Pirate: I, Ace, am the King of Eclipse!

"Don't keep me waiting too long." Ace raised his hand. "You've entered the chat channel. There's news from the government and Kuma. Contact Karina immediately."

"Small Eclipse activated, full speed ahead!"

The sound of wind-ups emanated from within the ship's hull, as the two mechanical propellers on either side simultaneously entered the water. The grinding of gears gradually quickened, and the black hull cleaved through the viscous sea, leaving two white streaks at the stern. Brooke stood on the deck and began to play a farewell tune, as the dire strait and the figures of the three people on the shore were gradually swallowed by the fog.

Three days later, the Eclipse completely left the Devil's Triangle area.

Sunlight returned to the dark deck, and the crew carried out their damp clothes and spare parts to dry. A newsbird with a satchel on its back circled the mainmast, calling out incessantly.

"Breaking news! Breaking reward!"

Karina flicked a coin with her finger. The newsbird caught it precisely, tossing down a stack of newspapers and a wanted poster. She flipped to the front page, read only a few lines, then her usual smile vanished, and she turned to spread everything out on the long deck table.

"Come here, all of you." The fox spirit pressed down on a corner of the newspaper that was being blown by the wind. "This time, the World Government doesn't just want to capture us; it also wants people all over the world to come and cause trouble for Eclipse."

The crew members gradually gathered around the table.

In the topmost wanted poster, Ace throws a punch with one hand, and crimson-gold divine fire spreads behind him like the wings of a Vermilion Bird.

Captain: Portgas D. Ace

Nickname: The Outlier

[Bounty: 1.57 billion Berries (DEAD OR ALIVE)]

Buggy stared at the string of numbers several times, then his jaw slammed onto the table, and his body seemed to shatter into pieces: "1.57 billion?! Did the Navy add an extra zero? We've only been away from Water 7 for a few days, and Ace didn't even go digging up the Celestial Dragons' ancestral graves!"

Sabo moved Ace's bounty poster aside, revealing his own.

[Sabo the Flame Dragon: 820 million Berries.]

He ignored the numbers and instead read the newspaper commentary twice: "'The Breaker' nickname was deliberately released by the World Government. They portrayed Ace as a heretic who was not bound by the rules of pirates and the world order, coupled with a bounty of 1.57 billion. Bounty hunters, newcomers who want to make a name for themselves by stepping on the strong, and those in the New World who want to test Eclipse will all come looking for him."

Karina tapped the newspaper: "This is a case of flattery to kill. The Navy can't do anything to us right now, so they're putting the captain under everyone's scrutiny. As long as challengers keep coming, our route, strength, and capabilities will be leaked sooner or later."

Enel pulled his bounty poster from the table.

[Enel, the Lightning Disaster: 750 million Berries.]

"Thunder Calamity?" After reading the nickname, several veins bulged on the back of his hand. "The people of Qinghai are still so bad at naming gods. And why does that guy with the stick have 70 million more than me?"

“Because he’s more like a normal person than you,” Karina replied without looking up.

Sabo smiled and laid out the remaining bounty posters in order:

[Urouge the Eccentric Monk: 380 million Berries.]

[Bagkey: 220 million Berries.]

[Leona the Mad Chef: 210 million Berries.]

[The Mechanic, Geno: 9000 million Berries.]

[Kalina the Fox: 5600 million Berries.]

Geno squeezed through the crowd, picked up his bounty poster, and slammed it on the table: "Ninety million? Don't they know how much the Eclipse I built is worth? Just the technology it brought back from the moon alone is worth more than that!"

“The bounty is for the threat you pose, not for the valuation of your invention.” Karina pulled the paper from his hand. “Besides, ninety million is enough to attract a lot of attention. Don’t look like you’re at a disadvantage.”

Leona glanced at her new nickname but at least didn't object. Urouge laughed as he held the bounty poster, while Bucky looked at his $220 million bounty poster over and over, sometimes smug, sometimes worried that he would be recognized wherever he went.

Ace stood by the table, the bounty poster for 1.57 billion dollars between his fingers.

The government didn't bestow upon him the title of the fifth Emperor of the Sea, but instead sent the bounty along with the "outlier" to the world. This newspaper wasn't just a simple wanted notice; it was more like an open challenge. It told everyone who wanted fame, reward, and status that as long as they bit into a piece of the eclipse, they could become the protagonist of the next issue's news.

Sabo flipped to the back of the newspaper. It detailed the Eclipse's achievements in Water Seven, even listing the abilities and characteristics of several officers, though some information was true and some false. Karina noted it down, intending to use the seabirds to trace the source of the information later. While the government was offering a reward, they were also testing them with this half-truths: if the Eclipse rushed to clarify, it would be tantamount to providing the enemy with a complete answer; if they did nothing, the erroneous intelligence would send another group of misjudged enemies to their ship.

"No need to respond yet." Ace pushed the newspaper back onto the table. "If they're willing to keep our cards hidden, let them keep guessing. As for those who come to us for help, they're perfect for you to practice on."

