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Time passed.
Several days had gone by, and the World Government was in a state of extreme fury following the resignation of the giant vice admirals. Losing the military strength of the giants, which they had worked so hard to manipulate, had undone years of planning.
The government-controlled media relentlessly exploited the death of "Holy Mother" Carmel to sway public opinion, inciting anger worldwide. People everywhere expressed outrage at the brutal actions of the giants of Elbaf, and global sentiment toward the giants soured, with increasing resentment and distrust.
Despite their dominance, the World Government was cautious when dealing with the world's strongest acknowledged nation, Elbaf. Beyond issuing bounties for the giant warriors involved in the war, they had no intention of risking an all-out confrontation with Elbaf by launching a "Buster Call."
Instead, Admiral "Iron Claw" Hark was sent to take command at the G-11 base. Orders were given to gather fleets and troops from various New World bases to rebuild the G-12 fortress, while surveillance ships were dispatched to monitor Elbaf's movements and prevent further actions by the giants.
Within the Navy, a new directive intensified the crackdown on giant pirates. Now that the relationship with Elbaf had broken down, there was no longer any need to show leniency toward these giants.
"What?!"
"The Fallen Angel, El?"
"Is this guy really a Lunarian?"
"Six hundred million Berries, dead or alive? Is that true?"
"Nine years old and already has a bounty of six hundred million? That's unbelievable..."
"Did he really participate in the battle where the giants destroyed the G-12 naval fortress?"
"Wasn't there a bounty for any information on the Lunarians? You could get 100 million Berries just for reporting their whereabouts, right?"
"And he's the one suspected of killing 'Holy Mother' Carmel and attacking the World Government ship?"
Five days after the fall of the G-12 base, news birds flew across the seas, delivering freshly issued bounty posters tucked inside newspapers. The world was in an uproar, shocked by the news.
No one had anticipated that a nine-year-old child would debut with a bounty exceeding five hundred million Berries, reaching a staggering six hundred million.
Even considering that he was a Lunarian, this was astonishing. The leaders of the Giant Pirates, Blue Ogre Dorry and Red Ogre Brogy, had each only been bountied at 100 million Berries, though that was over thirty years ago. Had they not disappeared, their bounties would likely have increased, but not beyond five hundred million.
…
"What's this..."
In the Dreamland Amusement Park near Elbaf, in the New World, a surprised Gerd held the newspaper she had just purchased from a news bird. As a bounty poster slipped out of the pages, she excitedly ran to El, who was training nearby.
"El, you've been bountied at six hundred million Berries!"
"Six hundred million?"
"Really?"
"Gerd, show it to us!"
"Fallen Angel? Is that El's nickname?"
"That's incredible! El really is amazing!"
The children of Dreamland all crowded around, eager to see Gerd's giant-sized bounty poster.
"The Fallen Angel, El? It really says six hundred million..."
Hajrudin, who had just run over, widened his eyes as he stared at the familiar face on the poster. "That's incredible! Even the leaders of the Giant Pirates, Dorry and Brogy, didn't have such a high bounty!"
Meanwhile, Linlin, who had been playing as a giant bat while chasing the highest-level homies, Zeus, Hera, and Prometheus, suddenly stopped. She landed on the ground, transformed back into human form, and bit her finger curiously. "Is six hundred million a lot?"
"It's not just a lot, Linlin, it's an insanely high amount!" Hajrudin exclaimed loudly.
"Six hundred million, huh?" El, who had walked over while wiping away sweat, took the bounty poster from Gerd. As he glanced at the photo, he quickly recognized the background as Elbaf. "This photo was probably taken by Carmel and sold to the World Government."
"Fallen Angel? That nickname's not too bad..."
He wasn't too surprised by the bounty or the title. Being a Lunarian alone guaranteed a high bounty. Adding Carmel's reports to the World Government about him being a natural-born monster, along with his display of the Mythical Zoan Quetzalcoatl form that could summon storms and control lightning at G-12, it was only natural for the Navy to take him seriously.
"Everyone, something's happening out at sea..."
At that moment, the lion mink boy Moss, who had been peering through a spyglass at the distant ocean, suddenly pointed and shouted.
"What's wrong?"
"There's a big wave moving..."
Many turned their heads in surprise, but they could only see a faint ripple in the distance with nothing significant in sight.
"It's Umibōzu. It seems someone has entered the waters..." Gerd exclaimed in shock. "Is it pirates?"
Sure enough, in the distance, a massive wave shaped like a demon's face, seemingly alive, was rapidly surging toward Dreamland. A small capsized boat was carried along by the wave and dumped onto the shore, with a small, unconscious figure washed ashore as well.
"Gerd-sama, El-sama..."
The massive Umibōzu homie, made entirely of seawater, bellowed from the sea. "This boat tried to approach Dreamland, so I overturned it. However, it seems there was only one person aboard!"
"Good job, Umibōzu. Well done." El smiled and stepped forward, crouching next to the small figure.
He pressed his finger on the person's bloated stomach.
"Cough, cough!"
A fountain of seawater erupted from the person's mouth as they regained consciousness. They blinked at the imposing figure before them, and their pupils shrank in fear.
"You're... the Fallen Angel, El?"
The sight of the young, towering figure before him, with black wings and flames burning behind his head, confirmed his identity. This was the same boy whose bounty poster he had just seen.
Kneeling before him was Kukulkan El—the nine-year-old boy with a six hundred million Berry bounty, the monstrous "Fallen Angel."