Chapter 83

Beckman took the newspaper from his mouth, the cigarette still between his lips, and said nothing.

His personality was incredibly calm and rational, and he had always been a man of few words.

"Captain, something interesting happened in the East Blue. Aren't you going to get up and listen?"

No one knew how much time had passed before Beckman gently set down the newspaper. He took a drag of his cigarette and said to Shanks,

Lucky Roux's plump face showed a curious expression as he hurriedly asked, "What's so interesting? Come on, tell us."

"Oh, right. I remember now. There's a little guy in the East Blue, isn't there? Are you talking about Luffy?"

Rockstar looked at Lucky Roux and asked in confusion, "Lord Lucky Roux, who's Luffy? Why have I never heard of him?"

To be fair, the moment Beckman mentioned the words "East Blue," Shanks's nerves were immediately struck.

He quickly sat up, looked at Beckman, and said with a hearty laugh, "You bastard, hurry up and tell us. Why are you keeping us in suspense?"

"The Luffy you're talking about isn't in the newspaper."

Beckman exhaled the smoke from his mouth and said flatly, without any expression, "Yesterday, something major happened in the East Blue."

"A young man named Chris was given a bounty of one hundred million Beli. It shocked the Four Seas and made him the most wanted criminal in all four of them."

Everyone froze when they heard this, their faces filled with disbelief.

Yasopp was from the East Blue and understood it better than anyone. He hurriedly shook his head and denied it. "How is that possible?"

"The East Blue is the weakest sea. There are only a few pirates there with bounties in the tens of millions."

"How could this kid named Chris have a bounty of one hundred million? Beckman, are you sure you didn't read it wrong?"

Lucky Roux nodded and added, "Exactly. When has anyone in the Four Seas ever had a bounty of one hundred million? That's impossible."

Shanks looked at Beckman, equally unable to believe it. "It really is one hundred million Beli? Then this rookie is truly extraordinary."

"If I remember correctly, no one in the Four Seas has ever received such a high initial bounty."

Beckman took a drag of his cigarette and said calmly, "Although I don't really believe it either, this is the truth."

"You all know that the Marines have always taken bounties extremely seriously. They only suppress the amount; they would never inflate it."

"So this young man's actual bounty must be even higher than this."

Beckman had an exceptionally high IQ. Wisdom constantly flashed in his eyes as he exhaled smoke and spoke steadily.

"For the Marines to offer such a high bounty, it's clear just how enormous this Chris's potential is."

"If I'm not mistaken, the Marines must have dispatched forces from Marine Headquarters to capture these people."

"Furthermore, the Marines sent out must hold a fairly high rank. At the very least, they should be at the Rear Admiral level."

Rockstar spread his hands and said with a laugh, "Lord Beckman, he's just a rookie from the Four Seas. There's no need to send a Rear Admiral, is there?"

"A rookie who hasn't passed through the Grand Line—no matter how great his potential is, his combat power can't be all that high."

"He definitely can't use Armament Haki or Observation Haki. He must be pitifully weak."

Lucky Roux took a bite and chewed as he said, "That's how I see it too."

"Beckman, your analyses have always been accurate, but aren't you exaggerating too much this time?"

"Why would the Marines waste a Headquarters Rear Admiral to deal with a rookie?"

Yasopp nodded and said with a frown, "A bounty of one hundred million Beli is already unbelievable."

"As for sending a Headquarters officer to capture him, that would be making a mountain out of a molehill."

"But no matter what, this Chris Pirates is truly formidable."

"Everyone in the world has been drawn to them. They'll definitely be watching this group in silence."

Shanks burst into hearty laughter. "Just like us. Weren't we thoroughly shocked too?"

··· 0Beg for flowers· 0

"Now that you mention it, this kid named Chris must be pretty strong."

Shanks looked at the picture in the newspaper and met Chris's gaze. His expression became extremely serious as he said in a deep voice,

"An ordinary person couldn't possibly possess eyes like that."

"Without sufficient strength or great potential, it would be impossible to show such a look."

"Looks like another major figure is about to appear on the sea. Hahaha..."

Whoosh~~

Beckman exhaled smoke. As calm and rational as ever, he said solemnly, without the slightest hint of humor, "Next, we'll see whether they can escape the Marines' pursuit."

"If they succeed, then this era is destined to remember their names. No one will be able to stop them."

... ... 0

It had to be said that the move made by Marine Headquarters had truly pushed Chris into the tide of the era.

It made his name spread across the entire sea!!

Not only Hancock, Whitebeard, and Shanks, but countless other pirates had also seen this shocking news.

It seemed as if the entire world was discussing him.

"Incredible! He hasn't even entered the Grand Line, yet he already has a bounty of one hundred million Beli. That's freaking terrifying!!"

"I'm going out to sea! I'm going out to sea too! I'm going to make a name for myself across the world..."

"Damn... The East Blue is such a lousy sea, yet it actually produced a pirate with a bounty over one hundred million. Why am I still staying in the North Blue? I'm going out to sea! I'm heading to the Grand Line right now..."

"Oh my! When has the East Blue ever had such a highly wanted criminal? This is amazing! The East Blue is going to become famous now! Roar, roar, roar~~"

"Are the Marines idiots? Someone who hasn't even entered the Grand Line has a bounty of one hundred million Beli! The Marines really are a bunch of shit-eaters!!"

"I worked my ass off and only got a bounty of over ninety million. Why does a rookie have a bounty over one hundred million? Fuck you, damn it!!"

