New Bounty Posters, Zephyr Appears
"Very good,"
Roman, clad in White Knight armor, stroked his chin.
"To celebrate the founding of the 'Straw Hat Grand Fleet,' I'll have a drink too—"
"Big brother! You're one of those guys!!" XN
???
Do you all look down on me?
Roman was furious. He had even tried to reluctantly "celebrate with the people" on this important day, only to be collectively rejected... Oh well, he didn't like alcohol anyway...
Boom!!
"What's wrong?"
"It's artillery fire..."
At the historic moment of the formation of the Grand Fleet, a group of uninvited 'bad guests' began to set off cannons to add to the festivities.
"Where's 'Straw Hat' Luffy? Get out here!!"
"We had a big deal with Doflamingo that we hadn't settled, and you ruined it!"
A menacing group of pirates, adorned with various flags... well, actually, many were actually military forces from World Government Member States in disguise. These warships surrounded the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, which was anchored on the shore, from all sides.
"Now that the king has changed, let's settle accounts with 'King Riku'!"
"Before that, shouldn't you guys give us an explanation?"
The forces behind them are embroiled in war, and they've already paid the deposit, just waiting to transport weapons from Dressrosa to continue the fight. And now Doflamingo is gone? If they can swallow this insult!
"Attack!"
"Taking that 600 million head off the Straw Hat crew will at least make up for some of our losses!"
·······
You guys... are really carefree.
Roman, under the White Knight, rolled his eyes as the 'debt-collecting fleet' charged towards him with a clamor.
Knowing that Luffy's bounty has already reached 600 million, you still dare to brazenly rush in to your death. Should we admire your courage, or call it utter foolishness?
"Who are these guys?"
Luffy, holding his Straw Hat, stared blankly at the approaching fleet.
"Hey, I'm the one who beat that Doflamingo Ming to a pulp. If you have a problem, come at me!"
If these pirate-flagged armies were allowed to storm Dressrosa, the ordinary people who had just suffered a calamity would be plunged into another brutal war.
"Wonderful!"
"It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early..."
The captains, who had just drunk their sworn brotherhood wine, smiled excitedly as they watched a large group of pirate ships charging towards them.
"Luffy, look! Now is the time for 'numbers' to come into play!"
"If we let these guys get close to Dressrosa, even if Luffy is incredibly strong, it will be difficult to prevent them from harming the people of Dressrosa, right?"
The Straw Hat crew's advantage lies in their small but elite numbers and high mobility.
The disadvantage is that in large-scale battles like this, manpower becomes extremely limited. Even Roman's 'Paper Puppet Army' only numbers a mere thousand people, requiring considerable physical and mental exertion from Roman. Moreover:
How could a paper puppet possibly have the agility and flexibility of a real person? In a chaotic battle, without special markings, it's perfectly normal for a paper puppet to accidentally injure friendly forces.
"My men!!"
"The first battle of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet has begun!"
"Charge for Luffy -boss!"
The seven newly formed 'pirate crews' turned their ships around, pointing their cannons and swords at the pirate fleet that had come looking for trouble; deafening shouts drowned out Luffy's 'I didn't admit it', and then they charged toward the enemy opposite them.
Unstoppable momentum, sweeping away all obstacles!
Chew, chew~~
Luffy's temper comes and goes quickly.
After a battle and a farewell, the Straw Hat Pirates embarked on another adventure, and now:
Luffy, carrying two large pieces of meat, was completely absorbed in the food! He ate while singing and dancing with Usopp! Brook, who had changed into a beach outfit and revealed his 'Little Soft' on his chest, was playing the cello to cheer everyone on, while Chopper was holding a baby bottle and taking a few sips while sighing.
"Compared to alcohol, milk is the healthiest."
"Ha~~"
Zoro smiled proudly as he took a big gulp of the sake from the bottle.
"A man should drink heartily!"
"The rest are all heretics—"
"... Believe it or not, I'll Nami to drink with you?"
Roman, who was holding a glass of orange juice next to him, rolled his eyes. What's so great about drinking alcohol? As long as you use Life Return to break down the alcohol, drinking three hundred glasses is no problem at all!
"Come, come, Roman."
Zoro, itching to pour himself a drink, grabbed a cup.