The sea breeze swept across the deck, fluttering the corners of the wanted posters.

“They’re trying to use the eclipse as a target, which isn’t a bad idea.” Ace released his grip, letting his bounty poster float into the air. “But the hounds that surround the prey may not be the prey.”

He looked up at the path ahead. The log pointer pointed to the Sabaody Archipelago, a place that no pirate heading to the New World could avoid.

“Keep moving forward. Now that the government has spread the word across the ocean for us, those who want to make a name for themselves by riding the eclipse will naturally come.” Ace turned to his companions. “Then they’ll see for themselves who’s hunting whom.”

Chapter 104 The Boiling Sea 1

At dawn, newsbirds fly over the red earth continent, delivering the same newspaper to all corners of the world.

On the front page, the Eclipse Pirates' name occupied the most prominent position. The bounty poster distributed along with the newspaper showed Ace's bounty had increased to 1.57 billion Berries.

This is not a number that can be simply mentioned and forgotten as a topic of conversation.

They stole the Celestial Gold, defeated Zephyr, killed an awakened Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, and then headed straight for the Sabaody Archipelago with a group of companions with bounties exceeding 100 million. These events, taken together, were enough to make everyone who saw the newspapers reassess this group of newcomers who had only been at sea for half a year.

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

The Den Den Mushi in the Marshal's office bumped against the wall and bounced onto the sofa. Garp caught it with one hand, still crunching on his senbei.

"Garp! Look what your good grandson has done!" Sengoku slammed his hand on the table, knocking over the stack of battle reports beside it. "He stole the Celestial Gold, defeated Zephyr, and even the World Government's agents died at his hands. Now he's leading an entire ship toward Sabaody Archipelago! What did you tell me before? Just some small-scale skirmishes?"

"Puhahaha, isn't that quite spirited?" Garp put the Den Den Mushi down beside him and picked up a senbei. "The ones he robbed were warlords who specialized in plundering civilians. As for how much money the Celestial Dragons lost, that's none of my business."

Stop pretending to be stupid!

Sengoku turned and pointed to the whiteboard. Photos and information about Ace, Sabo, Enel, and others covered almost half the wall, with "Conqueror's Haki" circled in red next to some of the photos.

"The captain has 1.57 billion, and both of his Logia-type first mates have awakened Conqueror's Haki. How many people are there? Just the number of members who can use Conqueror's Haki is already comparable to the core members of those monsters in the New World. If they safely set foot on Sabaody Archipelago, and then cause trouble again, how will the Navy clean up the mess?"

The three generals sitting on the sofas on either side did not interrupt.

Akainu rested his fingers on his knees, lava dripping from his fingertips and seeping through the floor, the acrid smell quickly overpowering the aroma of senbei. Staring at Ace's photo, he said, "This kind of person doesn't follow any rules. Once he enters the New World, more people will follow suit. Burning him to ashes before Sabaody Archipelago is the only way to uphold absolute justice."

Aokiji leaned back in his chair, his breath swirling in the air. "Just a few months ago it was fifty million, now it's 1.57 billion. If we give them any more time, the power distribution in the New World could be completely disrupted. This is a huge problem."

Kizaru lowered his head and trimmed his nails, the scissors making soft snips: "Even Zephyr was defeated, and he still dares to steal things from the World Government. This kind of newcomer sounds more troublesome than a disaster."

Garp paused for a moment while biting into the senbei, then stuffed the remaining half into his mouth. He didn't argue with Sengoku anymore, only glancing at the familiar face on the whiteboard.

At the same time, on the Moby Dick in the New World, the banquet continued.

Joz, carrying a barrel of wine, walked across the deck and saw Marco sitting with a newspaper for a long time. He stopped beside him and asked, "What's wrong? Another troublesome newcomer has appeared?"

Marco turned the newspaper over, revealing the photograph shrouded in dark red firelight. The photograph wasn't very clear; only the half-beast figure and a pair of crimson-gold wings could be seen.

“Indeed troublesome.” Marco placed the bounty poster on the wooden table. “The Vermilion Bird Fruit, 1.57 billion. The newspapers also say that his flames can quickly heal the seriously injured. If they keep writing like this, I, the phoenix, will soon become a substitute.”

Joz caught the self-deprecation in his words, put down the barrel of wine, and chuckled.

The white-bearded man on the throne glanced at it only once before picking up a large bowl that could hold hundreds of liters of strong liquor: "What are these 'outliers'? What do they have to do with me? If they want to mess with the World Government, let those brats do it."

He tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful of wine, his laughter echoing across the deck: "Glug glug glug! With these bunch of silly sons around, this sea is good enough for me!"

"Dad!"

The response was immediate, with wine glasses and wooden bowls being raised in unison. To them, no amount of reward for a newcomer could compare to the feast before them.

Behind the barrel at the edge of the deck, Marshall D. Teach did not raise his glass.

He held a cherry pie, his gaze fixed on a wanted poster that had fallen to the corner. In the photo, Ace was looking at the camera, and the string of numbers below his name made his eyelids twitch.

