Fifty Million First Bounty, Sword Points to Loguetown

The East Blue, under a clear, boundless sky.

The massive black sails of the Eclipse billowed in the sea breeze, and the ship glided steadily across the azure surface of the ocean.

"Flap, flap."

High above, a news bird wearing a postman's cap dropped a rolled-up newspaper and several slips of paper onto the deck of the Eclipse with pinpoint accuracy.

"Oh? Today's paper is here."

Sabo caught the newspaper and tossed a coin to the news bird. He untied the binding, and several brand-new Marine wanted posters fluttered down onto the deck in the sea breeze.

Carina, who was checking the accounts in the living quarters, and Buggy, who was polishing a cannon on deck, pricked up their ears simultaneously and gathered around with practiced coordination.

"Let me see, let me see! I did my part in front of the Baratie, so my bounty must have doubled!"

Buggy lunged excitedly toward the deck, grabbing one of the posters that featured his own red nose.

However, when he saw the number and the prefix printed on it, his anticipation instantly turned to despair.

"Clown" Buggy. Bounty: 15 million Beli.

The photo was still the old one from years ago, and his bounty hadn't increased by a single Beli. But that wasn't the worst part; the most insulting detail was the line of small, demeaning text printed right beneath his name—Affiliation: Eclipse Pirates, Chief Chore Boy!

"Are you kidding me!!!"

Buggy's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he clutched the poster and stomped his feet on the deck in a frenzy. "Why didn't my bounty go up by even a cent?! And where did those Marine bastards get their intel? What the hell is a 'Chief Chore Boy'?! Do I have no dignity at all?!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Accompanied by a hearty, resonant laugh, Ace, who had just finished his morning workout, pushed open the cabin door and stepped out.

He strode over to Buggy and slapped his broad, thick palm onto Buggy's back with such force that he nearly sent the clown face-planting into the deck.

"Don't be so angry, Buggy!" Ace laughed until tears were almost streaming down his face, casually ruffling Buggy's hair as if they were the oldest of friends. "What's wrong with being the Chief Chore Boy? That's a backbone position on the Eclipse! The Marines are clearly giving you high recognition for your massive contribution to our crew's logistics! Hahahaha!"

"Captain! You're definitely mocking me! You definitely are!" Buggy protested, though he was on the verge of tears. Yet, under the influence of Ace's uninhibited and down-to-earth laughter, the gloom in his heart dissipated more than half without him even realizing it.

"It seems the Marine intelligence network isn't all that impressive after all."

Carina crouched down with great composure, rummaged through the pile of wanted posters, and then tossed her long purple hair with a smug expression. "They didn't even get a photo of a living person like me settling the bill at the Baratie. As expected, for a top-tier professional phantom thief, never letting one's face be exposed to a lens is the hallmark of a perfect crime."

"That's just because you run fast." Sabo smiled and shook his head, calmly picking up his own wanted poster.

The photo captured his elegant silhouette, pressed hat and all, bathed in orange-red flames as he shattered the royal ship of a World Government affiliate with a Fire Fist.

"Flame Claw" Sabo. Bounty: 30 million Beli. Dead or alive.

"Thirty million Beli on my first bounty. It seems the Marine Headquarters is absolutely furious about our attack on the royal ship of an affiliate kingdom." Sabo's lips curled into a gentle smile as he folded the poster and tucked it away.

"Well done, Sabo! That's the kind of value a first mate of the Eclipse should have!"

Ace laughed and gave Sabo a thumbs-up, then picked up the final poster—the highest bounty, marked with the striking, ominous red text: EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

The photo had been secretly snapped inside the Baratie's restaurant. In it, Ace sat in the seat of honor, his massive eight-foot-two frame radiating an oppressive aura that made it hard to breathe. His deep, dark eyes were cast toward the lens with casual indifference, his arrogance and composure bleeding off the page.

"Eclipse" Portgas D. Ace. Bounty: 50 million Beli! Dead or alive!

"Captain, you didn't even make a move and you got 50 million?!"

Seeing the number, Buggy gasped, his breath hitching. A 50-million-Beli bounty on a first appearance completely shattered the historical records of the East Blue!

