" Sanji, are you alright?"
Molly stared blankly at Sanji, who was showering her with attention, and couldn't help but ask a question.
Although Sanji had always taken good care of me before, he had never acted like this before; it was almost like... well, you know.
"Hehehe, Miss Molly, you've actually lost weight without me around these past few days, those damned guys."
After saying that, Sanji kicked Luffy, who was trying to steal the food, and then eagerly took out a sweet treat he had prepared especially for Molly.
Seeing Sanji's expression, everyone except Luffy, who was staring longingly at the food and drooling, laughed.
Fisher gave Lawrence a thumbs-up and said with a smile.
"As expected of a former Marine Vice Admiral, you really have a way with words; a few words and Sanji is fully recovered."
Lawrence's face showed displeasure.
"You bastard, it seems you don't consider me one of your own. Now that I've joined you, whatever the reason, I'm your comrade. I can't go back to the Navy."
Upon hearing Lawrence's words, Felsher showed a hint of shame and quickly apologized.
"Sorry, I misspoke. From now on, you're our brother."
"Hahaha!!!"
Seeing Fisher's expression, Lawrence stopped pretending to be angry. The group exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
Just as everyone was drinking and fooling around, a News Coo suddenly appeared in the sky. Lawrence thought for a moment and then waved.
Soon, after a few transactions, the News Coo quickly flew away, leaving the Straw Hat Pirates on its blacklist.
"Oh, what a pity, what a fat bird!"
Luffy said regretfully, but was met with a barrage of insults from the group, with Molly even punching him in the Luffy.
"All you ever think about is food. That News Coo; we get a lot of information from there."
News Coo is a very special existence on the high seas, although some powerful pirates do not care about Big News Morgans.
However, even the most ruthless pirates generally wouldn't harm News Coo, not only because they can deliver messages, but also because many lost souls can hire News Coo to guide them.
This was a rule established by Lin Yuan after he subdued Big News Morgans.
And you know what? Since using the News Coo to guide the way, Big News Morgans ' reputation has greatly improved.
Although he doesn't appear in public often, many people feel more grateful to him.
That's why the others did their best to stop Luffy when he tried to eat the News Coo. They knew that this might give them a better chance of survival in a critical moment.
"You rascal, don't you know if the News Coo holds a grudge? What if it blacklists us? Then it'll be much harder to get news from the outside world in the future."
Lawrence's words instantly made the group understand. After Luffy another verbal and written reprimand, they finally looked at the bounty poster.
"Heh, looks like we've become famous! Stealing the Heavenly Tribute has thoroughly enraged the World Government. Luffy's bounty has now reached 1.5 billion Beli, and Zoro's is 1.28 billion Beli!"
Lawrence looked at the text on the bounty poster and couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. He hadn't expected the Straw Hat Pirates ' bounty to be so high.
He flipped through a few more pages, a strange expression on his face.
"Heh, even mine got one, and they even gave me a bounty of one billion Beli! These trash really are ungrateful!"
Upon hearing Lawrence's words, everyone picked up their bounties and looked at them, their faces beaming with smiles. Each of them had a bounty exceeding one hundred million.
Even the lowest-ranking member, Molly, has a bounty of 110 million Beli, and the entire Straw Hat Pirates have a combined bounty exceeding 4 billion Beli.
"Haha, I never thought we'd actually become famous. If we'd known, we would have robbed the Heavenly Tribute much earlier."
Of everyone present, Usopp was probably the most frightened. Seeing his bounty of nearly 200 million Beli, he almost fainted from shock.
"Idiot, if it were before, we would have been wiped out by the Navy and the World Government long ago."
Lawrence nodded, a serious expression on his face, and spoke.
"I think so too. Since the World Government has issued bounties for us so quickly, they'll probably be coming to hunt us down soon. So we need to prepare early and head to the New World as soon as possible."
Molly and the others also realized what was happening, and their expressions all turned serious.
"But we haven't found a good ship yet, what should we do?"
As they spoke, they couldn't help but look at Lawrence, hoping he would offer some advice.
Unbeknownst to many, Lawrence had already gained everyone's approval; he truly was cut out to be an undercover agent.
"Ahem, if you want to get to the New World as soon as possible, my suggestion is to just take down a few great pirates. They definitely have good ships. Or rob a Marine Base; they have those too. If all else fails, Marine warship are top-tier vessels."
As he said this, Lawrence looked at the group, finally settling his gaze on Luffy. Zoro and the others were also looking at Luffy, waiting for him to make the final decision.
Luffy's face also showed a serious expression, and he spoke almost without thinking.
"Ahem, I've made up my mind. We're heading to the New World. Whoever we encounter first, we'll rob them. But only Marine Base and pirates; nothing else."
Since Luffy spoken, no one else objected. They all nodded in agreement, then changed direction and moved forward quickly.
However, before they could find a suitable ship, the World Government's encirclement and suppression began, with the naval fleet directly pursuing them, led by the newly appointed Marine Admiral Fujitora Issho.
Furthermore, the World Government also dispatched Cipher Pol to continuously intercept and kill them.
In the past, with the deterrent power of Garp the Hero of the Marines, the World Government might not have made things too difficult for them, but things are different now.
With Garp gone, the World Government and the Navy no longer had any concerns. In fact, the Straw Hat Pirates' plunder of the Heavenly Tribute had even caused dissatisfaction among many countries.
Fleet Admiral Sakazuki even issued a kill order, ensuring the Straw Hat Pirates could not enter the New World unscathed.
Despite the rapid increase in strength of all members of the Straw Hat Pirates, they were still somewhat exhausted in the face of the encirclement and suppression by the World Government and the Navy.
In just one month, they fought more than twenty battles, each bearing different injuries, and the merchant ship they had acquired was also taken over by Yixiao.
Fortunately, they managed to seize a warship, which allowed them to break through the encirclement.
They were frantically fleeing, desperate to reach the world as quickly as possible.
" Luffy, that's the territory of the Abyss Chamber of Commerce ahead. Only by passing through there can we reach the New World. We absolutely cannot clash with them, or we might really be stuck here."
It was Lawrence who spoke. After so many days, he had finally gained everyone's trust; after all, without him, they might have been caught by now.
Although Luffy and Zoro are very strong, Fujitora Issho is even more terrifying than them, and can even take on two opponents at once. After all, they have only just broken through and are still young, so they are no match for Fujitora Issho in a one-on-one fight.
Upon hearing the name " Abyss " Merchant Guild, Luffy's face showed anger, but he only agreed after being strongly urged by the others.
"I see!!!"
After saying that, Luffy went to rest by himself.