Bounty!

The first half of the Grand Line.

A small boat drifted slowly across the sea.

Ian manned the helm, heading in a random direction.

Several days had passed since the Maple Island incident, and Ian had been sailing at sea ever since.

Aside from the occasional attack by Sea Kings, he had not encountered any other ships along the way.

This world was simply too vast. Unless one traveled along designated routes, it was difficult to come across other vessels.

Ian himself was sailing without any particular destination, and he did not even have a Log Pose.

In any case, he was strong enough, and he possessed an enormous Dimensional Space filled with ample supplies. There was no chance of him starving to death at sea...

As he sailed, a News Coo descended from the sky and landed on Ian's small boat, cawing at him a few times.

News Coos were animals used to spread information by Morgans, the president of the World Economy News Paper and one of the rulers of the underworld.

It could be said that when it came to spreading important intelligence, Morgans' newspaper agency played an enormous role.

Moreover, Morgans had some kind of partnership with the World Government. Many reports could only be published with the World Government's approval.

However, Morgans sometimes acted on his own and spread news unfavorable to the World Government...

Because Morgans' whereabouts were unpredictable and no one knew where his true headquarters was, the World Government could not make a move against him.

That was why Morgans dared to negotiate terms with the World Government. Public opinion was a powerful weapon, and even the World Government did not dare offend Morgans too greatly.

Because aside from Morgans, there was no one else in the entire world capable of commanding the News Coos!

"Give me a newspaper." When Ian saw the News Coo, he waved at it.

The News Coo walked over, accepted the Beli from Ian, and handed him a brand-new newspaper.

After completing the transaction, the News Coo nodded to Ian in a remarkably human manner, flapped its wings, and left.

Several days have passed. The World Government's bounty on me should be out by now, right? Let's see how much I'm worth... Ian thought as he opened the newspaper.

Sure enough, the first thing he saw was information about himself!

The headline was exceptionally eye-catching—

[The culprit behind the death of Donquixote Doflamingo, matching the world's greatest swordsman Hawk-Eye in a spar, and destroying Maple Island!

"Ice Dragon" Ian appeared on Al Island over ten days ago and, for unknown reasons, clashed with Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and the Heavenly Yaksha. After a fierce battle, Doflamingo was slain by the sword!

Later, on a lawless island, he sparred with Hawk-Eye Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman and another of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, destroying an island in the process!

His immense strength inspires fear!

Afterward, he launched an attack on Maple Island, a World Government member nation, revealing his ambitious fangs!

Admiral Yellow Monkey led a number of officers in landing on Maple Island in an attempt to stop this man's evil path. The two sides fought fiercely on Maple Island for half a day, destroying part of the island and causing severe losses...]

After the brief report came a bounty poster of Ian after his Bankai, Hyorinmaru, followed by a string of zeros...

"Ice Dragon" Ian, bounty: 1.16 billion Beli!

Below the bounty poster was a brief description in parentheses—

("Ice Dragon" Ian, suspected Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan user. Controls ice and lightning, possesses formidable swordsmanship, and can spar with Hawk-Eye without falling behind!

Extremely powerful and wildly ambitious!

Note: This person is exceptionally dangerous...)

"Yeah, that sounds like the World Government... But 'Ice Dragon' Ian? What kind of ridiculous epithet is that?! Was that really so casually decided?" Ian complained weakly. That title... yeah, it really made his balls ache...

Why was his title "Ice Dragon"?

Did they judge it based on the shape of his abilities?

"This was definitely that old bastard Yellow Monkey's idea! Hmph! Yellow Monkey, just you wait! The next time we meet, I'll make you regret it!"

Ian muttered "Ice Dragon" a few times, and the more he said it, the stranger it sounded...

It was not a bad-sounding name, but Ian simply was not satisfied with it!

"I wonder if titles like this can be changed. Damn Yellow Monkey!!"

Ian gritted his teeth in anger. The next time he saw Yellow Monkey, he would definitely hang him up and beat him. Otherwise, he would never be able to vent his resentment!

Settling himself, Ian continued reading.

The rest was news from various other places.

Some of it caught Ian's interest.

For example, a certain kingdom had suffered a coup, with the Revolutionary Army suspected of operating behind the scenes. Belo Betty, commander of the East Army, had attacked the kingdom's officials and incited a riot...

In the New World, Dressrosa, the territory of the former Seven Warlords of the Sea member Donquixote Doflamingo, had recently been invaded by other rulers of the underworld. A conflict had erupted on the island with Snack, a newly promoted Sweet Commander of the Four Emperors' Big Mom Pirates...

Kaido of the Four Emperors and Red-Haired Shanks had once again clashed over their territorial borders. Senior officers from both sides had taken action, and the outcome remained unknown...

"This world really isn't peaceful..." Ian sighed softly, put away the newspaper, and continued onward.

At that moment, the entire sea was stirred into an uproar by this single bounty poster!

The first half of the New World.

Upon the sea, a pirate ship flying a black spade flag sailed onward.

This was the Spade Pirates, Ace's crew!

Up in the crow's nest, Deuce idly looked around when a News Coo suddenly flew down and landed in front of him. It offered him a rolled-up newspaper and extended a wing.

The meaning was obvious: take the newspaper, give me Beli...

"Huh? A News Coo? I didn't call for you..." Deuce was somewhat baffled. He had not summoned the News Coo, so why had it landed on its own?

"Caw, caw!" The News Coo cried at Deuce a few times, signaling for him to hurry up and pay.

"Heh, what's this? Forced buying and selling?" Deuce blinked, understanding the News Coo's meaning.

Not thinking much of it, he took out one hundred Beli and handed it over. However, the News Coo glanced at him and shook its head.

"What? Not enough? Since when did the price go up?" Deuce raised an eyebrow. Was it trying to jack up the price?

If he remembered correctly, News Coo newspapers had always cost one hundred Beli!

The News Coo looked at him. Seeing that Deuce still did not react, it pursed its beak in a humanlike manner and flapped its wings, preparing to leave.

"Wait, how much do you need?" The News Coo's actions struck Deuce as strange, and he hurriedly stopped it.

The News Coo cawed twice and raised three feathers on its wing.

"Three hundred Beli? Fine, here." Deuce did not care about such a small amount of Beli. The News Coo's behavior had made him extremely curious. Was there some major news?

He took out three hundred Beli and handed it over, then accepted the newspaper from the News Coo. When he opened it, his eyes widened in the next instant, and he muttered, "No... no way?"