"So what? At least I'm on the bounty poster. Can you say the same?"
"Well..."
Sanji, clearly frustrated, struggled to come up with a comeback.
At that moment, Nami, who had been standing by, couldn't take it anymore. She snapped at them, "Do you think having a bounty is a good thing? It means we'll be hunted by everyone in the future!"
"Do you get that or not?"
But Luffy and Usopp were too busy enjoying themselves to pay her any mind.
Seeing their lack of concern, Nami sighed in frustration.
I'm exhausted!
Yet, her greatest concern wasn't their lack of seriousness. It was...
From the corner of her eye, she noticed Kai lounging on the boat.
"Hey, Kai , are you on the bounty poster too?"
Sanji, having noticed what Kai had, asked, "Is that your bounty?"
"Yep!" Kai nodded.
Luffy and Usopp, who had been fooling around, stopped and gathered around Kai.
"Kai, how much is your bounty?"
"Well, you might not believe it if I told you. Better take a look for yourselves!"
Kai handed them his bounty notice.
"Three... three hundred million Berries?"
The three of them gasped and exclaimed in shock.
"Hey, you guys are so loud!" Zoro grumbled groggily, looking at the commotion.
But the three of them were too busy staring at the bounty notice to notice Zoro's complaint.
Zoro ambled over, saw the bounty notice on the ground, and picked it up out of curiosity.
Soon, the number of wide-eyed and open-mouthed people increased from three to four.
The bounty notice featured Kai's transformed demon form—quite the sight!
But it was the title below that really pleased Kai.
Demon King Kai Vane!
This was the Marine's title for him.
Kai felt a strange affection for the Marine officer who came up with that title.
Smart guy, he thought!
Luffy, still incredulous, asked, "Why is your bounty so high? It's ten times more than mine!"
"No, no, no!" Kai waved his hand dismissively. "It's not ten times—it's twelve times!"
"As for why it's so high, I'm not sure. Maybe they sensed my powerful aura~"
"After all, I'm not like some weaklings with bounties of only 25 million, and there are even a few who don't have any bounty at all!"
"It's embarrassing. If I were like those guys, I wouldn't even dare to call myself a pirate."
"A bountyless pirate? That's an insult to the name!"
Kai spoke with an air of arrogance, looking down at the others with disdain.
(╬▔盤▔)╯!
Instantly, the eyes of the four in front of him were blazing with fury as they glared at Kai.
"Everyone..."
Zoro spoke calmly, and the other three, in unison, charged at Kai.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Thus began an unfair four-on-one battle.
"Hey, I didn't mean it was you! Why are you taking it personally?" Kai protested.
But only the sound of fists meeting flesh answered him. Annoyed, Kai retorted, "How can someone with a 300 million Berries bounty be beaten up by a bunch of amateurs who don't even add up to that amount?"
"Take this!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
...
Meanwhile, the bounty notices for Luffy and Kai were spreading across the world.
In the East Blue, aboard a pirate ship with a skull and crossbones flag, a man with a red nose fumed as he looked at Luffy's bounty.
He ignored Kai's bounty notice.
Though 300 million Berries was a significant amount, it was irrelevant to him. The Straw Hat Boy was his target.
Buggy didn't recognize Kai's image on the notice, mainly due to the drastic difference between Kai's usual appearance and his demonized form.
It's understandable that Buggy didn't make the connection.
"Damn Straw Hat! If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be in this mess. When I find him, I'll make sure he pays!"
"Is he the one who defeated you?" A woman with a striking figure and a beautiful face emerged from the shadows.
"Unfortunately, I was also beaten by him. The pain is still fresh!"
"What? Whose nose are you talking about?"
Alvida:???
Did she really say that? Why couldn't she remember?
"Buggy, if your ears are bad, get them checked. I said the Straw Hat Boy is our common enemy. If you want to deal with him, count me in!"
"Huh? I didn't know you had a grudge against the Straw Hat!" Buggy responded in surprise.
Although she had been on the ship for a while, Buggy didn't know the details of her history with the Straw Hat Boy.
"Seems like this Straw Hat Boy is quite the troublemaker, getting involved with everyone!"
"I think so too!" Alvida said, licking her lips.
"You actually said I have a red nose!!!"
. . . .
...
Offshore, near the island of the Red-Haired Pirates, a ship approached slowly.
Several pirates on duty spotted something in the distance and picked up their telescopes.
They nearly lost their wits when they saw what was approaching.
"Mihawk…?"
When Mihawk arrived on the island, he ignored the minions and made his way straight to the center, where he stood before Red-Haired Shanks and his crew.
Shanks looked surprised to see Mihawk and said, "Mihawk, are you here for a duel? I'm not up for it right now!"
"I didn't come for a duel with a man with a broken arm!" Mihawk replied calmly.
"I just remembered the pirate you mentioned before and wanted to show you this." Mihawk handed Shanks Luffy's bounty notice.
"Luffy?"
A smile spread across Shanks's face as he read Luffy's bounty notice.
"It's been a while!"
Just as Shanks was about to speak, Mihawk's next words made him stop.
"By the way, I also brought your nephew's bounty notice. But it looks a bit unusual!"
"Huh?" Shanks blinked.
He understood every word Mihawk said, but the meaning of the whole sentence eluded him.
"My… nephew?"
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Power Stones would be appreciated if you like the story