One Piece: From Picking Up Red Hair's Broken Arm

Chapter 302 The Highest Bounty! An Extremely Vicious Threat!

"What other options are there! We've already suffered a complete defeat, what other options are there?! Should we just gather the entire navy and fight the Fallen Ones to the death?"

Saint Vocuri was furious. "Don't forget, Nassuro, you were the one who orchestrated this operation! I suggested we report to our master first, and you, however, confidently assured us that as long as the 'Bound by God' could be released, the success rate would be one hundred percent!"

"Wasn't that what you thought back then too?"

Nasujiro sneered and retorted without any politeness, "Now that something has gone wrong, you're pushing all the blame onto me? Vochuli, haven't you changed your ways in two hundred years?!"

"enough!"

A cold, stern rebuke suddenly rang out, interrupting the argument between the two.

But the voice did not come from Saint Pitt, the last of the Five Elders in the room, but from outside the door that was suddenly pushed open.

"Ok?"

Saints Nasshou and Saint Vochuri frowned simultaneously and turned to look at each other with displeasure.

An old man, wearing a cloak and with a beard and hair like a crescent moon, stepped into the chamber of power with an expressionless face.

Step, step, step.

Without even glancing at the others, he sat down on the sofa and crossed his legs.

It was as if he were the master of this power.

"What are you doing here?"

Nasujiro's eyes turned cold. "How dare you push the door open and enter without announcing yourself? You have some nerve! Get out of here!"

"We are the Five Elders!"

Vochuli Saint also spoke coldly: "Even if you are now the commander-in-chief of the Divine Knights, you should still be mindful of the attitude you should adopt, Garin!"

The newcomer was none other than Figarando Garin!
—The current leader of the Knights of God, and the biological father of Shanks and Shamrock!
Garin Sheng glanced at them indifferently and spoke calmly:
"Master, we already know everything."

A simple sentence caused Nasshouro and Vochuli to stiffen abruptly, their faces turning deathly pale.

Even the usually silent Piet Saint suddenly looked up, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.

"What?! Master is already gone, but we haven't even gone to the Flower Garden yet..."

"The master is very dissatisfied with your performance."

Garin interrupted him coldly, “As one of the Five Elders, you personally went down to the mortal realm, not only failing to complete your mission but also losing two people and fleeing back in a sorry state. Such a disgrace has never been seen in eight hundred years.”

"So, the master has made his decision."

Garin slowly stood up, looking down at the three senior figures he had looked up to for so many years, and said with a mocking expression:

"From this day forward, I will fill the vacancies left by Maz and Satan, and serve as the new God of Scientific Defense, holding the position of one of the Five Elders, with an elevated priority in my authority."

"As for how to deal with Xia Nuo and how to deal with the Fallen One, the master has already begun to pay attention and care. It's just a pity that you three old guys have already proven that you are not up to the task."

"Therefore, from now on, I will be fully in charge; in other words..."

At this point, he snorted coldly, emphasizing his words:
"From this day forward, I am the core of the Five Elders, the head of the Five Elders!"

"Unite on my side and work together for a better future for the world. Do you understand, my fellow stars?"

"..."

The three Elders exchanged glances. Although their expressions were grim, they ultimately said nothing and tacitly accepted the change.

The master's will cannot be disobeyed in the slightest.

well.

I've finally tasted the sweetness of supreme power...

Garin nodded in satisfaction, his deep gaze looking out the window into the distance.

“Xia Nuo…”

For some reason, it reminded him of that man from more than thirty years ago.

They'll be a very interesting opponent, won't they?
Back then, he was young and thought he could stop Rocks, but the latter didn't take him seriously at all and crushed him mercilessly like hitting a speed bump.

One strike, just one strike, and he was almost killed.

But now, everything is different!
Decades have passed, and his strength is no longer what it used to be. Now, he wields supreme power in the World Government...

The results will be different!

------

Naval Headquarters, Marinevando.

The top floor of the castle tower.

An unprecedented high-level naval meeting, in terms of both scale and scope, is underway.

Major generals are rare here, and they are only fit to sit humbly in the outermost corner. Those who can sit a little closer to the front are at least lieutenant generals of headquarters.

