Shocking Marineford, The Monster's Bounty

Time turned back a few days.

Grand Line, Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

The doors to the Fleet Admiral's office were tightly shut, yet the Marine officers standing guard outside could clearly feel the suffocating, heavy pressure seeping through the door cracks.

"Bang!"

With a deafening crash, a battle report stamped with a top-secret wax seal was slammed onto the wide desk. The solid wood surface instantly sprouted several cracks under the brute force.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku's forehead veins bulged as he glared fixedly at Garp, who was sitting on the sofa, crunching away at a rice cracker.

"Garp! How much longer do you intend to keep this hidden? Look at the mess this monster you let run wild in the East Blue has made!"

Sengoku roared, his teeth gritted in fury.

The atmosphere inside the spacious office was heavy to the point of stifling.

The three Admirals representing the highest combat power of the Marines—Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru—were currently sitting on the sofas on either side. Together with the Great Staff Officer, Vice Admiral Tsuru, everyone's expression carried a rare, grave solemnity.

Aokiji exhaled a puff of cold air and picked up the report from the table, his gaze sweeping over the shocking red text.

"Plundering the Heavenly Tribute meant for the World Government, crushing Vice Admiral Momonga's escort fleet head-on, and..."

Aokiji's voice paused, his tone carrying a trace of unbelievable weight, "Defeating the Marine recruit instructor, former Admiral Zephyr, in direct combat."

As these words fell, the entire office plunged into a deathly silence.

"What a terrifying newcomer~"

Kizaru slowly trimmed his nails, drawing out that highly recognizable, sleazy tone, "A brat who only left the East Blue a few months ago actually managed to beat Zephyr-sensei, who has mastered Armament Haki to its peak, into a severe coma. Young people these days are truly frightening monsters~"

"Shut your mouth, Borsalino. This is not a matter to be joked about."

Akainu, sitting in the corner, suddenly raised his head. Within the eyes hidden beneath his military cap, an extremely cold and cruel killing intent surged. Magma even dripped from his shoulders due to his emotional agitation, causing the floor to hiss and smoke.

"Daring to plunder the Heavenly Tribute and even severely wounding a former Marine Admiral. Such unforgivable, heinous pirates should be absolutely eradicated before they even reach the New World! Absolute Justice does not permit such provocation!" Akainu's voice sounded like a suppressed volcano.

"Sakazuki is right."

Great Staff Officer Tsuru rested her chin on her crossed hands, looking calmly at Brannew, the Commodore standing before the briefing board.

"Brannew, report the specific situation. What is Zephyr's current condition?"

Brannew wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, stood at rigid attention, and pinned several freshly developed photos onto the tactical board.

"Reporting to Vice Admiral Tsuru! According to the intelligence sent back by Vice Admiral Momonga, although Zephyr-sensei was defeated in the duel, suffering a shattered sternum and severe internal trauma, but..."

Brannew swallowed hard, his tone turning somewhat strange, "But that pirate named Ace, before leaving, used a bizarre crimson-gold flame to forcibly heal Zephyr-sensei's fatal wounds. Currently, Zephyr-sensei is out of danger and is being transported back to Headquarters on a medical ship."

"Healed?"

Sengoku frowned, his expression complex, "A pirate actually took the initiative to save a veteran Marine after winning the fight?"

"It wasn't just healing."

Brannew placed a blurry photo of Ace in his half-beast form at the very center, "According to multiple eyewitness accounts and comparisons by the Headquarters Science Unit, the ability possessed by Portgas D. Ace is preliminarily determined to be the extremely rare Zoan, Tori Tori no Mi, Mythical Type, Vermilion Bird Form! Furthermore, he has already mastered a high level of flowing Armament Haki!"

Mythical Type!

The moment those three words were uttered, even Akainu's expression shifted slightly. On this sea, the number of Mythical types was even rarer than Logia types. A melee monster possessing super-speed regeneration, extreme heat, and mastery of high-level Haki was absolutely a potential threat on the level of the Four Emperors.

"It's not just the captain."

Brannew wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and pinned several more freshly developed photos onto the tactical board.

"Reporting to Vice Admiral Tsuru! This pirate crew known as the Eclipse Pirates, besides the captain Portgas D. Ace, currently has five confirmed core members. Although their overall foundation is not yet enough to contend with the great pirates of the New World, their core combat power has already begun to take shape."

Brannew clicked on the first photo.

"First Mate Sabo, a Logia Mera Mera no Mi user. This person is a genuine monster. During the cover battle, he used powerful Dragon Claw martial arts combined with flames to crush Vice Admiral Momonga head-on. His danger level is extremely high!"

Following this, Brannew's finger moved to the other three photos, his tone softening slightly.

"As for the other crew members, although their current raw strength is not yet top-tier, the potential and tenacity they displayed cannot be underestimated."

