Chapter 101: New Badge Reward—Over 100 Million!
Grand Line – Paradise
Hanafuda stared at the report delivered by his subordinates and the bounty slip in his hand, feeling as though his lungs were about to burst.
"Those two idiots!"
"They actually failed to steal a Devil Fruit in a place like the East Blue?!"
The more he ranted, the angrier he became.
He turned and smashed his palm into the boulder behind him, sending it flying. But the fury in his chest still had nowhere to go.
Boom!
The boulder crashed to the ground, kicking up dust and smoke. The pirates nearby trembled in silence, too afraid to speak, lest they incur his wrath.
Only when Hanafuda's breathing began to steady and his composure returned did someone finally gather the courage to speak—nervously:
"This... this wasn't entirely the Cat Brothers' fault."
"They actually retrieved the fruit. But on their way back to the Grand Line, they were intercepted by Knight Gawain."
"And Gawain... he easily defeated them. Even by Grand Line standards, that kind of strength isn't weak."
"A person like him—he might not consume the fruit right away, especially if he doesn't understand its powers."
"Captain, there's still a chance…"
Hanafuda sneered.
"What if he has eaten it?"
"I'm already a Devil Fruit user—I can't consume another. But this is something that adult specifically wanted."
"If anything goes wrong... will you take responsibility?"
The pirate instantly dropped to his knees, his body trembling. In that moment, he cursed himself for having said too much.
Hanafuda glanced down at him, his tone chilling:
"Not everyone is qualified to take the blame."
"But you're right about one thing—if there's even a chance the fruit hasn't been eaten yet... I still have hope."
"And whether he ate it or not… he only has one path left."
"Death."
As the word left his lips, a powerful wave of Haki burst from his body, stirring a gust of wind around him.
Looking at the distant horizon and the pirates still kneeling in fear, he felt the familiar sense of frustration return.
"If I hadn't lost to that punk, Jack... I wouldn't have fallen so low."
"Damn it!"
He exhaled deeply and turned toward the window, that lingering sense of danger he'd once felt suddenly gone.
He asked coldly:
"How's that old man from the Navy?"
"He withdrew a few days ago," a subordinate reported. "Only left a few warships behind as a formality. No real threat."
Hanafuda grinned darkly.
"Perfect. I'll take care of this myself."
East Blue
The wind was gentle, the waves calm. The sky was clear, with clouds floating high—a rare day of perfect weather.
A small pirate ship glided quietly into Raven Harbor, guided by mooring workers, and slowly docked at the edge of the pier.
The civilians nearby hardly reacted.
After all, the flag it flew was that of the Gawain Pirates—the same crew that had saved this port from disaster multiple times in recent months.
Children even gathered to watch with wide-eyed curiosity.
Waiting at the harbor were Jasmine, the Cat Brothers, and Van Augur, who had recently recovered from his injuries.
The gangway was lowered.
Gawain and his crew disembarked slowly, greeted by the warm ocean breeze.
Jasmine spotted Grayza immediately. Her eyes filled with tears as she saw her tattered clothes.
"Miss!"
"Waaaah~"
The two embraced tightly, sobbing into each other's shoulders.
Gawain turned his gaze toward the Cat Brothers—both of whom were on the verge of tears—and frowned.
"What's going on?"
"Captain... we... we accidentally wasted hundreds of millions of Berries..."
Sham was nearly in tears, and beside him, Buchi had already burst into full-on sobbing.
Thankfully, Van Augur stepped forward and explained:
"They accidentally ate two Devil Fruits—most likely the ones that belonged to the attackers who came to Raven Harbor."
"...Huh?"
A cartoonish black question mark practically appeared over Gawain's head.
Then it clicked.
He remembered that every Devil Fruit, especially Zoan-types, possessed a will of their own and could, to some extent, choose their user.
The most infamous case was the Nika Fruit eaten by the Straw Hat boy. That fruit had avoided the World Government's grasp on its own, a feat that was absurd beyond comprehension.
If such a fruit could do that... then the Cat Brothers encountering a similar scenario didn't seem impossible.
Gawain activated a detection scan on the two:
[Name: Sham]
[Potential: Bronze]
[Rating: Black Iron – Zoan-Type: Cat-Cat Fruit – Ocelot Cat Form]
[Name: Buchi]
[Potential: Bronze]
[Rating: Iron – Zoan-Type: Cat-Cat Fruit – Maine Coon Form]
As expected.
After consuming the Devil Fruits, both brothers had broken past their previous potential ceilings, reaching the Bronze level—on par with Gin.
If they developed steadily, their future combat strength would likely surpass that of the original owners of those fruits.
Gawain reached out and rubbed their heads reassuringly.
"Don't beat yourselves up. Now that you've gained these abilities, as long as you put in the work, your strength will improve dramatically."
"Just make sure to bring a few more lifeguards with you next time you go to sea."
The brothers snapped out of their gloomy funk, scratched their heads, and gave sheepish grins.
Gawain asked, "When did you eat the fruit?"
"Three or four days ago," Sam replied.
"That doesn't add up," Gawain frowned.
"Labut and Lachet died more than ten days ago. Isn't there a buffer period before a Devil Fruit reincarnates?"
He pondered the question for a moment.
But no clear answer surfaced from his memories.
Rather than dwell on it, Gawain turned to Van Augur, who was standing nearby, and scanned him as well.
[Name: Van Augur]
[Potential: Silver]
[Rating: Black Iron – Specialization: Sniper | Outstanding Potential!]
Though Van Augur's potential hadn't reached the Gold tier as Gawain had hoped, he wasn't disappointed. After all, the system's potential readings were based on a person's current capabilities taken to their peak.
If Van Augur awakened Haki or obtained a suitable Devil Fruit, his potential could increase dramatically.
Even as things stood, he was more than qualified to serve as the crew's sniper.
Gawain smirked.
"I've taken out those two pests. From today on, you're mine."
"Ala la~"
Van Augur feigned reluctance.
"I never actually agreed to that wager... But I'd love to hear more about your 'dividend-based-on-strength' policy.
"Captain."
"It's as you heard." Gawain replied lightly, then his attention was drawn to something fluttering down from the sky—a newspaper.
Rustle!
The scattered papers rained across the harbor.
Among the fluttering bounty posters, one familiar face caused Gawain's eyes to twitch. But what truly took everyone's breath away was the number written below it.
"One, ten, hundred, thousand... ten million... one hundred million?!" someone gasped.
"Wait... two hundred... two hundred forty-eight million?!"
"Captain's bounty passed one hundred million?!"
Nami picked up the bounty poster with trembling hands. Her palms were slick with sweat.
Van Augur glanced at the number and sighed dramatically.
"I just joined... and the captain's already worth over 100 million? Is it too late to jump ship?"
Kuro shot him a sidelong glance, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"What do you think?"
"If you can't handle this bounty, you'd better brace yourself for the journey ahead."
"That man…"
"He's going to become king."
Meanwhile, the Cat Brothers were practically bouncing with excitement.
"Captain's bounty went up again!"
"Woooooo~~~~~!"
...
Everyone was fired up at the sight of Gawain's meteoric rise in bounty. After all, a bounty reflected a pirate's strength—and at this point, Gawain had outpaced nearly all East Blue pirates by one, if not two, full zeroes.
They all knew what that meant.
Everyone except Gawain, who stood slightly dazed in the middle of the crowd. Because just then, a familiar chime echoed in his mind:
"Congratulations! Badge Unlocked – Bounty Over 100 Million!"
"You are now favored by the sea!"