"No, I don't want to turn into a woman!"
"Genrou, you must have a way, right?!"
Sanji looked at Genrou with a face full of despair, pleading.
"Maybe… crossdressing is also an option?"
Genrou smiled slightly and continued:
"Alright, I'm just joking."
"The black boots in your hands are only in their initial form. After all, they originate from Li's power."
"If you wish, they can transform according to your body's needs."
"Calm down, Sanji. Then you should be able to feel this power."
Upon hearing this, Sanji quickly took a deep breath, trying to steady his mood.
Soon, the women's long black boots in his hands began to transform, eventually becoming a pair of men's black leather shoes.
"Phew, thank goodness… now I don't need to become a woman or wear women's clothing."
Sanji let out a long sigh of relief.
"Is that so… I actually think it's a bit of a shame."
Nami shook her head regretfully. Just as she was about to comment further on Sanji's newly obtained power, a News Coo came into her sight.
"A News Coo, huh… after what happened earlier, I guess my situation has probably spread across the world."
Genrou also noticed the News Coo's presence. Smiling, he flicked a Berry coin from his pocket to exchange for the latest newspaper.
"Spread across the world… does that mean we're in danger again?"
"I really don't want to go through that kind of thing again!"
Nami quickly came to Genrou's side, stretching her neck to look at the front page.
Genrou's lips curled into a grin as he casually pulled out a wanted poster from the center page and slapped it in front of Nami.
"What's this, Genrou?"
"A bounty poster. Yours. The new one."
"What?! My new bounty poster?"
Nami looked at her wanted poster in horror.
This time, the portrait on the poster was no longer a stylized artistic drawing, but an actual photo of Nami fighting against the Marines.
"30 million Berries bounty?! And it's a real photo this time?! Doesn't that mean people can actually recognize me now?!"
Damn it, weren't those Marines busy fighting us? When did they have time to take these photos?!
Tears welled up at the corners of Nami's eyes as she spoke, feeling utterly wronged.
"But at least your bounty is still 'alive only'. That's a blessing amidst misfortune."
"Luckily you didn't use Yousei no Kouki (Fairy Glitter) back then, otherwise your bounty wouldn't have just gone up by five million Berries."
Genrou patted her shoulder in comfort.
Nami pouted. No one knew that she hadn't refrained from using Yousei no Kouki (Fairy Glitter) because she didn't want to.
She simply worried that if she used it, she would collapse from exhaustion immediately afterward.
"Hey, Genrou, since Nami got a new bounty, what about us? We must have new bounties too, right?!"
Luffy bounded over curiously.
"Yah… does that mean I'll get my first bounty even though I just set out to sea?"
Sanji, wearing his newly transformed black shoes, also looked over expectantly.
"I doubt it," Zoro said. "Given how you performed back then, it'd be hard to get a bounty."
"After all, you were just running support, weren't you?"
"What did you say, moss-head?! You were the one running support. After your fight with Mihawk, you didn't even help in the battle against the Marines!"
"Tch. Even so, I still did more than you."
Watching them bicker, Genrou chuckled and pulled out all the bounty posters from the newspaper.
"Black Leg Sanji, Straw Hat Crew newcomer, bounty: 8 million Berries."
Genrou read as he handed Sanji his poster.
"Heh, looks like the Marines have good eyes. They can tell you're not much of a threat, so they only gave you 8 million."
"Even if my bounty didn't rise much, it's still 12 million more than yours."
Zoro smirked, his taunt levels maxed out.
"That's only because you got your Heroic Spirit template first," Sanji shot back. "Once I master the black boots, I'll get a higher bounty than you for sure."
"Just you wait, dumb moss-head!"
Upon hearing that, Zoro immediately took a fighting stance.
Seeing this, Genrou quickly took out Zoro's bounty poster.
"Demonic Swordsman Roronoa Zoro, bounty: 35 million Berries."
"35 million Berries?! That's amazing!" Luffy exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Well, he did fight Mihawk," Genrou explained. "Even though he didn't do much against the Marines, his deeds will definitely reach their ears."
Then, Genrou pulled out the remaining posters.
"Usopp, bounty: 50 million Berries. Possesses Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki). Dead or alive."
"Monkey D. Luffy, bounty: 55 million Berries. Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates."
"As for me… my bounty has increased from its previous amount to 1 billion Berries."
"Even though I worked so hard, the Marines only gave me this little… truly lamentable."
Genrou shook his head with feigned disappointment.
Though in truth, he understood. His previous bounty had been so high due to the incident with killing a Tenryuubito (Celestial Dragon).
In terms of raw strength, his recent feats probably just now matched that 900 million valuation.
So to give him a bounty of a billion Berries now was actually recognition enough.
"Hehehe, amazing, my bounty increased so much again!"
"But it's a shame, Genrou. Yours also increased… When will I ever catch up to you?" Luffy said with a happy shout, clutching his poster.
Meanwhile, Usopp stood frozen in place, staring at his own 50 million bounty.
"50 million Berries… dead or alive?! Doesn't this mean I'm in real danger now?!"
He exclaimed in panic, nothing like the imposing figure he had shown when facing the Marines earlier.
"I feel you, Usopp," Nami said, startled by his reaction but quickly regaining composure. She patted his shoulder with sympathy.
"At least mine says 'alive only'… but yours is different."
"Don't worry about Usopp for now," Genrou interjected, his expression growing serious as he faced Nami.
"This time, your wanted poster uses your real photograph."
"In other words, the Arlong Pirates who occupy your hometown might get their hands on it."
"To be safe, we need to head to your village as soon as possible before they do anything drastic."
Though the Arlong Pirates were arrogant and looked down on humans, Genrou didn't think they were stupid.
Seeing Nami's bounty poster, they would at least prepare defensive measures.
If they were smart enough… they might even choose to flee altogether.
"That's right… Cocoyashi Village!!" Nami's eyes widened as she turned urgently to Luffy and the others.
"Everyone, I need to return to Cocoyashi Village immediately."
"Please cooperate with me so I can get back as fast as possible!"
(End of Chapter)
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