!"
"Someone actually surpassed Whitebeard's bounty!? How delightful!!!"
"Katakuri! Find them and send an invitation to the next tea party!"
"I'll choose one of them to be my new husband!!!"
Whole Cake Island.
Big Mom's laughter echoed through her castle.
…
…
"Straw Hat Boy—Monkey D. Luffy?!"
"Interesting!"
"Wororororo!"
"Another talent forged by Roger?!"
"I really want him as my subordinate!!!"
On Onigashima, Kaido roared with laughter.
Even a 5.5-billion bounty couldn't dull his interest.
His club was starving for action.
…
…
"Ace! Your little brother made headlines again!!!"
The Moby Dick rested beneath a massive island.
On the cliffs above, the Whitebeard Pirates enjoyed the wind.
They were thriving—expanding their territory and pressuring the other Emperors.
"Eh!? What did Luffy do this time!?"
Ace turned, smiling—only to see Marco frozen stiff.
Moments later, silence fell.
Finally—
"Old man…" Ace said quietly, "Luffy's bounty… surpassed yours."
"…The world's number one."
???
The entire coast went dead silent.
Then—
"WHAT!?!?"
Amid the stunned voices, a large blue figure paused.
"Ace's little brother… the world's top bounty?"
Jinbe frowned.
(End of Chapter)