This announcement made everyone tense up.
After all that shock, there were still bigger bounties coming?!
"If there are no objections, I'll continue."
The mail carrier waved another stack of wanted posters.
Seeing the patrons' eyes filled with anticipation, he nodded and resumed reading.
"Old Geezers Pirates, 'Sky-Toucher' War Boss."
"Previous bounty: 67 million Berries. Current bounty: 135 million Berries!"
"Old Geezers Pirates, 'Loudmouth' Cannon Bigshot."
"Previous bounty: 71 million Berries. Current bounty: 150 million Berries!"
"Old Geezers Pirates, 'Purple Hair' Zethird."
"Previous bounty: 55 million Berries. Current bounty: 110 million Berries!"
"Old Geezers Pirates, 'Cold Air Maker' Bluebird."
"Former bounty: 64 million Berries. Current bounty: 125 million Berries."
The moment the announcement was read, the entire tavern fell silent.
But after a brief few seconds, everyone reacted—erupting into deafening exclamations.
"Holy mother! All four officers have bounties over 100 million Berries!"
"Which means, combined with their captain, the Golden Thief, who already had a bounty of 350 million Berries, the Old Geezers Pirates currently in the waters of Enies Lobby now have five Supernovas!?"
"And the craziest part is, among their combatants, there's one with an 80-million-Berry bounty! That's already close to 100 million!"
"No wonder they could hold their ground at Enies Lobby, letting two stationed Vice Admirals face the Golden Thief alone… With such a terrifying crew guarding the perimeter, even Enies Lobby's forces wouldn't dare act recklessly!"
"Wait, are you all only focusing on the officers? I think the Golden Thief is even more insane—how did he manage to gather such monsters under his command? I bet his bounty, as the main figure in this incident, will be even more outrageous!"
The mailman nodded in agreement upon hearing the last remark.
Then, he pulled out the final wanted poster—the one belonging to the "Golden Thief."
"Old Geezers Pirates, Captain, 'Golden Thief' Maria."
"Former bounty: 350 million Berries."
"Current bounty…"
"One billion and fifty million Berries!"
"Dead or alive!"
The moment this number was announced, the entire tavern was filled with nothing but sharp intakes of breath.
Three times her original bounty!
But upon closer thought, it made perfect sense.
Storming Enies Lobby and escaping unscathed was already enough to double her bounty.
And now, she had even killed two elite Vice Admirals stationed there.
Tripling the bounty was only natural.
Her strength justified it, and the Angel Alliance was targeting her heavily.
Regardless, the Old Geezers Pirates had already left an indelible mark on pirate history.
In less than a month since setting sail, they had gone from complete obscurity to shaking the world.
"Calculating the total, the Old Geezers Pirates' combined bounties have reached 2.177 billion Berries."
Finally, the mailman announced the precise figure, sighed, set down the wanted posters, and left the tavern.
He still had other places to post the bounties.
And so, the people in the tavern were left staring at each other in stunned silence.
"Two… 2.177 billion Berries?"
"That's… not too bad, right? Don't forget Yamato, who just became one of the new Emperors of the Sea—her bounty alone is 3 billion!"
"You do realize Yamato's a freaking Emperor of the Sea, right!? Have you considered that the Old Geezers Pirates haven't even reached the New World yet!?"
"Damn… I just had a crazy thought… What if, by the time the Old Geezers Pirates reach the New World, the entire crew becomes Supernovas…?"
"...Holy shit, no one even considered that! But judging by their growth rate… it might actually be possible!"The outrageous conjecture instantly set the entire bar abuzz.
Similar scenes were playing out all over the world.
The Old Geezers Pirates had become the sole top-tier presence on the seas...
Without equal.
...
Sabaody Archipelago, Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
Unlike the heated discussions about the Old Geezers Pirates happening elsewhere,
In this establishment that masqueraded as a bar but functioned as an intelligence hub, all present wore solemn expressions...
Well, except for Shakky.
"What the hell is going on here?" Yamato pointed at the bounty posters featuring the disguised yet instantly recognizable crew members.
"Luffy, Ace, Sabo... and the others—weren't they all originally members of the junior division?"
"Correct, but the Angel Alliance has already expelled them all under charges of 'rebellion,'" Shakky calmly wiped a glass.
"You know how young people are—impulsive. Over the years, there have been cases of members leaving the Angel Alliance to become pirates. Not many, but not unheard of either."
"But how could they!?" Yamato slammed the table, barely restraining her strength to avoid smashing it completely.
"They were... the generation Father placed his highest hopes in!"
"Yamato, you're too worked up." Shakky glanced up at the woman who'd risen to prominence on the seas, even replacing her biological father Kaido's former niche.
Softly, she added, "In a way, this might not be a bad thing."
"Not a bad thing? They killed Shu and T-Bone!" Yamato clenched her fists again. "I don't care what happened between them... but if I catch this so-called 'Golden Thief,' I'll skin him alive and grind his bones to dust!"
"Ahem." Shakky cleared her throat. "No need to be so extreme... You might regret it later."
"I... never regret anything."
Over the years, Yamato's demeanor had undergone a dramatic transformation.
The former Yamato, though physically imposing and powerful, had always played the role of an innocent, straightforward daughter beside Michael.
But now...
Her aura was balanced, dangerous yet restrained.
Not inferior to Kaido in his prime.
"Well then, good luck with that."
Shakky covered her mouth, barely suppressing her laughter.
As one of the intelligence hubs between the Angel Alliance and the outside world, Shakky had long since seen through the ruse.
She'd even gone to Marineford to confront Tsuru and Kozuki Toki, confirming the Golden Thief's true identity...
It was Michael!
Watching Yamato's retreating figure, Shakky sighed with amusement.
"Try not to take this game too far, Michael."
"Or your daughter might actually commit patricide."
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