"This is the highlight of today's meeting."
Brannew stood before the whiteboard. His eyes swept across the room as he spoke solemnly:
"In the second tier of the Fallen Pirates, there are a total of three important cadres under the captain."
"After evaluation and discussion, our staff department has temporarily named these individuals—who are destined to bring disaster upon the world—the 'Three Disasters'!"
"Their level of threat is on par with the 'Three Calamities' of the Beasts Pirates and the 'Sweet Commanders' of the Charlotte Family."
Brannew's right hand slammed down heavily on the image of the taciturn man wearing a fluffy bear-ear hat on the left:
"On the far left is the newcomer who joined just before this war... or perhaps he joined secretly much earlier and we failed to notice—Bartholomew Kuma, the 'Tyrant'!"
"He once led the infamous 'One-Man Revolution Incident' and forcefully usurped the throne of the Sobel Kingdom in the South Sea. Not long ago, he broke into Dressrosa alone and destroyed the entire Donquixote Family!"
"In this war, the power he displayed was terrifying."
"He almost crushed everything in his path. With little effort, he killed Enel—the Thunder Fruit user and one of the former Seven Warlords—on the spot. And he suffered nearly zero damage!"
"Such strength and cruelty... His former bounty of 600 million is no longer appropriate. Absolutely not!"
"Therefore, after reassessment, the new bounty for Kuma is 870 million Berries!"
"He is the 'Thunder Meteorite', one of the Three Disasters!"
Eight hundred and seventy million?!
Gasps rippled through the room.
No wonder these three were said to rival Marco, Katakuri, and the like…
Their bounties alone were closing the gap.
"Next, the one on the far right."
Brannew skipped the center poster and pointed to the image on the right:
"Just half a year ago, this man was unknown. He's a core member trained personally by Shano, loyal to him, and the wielder of the rare Ancient Zoan—Rampaging Elephant, Jack!"
"Reckless and impulsive, with an ever-growing strength!"
"Previously, he only knew how to charge around in mammoth form. But now, he's mastered the hybrid beast-human form."
"Dalmesia and Doberman—two veteran Vice Admirals of the headquarters—joined forces against him, but were still defeated and forced to retreat."
"Is that true?!"
The faces of the navy officers turned grim. Many pupils shrank in shock.
These two were proud students of Zefa and among the strongest Vice Admirals. Yet even together, they couldn't beat Jack?
Another monster on the rise…
"In conclusion, Jack's original 500 million bounty has now been raised to 777 million Berries!"
"His title—'Rumbling', one of the Three Disasters!"
"Rumbling?"
Many nodded in agreement. The mammoth's charges were deafening, shaking the earth like an earthquake. The name was fitting.
"Lastly, the most dangerous member of the Three Disasters—the deputy captain, the woman Shano trusts the most—Kuina, the Wind Swordsman!"
Brannew slapped the center of the board, revealing her wanted poster.
The girl with black hair stood atop a frozen battlefield, holding Wado Ichimonji, wind blowing her hair messily. Bloodstains marked her face, but instead of ruining her looks, they made her seem sharper—like a drawn blade.
"Even before entering the New World, her strength was already notable. Recently, her physique has greatly improved!"
"Back on the Sabaody Archipelago, she could only stall Kake for an hour. But in this war, she fought Vice Admiral Gion from noon until late night—and wasn't at a disadvantage!"
"Gion herself acknowledged that Kuina's swordsmanship is nearly equal to hers. In the pirate world, she is now undeniably one of the top female swordsmen."
"Her bounty has been raised to 940 million Berries!"
"Her title—'Wind Erosion', one of the Three Disasters!"
The conference room fell silent. Some were already numb to the shock.
If even the deputy captain was near 1 billion… what about the captain?
Brannew's voice turned grave:
"Finally, we come to the one you're all most concerned about—the world's number one swordsman, the true monster ranked among the top of the Sea Circle Calendar—"
"Captain of the Fallen Pirates, Shano!!!"
A new wanted poster appeared, covering the entire screen.
It was a shot from the heavy rain in Sabaody—a young man with black hair and clothes walking forward, hand on his sword, gazing with cold, sarcastic eyes. The look in his eyes was like that of a god looking down on mortals.
Strangely, just this photo was enough to unsettle many officers. Cold sweat beaded their foreheads.
It felt like he might step out of the image at any moment… and draw his sword with a mad grin.
"Back then in Sabaody, he fought Pluto Rayleigh to a standstill and gained the world's attention."
"Many predicted he would soon rival the Admirals and Four Emperors."
Brannew paused.
"None of us expected that day to come so soon!!!"
"In the last two months, he first fought Sakazuki to a draw, and now has completely defeated Admiral Kizaru—severely injuring him."
"Physique, Haki, swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat… He is powerful in all areas, a truly well-rounded warrior with no weak points!"
"This level of strength allows him to go toe-to-toe with any of the Four Emperors. He's fully qualified to become one!"
"But… he lacks one thing—a direct confrontation with a current Emperor of the Sea."
Everyone nodded. The gap between "being close" and "being one" was still there.
Just like Red-Haired Shanks once had to clash with an Emperor and remain undefeated before being recognized.
"That said…"
Brannew gave everyone time to process, then raised his voice again:
"This man is the most dangerous pirate to appear since Red-Haired Shanks!"
"His bounty has now reached the highest level under the Four Emperors, and is nearly—"
Boom!
Brannew slammed the whiteboard.
"The new bounty of the World's Number One Swordsman, Shano—2.86 billion Berries!!!"
