Bounties / Recruit Kyros

"That move again... Conqueror's Haki Infusion?"

Atlas's eyes grew grave. Armament Haki began flowing rapidly over her entire body, and she pushed her Observation Haki to its limit!

She intended to take this attack head-on. Her Observation Haki told her that this slash was far more powerful than the last. Only by experiencing Conqueror's Haki Infusion firsthand could she grasp the technique more quickly.

Besides, with the powerful self-healing ability granted by the Horse Talisman, she could recover quickly from anything that did not reduce her to ashes in an instant. As for the stamina it required, that was a mere drop in the bucket for her now.

Squelch!

After holding out for a moment, Atlas's Armament Haki was violently torn apart. Even with ample preparation, predicting where the blade would land and concentrating her strongest Armament Haki there, all her defenses lasted only an instant beneath Rayleigh's blade before being ripped open like paper!

Although the intimidating force of his Conqueror's Haki was much stronger than before, it had very little effect on Atlas, who possessed both the Sheep Talisman and Conqueror's Haki of her own.

"That's the feeling!"

Atlas looked excited. She seemed to have gained some insight into using Conqueror's Haki, and the huge, hideous wound on her body vanished instantly under the Horse Talisman's power.

Now's my chance!

A sharp glint flashed through Rayleigh's eyes, and he immediately thought of making his escape. This woman was a monster among monsters. No matter what wounds she sustained, she seemed able to recover in an instant. He had been keeping her firmly on the defensive, but if she decided to trade injuries, even he would suffer badly.

After all, he was already sixty-three. His ability to recover was certainly no match for his younger days.

"Hey, Marine! Where are the slaves?"

The moment Atlas returned to the warship, she was confronted by CP0's questioning. Her brow furrowed, and she answered nonchalantly, "Ah, they got away. Nothing I could do about it. The famous Dark King Rayleigh himself showed up!"

"They got away?! Who did you say? Rayleigh?"

The CP0 agent in the black-and-white mask was initially furious, but hearing Rayleigh's name left him stunned. He was certainly familiar with that name. Only nine years had passed since Pirate King Roger's death, and Rayleigh had yet to fade completely from the eyes of the sea's powerhouses. The Pirate King's right-hand man was still one of the strongest fighters in the world.

She actually got away unscathed from someone like that...

Watching Atlas head toward the cabins, the masked CP0 agent could not help falling into a daze.

Marineford, Sengoku's office.

"What? You're saying that old bastard Rayleigh was involved in this incident too?"

Rage swept over Sengoku's face as he listened to the information Atlas had brought back. Roger had turned himself in to secure a peaceful retirement for everyone aboard his ship. Who would have thought Rayleigh would come out to stir up trouble again?

"Come to think of it, you didn't let those slaves escape on purpose, did you?"

Suddenly, Sengoku eyed Atlas suspiciously. He knew perfectly well that her Observation Haki had a far greater range than most people's.

"Hey, hey, hey! Old man Sengoku, how could you doubt me? I've shed blood for the Marines!"

Atlas immediately protested, even making as if to lift her clothes and let Sengoku have a look.

"All right, all right. It was Dark King Rayleigh, after all. It's only natural that you couldn't stop him."

Sengoku hurriedly stopped her before she could expose herself. If someone caught sight of them, who knew what sort of misunderstanding it might cause? He still had his dignity to consider!

Knock, knock, knock... knock, knock, knock!

A slow, rhythmic knock interrupted their conversation. A strange expression crossed Atlas's face. Her Observation Haki had already told her who was standing outside.

"Come in..."

"Ohh~ Sengoku! Young Kanos is here too!"

A puckered mouth and a wrinkled face came into view. Who else could it have been but Headquarters Vice Admiral Kizaru?

"Why hasn't Tokikake come back?"

Seeing Kizaru arrive alone, Sengoku asked in confusion.

"Young Tokikake is still in the Holy Land, handling the aftermath and coordinating a few things..."

Atlas stared speechlessly at the relaxed Kizaru. I was fighting for my damn life against Rayleigh, and all you did was take a stroll around Mary Geoise. Yet somehow you got back later than I did. You really know how to slack off!

When it comes to slacking off, I'll gladly call you the strongest!

Bounty

Marineford, Sengoku's office.

"Were there any Celestial Dragon casualties, Borsalino?"