"Drink together, drink together~~"
"No!!!" X3
Brook, Chopper, Usopp were shocked and rushed over to stop him, tears streaming down their faces.
?
"You just chug the wine straight from the bottle, didn't you? I'm not drinking the wine you poured."
Roman glanced at everyone strangely. It's just drinking, what's the big deal? —Although he'd never drunk before.
"Is it okay for them to be so relaxed?"
Luo, who was leaning against the ship's railing, raised his eyelids and expressed deep concern for the Straw Hat crew who were calmly admiring the flowers.
"We just took down the World's Greatest underground middleman, 'Joker,' and at the same time offended two of the Four Emperors, 'Beasts' and 'Big Mom.' Shouldn't we be thinking about how to deal with the threats coming from these two?"
"It's alright, they'll definitely go all out when it's time to fight."
The effects of simple training are negligible for the Straw Hat crew now; most members have already reached their physical peak. What remains is the comprehension and refinement of Armament Haki...
While thinking, Roman turned to Luo and gave him a faded smile.
"Or do you think you can come up with a good solution by negotiating with them?"
·········
"Never mind, forget I said anything."
Luo gave up thinking.
"Super cool!"
On the other side, the Franky seat strikes a classic pose with outstretched arms; the so-called "flower appreciation" refers to:
"As expected of the plant cultivated by the 'Tontatta Tribe,' it can actually bloom cherry blossoms at this time of year."
Above Franky's head and shoulders, petals drifted down from a cluster of pink blossoms. These were soilless cherry blossoms, a gift from the Tontatta Tribe, capable of blooming in any season and requiring very little soil—
That's why Franky was able to balance the flower ball on his head.
"I am the Cherry Blossom Front ~~heading north~~"
As the 'human cherry blossom tree' Franky walked by, Roman had a thought stuck in his throat as the petals fluttered down:
What should have been a romantic scene of cherry blossoms, Franky, you've made it look like dandruff is falling...
"Enjoying flowers while drinking fine wine is truly one of life's greatest pleasures!"
No, no, no, Zoro, you'll feel comfortable anywhere as long as you have alcohol, right?
"You guys are so noisy!"
Sanji, carrying a tray of drinks, glanced disdainfully at Luffy and the others who were acting crazy, and then placed the chilled orange juice on the table where Robin and Nami were sitting.
"Thanks, Sanji."
"Luo, your coffee."
"Thanks,"
Luo sighed as he took the coffee. Oh well, if the Straw Hat crew isn't in a hurry, why should I be?
"In any case, our advantage lies in our small size; even the Four Emperors' crews would have difficulty locating us in the vast ocean..."
Plop plop~~
A newsreel bird swooped down, interrupting Law's self-consolation. As Nami pulled out a banknote, the newsreel bird immediately and eagerly handed Nami a roll of newspaper! After all:
"Stop looking," Nami waved her hand magnanimously, and the newspaper bird, having received the ten thousand yuan, immediately soared into the sky with a beaming smile. It didn't even glance at anyone else, perfectly embodying the phrase 'looking down on others like a bird.'
?
Rumor has it that the Straw Hat crew's navigator is quite stingy, but now it seems:
With a puzzled look, Law glanced over and noticed Nami's unassuming T-shirt and trousers, which were clearly luxury items supposedly "specially supplied" to the Celestial Dragons in Sabaody!
This······
Rumors are indeed unreliable!
Just like Luffy, who's eight meters tall...
"Everyone, we're in trouble."
Nami sighed and waved the newspaper in her hand. The headline, "Dressrosa Sea Combat: Has the Worst Generation Sounded the Horn of Advance?", attracted everyone's attention.
"After Luffy and his Worst Generation dethroned Doflamingo, one of the Shichibukai, they immediately assembled the 'Straw Hat Luffy Straw Hat Grand Fleet'! Among them are more than ten Great Pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million, making them a force to be reckoned with..."
"The Straw Hat Grand Fleet, barely formed, annihilated a fleet of over a hundred pirate ships near Dressrosa yesterday afternoon around 3 PM. Their arrogance and ruthlessness were simply appalling..."
?!
"What nonsense are they spouting? We're just stopping those guys from landing in Dressrosa and causing trouble!"