New World, Somewhere over the Sea
Onboard the WE NEWS airship, a figure in a white trench coat soared into the sky using Moonwalk and disappeared.
Inside the ship, Morgans leaned back, chuckling.
"The sun really rises from the west… This time CP0 didn't give restrictions or demands?"
"They're letting me write freely and praise Shano as much as I want? Interesting, very interesting."
He sipped coffee and narrowed his eyes.
"They want to provoke the other Emperors into eliminating the Fallen in their own way? Or is there something deeper…"
"Hahaha! Who cares?"
Morgans laughed again. "If the World Government wants me to sing Shano's praises, then so be it—I'll make a fortune!"
"Someone bring me my feather pen!"
"President, you've been running around taking photos these past few days, aren't you exhausted? Let the team handle the rest—"
"Shut up!"
Morgans glared. "I'll write it myself!"
This was why he became a reporter. He couldn't ignore a scoop like this!
…
That night, Morgans was rushed to the hospital.
After days of nonstop travel and writing tens of thousands of words, the legendary newsman fainted at his desk. But before collapsing, he'd finished the first draft.
His editors polished it overnight.
At dawn, the final product was done.
The front-page article with bold headlines was packed up and carried away by news birds, sent across the globe like snow in the wind…
East Blue, Korpo Mountain
The morning mist lingered. Dew sparkled on the leaves.
Luffy yawned as he climbed out of a tree hole, stomach growling.
"Ace! Ace! I'm hungry!" he shouted.
No answer.
He followed the sound of rustling bushes and found Ace sitting on a rock, staring at a crumpled newspaper.
"Ace! Is there any meat left from yesterday?"
Ace didn't respond.
"Hey!" Luffy waved in front of his eyes. "You deaf?"
Finally, Ace looked up, his eyes complex.
"Luffy… I'm going to sea."
He looked into the distance. "In a few days, it'll be a new year. Just like Sabo, I'll leave before turning eighteen. I want to see the Grand Line."
"Huh? Can't you wait till your birthday?"
"I can't."
Ace handed the paper over. "I rarely buy newspapers, but today… I saw something incredible. Look."
The headline read:
"A new Emperor of the Sea? Fallen Shano's latest bounty hits 2.86 billion!"
"I can't read, Ace," Luffy said.
"Idiot!" Ace bonked him. "Learn to read at least the numbers!"
Luffy grinned.
"Brother Shano is famous now, huh? He looks cool! But… this bounty looks small. Just 286,000?"
Ace facepalmed.
"Brother Shano has gone far ahead. If we stay here, we'll never catch up."
Ace ruffled Luffy's hair.
"He beat me badly before. I won't accept always being beneath him. I'm going to sea."
"You'll miss me!" Luffy said.
"I will. But I won't lose. I'll be Pirate King!"
"Idiot! I'm going to be Pirate King!"
"You can't. There's only one Pirate King!"
"I don't care, it's me!"
"Then I'll beat you down first!"
"Bring it on!"
Their voices echoed through the forest.
Paradise, Kuraigana Island
"Good morning, Mr. Mihawk."
Tashigi walked into the dining hall, yawning. She spotted a newspaper on the table and curiously picked it up.
"Hmm?"
She gasped as she read, her eyes lighting up.
Across the room, Hawkeye Mihawk sipped tea calmly, without glancing her way.
"Mr. Mihawk! Shano's bounty hit 2.86 billion!"
"He defeated Admiral Kizaru!"
Mihawk barely reacted. "Hmm."
"You're not shocked?"
"Bounties are just numbers assigned by the World Government. If I quit being a Warlord, my bounty would be higher. But so what?"
"If I were you, I wouldn't worry about the number. I'd worry about whether Shano would accept you as a crewmate."
"Only three months left in your training here."
Tashigi froze.
Right…
Shano had soared so high, while she still struggled with Haki and was only beginning to improve her swordsmanship.
"I understand."
She folded the newspaper, finished her toast quickly, and ran off toward the training ground.
The baboons were already waiting—especially the Baboon King, who used to fear her, but now bullied her for fun.
She gripped her sword tightly.
One day, when I defeat the Baboon King easily… I'll join Shano.
Outside the foggy window, her figure vanished into the mist.
Mihawk exhaled the steam from his tea and smiled faintly.
Calm Belt, Amazon Lily
"Snake Princess! Snake Princess! That boy's in the paper again!"
Granny Nyon burst in, holding the paper.
"I told you, old hag!" Hancock said without turning around. "I'm not interested in mortal men. Show me his vulgar face again and I'll exile you."
"But it's different this time! He defeated an Admiral!"
"I see the shadow of Rocks in that boy!"
"You sure love calling him affectionately," Hancock muttered.
"You? A Rocks crew member? I find that hard to believe. That crew wouldn't accept an ugly old woman."
"Hey!" Granny Nyon raged. "When I was young, I was gorgeous! I was the most charming empress of all!"
"Say whatever you want."
Hancock lazily teased Salome, eyes indifferent.
"Rocks, Shano… They're just men. Nothing to do with me."
Unless—
"Someone!"
"Yes!"
"Throw this old woman out of the castle!"
"Yes ma'am!"
"Let go! I'm still—ahhh!!"
Bang!
A dull thud came from outside.
"Should we be worried, Princess? She's old…"
"It's fine—"
Hancock rose, tilting her head gracefully, brushing her hair back to reveal her flawless profile.
"—Because I am so beautiful!"
Her guards swooned.
"Ahh~! Lady Hancock!!!"