When Fleet Admiral Sengoku received the World Government's plan to place a bounty of 1.5 billion berries on Sanders, he was shocked.
The amount was outrageous.
He had originally planned for the bounty to be around 1 billion berries.
Even the right-hand men of the Sea Emperors—Whitebeard's Phoenix Marco, Kaido's Calamity King, and Big Mom's Katakuri—all had bounties under 1.4 billion berries.
Yet, Sanders' first bounty was set at 1.5 billion berries!
There were only a few people on the entire sea with higher bounties.
However, when Sengoku considered that the bounty was determined by the threat to the World Government, it made sense.
While Phoenix Marco and the others were long-established, infamous pirates, they didn't actively provoke the World Government.
And they certainly didn't kill Celestial Dragons.
Sanders was different.
He had a grudge against the Celestial Dragons, and being a lone wolf without attachments, he was likely to seek revenge.
Considering the suffering he endured in Impel Down, Sanders would undoubtedly retaliate fiercely.
Sengoku wouldn't be surprised if Sanders started hunting Celestial Dragons worldwide.
Such a high level of threat naturally surpassed that of Marco and the others.
From this bounty, Sengoku could see the Gorosei's underlying strategy of "praising him to death."
Think about it—someone just starting out with a higher bounty than even veteran pirates. How could those pirates possibly feel at ease?
It would be perfectly normal for them to clash if they crossed paths.
If they fought to the death, it would be highly beneficial to both the World Government and the Marines.
In the end, Sengoku agreed with the bounty amount.
The bounty notice was immediately issued.
Alongside the bounty notice, reports of Sanders' escape from Impel Down also spread across the sea.
Headlines:
After a decade, another escape from Impel Down! Is the fortress truly impregnable?
The man who broke free from Impel Down—once the Marine prodigy, Sanders!
Shocking! Lightning Fruit user Sanders successfully escapes!
Divine Retribution! A Marine fleet destroyed! Vice Admiral Onigumo's fate unknown!
Bounty of 1.5 billion berries! A super pirate is born!
Thor Sanders, 1.5 billion berries bounty, dead or alive!
As the bounty and reports were disseminated, countless newspapers scrambled to cover the story.
As News Coo delivered papers worldwide, the sea was in turmoil!
The world was in an uproar!
Countless people were stunned by the sudden news.
No one had expected that someone could escape from the so-called impenetrable Impel Down.
It had been over ten years since the Golden Lion's escape.
Many people no longer even knew who the Golden Lion was.
In their eyes, Sanders was the first person to break out of the Deep-Sea Prison.
As a former Marine prodigy, many still remembered him.
After three years of silence, Sanders' name was once again on everyone's lips.
As for Sanders' new moniker, it was personally given by Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
No one knew if Sengoku had done it to annoy the World Government.
After all, the Celestial Dragons called themselves the descendants of the creators and considered themselves gods.
Who knows if the Gorosei would be upset by Sanders' title?
Perhaps this was Sengoku's subtle way of expressing his dissatisfaction with the Gorosei for ordering Sanders' arrest three years ago.
Looking at the photos of the destroyed Marine warships in the newspapers, many people felt chills running down their spines.
Sweat poured from their foreheads.
"Hey, is this for real?"
"Is this a joke? Someone escaped from Impel Down?!!"
"Sanders, the former Marine Logia user? No wonder we haven't heard about him in years—he was imprisoned in Impel Down. Did he betray the Marines and the World Government?"
"Is the Marine joking? A bounty of 1.5 billion? Even Whitebeard's Phoenix Marco only has a bounty of 1.374 billion berries. What has Sanders done to deserve such a high bounty?"
"This is terrifying! A whole Marine fleet was wiped out, and even Vice Admiral Onigumo couldn't stand against him."
The entire sea was buzzing with discussions.
Some were shocked that Sanders had escaped from Impel Down.
Some questioned the Marines' decision, feeling that Sanders wasn't worth the 1.5 billion berries bounty.
Others were puzzled as to why a former Marine genius had been imprisoned in Impel Down in the first place.
For a while, the entire sea was abuzz.
Countless pirates, Marines, and civilians were all talking about it.
New World. Unknown Sea Region.
A massive whale-shaped pirate ship sailed across the sea.
The crescent-shaped flag of the Whitebeard Pirates billowed in the wind.
On the deck sat a tall, muscular man hooked up to an IV, his upper body covered in scars. A crescent-shaped white mustache curved upward on his face.
This man was none other than one of the Sea Emperors, Whitebeard, the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates—Edward Newgate!
At the moment, he was casually holding a barrel of sake and drinking deeply from it.
"Father, you really should cut back on the alcohol."
Marco, the Phoenix with his pineapple-like hair, spoke helplessly.
"Gurararara! Marco, go drink with your brothers and leave me alone!"
Whitebeard laughed heartily, ignoring Marco's advice.
Just then, a shout rang out from nearby.
"You've got to be kidding! Someone actually escaped from Impel Down?"
"And the Marines put a bounty of 1.5 billion berries on him? That's higher than Marco's!"
Marco turned and saw Diamond Jozu staring at the newspaper in shock.
"Gurararara! Marco, looks like today's paper has some big news!"
Whitebeard laughed again.
Curious, Marco picked up a newspaper and began reading.
Thor Sanders, 1.5 billion berries bounty, dead or alive!
"Whoa, wait a minute—1.5 billion? That's more than mine?"
Marco's eyes widened in disbelief, nearly popping out of their sockets.
After reading the detailed report, Marco muttered, "So it's him... He was imprisoned in Impel Down, and now he's escaped."
A few years ago, the Marines had a known Lightning Fruit user.
Many were aware of the existence of Sanders, one of the Marines' powerful Logia users.
To deter the growing number of pirates, the Marines had even promoted the idea of the Four Logia Monsters.
But three years ago, all news of Sanders suddenly vanished.
Most people assumed he had died somewhere.
No one expected he had been imprisoned in Impel Down.
"What's going on, Marco? Has something interesting happened out on the sea?"
Whitebeard asked when he saw his son frozen in place.
--------------
T/N:
Access 30 chapters in advance on my Patreon: p@treon.com/OneFic