At Marine Headquarters, inside the Fleet Admiral's office, the air was thick with the sound of paperwork rustling. Sengoku sat behind a massive desk, sifting through a mountain of documents from across the seas. Beside him, Garp leaned back lazily in his chair, yawning so wide it looked as if he might swallow the room whole.
Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi on Sengoku's desk started ringing. He answered, his brow lifting slightly when the voice on the other end came through it was Smoker.
Sengoku listened quietly for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, setting the receiver down, he said in his steady, commanding voice, "A bounty of sixty million for a rookie in the East Blue. Approved."
He turned his sharp gaze toward Garp. "Garp, what do you think about this?"
Garp cracked open one eye and shrugged. "Sixty million? Eh, not bad." His tone was casual, almost dismissive.
In the New World and the Grand Line, pirates with bounties over sixty million appeared from time to time it was nothing special. But Sengoku knew that wasn't the whole story.
"You're too carefree," Sengoku sighed, rubbing his temple. "What if I told you... this pirate came from the East Blue?"
Garp's relaxed expression froze. "The East Blue?" he repeated, sitting up slightly.
Now that was something different. In that quiet corner of the world, even a twenty-million bounty was a big deal. For someone from the East Blue to jump straight to sixty million? That was... intriguing, at the very least.
"Alright, you've got my attention," Garp admitted, scratching his chin. "What's this guy's name? And what did he do to make Smoker lose his cool like that?"
Sengoku flipped through a report. "Name: Loshue. He single-handedly killed Captain Nezumi and over a dozen Marines from a local branch. Then he went on to wipe out the entire Arlong Pirates."
He paused. "He's also a Devil Fruit user."
"Ah, a Devil Fruit user." Garp raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. For most people, those words carried weight, but to a man like Garp who had crushed countless so-called "powerful ability users" with his bare fists it didn't mean much.
"So, what's your take?" Sengoku asked, leaning back.
Garp stretched, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. "Sixty million still feels a bit too generous," he said. "Sure, he killed a few corrupt Marines and took out Arlong, but that's nothing compared to the big fish out there."
He yawned again. "Not that it matters. A high bounty just means he'll get caught faster."
Sengoku folded his arms. "You think Smoker will handle it?"
"Of course," Garp said, grinning. "Smoker's stationed in the East Blue for a reason. A sixty-million rookie won't be running around for long."
Sengoku chuckled, shaking his head. "You might be right. Smoker's probably already preparing to strike. The next time that Den Den Mushi rings, it'll be him reporting the pirate's capture."
He sighed and gestured toward the growing pile of documents on his desk. "Now, Garp enough yawning. Come help me with these reports from the New World."
"I'm tired," Garp said immediately, slouching deeper into his chair. "Paperwork isn't my thing."
Sengoku's eyebrow twitched, but he said nothing. He knew there was no forcing Garp to do what he didn't want to.
So, he simply sighed, adjusted his glasses, and returned to his endless stack of papers.
Neither man realized that this "rookie" named Loshue would soon become a name echoing through every corridor of the Marine Headquarters a name that would rob even the most stoic officers of their sleep.
Cocoyasi Village.
The streets were alive with laughter and sunshine. Nami hummed cheerfully as she skipped along a cobblestone path, a small basket swinging from her arm. Her eyes were still a little red from crying, but her face glowed with joy.
Since the fall of the Arlong Pirates, peace had finally returned to the village. The air felt lighter, the smiles more genuine. For the first time in years, the people of Cocoyasi could breathe freely.
Nami couldn't remember the last time the world had looked this beautiful.
But then, a loud commotion up ahead snapped her out of her happy thoughts.
"Oh no! Sixty million?!" someone shouted. "That's insane!"
"Arlong's bounty was only twenty million! How can Loshue's be sixty?!"
"This means bounty hunters and pirates will be after him!" another villager cried.
The words struck Nami like a slap.
"Loshue… bounty… sixty million?" she whispered, her heart tightening.
She pushed through the crowd until she saw what everyone was staring at. In the center of the group, someone held up a freshly printed bounty poster.
Loshue's face stared back at her, calm and confident, with bold black letters underneath:
Bounty: 60,000,000 Berries.
Nami froze. Her fingers trembled as she took the poster from the villager's hands.
"No…" she breathed.
The basket at her hip slipped and fell to the ground with a soft thud. Oranges rolled across the street, but she didn't even notice.
"It's because of the Marines," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Because he killed them… because of me…"
If she hadn't asked Loshue to help her… if he hadn't fought Arlong to save her village… he wouldn't have had to kill those Marines.
He wouldn't have become a wanted man.
Tears welled up again, blurring her vision.
Far out on the open sea, waves crashed and rolled beneath a massive Sea King speeding through the waters. Standing atop its head was a lone man, wind whipping through his hair, eyes calm and sharp the man whose name now spread across every island.
"Sixty million, huh?" Loshue muttered, glancing at the bounty poster in his hand. "The Marines sure know how to flatter a guy."
Above him, dozens of News Coo birds flitted through the skies, scattering bounty posters across the ocean like snowflakes.
He wasn't surprised to see his face among them. He had expected this much. What he hadn't expected was how much the Navy would value him.
"Doesn't matter," he said quietly. "All that really matters is getting stronger."
He crumpled the bounty poster and tossed it into the sea, watching it disappear beneath the waves.
"A number means nothing if no one can collect it."
Ahead, an island came into view a familiar outline on the horizon.
"That's it," he murmured. "Home."
With a light punch to the Sea King's head, he signaled it to slow down.
On the shore, a few islanders noticed the enormous shadow approaching.
"W-what is that?! A Sea King?! We're doomed!"
"Wait there's someone standing on its head!"
"Hold on… isn't that our village doctor? That's Loshue!"
The panic quickly turned into awe and disbelief.
As the Sea King stopped near the shore, Loshue leapt lightly onto the sand. The villagers gathered around, waving and calling out to him. Many of them were people he had treated before, their faces familiar and grateful.
Loshue greeted them with a nod and a faint smile before heading back to his small clinic. Inside, he packed his few belongings, cleaned the room one last time, and stepped outside.
He hung a small sign on the door that read:
"Closed Until Further Notice."
With the Marine bounty declared and his goal achieved, there was no reason to stay.
He looked up at the sky, feeling the ocean breeze brush against his face.
"Time to move on," he said softly.
Without another word, Loshue turned away and disappeared into the horizon quiet, resolute, and unshaken.
Little did anyone know, this was only the beginning of the storm his name would bring to the world.