"It wasn't too bad. Apparently, only one Celestial Dragon was injured. I heard that slave wanted revenge for his wife and child. He came this close to killing the Celestial Dragon~"

Kizaru held his thumb and forefinger slightly apart as he spoke. That was indeed what had happened. The Celestial Dragon would probably spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, and the incident had left him with lasting psychological scars.

"That's good..."

Sengoku rubbed his brow wearily. He did not care in the slightest whether the Celestial Dragons lived or died, but he feared the Five Elders would use it as an excuse to make trouble.

Buru buru~ Buru buru~

No sooner had he spoken than the Den Den Mushi on his desk rang.

Click!

"Sengoku speaking!"

Under the others' odd gazes, Sengoku calmly picked up the receiver.

"Just what do you Marines think you're doing, Sengoku?"

An Elder's low voice came through the Den Den Mushi. Everyone present could hear the barely suppressed anger. Clearly, he was deeply dissatisfied with the Marines' performance during the uprising.

But who cared?

Atlas looked at Kizaru, who was indifferently studying his fingernails. He was probably wondering whether to trim them later.

"Saint Nazzaro, our Marines reinforced Mary Geoise as quickly as possible!"

Sengoku clearly had no intention of accepting the Five Elders' attempt to dump the blame on the Marines right from the outset. He rebutted the accusation without hesitation.

"Cipher Pol's investigation has identified the mastermind behind the Mary Geoise attack as the fish-man Fisher Tiger. Your Marines will now determine his bounty and dispatch personnel to hunt him down. Keep a close eye on Fish-Man Island's movements. Remember! Spare no expense."

"Also, avoid conflict with the Whitebeard Pirates as much as possible. I trust your Marines can exercise the appropriate restraint. We do not wish to see the balance of the seas disrupted again."

The World Government's intelligence work was certainly effective. They had uncovered Fisher Tiger's identity in almost no time. Their stance toward Fish-Man Island, however, remained ambiguous.

Fish-Man Island held a rather unusual position. It was an affiliated nation of the World Government, yet it accepted the Whitebeard Pirates' protection.

In truth, Fish-Man Island could hardly be blamed. Its geographical position was simply too unusual. As one of only two routes connecting Paradise and the New World, it suffered pirate depredations almost year-round, yet received no protection from the Marines. Since Neptune had been friends with Whitebeard in his youth, they had little choice but to fly the Whitebeard Pirates' flag.

"Our Marines have discovered that Rayleigh was also involved in this incident..."

Sengoku shared the intelligence Atlas had brought back. The Five Elders surely already knew, but it was a convenient way to redirect their anger. Whether Rayleigh lived or died was none of his concern.

"As for Rayleigh... reinstate his bounty. Since he doesn't value the opportunity Roger secured for them, let him return to a pirate's life!"

In truth, that was empty talk. Rayleigh was one of the strongest fighters on the seas, with no fixed territory and no one tying him down. He could leave whenever he pleased. The Marines could do nothing about someone like him unless they dispatched two Admiral-level fighters to surround and capture him.

But doing so would be utterly pointless. Marine Admirals were the Marines' greatest fighting force, meant to deter all evil on the seas. Fighters of that caliber were already scarce, and each had their own post to fill, let alone sparing two of them.

The Elder had issued practically every assignment in a single breath over the call, yet never mentioned Atlas. Rayleigh's interference was probably the reason. No matter how that CP0 agent bad-mouthed her before the Five Elders, he could not deny that she had fought Rayleigh!

As for the Whitebeard Pirates, the World Government did fear the terrifying destructive power of Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit, but their main concern was preventing the Marines' influence from growing further. The Marines were already showing faint signs of slipping out of their control.

"One more thing..."

Just as Atlas thought the man had finally finished droning on, his voice came through the Den Den Mushi again.

Sengoku's heart sank, and a bad feeling welled up inside him.

"We originally intended to hold your promotion ceremony within the next year or two. However, your Marines' conduct during the Mary Geoise incident has been deeply disappointing. Thus, the five of us have unanimously decided that you will be promoted to Fleet Admiral only when Fisher Tiger is captured, Sengoku. That is all!"

Clack!

Before Sengoku could say anything, the other side hung up.

"Damn it!"

Hearing that his promotion had been delayed, Sengoku could not help cursing, even though he knew the Five Elders were merely making excuses. Everyone in the office was on his side, so he had no need to conceal his emotions.

Several days later, a piece of news capable of shaking the entire world appeared in the World Economy News Paper.

The Holy Land of Mary Geoise had been attacked!

