His First Bounty: 500 Million Beli

For a moment, the atmosphere in the meeting room grew awkward.

They had thought this was a vicious incident. Who could have expected this?

Serves them right!

That was the only way to describe what everyone was thinking.

The Celestial Dragons had brought this on themselves.

The awkward silence lasted for several minutes.

In the end, Kong was the first to break the silence. "No matter what, Rono hijacked the Heavenly Tribute, causing an extremely serious incident. This matter must be dealt with."

"First, issue Wanted Posters across the world immediately to warn people that this man is dangerous!"

Kong paused, then continued:

"Mary Geoise has issued an Execution Order. We must root him out completely, so we'll proceed according to the original plan."

No one responded to Kong. After all, everyone understood what had happened, and quite a few of them even supported Rono's actions deep down.

There were still people in the Marines who upheld Justice. They hadn't been completely brainwashed like CP0.

The Marines still had a sense of right and wrong.

"But Admiral Kong, from beginning to end, this was all the Celestial Dragons' own fault!" Garp sounded extremely dissatisfied.

They'd killed someone's whole family, and now they weren't even allowed to retaliate?

Besides, the Celestial Dragon was still alive.

Sengoku and Zephyr, standing nearby, had remained silent the whole time.

Not voicing their support for Kong's decision was already a statement in itself!

Clearly, all three of them were dissatisfied with this outcome.

After all, these three would be pillars of the Marines in the future, so Kong had no choice but to explain:

"Do you think I want to let Rono off the hook any less than you do? But the World Government is our superior. Obeying orders is a soldier's duty!"

"If we turn against the World Government over something like this, who will uphold Justice in this world?"

"Besides, who can guarantee that Rono isn't a Most Evil Criminal? Don't forget, there are countless civilians across these seas waiting for us to protect them!"

Kong's words convinced Sengoku and Zephyr as well.

That was true. He had hijacked the Heavenly Tribute today, but who could guarantee that Rono wouldn't hijack ordinary civilians in the future?

If they let him go this time and he went on to target other civilians, wouldn't that be tantamount to condoning crime?

"But..."

At the same time, Dragon, who was still a Recruit, couldn't help wanting to speak his mind, but his father, Garp, immediately held him down.

"Fine, Admiral Kong. I request permission to carry out this mission. The East Blue is my home, and I'll gladly rid its people of this threat."

Garp stood up and volunteered to carry out the mission.

"Garp... This Execution Order was issued personally by the Five Elders. There must be no mistakes." Kong narrowed his eyes at Garp. Was this guy going to go easy on Rono?

With Garp's temperament, he was absolutely capable of doing something like that.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

"Prepare a Warship immediately. We're heading to the East Blue at top speed!"

With that, Garp picked up his Justice cloak from his seat, draped it over his shoulders, and left without looking back.

At the harbor, Dragon saw his father off.

Before they parted, Dragon asked, "Father, are you really going to execute Rono?"

Garp gazed out at the distant sea. "We'll see. If he really is a Most Evil Criminal, I won't let him go."

"And if he isn't?"

"Ha ha ha, I know what I'm doing." Garp laughed heartily, and Dragon felt reassured.

He knew his father's character best.

"But Admiral Kong was really out of line today. What happened clearly wasn't the way the World Government said it was." Dragon was still disappointed in Kong.

The background investigation was already clear. Rono had obeyed the law since childhood and only went to sea to hijack the Heavenly Tribute after his parents were killed.

Someone like that couldn't possibly be a vicious criminal.

"Don't blame Admiral Kong. He has his difficulties too," Garp said, trying to comfort Dragon.

As an Admiral Candidate, Garp sometimes felt constrained by those above him. Admiral Kong had it even worse.

Garp even felt that the position of Admiral didn't suit him.

If he really became an Admiral, could he still come and go as he pleased, living freely without being influenced by those old men in the World Government?

A huge question mark formed in Garp's mind.

"Father, the Marines are too deeply influenced by the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. I'll change things."

Just as Garp was stepping onto the Warship, Dragon suddenly spoke.

Kong raised an eyebrow. "And how do you plan to change things?"

"I... I'll become a Marine Admiral. No, Fleet Admiral. When that day comes, the Marines will uphold true Justice instead of becoming puppets of the World Government!"

Watching the surging waves crash against the shore, Dragon swore to the sea.

"Hey~~ Can you say that out loud?!"

The Marines around them were stunned by the father and son's conversation!

The Marines becoming puppets of the World Government?

What would happen if Mary Geoise heard that?

Garp, on the other hand, didn't care at all. He laughed with pride. "Ha ha ha, just as I'd expect from my son!"

"Train hard, Dragon!"

He patted Dragon on the shoulder a few times in encouragement. Garp was very confident in his son's talent.

In a year or two at most, this guy would definitely grow into a Marine Admiral!

Before long, Garp boarded the special Dog-Head Warship.

Watching his father sail away, Dragon resolved to train hard and become an Admiral—or even Fleet Admiral-as soon as possible.

"Set sail!" The Warship departed.

The Wanted Posters sent to every corner of the world departed alongside Garp's Warship.

More than a hundred thousand Albatrosses took off from Marine Headquarters and scattered in all directions, flying to every corner of the world.

As the Albatrosses continued dropping Wanted Posters, every place that received one erupted into an uproar!

"Ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million, ten million, hundred million... Am... Am I seeing things? This kid's first bounty is 500 million!"

"How is that possible? 500 million Beli is the bounty of a Great Pirate. How come nobody's ever heard of this guy before?"

"Hey, hey, didn't you see? He knocked out the CP0 leader with one punch, wiped out CP0's members, and robbed the Heavenly Tribute. He did all of that!"

"He robbed the Heavenly Tribute meant for the East Blue! It had countless treasured blades and rare Devil Fruits. He'll never have to worry about money again!"

"That's right, he even got his hands on the Flame-Flame Fruit! If I had the Flame-Flame Fruit, I could probably become a Great Pirate too."

"That's not all! The newspaper says [Most Evil Criminal] Rono awakened the Three Types of Haki at just seventeen!"

"What? He awakened all three types of Haki? What kind of Monster is this guy?"

"Not only that, all three types of Haki are at an advanced level. Don't forget, he's only seventeen. Another incredible figure is about to emerge on these seas!"

"And his crewmate, Roger, is about as strong as he is! Looks like the seas are about to get lively again!"

For a time, Rono's deeds attracted countless people's attention.

After all, his first bounty was as high as 500 million Beli. That bounty alone was enough to leave everyone stunned.

After all, this was still the early age of pirates. Inflation hadn't gotten that bad yet, and a bounty of 500 million already more than qualified someone as a Great Pirate.

And that was before you even considered Rono's deeds: seizing the Heavenly Tribute, obtaining countless treasures, and possessing terrifying talent and potential.

The whole world knew that another incredible Monster was about to emerge on the seas.