One Piece: Legendary Family

 

Chapter 28: Bounty

In the vast blue sea, in the first half of the Grand Line, stands an imposing and enormous naval fortress, flying the Marine flag, a symbol of world peace and justice.

This is the Marine headquarters, Marineford.

Located near the Holy Land, Mariejois, forming a strategic triangle with Enies Lobby and Impel Down.

This special area is connected by massive whirlpools and can only be accessed through the Gate of Justice using the correct sea currents.

Here, the fortifications are high, battleships are abundant, cannons are countless, and strong Marines and their families reside.

Fleet Admiral's Office!

The current fleet admiral, Kong.

At this moment, he is full of worry, with a persistent headache.

Recently, a Marine base in the second half of the Grand Line was destroyed, resulting in the death of a rear admiral and more than a thousand brave marines.

The news, which they tried to suppress, was reported by that bastard Morgans.

This caused a great worldwide uproar, severely hitting Marine morale and emboldening the pirates.

Additionally, the remaining members of the disbanded Rocks pirates have not been quiet, with constant clandestine movements.

"Damn these guys!"

Each one of them is a headache, impossible to keep calm.

Fleet Admiral Kong cursed internally.

He thought that by disbanding the Rocks pirates, he could control the pirates, but the remnants of the Rocks crew turned out to be even more troublesome.

Among them, the most arrogant pirates are the Flying Pirates of Shiki, the Golden Lion.

The battles they have unleashed are countless.

And now, the Marine combat force is significantly diminished.

The World Government is on high alert against the Roger Pirates, prioritizing them, and Garp must constantly watch the Roger Pirates' movements, which exhausts him.

Admiral Zephyr, after the murder of his family a year ago, became demoralized and resigned as admiral, keeping only his rank and becoming an instructor.

Admiral Sengoku is watching the Whitebeard Pirates while defending against attacks from Shiki and other pirates, leaving him with no capacity for action.

This passivity prevents immediate support to other Marine bases in the New World, causing tragedies like this.

And Shiki's Devil Fruit ability, the Pika Pika no Mi, is extremely troublesome.

It is very flexible; capturing him without a fatal error is almost impossible.

The Marines remain the most powerful force at sea, apart from the World Government.

However, the territory is vast, and there are many things to attend to, greatly limiting the power of the Marines.

It is an undeniable fact that it is difficult to fight a decisive battle under these conditions.

A captain with a report in hand hurriedly ran and opened the door to report to Fleet Admiral Kong.

"Report, Fleet Admiral Kong! The Flying Pirates of Shiki, the Golden Lion, have appeared on Ratti Island in the second half of the Grand Line."

The captain hurriedly informed Kong.

"Flying Pirates? Give me the report!"

Kong's expression was not good.

The captain handed the report to Fleet Admiral Kong.

A moment later, Kong's expression changed slightly.

"Call Vice Admiral Tsuru."

Kong ordered the messenger.

"Yes, sir!"

The messenger ran out.

Shortly after, a woman with long dark blue hair tied in a ponytail, an imposing figure, and wearing a coat of justice, entered.

Vice Admiral Tsuru was radiant.

"Tsuru! Look at this!"

Kong handed the report to Tsuru.

Vice Admiral Tsuru reviewed the report, slightly frowning.

The Flying Pirates, already formidable, had acquired a mysterious swordsman, which was a serious problem.

Additionally, comparing the information, it was estimated that this new member was the one who defeated the swordsman Nisquién, causing the incident in the city of Gastronomy Island.

This individual, who caused so much chaos, was clearly a dangerous threat.

One must consider that a bounty of five hundred million already places him as a great pirate.

Nisquién, with a bounty of more than five hundred million, was a formidable veteran pirate.

Although the bounty does not always represent absolute strength, it cannot be underestimated.

"Tsuru! What do you think?"

Kong looked at the young Vice Admiral Tsuru for her opinion.

With a soft voice, Tsuru responded:

"Fleet Admiral Kong, our forces in the second half of the Grand Line are already few, and with our high command scattered around the world, we cannot maintain order in the New World or in the seas and the first half of the Grand Line."

Kong had a grim expression, and with the scar on his face, he looked even more formidable.

"The Marines are at their weakest; we cannot fight in the second half of the Grand Line."

Tsuru spoke with concern.

This was an evident fact.

Although Kong had admiral-level strength, as fleet admiral, he had to stay at headquarters to oversee everything, preventing him from going out to fight.

And a defeat would have devastating consequences for Marine morale.

Both remained silent for a moment.

"Alright, let's offer a bounty. How much would be appropriate?"

Kong looked at Vice Admiral Tsuru for her opinion.

"Thirteen hundred million. This amount is suitable for the swordsman's first bounty. An initial amount too high could cause panic."

"There is no solid evidence that he is the culprit of the incident in Gastronomy Island."

Tsuru responded.

"Very well! Thirteen hundred million."

Kong nodded, called a messenger, and issued the bounty order for Hiberfield Charlotte.

Hiberfield Charlotte, swordsman, bounty of thirteen hundred million berries, alive or dead, Captain of the Sixth Division of the Flying Pirates.

With the newspapers delivering the news worldwide, Hiberfield Charlotte began to be known.

…

Charlotte looked at the bounty notice in his hand, speechless.

His first bounty, at seventeen, was thirteen hundred million berries, something he didn't expect.

Bounties are supposed to have a solid basis, and he hadn't done anything too bad or had known achievements.

The Marines must be crazy!

This is hasty!

Reflecting, Charlotte thought that probably the Golden Lion Shiki had given him an "additional buff."

He was simply a victim of circumstances.

Although, seeing the amount, he felt a sharp pain in his eyes, and the phrase "alive or dead" hurt even more.

Charlotte decided that his bounty should not increase; he needed to keep a low profile so that the Marines would forget about him.

As long as the Golden Lion Shiki didn't look for him, he wouldn't go out to sea.

Preferably, he would never look for him.

That they would never have contact again.

(End of the chapter)

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