The bounties of the main members of the Straw Hat Pirates had risen dramatically.
[Straw Hat] Monkey D. Luffy — 300,000,000 Berries.
[Pirate Hunter] Roronoa Zoro — 200,000,000 Berries.
[The Perverted Cook] Sanji — 90,000,000 Berries.
[The Liar] Usopp — 30,000,000 Berries.
And after the events of Enies Lobby, the remaining crew members were also issued official bounties:
[Cat Burglar] Nami — 16,000,000 Berries.
[Loves Cotton Candy Too Much] Tony Tony Chopper — 100 Berries.
[Devil's Child] Nico Robin — 80,000,000 Berries.
[Cyborg] Franky — 44,000,000 Berries.
Since they had taken in Nico Robin, the government decided to mark every member of the crew with a bounty.
That brought the crew's total to 760,000,100 Berries.
Excluding Chopper—dismissed as a pet—the seven "real" members averaged more than 100 million Berries each.
Even though the full truth of what happened at Enies Lobby was never revealed to the world, their bounties were still raised sharply. To Rengoku, this reflected the government's assessment of their true danger level.
As for Chopper, whose induced rampage had revealed a terrifying transformation, his bounty had been deliberately kept low. Based on Rengoku's earlier report—filed just before his suspension—the higher-ups concluded that publicizing his real threat level would be catastrophic. If word spread that a Zoan-type user possessed a drug capable of triggering uncontrollable awakenings, it could draw the attention of groups like the Beast Pirates. That would be a disaster for both Chopper and the Marines.
Usopp's disguise as "Sogeking" hadn't fooled anyone in the end, so the bounty assigned to Sogeking was simply transferred to Usopp himself. Nami's weather-based fighting style was troublesome enough to warrant recognition, but out of respect for her late mother, Bellemere, she received the lowest bounty among the crew.
Sanji and Franky, at least, were assessed fairly. Sanji's was kept down after CP9's reports that he was completely useless against women. Franky's, on the other hand, reflected his combat strength appropriately.
The real leaps belonged to Luffy and Zoro. Their potential and growth far exceeded the numbers, but rather than assigning them middling increases, the government simply rounded them up—Luffy to 300 million, Zoro to 200 million.
....
"Vice Admiral Rengoku, we've arrived at Marineford."
A deckhand interrupted Rengoku's quiet reading of the latest newspaper reports.
Though officially suspended—and rumored to have been demoted all the way down to Seaman Recruit—not a single person at headquarters dared treat Rengoku as anything less than a Vice Admiral.
"Thank you. You've done well."
And truth be told, Rengoku himself didn't regard his own rank as anything less.
He disembarked, striding toward the Fleet Admiral's office in the Marine HQ.
Knock knock.
"This is Rengoku. May I come in?"
"Come in."
Hearing Sengoku's voice, Rengoku entered.
The office, usually spacious, was unusually crowded today.
Inside were Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Rengoku himself, three figures clad in the ostentatious attire of the Celestial Dragons, a dozen slaves wearing explosive collars, and three personal attendants.
Nearly twenty people crammed into the office left the air thick and the space uncomfortably tight.
"Tch. So this is when you finally show up? Do you have any idea how long you've kept us waiting?"
The eldest of the Celestial Dragons, a middle-aged man, clicked his tongue in annoyance. He clearly resented having to wait in this "lowly" Marine base just to meet some commoner. But he held back, because meeting this man—Rengoku—was the very reason they'd come.
"Rengoku, have a seat."
At Sengoku's instruction, Rengoku sat opposite the Celestial Dragons.
The elder glanced him over, then crooked a finger at his secretary.
"Allow me to make introductions," the secretary began smoothly.
"These three Celestial Dragons are: Saint Rosward, Saint Charlos, and Lady Shalria."
The middle-aged man was Rosward. The rotund man was Charlos. And the woman was Shalria.
"I am Rengoku."
He offered nothing more—no hollow pleasantries, no "an honor to meet you." He had no intention of lowering his head to them.
"That man's self-introduction is far too insolent, Father!"
Charlos's face flushed with outrage. Every slave in the room was his personal property, and the memory of being scolded by his father for mishandling them still stung. To him, Rengoku's lack of reverence was yet another insult.
"Hohoho. My dear Charlos, you can't expect proper manners from the rabble of the lower world."
Though his words dismissed Rengoku, Rosward himself had no intention of pressing the matter. For all his arrogance, age had given him a certain sense for reading situations.
Though officially suspended, Rengoku was still known as a "future Admiral"—in truth, a "Candidate Admiral."
In other words, he was regarded as someone with the potential to become the World Nobles' greatest sword and shield, second only to CP0.
When Rosward heard of Rengoku's suspension, he immediately thought to win him over.
Among the Celestial Dragons, those outside the Five Elders were all more or less the same: pampered and incompetent. But Rosward understood well enough that, when the time came for an Admiral to safeguard their interests, it was better to have one who was personally inclined toward them.
The current Admirals? All of them sly, slippery types. Common-born, insolent, and long past the point of being swayed.
But the man before him—Rengoku—was different. Yes, he was disrespectful, but that could be excused as the ignorance of a commoner. He was still young, brimming with energy, and—most importantly—currently weakened by suspension.
This, Rosward thought, was the perfect time to extend a "saving hand."
"Anyway, I'd like to speak privately. Fleet Admiral, could you step out for a while?"
Only a Celestial Dragon would have the audacity to dismiss the Fleet Admiral from his own office. But they had the authority to do so.
Sengoku, having already been briefed by the Gorosei, showed no outward displeasure. He simply left the room.
Now it was just Rengoku, the three Celestial Dragons, and their slaves.
"Very well, Rengoku Vice Admiral, was it? Tell me—what is it that you want?"
Rosward wasted no time. He opened with an offer.
"What do you mean by 'want'?" Rengoku asked evenly.
"Anything! Whatever you desire. If it is within the power of us, the Celestial Dragons, we can give it to you."
The sudden generosity told Rengoku all he needed to know—this was an attempted bribe.
Clearly, whatever had transpired between him and the Gorosei hadn't reached the broader Celestial Dragon social circles. This arrogant fool actually thought he could buy Rengoku's loyalty.
But behind them stood the slaves. Their plight tugged at him.
Yet even if he demanded their freedom now, Rosward would only replace them with new ones.
It would solve nothing.
And so, after a moment of thought, Rengoku chose blunt refusal.
"I already have everything I need—my Devil Fruit, my weapons, my own authority. I have no need of Saint Rosward's help."
"You insolent wretch!"
Charlos exploded, whipping out his specially-modified pistol—a model said to be one of the most powerful in the world—and fired several rounds at Rengoku.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
But when the smoke cleared, Rengoku raised his left hand. Between his fingers were the bullets Charlos had just fired—caught effortlessly.
"Is this what Saint Rosward meant by 'anything I desire'?"
"This… this is impossible! That pistol is the most powerful custom model in existence!" Charlos cried in disbelief, eyes wide.
Rosward, meanwhile, calmed his son with a soothing voice.
"There, there, my dear Charlos. Do not worry yourself. That strength exists for us—solely for the Celestial Dragons."
Yet even as he said this, Rosward's thoughts twisted into delusion.
"Hoho… so this is his plan. Display his strength indirectly, so that I would be the one to raise the stakes and make the first offer. Truly, a man fit to be an Admiral!"
Of course, Rengoku had no such scheme in mind. But Rosward's imagination filled in the rest.
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