Blackbeard's position as one of the new Yonko, or Four Emperors, was now certain. Not only was he the only known person in the world to wield the power of three Devil Fruits, but his recent movements in the New World had also quickly taken over most of the territories that had not been claimed by the original Emperors. Furthermore, he continued to encroach on the territory once held by the Whitebeard Pirates. The fact that the remaining Whitebeard Pirates chose to avoid fighting Blackbeard only added to his growing fame.
The current Blackbeard Pirates had developed into a force that was no weaker than the former Four Emperors. Blackbeard's own bounty had now reached an astonishing 3 billion Berries, surpassing even that of Straw Hat Luffy. In addition, the main officers of the Blackbeard Pirates also had high bounties. For example, the bounties for both Shiryu of the Rain and the other top commanders exceeded 1 billion Berries, while the bounties of the other major officers were all over 100 million Berries. With such strength, it was only natural for him to be called an Emperor of the Sea.
Neither the Marines nor the World Government objected to this; in fact, they seemed to encourage it. Anyone with a clear mind could see that the Marines and the World Government wanted to fuel the conflicts between the pirate factions. They especially aimed to exploit the intense, unavoidable hatred between the Blackbeard Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates. As long as a major war broke out between the pirates, the Marines would surely benefit.
However, the Marine organization itself was not yet fully stabilized. The first issue was that the successor to the position of Fleet Admiral had not yet been finalized. The second page of the newspaper detailed the duel between Fleet Admiral candidates Akainu and Aokiji. The duel was only in its fourth day, and it was expected to take much longer to conclude. Everyone eagerly awaited the final result, though the wisest already had an idea of who would ultimately win.
"Punk Hazard? I hope it's not nearby. If it happened to be there, that would be interesting!" Carl commented with a slight complaint, yet he felt a bit of anticipation. He truly wanted to watch the duel between Akainu and Aokiji, and he figured Luffy probably felt the same way. But Punk Hazard had to be heavily guarded right now, making it difficult to get close. "And we probably won't get there in time anyway."
The third page of the newspaper announced the appointment of a new Warlord of the Sea, or Shichibukai. Because they had already heard the news earlier, no one was particularly surprised by the announcement. However, the crew members still couldn't help but complain about Buggy, remarking that the ship of the Pirate King had such a stain.
Carl laughed unkindly upon hearing their complaints. He really wanted to tell everyone that in the original story, Buggy eventually became a Yonko. While Buggy might not be very strong, he was incredibly lucky, which was why he was destined to be an Emperor. Luck could sometimes be a form of strength; it could allow people to survive a catastrophe and help them flourish. "It's just that with the current state of the sea, it's hard to say if Buggy still has that much luck," Carl thought to himself.
"And check out our crew's new bounty posters!" Usopp announced, slamming a set of new posters onto the deck.
Lightning Great Swordsman Carl: 2.4 Billion Berries
Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro: 770 Million Berries
Psycho Painter Marianou: 500 Million Berries
Lion King Leaky: 400 Million Berries
Devil's Son Nico Robin: 300 Million Berries
Iron Man Franky: 100 Million Berries
Thief Cat Nami: 80 Million Berries
Little Civet Cat Tony Tony Chopper: 30 Million Berries
Skeleton Musician Brook: 40 Million Berries
Marine Traitor Tashigi: 39 Million Berries
All the crew members who had participated in the previous counter-siege campaign at the Sabaody Archipelago received new, increased bounties. Mari and Liji's bounties had increased the fastest. This was likely because their combined efforts successfully blocked a Vice-Admiral, Tea Dolphin, who was a candidate for the Admiral position, which forced the Marines to pay close attention to them.
Of course, Zoro and Law also worked together to stop another Admiral candidate, Vice-Admiral Momousagi. However, since both Zoro and Law were already highly focused on the top ranks, their bounties did not increase by as much. Law's new bounty was listed as 700 million Berries. Bepo, Shachi, Penguin, and Kaku all saw their bounties increase to 10 million Berries, but what was truly impressive was that Jambalu's first-ever bounty was set at 70 million Berries. This high first bounty was probably due to the picture of him giving a Pacifista a powerful back suplex, which was deeply memorable to the public.
"Damn it! If I'd known, I wouldn't have bothered fighting Byrnndi World!" Usopp said enviously.
"That's right, none of Byrnndi World's officers put up much of a fight," Little 3 agreed, looking upset. "We didn't get any good training, and our bounties didn't even increase!"
"Oh, it's no use regretting it now," Jango said helplessly. "We can only look forward to the next chance."
The three of them had originally wanted to compete for a spot in the top five bounties of the Straw Hats, but now that the new bounties were out, the difference was truly shocking.
In contrast, Sanji was silently smoking a cigarette. "What do you idiots know? A bounty is just a number; you can easily exchange it for more if you have the strength. But there was only one chance to enter the Daughter's Island, so there's no need to regret missing out on a bounty increase."
Usopp, Little 3, and Jango all rolled their eyes at Sanji. Why are you crying about having no regrets when your bounty is falling further behind Zoro's? they thought silently.
Meanwhile, inside the submarine, Bepo was glaring fiercely at Jambalu. Jambalu's 70 million Berry bounty poster was crumpled in Bepo's bear claws, clearly showing how unconvinced Bepo was. I'm the senior crew member, but my bounty was surpassed by a newcomer! How can I have any dignity as an older member? Bepo thought.
"Hey! Jambalu! Don't think that just because your bounty is high, you don't have to respect your seniors! We have seniority on this ship!" Bepo pointed at Jambalu and argued.
"Oh, is that so?" Jambalu responded, treating Bepo like a child. Jambalu actually didn't care much about the bounty anyway. He felt very comfortable and good about being a part of the Heart Pirates, which was now a subdivision under the Straw Hat banner, so nothing else mattered to him.
"Bepo, don't bully Jambalu. We don't have that many rules on this ship," Law said, stepping in to help Jambalu out of the awkward situation.
Bepo immediately lowered his bear ears and quietly apologized to Jambalu. His feelings were extremely fragile.
Law hadn't expected Jambalu to be that strong. The fact that he managed to hit a Pacifista with a back suplex was a genuine surprise. Law believed that as long as Carl, the crew's leader, trained Jambalu well, he would definitely become a formidable fighter.
"Jambalu, you and Kaku will take a medicinal bath next, and then you'll start training with Carl at his home base," Law instructed.
"Yes, Captain!" Jambalu replied. He had heard about the "medicinal bath" for a long time and was very curious about it. He was told that taking the bath would make him stronger, so he had been looking forward to it. Now that the Captain had finally given the order, he was sure he would become much stronger next time. As for training with Carl, that was naturally a huge privilege. Carl had power comparable to a Marine Admiral or even a Yonko, and training with such a master was a rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Even Kaku was a little surprised. Since Law had agreed that he would also take the medicinal bath, it meant that his inspection period was over. He had been approved by Law and had truly become a partner of the Heart Pirates. Kaku had long since forgotten his identity as a World Government agent. Having spent so much time with the Straw Hats and the Heart Pirates, Kaku finally understood that people could live like this—much more freely than when he was used as a tool. He truly wished that Rob Lucci and the others could have joined them and sailed together.
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