The Bounty That Shook the World

"Given the current crisis, we request authorization to launch the 'Ultimate Purge Plan.' It may drastically alter the balance of power, but unless we eradicate this threat, the foundations of our thousand-year rule will collapse."

The figure in the shadows—the mysterious being known as Imu—remained silent for a long time. The council chamber was deathly still. Even the sound of breathing seemed suppressed.

At last, Imu gave a slight nod.

With that simple gesture, an invisible, suffocating wave of power swept through the room. The Five Elders felt their hearts seize, as though something ancient and terrible had awakened.

"Proceed immediately," the long-bearded Elder announced, rising to his feet. "Begin phase one of the 'Ultimate Purge Plan': 'Hunt the King of D.' Use every resource at our disposal. Whatever the cost, capture or eliminate Lin Ye!"

"Yes!" the other four Elders answered in unison.

When they left the council chamber, Imu remained motionless in the shadows.

On the third day after the Voidbringer War, news that would shock the world swept across the seas like a hurricane. The World Government issued a new round of wanted posters at unprecedented speed, and their contents made countless pirates, Marines, and ordinary citizens gasp.

Lin Ye's bounty soared from an already staggering 4.5 billion Beli to 5.6 billion Beli, setting a new record in pirate history. His wanted poster captured the moment he raised the Golden Blade during the Marys Island Battle. He looked less like a mortal than a figure out of myth.

Lin Ye was not the only one. The bounties of every major participant rose sharply. Whitebeard's passed the 4.5 billion mark, while Kaido's approached 4 billion. The bounties on lesser members such as Ace and Sabo at least doubled, and even some ordinary Alliance fighters appeared on high-value wanted