Let's look at the first column.

The three current admirals, Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru, have gathered at headquarters for the first time in a long time, all of them in attendance!

"..."

Aokiji had just returned from the G1 branch. At this moment, he was leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, his eye mask pushed up to his forehead, and he was looking at Akainu on his right with a complicated expression.

Under the lights of the conference room.

Not only did Akainu lose an arm, but his once resolute and cold face was now completely disfigured.

There was only a hideous bloody hole left in his left eye, and half of his cheek was torn open, revealing the bare white bone.

Although it had been treated simply by wrapping it with bandages, it still looked shocking.

Why not refuse?

Aokiji sighed softly, "If I hadn't agreed to the Celestial Dragons' transfer order, things wouldn't have come to this..."

"Just mind your own business, Kuzan."

Akainu didn't even glance at him, coldly saying, "I have never regretted any decision I've made! This operation failed because the Fallen Ones' strength exceeded our expectations, but next time we meet, I will make Xia Nuo pay the price!"

Aokiji opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing and fell silent.

That's not what I was talking about, Sakazuki... Or are you deliberately steer the conversation toward the Fallen One to prevent me from pressing him for details?

And what about you, Borsalino?
Aokiji turned his gaze to the other side, but Kizaru remained oblivious, staring blankly at the whiteboard, seemingly lost in thought...

"Fellow comrades, fellow colleagues!"

A deep voice from above said, "The people have all arrived, so let's begin the meeting!"

"I'm sure you've all heard about the heinous atrocities the Fallen Ones committed in Beihai a few days ago!"

Sengoku stood in front of the whiteboard with a somber expression, raising his right hand in a gesture.

On the screen, the scene of the valley in the Kingdom of Lubnir, which had been turned into a lava hell, was suddenly displayed.

"Three hundred and sixty-six Celestial Dragons from seventeen families in Mary Geoise were simply taking a trip to the outskirts of this country because they were feeling cooped up in the Holy Land for too long. However, the Fallen Ones somehow got wind of this and launched a sneak attack, carrying out an unprecedented massacre against the Celestial Dragons!"

"All three hundred and sixty-six Celestial Dragons perished, without exception!"

The meeting room erupted in an uproar!
Apart from the three generals who remained calm, many lieutenant generals and major generals showed expressions of shock. They had heard rumors that headquarters had suffered another major loss in Beihai.

But to my utter surprise, the situation turned out to be this bad!
More than 360 Celestial Dragons?
Looking at the entire history of the Sea Calendar, spanning eight hundred years, all the Celestial Dragons who died unnatural deaths combined are just a fraction of this number!
"Moreover, our Navy Headquarters also suffered heavy losses in the battle."

Sengoku's voice was even more sorrowful, "You have all seen Sakazuki's injuries. To stop the atrocities of the Fallen Ones, the Marine Headquarters dispatched eight thousand elite troops, and they were all wiped out there! Even on the World Government's side, which came to provide support, two important figures have fallen!"

He took a deep breath, his gaze swept across the entire room, and his voice suddenly rose:

"It is clear that the mastermind behind this incident, Shano, is far more ruthless than any other pirate! The threat he poses to the World Government and our Marine Headquarters is unprecedented!"

"With the ever-growing number of Fallen Warriors under his command, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he is the strongest enemy our Navy Headquarters will ever face!"

"This group of madmen, thugs, and vicious criminals! The current bounty is no longer commensurate! It must be adjusted as soon as possible, Brannew!"

"Yes, Marshal!"

With a solemn expression, Brannew stepped forward and affixed a huge wanted poster to the whiteboard.

"According to past practice, this man's wanted poster should have been the last to appear."

"But this time is different! The price has been far too high. I urge all my comrades to remember this face from the very beginning! Remember this beast who has committed countless atrocities and plunged the world into even deeper chaos! Shano!"

As his words fell.

The naval high command also recognized the familiar photo.

The updated bounty figure below caused a collective gasp to fill the meeting room—

【DEAD OR ALIVE】

[The Curtain Falls, Governor-General, World's Greatest Swordsman, Shano]

$6,320,000,000

"Six billion two hundred million Berries?!"

