"Sir Crocodile! Bounty: 648 million Berries! The Scarlet Queen, real name unknown, first-time bounty: 660 million Berries! Additionally, the Revolutionary Army's second-in-command's bounty has been raised to 800 million Berries!" The intelligence department presented three new bounty posters before the high-ranking officers of Marine Headquarters.

Among these bounties, Sabo's high danger rating stemmed from his affiliation with the Revolutionary Army, a massive criminal organization. In contrast, Rosen, despite his formidable strength, operated as an independent force. His bounty being reinstated and multiplied eightfold was already an extreme exaggeration.

For instance, after Jinbe was stripped of his Warlord title, his bounty only rose to around 500 million. Yet Rosen had directly challenged the World Government's authority—logically, even a 1 billion bounty wouldn't be excessive.

However, since Rosen acted alone, if he were quickly eliminated by bounty hunters or the Marines, an excessively high bounty would make Marine Headquarters' threat assessment seem like a joke. After all, declaring someone a global threat only for them to be immediately killed would mock both Marine intelligence and risk evaluation.

Starting with a moderate bounty allowed room for future increases.

But Hathaway's bounty was truly staggering—her first-ever bounty broke records at 660 million, proving how seriously both Marine Headquarters and the World Government regarded her.

First-time bounties are the hardest to gauge, often attracting bounty hunters—or even rival pirates—seeking to claim the reward by turning in the target's head through underworld intermediaries.

Regardless of any discrepancies in the bounties, one fact remained: the Marines had issued three bounties exceeding 600 million in a single day, enough to send shockwaves through the pirate world—even if one of them had already been high before.

"Extra! Extra! Revolutionary Army's second-in-command teams up with former Warlord to attack Buster Call fleet! Destroys Kingdom of Landis!"

"Extra! Extra! Mysterious woman Scarlet Queen and former Warlord Crocodile commit unspeakable crimes—kill a Celestial Dragon, descendant of the World's Creators!"

The once-calm seas erupted into turmoil as news spread like a storm across the world. In the newspapers, the World Government and Marine Headquarters pinned all blame squarely on Rosen.

North Blue:

"This Warlord is brutal! A whole kingdom—millions dead! Is this guy the Demon King? I just wiped out a village and my arms are sore. How do you kill a million people?!" A ruthless pirate captain in a tavern marveled at the newspaper, realizing there were far more monstrous figures out there.

"The Scarlet Queen? Just a woman? Her first bounty is 660 million?! Hell, one good haul and I'm set for life!" Bounty hunters licked their lips greedily.

"True inspiration! Men, set sail for the Grand Line! The Pirate King calls to me!" A young man cheered wildly. Newest update provided by ⓝovelFire.net

Grand Line, a mysterious sea:

"I knew he wasn't one to stay quiet, but I never expected this level of madness—attacking a kingdom, losing his Warlord status..." Bet sighed, reading the news.

"Madness aside, he doesn't seem the type to kill for fun. Probably the Marines framing him," Morley muttered, downing alcohol with a grimace. In such a short time, Crocodile had made global headlines.

"Marine officers bravely sacrificed—Base Captain Reizer, Commander Eric slain by pirate Crocodile! Damn it! Why can't justice prevail? I'll join the Marines and bring all criminals to justice!"

Opinions varied, but one thing was certain: Crocodile, the Scarlet Queen, and Sabo had become the most talked-about figures in the world overnight.

New World:

"A Buster Call?! A Celestial Dragon? That old croc's grown some teeth, gura gura gura..." Whitebeard chuckled, eyeing the bounty posters with interest.

"Things are getting messy. But he'll likely head for the New World soon—aiming for the throne, no doubt. Pity. The moment he arrives will be his last." The vengeful Demon Liquor's eyes burned with madness. Ever since his crew's defeat at Liquor Island, he'd been unable to drink freely—all thanks to Crocodile. Once the man reached the New World, he'd make sure Crocodile tasted despair.

"Crocodile? He was quite active years ago but faded. Now he's back—what's his goal?" Hawkeye mused in his castle, scanning the newspaper delivered by a News Coo.

"He killed a Celestial Dragon?! Such a man exists?!" The ruler of Amazon Lily gasped in shock.

"A Warlord seat just opened up. Perfect timing, zehahaha..." Blackbeard, on an island near Jaya, grinned, already plotting.

"Wehahaha! Captain, Crocodile's nearby. Should we—?" Burgess cracked his knuckles eagerly.

"Not yet. First, let's welcome our guest properly... right, Commander Ace?"

Going Merry:

"6... 6 billion?! I think I have a disease where looking at bounties kills me! Chopper, get that poster away from me!" Usopp collapsed dramatically after buying the paper from a News Coo.

"Oh no! Usopp, are you okay?!" The reindeer doctor panicked.

"He destroyed a whole country?! Luffy, are we really going after him? Shouldn't we think this through?" Nami gulped nervously. A 600 million+ bounty was terrifying—Crocodile had already seemed impossibly strong when they last met.

After landing in Alabasta, a rebellious faction had tried to seize control post-Crocodile, obstructing Vivi's efforts. But with the Straw Hats' help, the conspiracy was crushed, the war averted, and they'd even befriended Mr. 2 Bon Clay, who joined the crew.

"No! I need to ask him why he messed up Vivi's country! He didn't seem that evil!" Luffy insisted stubbornly.

"He IS that evil! Look, he destroyed a kingdom!" Nami jabbed at the poster.

"Where'd that sand croc slither off to? Hard to track, but this is getting fun. The times are changing, fufufu..." Doflamingo mused mid-air, unaware Crocodile had him marked just the same.

The seas trembled. Bounties exceeding 600 million were no joke even in the New World, but the death of a Celestial Dragon stole the spotlight.

On a monster-infested island, Rear Admiral Harry—now a pirate—tucked the newspaper into his coat, covered in scars, and charged at a towering beast.

(End of Chapter)