"Chef Leona, a dual-wielding swordsman. She was suppressed throughout the fight against a Headquarters Commodore, but she displayed a tenacity for life like a wild beast. At the moment of life and death, she barely managed to severely wound the Commodore. It is preliminarily suspected that she has touched the threshold of Observation Haki."

"Mechanic Jeno, no Devil Fruit ability. He is equipped with a set of specially made exoskeleton armor with astonishing defensive capabilities. He was basically in a state of being beaten passively on the battlefield, but relying on armor thickness comparable to a city wall, he managed to drag out one of our Commodores."

"Treasurer Carina, a former thief from the East Blue. Her combat power is average, and she only used ordinary flintlocks for cover from the rear. However, she participated in the entire transfer of the looted Heavenly Tribute supplies. She is likely the navigator and accountant on the ship, belonging to the category of accessory accomplices."

Brannew finished his report in one breath, and the atmosphere in the conference room eased slightly.

It seemed that apart from the captain and first mate, who were true, rule-breaking monsters, the others were still in a growth phase.

"They are nothing but a group of dead weight being dragged along by two monsters," Akainu snorted, his eyes filled with disdain.

"No, Admiral Sakazuki. There is one last person,"

Brannew's fingers trembled slightly as he pointed to a comical photo in the corner of the tactical board featuring a red nose.

"The butler of the Eclipse Pirates, 'Jester' Buggy. This person used a splitting-like ability on the battlefield to clear out fodder; his combat performance was mediocre."

Brannew took a deep breath and dropped a bombshell, "But according to a comparison with the Headquarters' top-secret archives, this person was once an apprentice crew member on the ship of the Pirate King Gol D. Roger! He is a figure of the next generation from the same era as the current Four Emperor 'Red-Haired' Shanks!"

"Pfft, hahahahahaha!"

In the quiet Fleet Admiral's office, a burst of heartless, uproarious laughter suddenly erupted.

Garp, sitting on the sofa, showed not a hint of nervousness; instead, he slapped his thigh with immense pride, crunching loudly on a rice cracker while laughing heartily:

"To think he even recruited an apprentice from Roger's ship to serve as a butler, and then went and looted the Heavenly Tribute! He really doesn't play by the rules! Pwahahaha! As expected of the brat I've been beating up since he was little, he's done well!"

"Garp!! You bastard, shut your mouth!!!"

Veins bulged on Sengoku's forehead in fury. He lunged forward, snatched the bag of rice crackers from Garp's hands, and roared hysterically, "Do you have any idea what kind of monster you've let run wild in the East Blue?! Robbing the Heavenly Tribute! Severely wounding Zephyr! Do you even understand how much trouble this has caused for the Navy and the World Government!!"

"What does it matter? The kid didn't kill anyone, and that old man Zephyr is still alive, isn't he? Pwahahaha!" Garp picked his nose, completely unbothered.

Sengoku's gaze turned incredibly deep and pained.

He knew exactly whose son Ace was, of course. But he never imagined that one of Roger's former crew members would willingly serve as a menial butler under a rookie who had just set sail!

Could that red-nosed man know Ace's true identity? Was he secretly assisting the bloodline of the Pirate King, using his years of hidden experience to escort this group of newcomers?

Thinking of this, Sengoku felt a headache like never before.

If that were truly the case, the political significance and potential danger of this pirate crew would reach a level that would keep the World Government awake at night.

"We cannot allow these guys to keep growing."

Sengoku stood up abruptly, slamming both palms onto his desk, his eyes burning with resolve as he issued his final decision.

"Immediately re-evaluate the danger level of the Eclipse Pirates! Set their bounties directly according to the standards for major criminals in the New World!"

"Brannew, issue the latest bounty posters!"

Sengoku took a deep breath, making a decision to raise a newcomer's bounty that was extremely rare in the history of the Navy.

"Eclipse Pirates Vice-Captain, 'Flame Dragon' Sabo! Defeated a Headquarters Vice Admiral, bounty—530 million Beli!"

"Head Butler, 'Jester' Buggy! A remnant of the Roger Pirates, hiding his strength, acting unpredictably, bounty increased to—200 million Beli!"

"Head Chef, 'Mad Beast' Leona! Bounty—89 million Beli!"

"Chief Mechanic, 'Iron Man' Jeno! Bounty—76 million Beli!"

"Chief Financial Officer, 'Wild Cat' Carina! Accomplice in the Heavenly Tribute robbery, bounty—23 million Beli!"

Sengoku's gaze finally locked onto the wild, unrestrained photo of Ace. The ambition in those eyes made him feel as if he were looking at the very Roger who had once driven the Navy Headquarters to their wits' end.

"As for the captain of the Eclipse Pirates, Portgas D. Ace!"

Sengoku gritted his teeth, pronouncing the sea's initial valuation of this young hegemon word by word:

"Possesses a Mythical Zoan fruit and high-level Haki, severely wounded a former Navy Admiral, and looted the Heavenly Tribute!"

"Bounty—770 million Beli! Dead or alive!"