Although the World Government issued a statement vehemently condemning the crimes of the fish-man Fisher Tiger while saying nothing about the liberation of the slaves, many people still saw him as a hero, especially the thugs of the Fish-Man District!

A rather shabby-looking ship sailed slowly across the sea. Its deck was packed with people representing most of the world's races. They were Fisher Tiger and his companions!

Fisher Tiger had just left the waters near the Sabaody Archipelago. Some people had disembarked along the way, and most of those remaining either had no home to return to or lived too far away to reach it.

"Big brother Fisher Tiger! The Marines have put a bounty on you!"

Fisher Tiger turned toward the voice and saw Por running over with a brand-new wanted poster. He felt both helpless and amused.

Por was one of the few fish-man slaves Fisher Tiger had rescued from Mary Geoise, and he deeply admired the man who had saved him from that hell. What troubled Fisher Tiger, however, was that although the other slaves showed him no hostility, he was sensitive enough to easily notice the distance they kept from fish-men.

That discrimination, rooted in racial prejudice, weighed on Fisher Tiger until he could barely breathe.

"Heh... the Marines certainly aren't stingy!"

Fisher Tiger took the wanted poster from Por. His own portrait was printed prominently on it, and the amount beneath it was a staggering 230 million Beli!

"Of course! You're the great hero who freed the slaves, big brother Fisher Tiger!"

Por looked proud, as though it were only natural. Anyone who did not know better might have thought he was the one with a 230-million-Beli bounty.

Recruit Kyros

"What are your plans from here on, Por?"

Rather than sharing Por's excitement, Fisher Tiger asked about his plans for the future.

"I don't know, but I want to follow you, boss Fisher Tiger!"

Por spoke excitedly. To him, Fisher Tiger was the man who had dragged him out of hell and back into the living world. The moment he escaped Mary Geoise, he had already decided to follow the man before him.

"I want to form a pirate crew. First, we'll help these escapees get home. Then we'll fight the slave trade on the seas!"

Before Por could ask, Fisher Tiger spoke with resolve.

The painful years he had spent as a slave had left Fisher Tiger with a deep hatred of human trafficking. His attack on Mary Geoise seemed to have shown him a direction in life.

Marineford, Recruit Training Camp, Zephyr's office.

"How have things been lately, Teacher Zephyr? Any promising recruits?"

Only Zephyr, Shuzo, and Atlas were in the office. It was a fairly private meeting, so Atlas spoke in a half-joking tone.

"Not bad. But even the best prospects pale in comparison to you..." Looking pleased, Zephyr gazed warmly at the epaulets on Atlas's justice coat. "I never imagined you would reach the rank of Vice Admiral so quickly..."

After the Mary Geoise incident concluded, Atlas had smoothly been promoted to Headquarters Vice Admiral. There had been no unexpected complications, although her interception of Rayleigh had drawn a little attention from the Five Elders.

But Atlas had done nothing out of line, and they had already antagonized the Marines once through Sengoku. There was no need to add fuel to the fire over a mere Vice Admiral's commissioning. It might even backfire and provoke defiance from the Marines.

Shuzo chimed in from the side. "Teacher Zephyr has been holding you up as a role model in the Recruit Camp all this time. Those recruits now see you as a monster who'll surpass even Akainu and the others."

"Then they must be sick of hearing my name by now," Atlas teased. She had not expected Zephyr to think so highly of her.

"Hahaha! Don't listen to that brat's nonsense. What are your assignments now that you're back at Marine Headquarters?"

"Admiral Sengoku has assigned me to garrison the Sabaody Archipelago."

Atlas hid nothing from Zephyr. It was hardly a major secret, and although he had stepped away from active duty, he still retained the clearance of a former Admiral. He could easily find out something this minor if he wished.

"Garrison Sabaody? Isn't the base commander there usually a Rear Admiral? Why would Sengoku send a Vice Admiral like you?"

Zephyr was clearly puzzled by Sengoku's arrangements. After all, he had long since stopped concerning himself with Marine affairs and had not been paying much attention to the state of the world.

"Ah, Admiral Sengoku wants to stop as many pirates as possible from pouring into the New World, so they won't strengthen the Three Great Pirate Crews."

Atlas stretched her slightly stiff limbs, unable to hold back a contented groan, then explained casually.

Neither Zephyr nor Shuzo objected. The three of them did not have the sort of relationship bound by strict hierarchy, so the atmosphere remained fairly relaxed.

"By the way, when are you taking that recruit you asked me to train? You've reached Vice Admiral now, so it's time to put together your own fleet."