Chopper Giorno
The name Chopper Giorno might not ring a bell for the average person, but the Marines are not so easily fooled.
Across the Four Seas and the Grand Line, there are few pirates whose bounties exceed 100 million Berries.
When it comes to bounties over 100 million, and those not affiliated with major powers like the Sea Emperors or the Underground Kings, the numbers shrink even further.
A pirate with a bounty over 100 million, who doesn't belong to any significant faction, and whose crew consists of only two members, both with bounties above 100 million, makes for a rare and dangerous combination. On top of that, the captain is a woman. Even more striking, her bounty is just slightly lower than that of her male crewmate. With all these factors combined, such an unusual pirate duo is not something the Marines can easily forget.
Not to mention the rumors surrounding Chopper.N. Giorno, he's said to possess an extraordinary power: the ability to steal the abilities of other Devil Fruit users!
Had Giorno not disappeared from the radar for several years, the Marines would have been certain that the guards of the Burujoa Kingdom in front of them wouldn't be so calm upon hearing his name.
The guards were calm, yes, but also confused, unsure of why the Marines seemed so rattled just by the mention of Giorno's name.
Seeing their bewilderment, a Marine officer flipped through a drawer, pulled out two bounty posters with a stern look, and slid them across the table. He flipped them over, tapped them lightly with his finger, and spoke in a low voice, "Take a look. Is this the man you were talking about, Giorno?" His finger pointed to the photo of Giorno, standing unflinching in a chaotic arena.
Gulp...
The guards swallowed nervously. When the Marine took out the bounty posters, they remembered the serious expressions on the Marines' faces earlier, and something felt off.
The Marine officer's finger traced the line of numbers beneath Liam's name on the poster...
One 0, four 0s, six 0s, eight 0s...
"Two... 200 million?"
"200 million Berries?!!!"
Some of the guards couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief.
The guard commander's face grew solemn as he flipped to the other bounty notice, which was for a female pirate named Jolyne, with a bounty of 160 million!
Two pirates, one with a bounty of 200 million and the other 160 million...
In their kingdom, nestled in the middle of the Grand Line, such terrifying figures were appearing?
With a combined bounty of 360 million Berries, the sword-wielding pirate crew that had previously forced their entire guard team, including the sword genius, the four princes, into a perilous situation, now seemed like a bunch of minnows compared to these two.
There was no comparison!
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that on this island, where the 11-year-old fourth prince already possessed top-tier strength, the full might of the Burujoa Kingdom would likely be insufficient to withstand an attack from these two fearsome pirates...
If those two pirates ever turned their hostile gaze toward the country.
Suddenly, the guard commander recalled the bizarre scene where the sword-wielding pirate crew had been wiped out from afar by an unknown force... A shiver ran down his spine. They wouldn't even need both pirates, just Giorno alone could likely...
The guard commander gently placed the two bounty notices back down, sighed in relief, and muttered, "I never expected those two to be such terrifying pirates! But fortunately, they were just passing through. After casually dispatching those sword-wielding pirates, they vanished without a trace. They've likely already left…"
Commander...
The guards closed their mouths in unison, immediately understanding their commander's meaning.
Since those two pirates seemed to harbor no ill will, the Marines couldn't afford to meddle recklessly. If they provoked them, who knew what could happen?
These Marines were simply stationed on a branch base on this island. If the two terrifying pirates, with a combined bounty of 360 million Berries, went on a rampage, the Marines would suffer only minimal losses. At worst, they'd have to rebuild their base and replenish some personnel. The true misfortune would fall solely on the people of the Burujoa Kingdom, whose roots were firmly planted on this island!
The guard commander had made up his mind, he couldn't let these Marines know that Giorno and Jolyne had just arrived on this island with the four princes.
If this were near Marineford, the guard commander would have immediately sought assistance from the Marines without hesitation. But he never expected that a standard Marine branch on this island would have the capacity to handle two pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million!
The Marines' power is undeniable in the First Half of the Grand Line, which is why there are few pirates with bounties over 100 million Berries. However, this also means the islands and countries in the First Half of the Grand Line, along with most Marine branch bases, no longer have enough strength to fend off the sudden appearance of "monsters" like Giorno and Jolyne.
Otherwise, how could the First Half of the Grand Line be called "Paradise"?
This "Paradise" is not just a place where pirates with insufficient strength run wild; it's also a haven for weak countries to avoid the wrath of truly dangerous pirates. It's a "Paradise" for the Marines stationed at these underpowered bases, too.
While the guard commander hoped that the Marines would quickly send a Vice Admiral or Admiral to drive these two monsters from "Paradise" to the more dangerous Second Half of the Grand Line, he also prayed that if the Marines did hunt these pirates, they wouldn't do so on this island...
"Have they already left?"
The Marine officer in charge of bounty notices raised his voice, unsure whether he was disappointed or relieved.
"Phew..."
"So, they've already gone..."
A collective sigh of relief echoed in the room.
The officer shot a disapproving glare at the Marines.
The Marines quickly straightened up, trying to appear alert, but each of them thought in unison that retreating in the face of such high-tier pirates didn't exactly feel dignified. But could they really be blamed?
If they had the capability to handle such terrifying pirates, they'd long been promoted and stationed at places like the Sabaody Archipelago or Marine Headquarters, or they would've sought positions in a branch in the New World! Who would still be stuck here on this island? The pay and benefits simply couldn't compare to those prestigious locations!
The officer slammed his fist on the table and barked, "Are you sure? These two are extremely dangerous pirates! Don't cover for them! If something happens, we won't take responsibility!"
If something happens, can you really take responsibility? Unless you can summon a battleship from Marine Headquarters right here! The guard commander didn't waste time arguing and asked, "Even if they've left, these pirates' bodies are still here; we can still exchange them for bounties, right?"
The bounties for these sword-wielding pirates had been allocated to Giorno and Jolyne as instructed by the four princes. Knowing what he did about those two, the guard commander dared not delay. If they didn't bring back the bounties, even if nothing else happened, it would probably lead to trouble...
"The corpses can only be exchanged for 80% of their bounty," the Marine officer pondered.
"Then stop wasting time," the guard commander said with an emotionless expression, "Get the paperwork done."
As the guards left the Marine office with the bounties, one Marine couldn't help but ask, "Senior official, are they... telling the truth?"
"What truth?" the Marine senior official replied, his tone unreadable.
"Those two pirates... Giorno and Jolyne... have they really left?" the Marines asked sheepishly.
The officer glanced at the guards leaving and sighed, "Those bounties... they're exchanging them to give to those two pirates!"
"Think about it," the officer continued, his voice lowering. "If the Burujoa Kingdom, as an Allied Kingdom Member, had eliminated the sword-wielding pirates, even if those pirates weren't killed by their hands, do you really think they'd just exchange their bodies for bounties? They'd most likely display those corpses in the streets to inspire the people and unite the kingdom's citizens. But have you heard anyone on the streets talking about those pirates?"
(End of Chapter)
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