NOVEL NEXT Chapter 34: 34
The latest bounty from the Marines headquarters undoubtedly pushed Tony into the spotlight.
Not long after Tony and Nami arrived in the Grand Line, they came across the Marines' latest bounty poster. Nami, lounging in a sun chair, was holding Tony's bounty notice. She looked at the image of Tony with flames in his hand, exuding a cool, ruthless vibe, and couldn't help but tease him a little.
"Hey, not a bad bounty poster, makes you look like someone you'd never want to get too close to."
She then read the bounty amount aloud, her voice trailing off as she continued.
"Wait a minute... the bounty is... what... three... THREE HUNDRED MILLION!"
Nami, wide-eyed, placed her hand over her mouth, unable to believe what she was seeing. She stared at Tony in disbelief.
"Are you kidding me? The Marines has already made you a three hundred million Berries pirate?"
As a notorious thief in the East Blue, Nami was no stranger to bounty posters. However, the highest bounty in the East Blue was Arlong's 20 million Berries. But here, the carefree, lazy guy she had been laughing and hanging out with every day had a bounty of three hundred million Berries... this was a terrifying number.
In Nami's eyes, Arlong with his 20 million Berries bounty had seemed nearly invincible back then, someone not to be defied. By Nami's logic, if Arlong's bounty was multiplied by 15... it would be Tony's bounty.
It was the first time Nami truly felt that Tony was an incredibly powerful individual. Of course, that was only because she had spent so much time in the East Blue and hadn't seen much of the world beyond.
Tony, unfazed by Nami's astonishment, simply smiled and shook his head. He wasn't surprised by the bounty at all; in fact, it felt a little low to him.
Tony suspected this was Sengoku's doing. The Marines had already learned about some of his abilities, and after defeating the headquarters' Colonel Smoker in the East Blue, the Marines would likely send in Haki users to deal with him in the future. After all, as a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, regular fighters couldn't do much against him.
Now that his exposure was complete, Tony wasn't afraid. If the Marines overpowered him, he'd just retreat strategically. There was no shame in that. He wasn't like Smoker, who was so bound by his sense of justice that he'd willingly sacrifice himself.
Meanwhile, at Sabaody Archipelago, a man with long, white curly hair, a beard on his chin, silver mustache and eyebrows, and glasses, with a scar running down his right eye—none other than the Dark King Rayleigh—was sitting outside the Shakky's Bar. He was holding two bounty posters from the Marines headquarters: one for "The Flame Ruler Tony" and one for "The Little Thief Cat Nami."
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, a look of quiet satisfaction on his face.
Shakky, puffing on a cigarette, walked out of the bar and teased him, "Oh my, Tony really made a name for himself, jumping straight to three hundred million... back when you and I first set sail, I'm sure we didn't have anything close to this."
"Ahahaha, this kid, really showing his sharpness. From what little I've heard, he caused quite a stir in the East Blue. With a bounty like that, Tony has definitely caught the Marines' attention."
Shakky, knowing Rayleigh well, could tell that while Rayleigh wasn't showing much outward concern, there was a hint of worry for his student. Shakky then tried to reassure him.
"Tony's a slippery one, Rayleigh. As his teacher, you shouldn't worry too much."
Rayleigh stood up and gazed toward the East Blue, reminiscing about his first encounter with Roger, which had also started from the East Blue. Now, his disciple, Tony, was taking his first steps from there as well. Whether it was a coincidence or fate, Rayleigh found himself missing Tony at that moment.
At that time, Hatchan came out of the bar and noticed Rayleigh and Shakky discussing Tony. Unable to curb his curiosity, he drew closer.
Having followed Tony's advice, Hatchan had come to Sabaody Archipelago, turned a new leaf, and stopped his past criminal activities. He stayed by Rayleigh's side, helping Shakky manage the bar. He was deeply grateful to Tony, for without him, he would have ended up just like Arlong and the others... dead in Cocoyasi Village.
With the Marines now calling Tony the strongest newcomer king, his name had spread widely throughout the first half of the Grand Line. Some pirates, hearing about his bounty, were eager to see for themselves just what kind of person could be worth a three hundred million Berries bounty from the Marines.
Others came seeking his head, hoping to earn the huge bounty and raise their own notoriety. But a three hundred million Berries bounty was not something that most people would dare to challenge lightly.
It could be said that, just before entering the New World, Tony's bounty was the highest in the first half of the Grand Line.
Tony and Nami, aboard their small powered sailboat, soon arrived at the Arabasta Kingdom. They planned to restock on food and supplies. Arabasta was a massive nation located in the first half of the Grand Line, with its capital being Alubarna.
After docking their boat, Tony and Nami made their way to Alubarna. As soon as they entered the town, they caught the attention of those hiding in the shadows. Tony paid no mind to them; as long as they didn't provoke him, he was willing to turn a blind eye.
Along the way, Nami was completely captivated by the beautiful clothes on display. Given her past life of stealing from dangerous pirates, these clothes were something she had only dreamed of wearing. Now, without the constraints of her old life, her eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked at Tony, envisioning herself buying them all and dressing up beautifully.
Tony, of course, was aware of what Nami was thinking. After all, what woman didn't want to look more beautiful? Without hesitation, Tony said, "You can browse here. I'll go buy some daily necessities and food."
"Yay! Tony, you're the best!" Nami eagerly nodded and ran into a high-end clothing store to try on the dresses she had always dreamed of.
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P.S: I just realized I had only uploaded 20 chapters ahead of Webnovel on my patreon, not 30 as I had promised. I've now updated with the pending chapters over there.
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