On the battleship, Sengoku, draped in the Marine "Justice" cloak, leaned on the railing, gazing into the distance, his eyes profound.
"Brrr brrr… Brrr brrr…"
Sengoku reached for his Den Den Mushi. "Moshi moshi, this is Sengoku."
Kong's deep voice came from the Den Den Mushi. "Sengoku, no need to go to Wano. Return to base."
Sengoku nodded knowingly. "Kaido and Noro were defeated by Shiki so quickly?"
For many years, whenever Shiki clashed with someone, the Marines would dispatch battleships.
Their purpose was always the same: when two fight, a third profits. To pick up Shiki's corpse.
The Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, coupled with Shiki's temperament, made him a bomb that could explode at any moment.
Therefore, even if they returned empty-handed every time, they would still send troops.
"No, Shiki the Golden Lion was jointly eliminated by Kaido and Noro." The Den Den Mushi's voice grew even deeper.
Sengoku's eyes widened in disbelief, blurting out, "How is that possible?!"
Kong naturally understood Sengoku's shock. When he first received this news, he even suspected it was false.
The Marine Rear Admiral who had defected years ago, and the experimental subject from Punk Hazard, had now become great pirates capable of killing Shiki.
The Marines needed to re-evaluate the threat level of the Beasts Pirates to the world.
Sengoku recovered moments later, saying respectfully, "I understand. I'll head back now."
After Sengoku returned to Marine Headquarters, Kong convened an emergency meeting with all high-ranking Marine officers.
The threat of the Beasts Pirates had risen another level. They now stood on equal footing with the Roger Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates.
Based on the intelligence on all Beasts Pirates executives transmitted by the CP agents in Wano, the Marines issued brand new bounties.
Beasts Pirates Captain, Emperor of Wano, Kaido of the Beasts, Bounty: 3,111,100,000 Beli.
Beasts Pirates Vice-Captain, Myo-o of Wano, Fallen Marine Rear Admiral Noro Kade, Bounty: 2,555,000,000 Beli!
Beasts Pirates Combat Commander, Grand General of Wano, King the Wildfire, Bounty: 888,000,000 Beli.
Beasts Pirates Executive, Minister of Scientific Research of Wano, Queen the Plague, Bounty: 655,000,000 Beli.
Beasts Pirates Executive, Minister of Finance of Wano, former Rocks Pirates member, Bakkin Ghom Stussy, Bounty: 566,600,000 Beli.
Beasts Pirates Executive, Minister of Propaganda of Wano, Matty Tao, Bounty: 420,300,000 Beli.
Beasts Pirates Executive, First Division Captain, Englar Alaric, Bounty: 365,000,000 Beli.
Beasts Pirates Executive, Second Division Captain, Raja, Bounty: 355,000,000 Beli.
Beasts Pirates Executive, Third Division Captain, Kru, Bounty: 290,100,000 Beli.
Beasts Pirates Executive, Fourth Division Captain, Aharu, Bounty: 264,500,000 Beli.
Beasts Pirates Executive, Fifth Division Captain, Leia, Bounty: 222,000,000 Beli.
Beasts Pirates Executive, Sixth Division Captain…
…
The brand new bounties, coupled with the death of Shiki the Golden Lion dominating newspaper headlines, quickly caused a huge uproar across the seas.
The World Government and the Marines didn't mind publicizing pirate deeds, especially when one pirate killed another powerful pirate.
The Marines would even build momentum for them, earning them immense prestige.
Pirates sought fame and fortune, especially in the New World. The higher the bounty, the greater the prestige, and it also meant more challenges.
Could they still expect bounty hunters to capture such high-bounty targets? Of course, they would let the self-important pirates kill each other.
On the high seas, the ones who killed the most pirates were not necessarily the Marines, but possibly other pirates.
However, if it was something like a Marine Admiral being killed, a Celestial Dragon being killed, or a Marine base being invaded, such matters were usually chosen not to be reported, downplaying major incidents and resolving minor ones.
In taverns everywhere, pirates, merchants, and bounty hunters were all enthusiastically discussing the current power of the Beasts Pirates.
"Three billion! Kaido is catching up to Roger and Whitebeard!" a pirate exclaimed.
"And that Noro, a former Marine Rear Admiral, is now a great pirate with a bounty of two and a half billion. Things really change," another echoed.
"So, the three strongest pirate crews on the high seas now are the Roger Pirates, Whitebeard Pirates, and Beasts Pirates, then."
"What else?"
…
Roger Pirates. At this moment, they were holding a feast on an unnamed island.
As people who loved feasts, landing on an island was also a reason to celebrate.
Looking at their laughing captain, the crew members drinking with arms around each other's shoulders, and Shanks and Buggy arguing heatedly, First Mate Rayleigh smiled and shook his head.
What a group of free-spirited, carefree people.
Rayleigh took out Beli, bought a newspaper from a newsbird, adjusted his glasses, and unfolded the paper to read.
After seeing the contents of the newspaper, this usually calm First Mate's eyes widened sharply, exclaiming, "This is truly a major event!"
At this moment, Roger grinned and leaned over, putting an arm around Rayleigh's neck. "What's up, Rayleigh? Why that expression? What's in the newspaper?"
Rayleigh's expression was solemn, and he stated the facts directly. "Shiki the Golden Lion, in Wano, was defeated by the Beasts Pirates?!"
Roger shook his head, somewhat doubting if he was drunk, asking again uncertainly, "The Shiki you're talking about, is it that Shiki?"
Rayleigh nodded slightly. "Yes."
"Shiki actually lost. Beasts Pirates, Wano, Wano?…" Roger muttered to himself.
Rayleigh, seeing this, asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Roger put his arm around Rayleigh, pulling him to the huge bonfire, handing him a bottle of sake, and laughing heartily, "Drink, drink!"
…
Whitebeard Pirates.
On the Moby Dick, the blond Whitebeard sipped his sake, watching his sons and daughters laughing and playing on the deck.
At this moment, Marco flew down from the mast, bringing Whitebeard the latest newspaper.
Whitebeard smiled, drank the sake in his bowl, and opened the newspaper.
The large, bold headline announcing Shiki's death instantly froze Whitebeard's smile.
"Shiki… is dead," he murmured softly, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
After a soft sigh, Whitebeard casually opened the latest wanted poster.
The Whitebeard Pirates occasionally killed notorious pirates, collaborating with bounty hunters to let them exchange the bounties with the Marines. (I don't know where I saw this, but it said this was a major source of funding for the Whitebeard Pirates.)
When he saw Stussy holding a child, Whitebeard fell into a long silence.
Whole Cake Island.
Big Mom, with her three-minute attention span, after a few expeditions, had once again started her frantic dessert eating.
When she saw the newspaper handed over by Katakuri, Big Mom looked at the report and Kaido's picture in the newspaper, her tongue greedily licking the corners of her mouth.
"Kaido!"
And in Wano, the Beasts Pirates cheered at the wanted posters in the newspaper.
"Hahaha, our Beasts Pirates are now on equal footing with Roger and Whitebeard!" Queen, biting his cigar, danced comically.
Kaido sat on the throne, a hint of ambition in his eyes. "This is just the beginning. We will let the world know that the Beasts Pirates are the strongest!"
Noro stood by, his lips curled into a smile, saying, "Continue the music, continue the dance!"
===
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