"Where is the Chris Pirates? I want to join them! I want to become famous too, hahaha..."

(Everyone, these chapters are meant to show the impact Chris has had on this world and how thoroughly he shocked the entire world. So they're indeed a little slow, but it's all groundwork for what comes later. The plot will continue in the next chapter︿(￣︶￣)︿.) Ten.

Three days later.

Aboard the Chris, inside the Training Room.

"Everyone's been in such high spirits these past few days. They're all extremely excited."

Honey Queen gathered her pale golden hair and said with a charming smile.

Belo Betty took a drag of her cigarette and said flatly, "For pirates, nothing is more exciting than a bounty."

Carina nodded, her beautiful eyes sparkling with cunning as she said with a beaming smile, "Those are several hundred million Beli! So much pocket money—how could we not be excited?"

"We haven't even entered the Grand Line yet. After some time, our bounties will keep getting higher and higher. Hahahahaha~~"

Perona floated in the air, letting out a bell-like laugh. She was extremely happy.

Nami had been restless these past few days. She had been thoroughly shocked by Chris and the others and still hadn't recovered.

Looking at the women, she blinked her bright eyes. An awkward expression appeared on her pretty face as she said apologetically, "You're all so amazing. I'm the worst one here."

"Honestly, being with all of you makes me feel so much pressure."

Nami shrugged and smiled bitterly. "The East Blue is such a small place, and the pirates here are all incredibly weak."

"In front of you, I feel like a country bumpkin seeing a bustling city. It's so embarrassing."

Reiju crossed her legs and propped her delicate chin on one hand. Looking at Nami, she smiled gently and said, "That's not true at all. What's there to be embarrassed about?"

"Actually, I envy you. You speak your mind and never hide anything. Isn't that wonderful?"

Baccarat smoothed her deep red hair. Her brows curved as she added, "Nami has such a carefree personality. I like it too."

Just then, an alarm sounded outside the door.

"Report..."

"The village ahead is Cocoyasi Village! The village ahead is..."

Hearing the voice outside, Nami was the first to react.

Her beautiful eyes lit up, and she said with incomparable excitement, "We're here! We've finally reached the village."

"With Chris here, the villagers will be saved. They'll never have to suffer again.｀ ."

"I'm so happy! I'm really happy!!"

Among everyone here, Carina and Nami were undoubtedly the closest.

Looking at Nami, she smiled with curved brows and a delighted expression as she added, "That's right. That Arlong Pirates is finished now."

Perona flew around in the air and said with a giggle, "Exactly, exactly! I'll help Nami vent her anger later too."

"I'll show these detestable Fish-Men how powerful I am. Hahahahaha~~"

Belo Betty exhaled smoke and said calmly as usual, "Stop wasting time here. Let's go outside!"

Honey Queen nodded. Looking at the person constantly busy up ahead, she asked with a radiant smile, "Chris, aren't you going down?"

"Tell Lafitte to finish it quickly."

Chris swung his Blood Red Saber and said flatly without turning his head.

Hearing the man's words, the women couldn't help exchanging glances. They all shook their heads and smiled bitterly.

"I knew it would be like this."

Carina shrugged her fragrant shoulders. An exasperated expression appeared on her pretty face as she sighed, "Chris is a cultivation fanatic. Why would he be willing to move?"

Perona nodded and said with a giggle, "You can't really put it that way. The main thing is that these Fish-Men are too weak. They have no appeal to Chris at all."

"All right, since Chris isn't going down, let's hurry outside."

After Belo Betty finished speaking, she walked straight toward the door.

Honey Queen took one last look at Chris and said helplessly, "Actually, I think this is really boring. I don't know how Chris has managed to keep it up."

"Every day, it's nothing but cultivation. He's like a robot—cold and emotionless."

Reiju stood up and walked with elegant steps as she said with a beaming smile, "It's mainly because the pressure is too great."

"Everyone aboard the ship is working hard to become stronger. If Chris doesn't work harder, he'll definitely be surpassed."

She turned to Nami and comforted her gently with a charming smile. "Nami, although Chris isn't going ashore, you don't need to worry."

"With Lafitte and the others there, it'll be more than enough."

Baccarat nodded lightly and said with a sweet smile, "You can rest assured. There won't be any problems."

"Although the people aboard this ship are all arrogant and unruly, they're truly powerful and very reliable when handling matters."

Nami nodded repeatedly and waved her little hand as she quickly said, "No, it's fine. I'm not worried at all."

"Each of these Division Commanders is incredibly strong. I have complete faith in them."

The women chatted and laughed as they gradually made their way outside...

On the deck.

Burgess looked at the Island ahead, raised both arms, and said with a hearty laugh, "So this is navigator Nami's hometown? It's pretty run-down. Zehahahahaha..."

Doc Q leaned against his chair with an eerie smile. "Should we just use miasma later and poison all the Fish-Men and villagers inside to death?"

"Sure, that sounds pretty good."

Law carried Kikoku over his shoulder and said coldly, "Then this time next year, I'll be able to visit your graves."

Hawkins played with his cards, still wearing the expression of a corpse. "Judging from his physiognomy, his lifespan isn't that short."

"Gin is the hardest worker. He's almost caught up with the Captain's pace."

Lafitte looked at the dark-skinned man beside him and twirled his cane. "If we don't work a little harder, he'll catch up with us before long."

"After all, the Captain said that this fellow has excellent aptitude and an astonishing cultivation speed."