"Hahahahaha! Fifty million, huh! I guess that royal guard I tossed into the sea was worth a decent amount after all!"

Ace looked at the number on the poster, making no effort to hide his joy, and let out a hearty, unrestrained laugh. He turned around and shouted excitedly at Carina, "Carina! Today is a good day! Go get the best barrel of sake from the cellar! Buggy, go to the galley and roast that giant Sea King leg! We're having a small banquet for the whole crew to celebrate!"

"Ooh! A banquet! Time to drink!" Upon hearing the word 'banquet,' Buggy instantly cast his earlier gloom to the back of his mind and scurried toward the galley.

Carina also smiled and shook her head, turning to fetch the wine.

Watching his energetic companions on deck, Ace tucked the 50-million-Beli bounty—enough to shake the entire East Blue—into his pocket. He leaned casually against the railing, gazing out at the sparkling sea in the distance, his smile sincere and burning with fervor.

Meanwhile, in the Goa Kingdom, in the mountains behind Foosha Village.

"Woooooahhhhh!!!"

Fourteen-year-old Luffy clutched the wanted posters of Ace and Sabo tightly in his hands, his eyes turning into exaggerated, sparkling stars as he bounced frantically on the roof of Dadan's shack.

"So cool! Ace and Sabo are just the coolest!! Fifty million Beli!!"

Luffy held down his straw hat, looked toward the blue sea, and roared with a mix of frustration and soaring fighting spirit: "Damn it! I have to set sail soon too! I'm going to get a higher bounty than Ace! I'm going to be the man who becomes the Pirate King!!!"

Below, the mountain bandit Dadan looked at the two outrageous wanted posters that had fallen out of the newspaper; her eyes rolled back, and she fainted onto the floor, foaming at the mouth.

"We're done for, we're done for! Vice Admiral Garp is going to tear us all apart when he gets back!"

Back in the East Blue, on the Eclipse.

After a brief celebration, the scent of roasted meat and sake filled the deck.

"Now that the wanted posters are out, the Marines in the East Blue will soon swarm us like sharks smelling blood."

Carina took a sip of juice and spread out the nautical chart with professional precision, a glimmer of logic shining in her purple eyes. "Captain, we've finished everything we needed to do in the East Blue. Should we set our course directly for the entrance to the Grand Line, Reverse Mountain?"

Hearing the words "Reverse Mountain," Sabo and Buggy both looked toward Ace, who was sitting on a wooden barrel, gnawing on a piece of meat on the bone.

Ace, who had been grinning from ear to ear while fighting Buggy for meat just a moment ago, paused slightly upon hearing this question regarding their future course.

The next second.

The smile on his face slowly faded.

An incredibly profound aura, like a mountain standing firm over an abyss, erupted from his body without warning. The temperature of the surrounding air seemed to drop a few degrees due to this subtle shift in his temperament.

Ace set down the roasted meat in his hand, his deep black eyes gazing with extreme calm at a specific coordinate on the nautical chart.

"Before we enter the Grand Line, we are going to one place first."

Ace reached out with decisive movement and tapped heavily on an island marked on the chart.

"We're going to Loguetown."

"Loguetown?" Carina was taken aback. "That place known as the Town of Beginnings and Endings? But it's still a distance away from Reverse Mountain, and the Marine Captain stationed there, the White Hunter Smoker, is a Logia-type user. If we head there while carrying the highest bounty in the East Blue, it will definitely cause massive trouble."

"So what?"

Ace slowly stood up. He did not laugh loudly, nor did he show anger.

He simply looked down at the sea ahead from his commanding position, dark golden flickers of light faintly visible in the depths of his black eyes, his immense self-confidence infecting both Buggy and Carina through his words.

"Whether it's a Logia user or the Marine fleet stationed there."

Ace's tone was strangely calm, yet it carried an absolute arrogance capable of crushing every rule on this sea.

"If they dare to stand in front of the Eclipse, then we shall crush them all."

Ace turned around, his eyes, which seemed to burn with ambition, looking toward Sabo and Buggy.

"Change course."

"We're going to the place where the ghosts of the old era met their end. I am going to announce our arrival to the entire world from there!"