Marine G-5 Branch, Conference Room
The atmosphere was as heavy as the sea before a storm.
The projection Den Den Mushi faithfully displayed a video on the wall. In the footage, a young man stepped through drifting smoke and mist. Mid-air, the sword in his hand erupted with dazzling light.
"Sound Slash: Explosive Phoenix Roar!!"
With a roar that seemed to pierce through the screen, a massive phoenix-shaped shockwave blasted out, striking a three-masted sailing ship dead on.
In the next second, the sturdy hull exploded and disintegrated in eerie silence, the screen filling with flying timber and scattered bodies.
Bang!
A file folder packed with documents slammed onto the conference table.
Vice Admiral Brian's face was ashen, and his thick fingers dug into the desk with force.
"The Great Axe Pirates—600,000 Beri on the captain's head. Over 1 million Berries total bounty for the crew!" His voice echoed through the silent room, laced with fury.
"Now, someone tell me, why were they wiped out by an unknown brat in a matter of minutes?!"
No one spoke.
All eyes turned to the still image on the wall. The young man's wild, confident expression as he swung his sword left them feeling uneasy.
"Vice Admiral…" an intelligence officer spoke with difficulty. "According to the pirates who surrendered and our analysis of the footage, the target possesses devil fruit ability. Our initial judgment is… a Paramecia-type user—either shockwave or soundwave-based. Possibly a unique Paramecia ability."
"I don't care what type he is!" Vice Admiral Brian bellowed. "All I know is that this man destroyed an armed pirate ship with a single blow! That level of destructive power—if left unchecked—will become a massive threat to us!"
The room erupted into urgent discussion.
"His appearance was strange, too. He walked on the sea. That's no ordinary power."
"The range was over ten meters, instantaneous… He's already developed his abilities to an advanced level."
"Most importantly," a bespectacled Rear Admiral said in a low voice, "he appeared on Roger and Rayleigh's ship."
That one sentence silenced the entire room.
Gol D. Roger. Silvers Rayleigh. Two names that had begun to stir the seas. Though rarely seen, every appearance had shaken the world.
Now this monstrous newcomer—was he one of them?
Vice Admiral Brian's expression darkened. He remained silent for a long time before finally picking up a pen and scribbling across a blank draft bounty slip.
"Draft a wanted poster. Circulate it to every major branch and news agency immediately."
His tone left no room for doubt. "The whole world needs to know about this dangerous kid."
A few days later, a brand-new bounty poster was delivered by News Coo to every corner of the Grand Line.
On the poster, a black-haired boy held a Naginata in his hand, his body caught mid-air in a graceful arc. The sea breeze ruffled his short hair. In his golden eyes, there was no fear—only a blazing fighting spirit and arrogance that could ignite the sky.
It was the moment he unleashed the "Sound Slash: Explosive Phoenix Roar", captured by a distant video Den Den Mushi.
[WANTED]
[DEAD OR ALIVE]
[Aaron KYLE]
[Reward: 1,500,000 Berries]
---
"Kuhahaha! We've finally reached land! Resupply time—let's throw a party!" Roger stepped onto solid ground, arms wide, letting out a joyous yell.
Thanks to the combined effort of Rayleigh and Kyle, the ship he'd punched a hole in was barely repaired in time to reach the next island.
The island was a bustling commercial hub, the harbor brimming with life and people coming and going in waves.
"I'm off to get some rum and meat!" Roger charged into town with a grin, full of enthusiasm.
"I'll go check the nautical charts and daily supplies." Rayleigh adjusted his glasses and walked toward a shop on the other side of the street.
"Then I..." Kyle glanced left and right before his eyes landed on a nearby stall selling newspapers and bounty posters. He was simply curious, wanting to see which new "celebrities" had made waves on the sea lately.
He strolled over and glanced at the rows of wanted posters pinned to the wall. Most of them were unfamiliar faces—ugly portraits with unimpressive bounties.
Just as he was about to turn away, a fresh poster caught his attention.
That face... why did it look so familiar? Kyle leaned in. The moment he saw the person clearly, his pupils contracted.
In the photo, the young man had black hair, golden eyes, a proud smirk, and a stylish pose mid-air, looking dangerously cool.
Kyle tore the wanted poster off the wall, his heart pounding wildly. He stared at the name "AARON KYLE", then at the string of zeros beneath it, and couldn't help but break into a dazzling smile.
"Not bad, not bad. That candid shot turned out great." Kyle stroked his chin, inner monologue in full swing like a one-man drama. "It perfectly captures my rebellious, arrogant, kingly aura."
After enjoying his handsome face for a while, he finally lowered his gaze to the bounty amount.
"One million five hundred thousand Berries..." The smile on Kyle's lips froze.
"1.5 million? Just 1.5 million?!" he screamed in his mind. "What kind of joke is this?! You're seriously underestimating me! The visual effects of my earth-shaking 'Phoenix Roar' alone should be worth more than that! The Marine really needs to reshuffle their bounty valuation department!"
As he fumed, the vendor next to him posted a few more bounties. Kyle gave them a passing glance.
[DEAD OR ALIVE]
[GOLD ROGER]
[Reward: 15,500,000 Berries]
Roger, in the photo, was grinning from ear to ear, looking like a happy-go-lucky idiot from some backwater village.
Kyle shifted to the next one.
[DEAD OR ALIVE]
[SILVERS RAYLEIGH]
[Reward: 13,000,000 Berries]
Rayleigh was shown leaning against the ship's railing, composed and elegant, a gleam flashing across his glasses.
Kyle: "…"
He silently lowered his head and stared at the 1.5 million Beri poster in his hand. Then he glanced up again at the two ten-million-plus ones, and suddenly, his own poster didn't feel so prestigious anymore.
Especially when you consider that both Roger and Rayleigh were only in their twenties, the pirate crew was still new, and there wasn't even inflation yet—those bounties were ridiculously high for the current era.
"Kuhahaha! Kyle! What are you looking at so seriously?" Roger's booming voice came from behind. He walked over carrying a few barrels of rum in one hand and a huge slab of raw meat in the other.
When he spotted the wanted poster in Kyle's hand, his eyes lit up.
"Oho! Isn't this your bounty?!" Roger snatched it up, raised it high, and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Not bad, Kyle! You've got a bounty already! One million five hundred thousand! That's a solid start!"
Rayleigh walked over, too. Seeing the poster, he gave a subtle smile and adjusted his glasses. "Looks like your first fight made enough noise for the Marine to notice."
Kyle looked at his two guardians, both with the proud expressions of parents whose child had finally made it, then looked again at their eye-watering bounties… and felt the cold wind of inequality blow past.
He curled his lips and muttered under his breath, "Tch... what's so impressive? It's just one extra zero..."