"Buru-buru!"
A Den Den Mushi suddenly rang on Fleet Admiral Hill's desk at Marine Headquarters.
"Hello, Fleet Admiral Hill?"
As soon as Steel Bone Kong withdrew from the battle, he called Fleet Admiral Hill on a Den Den Mushi.
"Hello, is that Steel Bone Kong? How did it go?"
Fleet Admiral Hill had been waiting for Steel Bone Kong's call. When he saw who was calling, he answered without a moment's hesitation.
"Were the casualties heavy?"
The first thing Fleet Admiral Hill asked after answering was how things had gone and whether there had been many casualties.
After all, in his view, their opponent was none other than Newgate, the Second Division Commander of the Rocks Pirates, and he possessed the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Some casualties were inevitable, but Hill didn't want them to be too severe.
Moreover, they were in the second half of the Grand Line, where the Rocks Pirates could send reinforcements at any time.
He didn't want to lose both the wife and the soldiers: fail to capture Newgate and end up losing Steel Bone Kong as well. That would weaken the entire Navy.
"Fleet Admiral Hill, the plan failed."
Steel Bone Kong sat in his office aboard the warship, frowning and looking dejected.
The office was silent, broken only by Steel Bone Kong's heavy breathing.
He was feeling rather despondent. Newgate had managed to escape, and he had been powerless to stop him. Though it had been due to an unexpected turn of events, he still couldn't forgive himself. This had been a rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"While we were trying to capture Newgate, there was someone aboard his ship who was very strong."
He reported this to Fleet Admiral Hill, hoping he might have some useful information.
"If I'd gone all out, I could've killed him in a short time, but the others would've been in grave danger. After all, Newgate was there too."
Steel Bone Kong's solemn tone revealed his respect for the strength of the young man, Carl.
Carl's strength had far exceeded his expectations, leaving him utterly frustrated.
"Oh? Do we have any information on him?"
Fleet Admiral Hill asked, sounding surprised. According to the intelligence provided by the Navy's informants, the Rocks Pirates had no one like this. His sudden appearance meant their intelligence had fallen short.
Steel Bone Kong scratched his head. First, he searched the room for the latest wanted posters, but couldn't find Carl among them.
For now, he could only assume Carl was a newcomer who hadn't yet set sail. But someone that strong, even as a newcomer, would explain why Newgate had come to pick him up personally.
He mistakenly thought Newgate had come to pick Carl up, unaware that Newgate had been blown onto the island by the storm and that the two had only met there.
"There's no information on him. I'll send you his picture through the Den Den Mushi."
Steel Bone Kong immediately sent Fleet Admiral Hill the picture of the mysterious man, Carl, that he had taken during the battle.
"Understood. Let's leave it there for now. Hurry back. The New World is far too dangerous."
Fleet Admiral Hill spoke with concern.
"Understood, Fleet Admiral Hill."
"Click!"
Fleet Admiral Hill hung up. He knew Steel Bone Kong and the others couldn't stay in the New World for long. Then he picked up the faxed picture and studied it carefully.
"Call a meeting of all Navy officers ranked Rear Admiral and above!"
He immediately issued the order to the messenger waiting outside the door.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral Hill."
The messenger standing outside saluted, then turned and hurried off to summon the Navy officers still at Marine Headquarters.
Fleet Admiral Hill looked at the Rocks wanted poster lying on his desk.
"Rocks..."
Fleet Admiral Hill's face twisted with anger. He slammed his fist down on the poster, where Rocks was laughing uproariously.
Inside the Marine Headquarters conference room.
Fleet Admiral Hill walked to the front of the conference room with Carl's picture in hand. Dozens of Navy officers were already seated inside.
He pinned the picture to the blackboard, swept his gaze over everyone, and cleared his throat.
"This man's name is Carl. Steel Bone Kong reported today that he found Carl aboard Newgate's ship. He may even join the Rocks Pirates."
Fleet Admiral Hill's authoritative voice rang throughout the conference room.
Everyone present sat up straight.
Fleet Admiral Hill continued, "The purpose of today's meeting is to assess the threat he poses and decide on a bounty."
The officers exchanged glances, astonished by the newcomer's strength.
"Why wouldn't someone this powerful join the Navy?"
One officer asked curiously.
"Exactly. What's so great about being a pirate? They pillage and slaughter wherever they go, committing every kind of crime."
Another officer sounded regretful.
"Unfortunately, we don't have enough forces in the second half of the Grand Line to maintain balance at sea. Now that the Rocks Pirates are growing stronger by the day, they've nearly wiped out all the Marine Branches in the second half."
Fleet Admiral Hill sighed, a trace of helplessness crossing his face.
The conference room fell silent as the officers thought it over. It was true: ever since the Rocks Pirates had begun to dominate the second half of the Grand Line, the Navy had found it difficult to extend its reach there. Whenever anything major happened in that part of the sea, the Navy was unable to send reinforcements in time.
Upholding justice at sea was the Navy's responsibility. They knew that well, but they simply didn't have the strength to do it.
The newcomer's strength made them realize that the Rocks Pirates were still growing stronger.
"Since he's joined the pirates, he can't blame us for what comes next!"
Fleet Admiral Hill declared righteously. After all, Carl had effectively joined the pirates, so there was no chance of recruiting him into the Navy.
"That's right!"
"Since he's joined the pirates, there's nothing more to say."
"It's just a shame someone this capable didn't join the Navy."
Fleet Admiral Hill listened with interest to the officers' comments, chiming in from time to time. The Navy couldn't be stagnant. If his subordinates only followed orders without adapting to circumstances, that wouldn't do either.
"Enough. Let's end the discussion here."
Fleet Admiral Hill tapped the table. The conference room fell silent at once and order was restored.
"Set his initial bounty at 500 million Beli."
Fleet Admiral Hill's voice echoed through the quiet conference room.
But just as he announced Carl's bounty, a Marine Vice Admiral named Jeremy stood up.
"Isn't that too high for a newcomer?"
Vice Admiral Jeremy asked with some concern. He doubted the newcomer's strength, and 500 million Beli in this era represented far more than the same bounty would at the start of the original story.
"It's not too high. He held his own against Steel Bone Kong for a short time."
Fleet Admiral Hill's voice was firm and unwavering.
As soon as Fleet Admiral Hill finished speaking, silence filled the conference room.
"True, this newcomer is very strong."
"Do we have any more information on him?"
"We couldn't find anything. We only know that he first appeared on that deserted island."
Everyone began discussing the matter, growing more and more astonished by the newcomer's strength.
"All right, his bounty will be set at 500 million Beli. Publish it as soon as possible."
Fleet Admiral Hill made the final decision, ordering that the newcomer's bounty be announced across the entire sea.
When the sentry outside saw Fleet Admiral Hill beckon him, he immediately came forward and took Carl's picture to the communications office, ready to send his latest bounty notice to every Marine Branch.
"Next, we need to discuss how to deal with the Rocks Pirates. We can't let them keep growing stronger."
Fleet Admiral Hill looked around at everyone, hoping to hear their suggestions and ideas.
"That's certainly worth discussing. Let's start with this..."
The discussion resumed in the conference room. Everyone began pooling their ideas, working hard to find a way to deal with the Rocks Pirates.
Before you continue