"This... am I seeing things? Is this more than a billion dollars higher than Whitebeard's bounty?"

"Idiot, Whitebeard is more than just a billion! He's worth more than Roger! He's worth a billion more than that Pirate King Gol D. Roger!"

"Even Rocks back then wasn't this tall!"

Amidst the shocked murmurs, some broke out in a cold sweat, some swallowed hard, and others stared intently at the bounty, speechless for a long time.

The amount of a bounty, once it reaches a certain point, actually loses its original meaning.

Because there is no external force or individual in the world that can earn a bounty simply by capturing a wanted criminal of this caliber.

Even setting aside bounties in the billions, those pirates with bounties in the billions have historically had virtually no bounties ever paid out.

At this point, the bounty amount becomes more significant as it represents the level of threat the individual poses to the world! Or rather, the danger level!

The higher you go, the harder it is to rise. Even if it's just a few tens of millions more, or just moving up one place in the rankings, it means a significant increase in the importance that world governments attach to it!
The bounty for Shano has jumped from just over 5 billion to 6.32 billion Berries!

Not only did it leave legendary pirates like Whitebeard and Roger behind, it also set an unprecedented new record!
The most vicious criminal in history!

The whispers gradually subsided, and the meeting room fell silent once more. Everyone could feel the terrifying weight behind this new arrest warrant.

Brannew waited a while longer, until everyone had digested the information, before continuing to add new wanted posters to the whiteboard.

This time, I'll start with Xia Nuo herself and post the list from highest to lowest.

Therefore, logically speaking, this batch of arrest warrants should be for the four top executives of the Fallen Ones.

but……

To everyone's surprise, there were actually five wanted posters on the whiteboard.

"Kuina, the vice-captain and top executive of the Fallen Order, has her bounty increased to 1.646 billion Berries!"

"Starfall" chuckled, "The bounty on the highest-ranking officer of the Fallen Order headquarters has been increased to 2.84 billion Berries!"

"Bartholomew Kuma, the 'Thunder Meteor,' top executive, has his bounty increased to 16 billion Berries!"

"Jack the Rumbling, a top executive, had his bounty unchanged for quite some time due to his defeat by Katakuri. This time, his bounty is increased to 1.42 billion Berries! Death or life!"

"You all surely anticipated the increase in bounties for these four individuals, so I won't go into further detail."

Brannew paused, his gaze sweeping across the room before pointing to the last wanted poster:
"And the next person, without a doubt, is the biggest focus of this meeting, aside from Xia Nuo himself!"

On the curtain, a holy angel clad in silver armor with eight outstretched wings was clearly visible.

The photo appears to have been taken urgently on the battlefield; the image is somewhat blurry, but the aura of holiness and majesty is still palpable.

Some of the naval officers present did not even dare to look him in the eye, and turned their faces away slightly in shame.

"Before introducing this woman, I would like to apologize on behalf of my colleagues in the Naval Staff! We made a serious mistake in our previous work!"

Brannew bowed solemnly, then pasted another wanted poster next to Angewomon's photo.

Upon closer inspection, everyone realized it was a photo of an orange-haired girl biting into something that looked like a marshmallow, appearing quite ferocious.

"This wanted poster is probably familiar to everyone. It belongs to Shano's sister, Nami, a member of the Fallen Ones and known as the 'Pet-Eating Devil.' The bounty is 350 million Berries. The reason for this high bounty is that we mistakenly believed she devoured the Fallen Ones' pet, Mochi, thus stripping it of its Flame-Flame Fruit power."

"However, the reality is not so simple."

Brannew said in a deep voice, "The latest intelligence confirms that this so-called 'angel'-like creature is none other than the mochi that was mistakenly thought to be dead!"

"Within the Fallen Pirates, there is no such thing as changing pets every now and then, nor is there any pet-eating demon. The source of all the misunderstandings is simply that this unknown creature called Mochi is constantly evolving!"

　I'm recommending a book to a friend, Tokyo Bun. Those interested can check it out.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)