The Second Sea Emperor

How to set a new bounty?

If this were any other pirate under normal circumstances, everyone would be eager to speak up.

But with Beelzebul involved, and it mainly concerned Vice Admiral Sakazuki and the others who had clashed with her, the Generals at headquarters suddenly found themselves in a bind.

Set it too high, and it would drag the Navy into arguments.

The pirates out on the seas would surely think the Navy was nothing special—if a brat fresh out to sea could get such a high bounty, they'd say, "Let's go challenge the Navy too."

Then... it might actually be interesting.

No need to hunt pirates all over the place.

Set it too low, and wouldn't that be an indirect admission: Vice Admirals Sakazuki and Kuzan couldn't even take down a pirate with that low a bounty?

Word had it that Sakazuki and Kuzan were about to be promoted to Admiral; their promotion papers had already been submitted, and they just needed to return from executing the Buster Call to get the promotion.

So if Beelzebul's bounty came out too low, wouldn't that directly offend the two Admirals?

The Generals silently looked at Admiral Kizaru: Admiral, the job of offending Admirals is yours.

Sensing the gazes converging on him, Kizaru kept his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, zoning out completely.

What a hassle, just make it all thirty billion.

Vice Admiral Tsuru was torn. As headquarters' strategist, she had to consider every angle—on one hand, the World Government had ordered the bounty adjustment; on the other, whether the Navy's deterrent power would be affected.

Seeing this, Fleet Admiral Sengoku asked in a deep voice.

"Sakazuki, Kuzan, do either of you have any suggestions?"

The parties involved had the most say; no Navy officer had more authority on the bounty matter than Sakazuki and the other.

The Den Den Mushi spoke: "Let's tentatively set it at thirty billion."

Sengoku frowned deeply: "Thirty billion for Beelzebul, and twenty billion each for the other two?"

Kuzan's voice came through the Den Den Mushi: "I have no problem with Fujitora Issho at twenty billion."

Then Momonga and the others chimed in: "Dracule Mihawk... twenty billion too. We weren't a match for him, but we held out for a while."

"Good." Sengoku slammed the table hard.

"Issue the wanted posters to this standard, and get them to every Navy base as fast as possible. Any sign of the Morning Star Pirates must be reported to headquarters immediately."

"Nico Robin, who was rescued by Beelzebul, gets a tentative bounty of one hundred million."

"Yes, sir." Brannew saluted.

When news of the Navy issuing the wanted posters reached the ears of News King Morgans, he was still staring at photos that could send sales through the roof, fretting.

Morgans had assumed—the World Government and Navy would suppress the news like they did when the Celestial Dragons were kidnapped—but to his utter surprise, they hadn't.

Morgans stood frozen in place, then put his hands on his hips, threw his head back, and laughed uncontrollably.

"Big news! This is the biggest news of all!"

"The Buster Call, Ohara reduced to rubble, Beelzebul leading the Morning Star Pirates to defeat the Navy's Buster Call fleet and rescue the Child of the Devil, Nico Robin."

"Sales! Sales are going to double!"

"Reprint, I have to reprint."

Morgans wrote the news article himself, but as he looked over the final draft back and forth, he felt something was missing—until his gaze caught a newspaper clipping of Sea Emperor Whitebeard, and Morgans jumped straight up.

"Sea Emperor, the second Sea Emperor!"

After King of the Pirates Roger was executed, Morgans had thought Charlotte Linlin was the most likely to become the second Sea Emperor after Whitebeard.

Who would've guessed Beelzebul would stand out.

The Morning Star Pirates only had three crew members, but Captain Beelzebul had a bounty of three billion, Vice Captain Mihawk two billion, and Fujitora Issho two billion—a total of seven billion in bounties.

"My god, this is a Sea Emperor!"

Morgans howled with excitement.

"Beelzebul, don't let me down. I'm betting all my newspaper sales for the next twenty years on you today!"

After finalizing the draft, Morgans gave the news article two big kisses: "This old man is going to make a name across the Four Seas too."

There are six Underground Kings, but only I, the News King, reign supreme!

Morgans personally went to the printing factory and slammed the news article hard onto the factory manager's face.

"Print it to this standard, don't change a single word, and run ten times—no, twenty times—the usual volume!"

The manager read the final draft, and his expression turned incredibly colorful: Boss, have you lost your mind?

"A three-man pirate crew? A Sea Emperor? There's a limit to joking around, boss?!"

Morgans squinted: "What about three people? They won't recruit new crew members? Stop your damn blabbering and do what this old man says. If you won't do it, plenty of others will!"

The factory manager smiled on the surface but cursed inside: "Boss, I'll start printing right away!"

It's not my money anyway—go broke, you old bastard. When you go bankrupt, I'll piss right on your head, right on that bird beak of yours!!!

The next morning.

When fresh, ink-scented newspapers were delivered across the world by countless News Birds, the entire world erupted.

"Extra! Extra! Ohara Buster Call!"

"A second Sea Emperor? What a joke—how can a crew of only three be a Sea Emperor? The news agency must be insane!"

"Three billion? Two billion? Two billion?"

"The Navy's lost its mind too?!"

Not just billions of ordinary people were baffled; even the nobles of the World Government's Affiliated Nations, small-time pirates from the Four Seas, and the Great Pirates on the Grand Line were equally stunned.

All of them said the same: The Navy has truly gone mad.

Grand Line, New World.

Aboard the Moby Dick, shaped like a white whale.

Marco, with his pineapple-shaped hair, didn't act as boisterously as last time. Instead, he stared at the newspaper in his hands, lost in thought and gloom.

What the hell—just two years out at sea and already three billion?

Seven, you've made this old-timer, who's been sailing for sixteen years, feel like a total failure.

When the God Valley battle ended, Marco had followed his Old Man and joined Whitebeard to form the Whitebeard Pirates—exactly sixteen years ago.

But Seven had only been out at sea for two years. Even counting the five years on the Roger Pirates, that was just seven years.

Damn talent freak, how infuriating!

Marco's unusual behavior caught the attention of his brothers. Vista called out.

"Marco, what's in the paper?"

Marco shook his head, quickly ran over to the Old Man, said nothing, and silently handed the newspaper to him. Then he stood there in silence.

Whitebeard took a close look.

When he saw the bounties of the three Morning Star Pirates members and the depiction of Beelzebul as the second Sea Emperor, he burst into wild laughter.

"Gurarararara!"

"So they repelled that magma brat, five headquarters vice admirals, and over ten thousand Navy soldiers—excellent!"

"Marco, throw a banquet!"

The bounties on the Morning Star Pirates in the newspaper gave Whitebeard another excuse to hold a feast.

"Old Man, what's got you laughing so hard?"

His sons gathered around.

Whitebeard smiled and handed the paper to Vista: "Read it out loud, so we don't waste time passing it around. We've got a banquet to prepare."

Vista took the paper, glanced at it, and his pupils immediately shook: "This... this... it's too fake!"

How could someone become a Sea Emperor at seventeen?

A personal bounty of three billion?

A crew of three with a total bounty of seven billion?

"Read it, Vista."