The world watched

"Phew, phew, phew~"

"Captain, you're back! Are you hurt?" The moment he returned to the ship, Ling'er ran over to fuss over him, checking here and feeling there, terrified that her captain had been injured.

"Electromagnetic Barrier!" An enormous, invisible spherical barrier enveloped the Skybreaker as it sped toward distant waters.

Having exhausted the last of his strength, Lott collapsed onto the deck.

"Cough, cough, cough. I'm fine, just a little drained." Lott's face was somewhat pale.

There were no wounds on his body, though, and he casually tossed a Senzu Bean into his mouth.

Beside him, Zoro said nothing. He merely gripped his sword hilts tightly with both hands, his face full of resolve.

This won't do! I can't keep letting Lott take the lead every time. I need to train harder too.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the choice. Rewards: Advanced Physique Card ×1, Kizaru-style sunglasses ×1, Senzu Beans ×1,000.]

?!

Something strange seemed to have slipped into the rewards.

Marine Headquarters.

The Fleet Admiral's Office.

"What? Borsalino! You went after him yourself and still let him escape? Were you even trying? Don't tell me you deliberately held back because they were young!" Sengoku braced both hands on his desk and roared furiously, his mouth spraying like a sprinkler.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, that's what happened. He really did get away." Kizaru was wrapped up like a mummy, with only his eyes showing.

"Then hurry up and tell me what happened!" Fuming, Sengoku picked up the tea beside him and took a gulp.

Pffft~

He choked and sprayed a mouthful of water onto the sleeping Garp's face.

Pop~

His snot bubble instantly burst, and the old man jolted awake. "Huh? What? Did I fail the challenge again?"

"Garp!!!" Seeing him like this only made Sengoku angrier.

Garp turned straight into Sengoku's furious gaze. He wiped his face and glanced up at the ceiling. "Is it raining?"

Garp looked again at the enraged Sengoku before him and hurriedly hid the Senbei in his hand behind his back, his aged face full of wariness.

"Oh, it's you, Sengoku. Do you want to compete with me for the record for eating Senbei without sleeping too?"

Unable to contain his anger, Sengoku slapped his desk. "Garp, we're discussing the attack on the Celestial Dragons in the East Blue!"

Beside them, Staff Officer Tsuru watched the two clowns with a headache. "All right, you two. Let's hear what Kizaru has to say first."

After hearing Kizaru's account of the entire incident, veins bulged on Sengoku's forehead. "This really is a problem. They never did anything out of line when they were bounty hunters! But now they've displayed such formidable strength and even killed two Celestial Dragons."

Crunch~ Crunch~

Garp tossed a Senbei into his mouth and chewed. "Relax, Sengoku. Didn't you hear what Borsalino said? This bounty hunter Lott freed slaves and sent them home, and killed a couple of scumbags while he was at it."

As he spoke, Garp patted Sengoku's shoulder and continued, "Pirates like that won't go around murdering civilians, so they aren't really a threat."

"Garp, do you realize what you just said? Those were Celestial Dragons!" Sengoku rubbed his temples, his head aching. How did I end up with someone this irresponsible?

Only then did Garp catch on. "Oh? Then pretend I never said that. Hahahaha!"

Sengoku really did not want to deal with this old man. In truth, he disliked the Celestial Dragons too, but what could he do? After all, the Marines now were not the people's Marines, but the World Government's Marines.

Though he was Fleet Admiral of the Marines, some things were not as simple as he imagined. Sometimes, he really did envy that old bastard Garp.

Sigh~

With a soft sigh, Sengoku continued, "Looking for him now would be like searching for a needle in the ocean. Let's issue a wanted poster first. How much should we set his bounty at?"

At this point, Staff Officer Tsuru spoke up. "Based on his strength, his bounty should actually be at least 1.5 billion."

Sengoku nodded. "Yes. He did manage to fight Kizaru to this extent, after all."

Sengoku knew Kizaru's ways perfectly well. He knew the man was just a salaried worker who only thought about clocking in and out.

Whenever there was an opportunity to take sick leave, he was always the most eager.

There might only be superficial wounds beneath those mummy wrappings. Sengoku did not believe a reckless seventeen-year-old could really injure Kizaru badly enough to require him to be wrapped up like a mummy.

Still, anyone capable of injuring Kizaru certainly possessed strength that could not be underestimated.

Staff Officer Tsuru glanced at Kizaru, a trace of helplessness likewise flashing through her eyes.

Then she said, "Let's make it 200 million, then. Given how he operates, he won't possibly stay in the East Blue. He'll definitely enter the Grand Line eventually. Setting it a little lower will also encourage bounty hunters and other pirates to go after him. Once they're fighting each other, the Marines can reap the benefits..."

Sengoku nodded. He knew that if this matter was not handled properly, those five men would tear into him again.

For now, though, this was the only option.

Early the following morning.

Newspapers were distributed across the world in overwhelming numbers, with news about Lott emblazoned across the front page.

The New World, aboard the Moby Dick.

"Pops, look! The Celestial Dragons were actually attacked in the East Blue!" A man with a pineapple-shaped head rushed up to Whitebeard with a stack of newspapers.

Whitebeard took a newspaper and read it with interest. "Gurararara~ What a gutsy brat, daring to attack the Celestial Dragons. If we meet him someday, let's see whether he'd like to become my son."

The pineapple-headed man was delighted too. He knew this was probably his Pops wanting to protect this newcomer.

After all, few people dared to openly oppose the World Government. He really was an admirable fellow.

The New World, Totto Land, Whole Cake Island.

"Mamamama! Katakuri, go to the East Blue and find this man for me. I want to marry him!" Big Mom drooled as she held the newspaper.

"Mama, traveling from here to the East Blue would take a long time. This Lott will come to the New World sooner or later. We can find him then."

"Mamamama! That works too. As soon as she enters the New World, hurry over and capture him for me."

The New World, aboard the Red Force.

"Boss, look, this kid's from the East Blue too! I wonder if he knows Luffy." Lucky Roux held a piece of meat on the bone in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

"Oh? Let me see."

"Since such a huge incident has happened-ah, forget it! Let's drink! We're having a party, boys!"

"Yeah!"

But no one noticed the flicker of worry that crossed Shanks's face.

The East Blue, Foosha Village, Makino's bar.

"Lott's first bounty is this high? Well, he is a monster! But I'll be setting sail soon too. We'll be enemies then." Ace muttered as he looked at the wanted poster before him.

He knew Lott was strong, but that was no reason for him to back down. On the contrary, the stronger his opponent was, the more motivated he became.

"Wow! So cool~ Lott looks awesome! When I set sail, my bounty will definitely be higher than his!" Luffy clamored beside him.

"Shut up! Do you know what pirates are? They're villains!" The old village chief appeared inside the bar.

"Chief, you're obviously worried about Lott too, aren't you?"

"Shut up!"

The entire world went wild. How many years had it been since there was last any news about the Celestial Dragons? Now they had actually made the news, and it was because they had been attacked in the East Blue.

Meanwhile, Lott and his companions were sailing the Skybreaker toward Syrup Village.

An Electromagnetic Barrier invisible to the naked eye still surrounded the Skybreaker.

Even after sailing for so long, Lott still did not feel entirely at ease. The Marines had eyes everywhere throughout the Four Blues and Paradise.