“These brats who just set sail have climbed to this position one after another…” Teach took a big bite of cherry pie, gripping his trouser leg so tightly that his knuckles almost tore the fabric apart. “I’ve waited almost thirty years. How long are we going to keep that fruit hidden?”

The sweet filling clung to his toothless lips, but he couldn't taste it. Once he obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit, he was confident he could drag Suzaku's divine fire or Logia-type lightning into darkness. But until then, he could only remain under Whitebeard's banner, watching one successor after another surpass him.

“Once I get it…” Teach stuffed the rest of the cherry pie into his mouth, a low laugh escaping his throat, “Whether it’s 1.5 billion or 2 billion, it will all be swallowed by the darkness in the end.”

On the other side of the new world, a blizzard is crossing an unnamed winter island.

The Red-Haired Pirates' banquet continued, but the atmosphere was quieter than usual. Shanks sat by a snowdrift, his wine bowl beside him, glancing at the wanted poster on the newspaper headline, then back at that name.

Beckman lit a cigar and sat down beside him: "Portgas D. Ace. Captain Roger's child?"

Shanks didn't deny it, but rubbed his temples: "1.57 billion. I've never seen such a start before."

Roger's bloodline survived, and in this way, it burst into the world's view. He should have had a good drink. But the other person he was thinking of was still in the East China Sea, wearing the straw hat he had given him, and had never even seen the real ocean.

"Luffy hasn't even set sail yet, and Ace has already alarmed the World Government and the Navy." Shanks finally picked up his wine bowl, but didn't drink immediately. "The road ahead won't be easy."

Beckman exhaled a puff of smoke: "Are you worried he won't be able to catch up with his brother?"

"No." Shanks looked at the falling snow, a slight smile returning to his lips. "I just think that kid will probably cause a huge uproar in the East Blue after seeing this newspaper."

Wano Country, Oni Island.

Kaido's laughter drowned out the thunder. He smashed the steel wine table with a single blow, and the wine gourd rolled down the steps, spilling its contents all over the floor.

"At 50 million, he was just a brat who had just set sail. In half a year, he's increased to 1.57 billion? Hehehehe!" Kaido held the bounty poster, his gaze fixed on the pair of crimson-gold wings. "It's a waste to put this kind of mythical beast in the first half of the story!"

Standing in the shadows, Ember raised his head, awaiting orders.

"What are we doing, those of us left in the first half of the Grand Line? Guys like that should be brought back to Onigashima to be my subordinates!" Kaido tossed the bounty poster down the steps. "Tell Hanafza to keep an eye on the Eclipse Pirates. If you find an opportunity, bring Ace back alive. The Beasts need that kind of fighting force!"

Jack stepped on a newspaper that had drifted to his feet, exhaling heavily through his nostrils: "He only defeated a half-crippled old navy man and killed a few World Government watchdogs. The reports are exaggerating his abilities."

He took a step forward: "Once he enters the New World, I'll go myself. Boss Kaido, I'll drag him back to Onigashima."

Kaido looked down at him, then laughed again. To him, Ace's willingness was never important. If he could subdue him, he'd take him; if not, he'd keep fighting until the other could no longer stand.

Inside the castle on Cake Island, the hall was filled with the aroma of desserts.

Charlotte Linlin swallowed the entire French mousse, wiping the cream from her lips with her fingers. On the table lay the wanted posters for the entire Eclipse Pirates. She glanced at Ace's bounty, then at the bounties of the other officers, each with over 100 million.

"Mmmmmm! The captain has 1.57 billion, and he has so many good resources under his command. How can we let the Navy have such a pirate crew for nothing?"

She grabbed Ace's bounty poster and waved it at her children below: "Go check their flight paths! Send an invitation to this brat, and pick a suitable daughter. As long as he marries into Whole Cake Island, all these combatants will be mine!"

Perospero, leaning on his cane, stepped out of the line: "Mom, the Eclipse disappeared after leaving Water 7. But if they want to enter the New World, they can't avoid the Sabaody Archipelago. Judging by the timeline, that's likely their next stop."

"Then send someone to wait!" Lingling slammed the bounty poster on the table, causing the cake plate on the table to jump up. "The invitation must be delivered to Ace. Tell him that becoming my son-in-law is a favor bestowed upon him by the Kingdom of Wan!"

The order was quickly relayed from the castle. Before those far away in Sabaody could even see the Eclipse, several forces at sea had already simultaneously reached out towards it.

Chapter 105 The Boiling Sea 2

In Dressrosa Palace, sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating a rug beside the sofa. Doflamingo sat in the shadows, a newspaper between his fingers, the pink feather on his shoulder swaying with his laughter.

"Fufufufu, stealing celestial gold, killing people from the World Government, and putting everything out in the open. This guy is much more interesting than those idiots who only dare to do business underground."

He flicked the bulletin board with Ace's picture.

Roger's public execution ignited the Great Pirate Era, and the seas have never truly been calm since. However, in recent years, the boundaries between various powers have gradually solidified, and even ambitious individuals have learned to circumvent the World Government's restrictions.