Just as the four returned to the island shelter operated by the black market, news about El's bounty began to quietly ferment across the Grand Line.
Last year, the "young swordsman" El—already somewhat famous—was issued his first bounty.
Eighty million Belly.
And yet—
There was no news report at all.
El was not the first person to receive such treatment.
Last year's "Pirate Empress" Boa Hancock had also been given a high bounty with almost no public explanation.
Likewise, Luffy's first 100 million Belly bounty had been quietly issued without a detailed report.
In Hancock's case, she was shrouded in mystery.The world only knew that she was the captain of the Nine Snake Pirates.
Every pirate or merchant ship encountered by her crew was looted—and left behind were numerous strange stone statues.
Beyond that, there was no additional information.
As for Luffy—
Mary Geoise had wanted to preserve the prestige of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, one of the three great balancing powers.
Although Crocodile had undeniably committed the unforgivable crime of attempting to usurp a kingdom, Mary Geoise publicly claimed that Smoker defeated him.
Behind the scenes, however, they quietly raised Luffy's bounty.
It was only after the Enies Lobby incident—when the Buster Call destroyed the Judicial Island—that Mary Geoise could no longer hide the truth and was forced to pin the blame directly on the Straw Hat Pirates, shocking the world in one fell swoop.
Therefore, when certain major forces learned that the young swordsman El had been issued an 80 million Belly bounty—his very first—
They immediately understood what that meant.
Mary Geoise had been humiliated.
And it was a scandal that could not be publicized.
That was why no report accompanied the bounty.
As a result, those forces grew intensely curious about this mysterious young swordsman who had once again made waves across the world.
However, the number of people capable of seeing through Mary Geoise's intentions was extremely small.
Most people—just as El had predicted—had no understanding of his true strength.
With no newspaper report to guide them, they saw only one thing:
A young boy worth 80 million Belly.
And so—
Countless "hyenas" with questionable judgment immediately began scouring the seas for his whereabouts.
El's peaceful days were destined to end.
The four suddenly shifted from hunters to prey.
And indeed—
They felt a little uncomfortable with that change.
Because shortly after returning to the black-market island shelter, they were ambushed by a team of bounty hunters who recognized El.
In a world filled with countless races—and just as many blind fools—there were always some who were both clever and stupid enough to fix their eyes on him.
As payment for their courage, El did not hold back.
He sent them all to the world of the dead.
"Where did they even find the confidence to attack someone whose first bounty is 80 million Belly—when his strength is completely unknown?" Carina complained, looking at the corpses scattered across the ground.
"With that kind of courage, why be a hyena at all?"
Fortunately, incidents like this were rare.
Since the four mostly traveled using an Eternal Pose, they spent most of their time at sea.
After purchasing a pair of Seastone handcuffs and several items specially prepared for Sky Island travel from the black market, they did not immediately head toward the ancient island.
Instead, they deliberately bypassed it and sailed first to Drum Island.
The reason was simple.
They couldn't take their ship to the Sky Island.
So they needed to temporarily store their valuables in a bank, then retrieve them after returning from the sky.
And being labeled a pirate did not affect El's credibility with the bank in the slightest.
Banks in this world were nothing like those from El's previous life.
Technologically, they lagged far behind.
In practice, they resembled ancient-era banks, merely operating under a more modern name.
The forces behind these banks were neither purely black nor purely white.
Mary Geoise likely held shares—but even so, they could not act with absolute authority.
Mary Geoise might have issued El's bounty…
But the bank still treated him as a distinguished guest.
They could not cover the sky with one hand.
El deposited the money without issue.
In fact, he half-expected the bank to swallow it.
If that happened, he'd have a perfect excuse in the future to personally settle accounts with whoever stood behind them.
After all—
Now that he was officially a criminal, El saw no problem acting the part when necessary.
As long as he didn't burn villages, massacre civilians, or commit senseless atrocities—
He had no intention of respecting laws created by a world that was already rotten at its core.
After depositing their money, equipment, medicinal herbs for Nutritional Supplements, and other valuables, the four set sail once more.
They returned to the ancient island.
There—
They captured a legendary pterosaur, a species long extinct to the outside world.
As for how they managed to seize a flying beast in midair—
The answer was simple.
Moonwalk (Geppo).
With Life Return (Seimei Kikan) and a physique perfectly suited for it, El fully mastered the Six Styles (Rokushiki)—
Along with all their variations recorded in Bonier's memories—
In just three days.
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