Bounty, 50 Million Beli

Yonji swelled up like an inflated bullfrog, looking as though he might explode from rage at any moment. His face flushed crimson as he roared, "Aaaah! Do you think that means I'm guaranteed to lose? No way! As a superior human, how could I possibly lose to defective products like you?"

"Heh, I've always had a question. I'll test it on you today." A dangerous gleam flickered in Roy's eyes.

Yonji felt the hairs on his body stand on end, as though something terrible was about to happen. "Bastard, what do you mean?"

"In my view, the human body is the most perfect thing there is, with the greatest potential. Modified humans like you should be the real defective products. So why do you possess bodies that surpass ordinary people? There must be some major flaw somewhere within you." Roy spoke as if to himself.

"What a joke! We carry the bloodline of gods! How could we possibly have a weakness?"

"If that weakness does exist, then it can only be in your soul. No wonder you act like an idiot. All right, let me test it now. Dream Mist."

"You—" Yonji had just begun to speak when the light suddenly vanished from his eyes. It did not last long; after only a moment, his eyes regained their liveliness. Yet when he looked at Roy again, his gaze was incomparably fervent, like that of a disciple gazing upon a god.

The corners of Roy's lips curled into a smile. "Just as I thought. It's as if Dream Mist itself has some kind of flaw. I encountered almost no resistance at all and controlled his will in such a simple, crude manner. It was scarcely more difficult than controlling an ordinary person."

"Come on. Go make your men stop fighting."

"Yes, Lord Roy."

The two descended from midair, leaving Patch and the others utterly bewildered. The two of them did not seem to have fought at all. It looked as though they had merely exchanged a few words.

"Everyone, stop! From this moment on, we will all serve under Lord Roy!" Yonji shouted like a fanatic. Fortunately, his soldiers were absolutely loyal. Otherwise, under such circumstances, at least half of an ordinary force would have mutinied.

Patch was completely confused, but he was a laid-back sort. Aside from feeling a little regret over not getting to fight, he did not think much of it.

Jin, meanwhile, looked at Yonji with the sympathy of a fellow sufferer. Yet he also felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. After all, Yonji had once been his old employer. Now that his old employer had joined Roy's side just like him, they could be considered equals.

Kayou, on the other hand, was inwardly overwhelmed by towering waves of shock. He could only manipulate people's hearts through food, but Roy's ability to control someone's will so effortlessly was truly terrifying.

Yet he did not feel the slightest fear. Instead, a fervent emotion grew within him. On one hand, it was the latent influence of Roy's Dream Domain; on the other, the culinary path he pursued was founded on the idea that the strong could control people's hearts. Seeing Roy now was like finding a beacon to guide his life.

"Let's go. What a pity about Gourmet City. I wonder whether there'll still be a Gourmet Competition in the future." Roy made a few sentimental remarks before leaving. Gourmet City had suffered an undeserved disaster as well. The battle between Roy and Yonji had nearly destroyed half the city, and countless people had been caught in the crossfire.

Roy also entered the sights of the major figures at Marine Headquarters for the first time because he had destroyed a Marine branch.

At Marine Headquarters, in a brightly lit office, a Marine vice admiral draped in a coat of justice stared solemnly at the report in his hands.

"Hm? The Phantom Sword Pirates? They destroyed the Marine 29th Branch in the North Blue, devastated Fallen Leaf Town, and caused countless civilian casualties. How brutal. Such vicious criminals must be given bounties immediately. But for a rookie pirate crew to possess such strength, they cannot be underestimated. Hurry and send people to gather information on his past."

"Yes, Vice Admiral Jando."

The Marines truly were a terrifying force spanning the Four Seas and the Grand Line. In only a few minutes, Roy's information had been completely laid out on the desk.

"Roy, the legendary Bounty Hunter of the North Blue, had been active on the seas since the age of ten. Every time he acted, he achieved results. To outsiders, he had always seemed unfathomable, a man who never revealed the limits of his strength. Two years ago, he killed a large number of wanted pirates, the highest bounty among them reaching 13 million Beli. Pirates throughout the North Blue lived in fear, and a large number of them gathered to ambush and kill him. Their leader was a brutal pirate with a bounty as high as 23 million Beli, yet they were all wiped out in a single battle. This showed that he had never revealed his true strength before others. His assessment: a cautious yet powerful madman."

"Three months ago, Roy suddenly founded the Phantom Sword Pirates. However, he had committed no acts disturbing civilians or threatening the Marines, and thus had never appeared on a bounty list before this incident. But investigations revealed that he had committed many mad acts over the past three months. He destroyed Flavie Arena, provoked the Vinsmoke Family of the North Blue, and defeated several powerful pirate forces while sailing the seas. At Fallen Leaf Town, he even destroyed the Marine 29th Branch in one stroke and captured Vinsmoke Yonji, the fourth son of the Vinsmoke Family, alive."

"As of today, his grand fleet already possesses a force of more than three thousand men. More than two thousand of them are elite soldiers from Germa 66, while its high-level combatants include the following: Captain—Phantom Sword Roy; Senior Executives—Patch the Berserk Ogre, Fatal Owl Jin, the Evil Demon Chef Kayou, and the recently joined Vinsmoke Yonji. Recommended bounties: Roy, 50 million Beli; Patch, 30 million Beli; Jin, 20 million Beli."

The messenger delivered his report on Roy's deeds in one breath, leaving the Marines present somewhat shocked. Naturally, they were not shocked by Roy's 50 million Beli bounty. After all, this office had issued quite a few bounty notices worth hundreds of millions.

But when judging a pirate's threat level, the bounty amount had always been a secondary factor. What mattered most was the pirate's own strength and temperament. On these seas, those who were powerful and strong-willed would undoubtedly travel farther.

Although Roy was not particularly powerful yet, he had already displayed the bearing of a strong man. That alone was enough to draw the attention of every faction. Especially since the beginning of the Great Pirate Era, the situation at sea had grown increasingly dire, leaving the Marines with a growing sense of helplessness.

For a potential pirate like Roy, the best course of action was to eliminate him in the North Blue. There were too many variables on the Grand Line, and even the Marines could not control the overall situation there. Of course, even knowing that Roy posed a certain threat, the Marines could not truly dispatch high-ranking combatants to capture him.

After all, Marine Headquarters openly had only three admirals and sixteen headquarters vice admirals. If a major figure had to be deployed whenever a promising rookie pirate appeared somewhere in the Four Seas, then who would deal with the situation on the Grand Line?

Thus, their final decision was to dispatch a Headquarters Rear Admiral. A Headquarters Rear Admiral was a powerful figure capable of capturing even pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million, and they possessed formidable reputations on the Grand Line as well.

"The North Blue... I recall that the recently promoted Headquarters Rear Admiral X Drake seems to have come from the North Blue. Yes, let Rear Admiral Drake go. He must be more familiar with the North Blue than the other rear admirals. He will surely succeed in capturing this band of vicious criminals."