The news of Shirakawa's bounty spread throughout the world. Those who knew him weren't surprised; such a bounty was expected for someone of his caliber. However, those unfamiliar with him were taken aback, their first reactions usually being, "Damn, who's this handsome guy?" followed by, "And he has such a high bounty? He must be a powerful rookie."
"Pops, look! That kid has a bounty now!" Marco showed Whitebeard the newspaper on his ship.
"That kid?" Whitebeard's memory of Shirakawa was a bit hazy. He saw him as a promising youngster, but still far from being a true threat.
"The one with the giant sword. The Marines gave him the title 'Great Swordsman.'"
"Oh, that flashy kid." Whitebeard remembered the sword and had been impressed when he first saw it, but ultimately dismissed it as useless.
"Flashy, huh? Pops is right," Marco said, pleased that his own standing in Whitebeard's eyes was higher than Shirakawa's.
Shiki the Golden Lion also saw the wanted poster. He had no recollection of Shirakawa but was intrigued by the note on the poster: "Member of the Roger Pirates. Extremely Dangerous."
Many others on the sea shared Shiki's interest. Roger was the closest to reaching the final island, and after yesterday's battle, Shiki's forces were severely weakened. It would take time for him to recover, and during that time, Roger might achieve the impossible.
"Shirakawa, the title 'Great Swordsman' really suits your image," Shanks commented, clearly approving of the new moniker.
"Hmph. I'll make the Marines change it someday," Shirakawa said stubbornly. He hadn't decided on a new title yet, but it had to be something more intimidating, like 'Dark King' Rayleigh.
"Good luck with that."
"Hey, there's news about Bullet in this paper," one of the pirates announced, holding up the newspaper.
"Where? Let me see!" The crew was always interested in news about their former comrade.
"It says Bullet encountered Crocodile, another rookie, and they had a fierce battle. The outcome is unknown."
"Crocodile? I think I remember him. He has the Sand-Sand Fruit, a Logia-type, right?"
"Rookies these days are so strong. Even Bullet couldn't defeat him." Most of the Roger Pirates couldn't beat Bullet, so they were naturally concerned about anyone who could challenge him.
"Maybe Bullet wasn't using his full strength. Or maybe the battlefield favored Crocodile. It was probably a desert, perfect for his abilities."
One of the pirates offered a logical explanation. Bullet had mastered advanced Armament Haki, which should give him an advantage against Logia users.
'Crocodile, huh?' Shirakawa thought. He remembered him as the first Warlord Luffy had defeated. Even without Haki, Luffy had exploited the weakness of the Sand-Sand Fruit and defeated Crocodile with water.
'But Luffy had plot armor on his side,' Shirakawa mused. 'Crocodile has clashed with Whitebeard multiple times. If he were that weak, he would have been killed long ago.'
'At least Bullet is okay.'
Shirakawa knew that if Roger learned of Bullet's demise, he'd likely lead the entire crew on a rescue mission, even though Bullet was no longer officially part of their crew. Roger valued loyalty and wouldn't abandon a former comrade.
"Let's have a feast to celebrate our escape from the Golden Lion and Shirakawa's 50 million berry bounty!" someone suggested.
"Yeah!" The crew cheered. Feasts were the Roger Pirates' favorite way to celebrate and forget their troubles.
"He's all grown up," Rayleigh said, watching Shirakawa surrounded by his crewmates.
"Indeed. And you deserve a lot of credit for that. You know him better than anyone else, don't you?" Roger asked.
"I know him to a certain extent, but he still has many secrets. I have a feeling his abilities aren't just from a Devil Fruit. They might be innate."
"Really? But isn't it normal to have secrets? Everyone does."
Rayleigh chuckled. "Is my secret still a secret then? It feels like everyone knows about it."
"Haha, it's fine. There are still plenty of people who don't know," Roger reassured him.