At this moment, Alex still had his sights set on using the two remaining crew members to navigate them toward Alabasta. He had no intention of getting rid of them—at least not yet.
Just then, Douglas Bullet entered the room, holding a freshly printed newspaper in his hands.
"You've made the headlines again. And now, the World Government has officially issued your bounty. You're a wanted criminal," Bullet remarked.
Alex had long anticipated this outcome. Becoming an enemy of the World Government was inevitable, so he wasn't particularly fazed by the bounty announcement.
But when he glanced at the newspaper, he couldn't help but be shocked.
Morgans was terrifyingly efficient.
In just one day, the news outlet had already gathered an astonishing amount of information.
The first section of the article focused on the World Government's response.
Three days after Alex and Bullet escaped, the World Government finally issued their official arrest warrants.
Under Alex's picture, the bounty amount was a staggering one billion berries, while Douglas Bullet's bounty reached a towering 1.8 billion berries.
The reason for the disparity was simple—Bullet had long been infamous, whereas Alex was a rising star. Although he had broken out of Impel Down, he had yet to commit any large-scale atrocities against society, which was why his bounty remained comparatively lower for now.
The report also mentioned that Admiral Sakazuki was personally leading a fleet, heading toward the East Blue in pursuit of Alex.
It was clear—the Marines were taking this seriously.
The next page of the newspaper detailed Alex and Bullet's confrontation with the Red-Haired Pirates in the East Blue.
The article vividly described the battle on the Red Force, where the two sides fought fiercely. In the end, the Red-Haired Pirates suffered a crushing defeat, forcing them to abandon their ship and retreat.
According to the report, after retreating, the Red-Haired Pirates encountered another pirate crew, seized their ship, and made landfall on an island in the East Blue to regroup.
But the most shocking revelation came next.
Morgans' sources confirmed that Alex had single-handedly defeated Shanks!
This revelation sent shockwaves through the world.
The World Government had just declared Alex a wanted criminal, and the very next moment, he had already taken down Shanks, one of the most renowned pirates in the New World.
Though Shanks had not yet officially been named one of the Four Emperors, his strength had already been recognized by the world's greatest forces.
And now, a complete unknown had emerged—defeating Impel Down's guards, escaping from the inescapable prison, and now defeating the legendary Red-Haired Shanks in direct combat.
The world could no longer ignore Alex.
At Marine Headquarters – Marineford
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku sat at his desk with a grim expression, today's newspaper spread out in front of him.
"This bastard… Escaping from Impel Down wasn't enough—now he's running rampant, trampling on our authority as well!"
In a nearby chair, Borsalino (Admiral Kizaru) casually lounged with his legs crossed.
"Well, this is getting interesting. Not only did he make a fool of Impel Down, but now he's dealing with the big names of the New World. He's actually saving us some trouble."
Across the room, Monkey D. Garp folded his arms and spoke in a serious tone.
"Let's hope he keeps it up. If he takes down a few more of these so-called New World pirates, things might get a lot easier for us."
Sengoku shot him a sharp look.
"Garp, you almost sound like you admire him."
"Is that so surprising?" Garp replied bluntly. "If it were up to me, I'd offer him a position as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
Sengoku's eyes widened.
"You want to make him a Warlord?"
This was a bold suggestion. The World Government and the Marines had just declared Alex a dangerous outlaw, and now Garp wanted to recruit him? That would be a direct slap in the face to their authority.
But Garp remained firm.
"The Seven Warlords system was a mistake to begin with. The higher-ups must have been out of their minds when they created it.
"Look at the so-called Warlords we've recruited. How many of them actually follow our rules? They exploit their government-backed status to wreak havoc unchecked. And we, the Marines, are forced to watch them commit crimes without being able to stop them. It's the biggest joke in the world.
"But now, we have someone who can crush the New World's pirates. Why not give him a title and have him work for us?"
Sengoku considered Garp's words carefully.
"Your logic isn't wrong… but there's a problem. The Seven Warlords aren't just about strength—they also need influence.
"Right now, Alex has power, but no territory, no crew. Just one ship and two men. If we're going to add him to the Warlords, he'd need to overthrow an existing member and claim their territory."
Kizaru rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Well, that would certainly make things interesting. If he wants to be a Warlord, let's see if he can take down one of the current members first."
But Sengoku wasn't convinced.
"Hmph. Recruiting him into the Warlords is premature. Besides, Sakazuki is already hunting him down. If everything goes as planned, we won't need to worry about him for much longer."
Meanwhile – The "Justice Fleet" at Sea
Aboard the flagship of the Justice Fleet, Admiral Sakazuki (Akainu) read the latest newspaper before crumpling it in his fist and tossing it into the sea.
"Pass my orders—have every ship in the fleet spread out and widen the search radius. I don't care if it's a small boat or a fishing raft—nothing gets past us!"
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