Luffy looked indignant.
"You make us sound like vicious pirates!"
Luffy,
Usopp whispered a reminder from the side.
"Our identity is that of pirates~~"
"Oh, that's all right now."
·····
"Don't interrupt!"
Nami tapped the table, signaling the guys who were telling jokes to shut up; the important part was about to begin.
"Because of what happened in Dressrosa, we got new Bounty Poster, so everyone's been skyrocketing in popularity—" As the Bounty Poster were laid out on the table, Luffy's unchanging goofy grin appeared first, followed by Zoro in his magnificent armor and hood:
Straw Hat Luffy: Bounty of 600 million Beli!
Neo the White Knight: Bounty of 580 million!
'Pirate Hunter' Zoro: 420 million Beli!
Then there's the dashing Robin and Nami with her captivating smile:
Robin, the "Devil Child": 150 million Beli!
Nami Law-Stealing Cat: 131.4 million Beli!
Next up are posters of General Franky and Brook from the 'senior group':
'Iron Man' Franky: 99 million Beli!
'Soul King' Brook: 87 million Beli!
However, the characters are strangely excited Sanji and drooling Chopper:
Sanji the Black Leg: Bounty of 188 million Beli!
Chopper, the pet who absolutely loves cotton candy: 100 Beli!
"Why? Why?!"
Chopper, holding the Bounty Poster, was so angry that his antlers and hat flew off.
"I clearly defeated a member of Doflamingo's family, so why am I only worth the price of a newspaper? This is so unfair! I feel the world's deep malice towards me..."
"Hehehe, take it easy, it's already doubled."
Luffy, oblivious to everything, comforts Chopper, while on the other side, Sanji's Bounty Poster:
·······
"What are you looking at? At least this time they didn't use a portrait, right? Do you think the reward is too low?"
When faced with Zoro's words, Sanji, unusually, didn't argue with him, but silently took a puff of his cigarette. Because unlike the others' "life or death doesn't matter" on his Bounty Poster, Sanji's was "must be captured alive."
Damn it, could it be that guy...? Now that things have come to this, has he remembered my existence?
"And Usopp, you too—"
Nami handed over a new Bounty Poster, featuring a picture of someone who had just finished hitting Sugar, his face covered in blood Byakugan rolled back. He appeared on camera without makeup.
'GOD' Usopp: Bounty of 200 million Beli!
?!
"Ahhh,"
Franky, who was grabbing Usopp and shaking him from side to side, was indignant.
"Are you kidding me? Why is your bounty so high? I haven't even broken the 100 million mark..."
"Help! Luffy, Roman, Nami, help your brother out!!"
Ignoring the others who were fooling around, Nami handed the last Bounty Poster to Law.
"This is yours, it has increased from 440 million to 500 million."
"Thank you, but I'm not interested in the amount of the bounty."
It's fair to say the entire crew received a major upgrade; thanks to Roman, the Straw Hat crew's achievements are far more impressive than in the original story. They even managed to defeat Doflamingo while carrying Jack, one of the Beasts Pirates ' "All-Stars." If it weren't for the fact that this was the Straw Hat crew's "first battle" after their comeback, their bounties would likely have doubled. However:
"Haha, 'God' and all that, he's a 'two hundred million man' now~~~"
Usopp was carried away with his pride.
"Marine Admiral- level combatant should take note of your Bounty Poster. Be careful when you go out in the future."
Usopp was in tears.
The cold reality slapped harshly in my face...
"Just now, someone called for the Admiral?"
?!
In an instant, everyone who had been focused on the Bounty Poster and news reports suddenly turned around!
Beside them was a warship that had arrived at some unknown time. On the deck, a group of soldiers stood proudly with guns in hand. In front of them was a tall and burly old man (the Admiral's height), wearing sunglasses, with short purple hair, and a huge mechanical object in his right hand.
"The bounty has increased significantly, you seem quite pleased?"
The newcomer pushed up his glasses with his large, bony hands, concealing his expression.
"I, too, was once a 'Admiral,' so let me do it—"
Shave!
In a flash, the tall old man lunged at the Sunny Merry, his huge machine raised high in the air!
Let's see what kind of people you really are.