The Grand Line, aboard the Chris!
Karina was still haggling with the news delivery bird. Though she might not be as money-hungry as Nami, she was certainly frugal and meticulous—every coin spent had to count.
She never wasted a single berry, and this trait was especially apparent when buying clothes.
"Oh my god!"
Her sudden shriek drew the attention of the others. The trio turned to see Karina clutching a newspaper, her mouth covered in shock. Naturally, they were curious.
Sophie and Willis had already disembarked after paying their dues.
Kadun was the first to poke his head over, leaning in toward Karina as his eyes scanned the newspaper, trying to find what had shocked her so much.
"Holy shit!"
Kadun cursed.
Jack leaned in and rolled his eyes at him.
"Calm down. Isn't this exactly the kind of headline our captain should be getting? Going toe-to-toe with two monsters—that's expected."
...
...
Jack's tone was flat, but the gleam in his eyes betrayed his excitement.
"Hand it over. Let me take a look," Weiss called lazily from the deck chair, not bothering to get up.
After leaving the island yesterday, they had set sail and left the Marines to clean up the remaining pirates. The scroll detailing the Devil Fruit extraction technique had already been torn into three parts by three different forces. By the time the Marines arrived, there was no trace left.
Weiss took the newspaper and saw the headline on the front page:
"The Aura of a Strong One: A Threat to an Admiral, A Declaration of Power!"
The article quoted exactly what Weiss had told Kizaru:
"If you slander me, then I really will kill a Celestial Dragon."
There had only been three people present at the time. Even with his Haki fully activated, Weiss hadn't detected a fourth. Yet here it was—his words and a blood-red tinted photo, published in the newspaper.
If paparazzi in his past life had this level of skill, the celebrity world might have been a much more peaceful place.
The entire front page was dedicated to reporting on Weiss.
"A Peerless Power Who Battled an Admiral and One of the Three All Stars of the Beasts Pirates!"
"What Changes Will This Mysterious Power Bring to the Seas?"
"Shocking! The New Powerhouse Turns Out to Be His Disciple!"
Weiss sighed at the headline. It got even worse as he read on. Even the Marines had only been speculating, but the newspaper just flat-out confirmed it.
You're not afraid the Navy might come knocking at your door?!
"Eighteen-Year-Old Swordmaster—Hawkeye, Are You Ready?"
Weiss nearly spat out his coconut juice.
What kind of moron wrote this?! When did I ever say I was going to challenge Mihawk?! Are you nuts?!
He didn't know how strong Mihawk actually was. But from the later incidents involving Zoro needing a full-power technique to cut a meteor in two—while Mihawk shattered it with a basic swing—it was clear Mihawk's power was immense.
Weiss knew he still wasn't on that level. Not yet.
His fight with Kizaru seemed even, but that was only because none of them had gone all-out. If it had been Akainu instead, his extreme personality would've meant Weiss probably would've had to team up with King just to escape alive.
A single gap in power between someone and an Admiral... was still a gap.
And sure, Luffy once sent Kizaru flying with a kick during Marineford, but let's be honest... we all know how that worked.
"Captain, do you think you can take on an Admiral?" Kadun asked, leaning closer.
"An Admiral? Still a bit of a stretch," Weiss admitted.
"Then just how strong are you right now, Captain?" Jack asked curiously.
"Hmm… Strength is a vague concept. But if I had to put it in bounty terms, if I were a pirate, I'd probably be worth around 1.3 billion berries."
Weiss hesitated before giving a number—roughly equal to King's bounty. While the Navy based bounty numbers on threat level and crimes, it still reflected strength more often than not.
King's bounty in the original story was 1.39 billion.
"Wow, Captain, you're that valuable? Want to come with me to Marine HQ?" Karina teased, her eyes gleaming with berry signs.
"Hey, hey, Karina. That was just a metaphor, okay? I don't actually have a bounty. Got it?"
"So disappointing…"
"What's with that look?!"
---
Red Line – Holy Land Mary Geoise – Pangaea Castle
In the floral sanctum of Pangaea Castle, five old men—each in a different posture, sitting, standing, or polishing a sword—were quietly discussing matters of great importance.
"What do you think of this man? Saying something like that... he must be trouble," said the white-curled elder, placing the newspaper on the table.
"That's a minor issue. What matters is whether or not he's the successor of Golden Lion. A pirate who vanished for nearly 20 years suddenly leaves behind traces... what does that mean?" asked the long-bearded one, gazing out the window.
"I have no real opinion on this man," said another.
"A powerful man being slandered, responding as he did—it's understandable. Using twin swords doesn't necessarily mean he's Golden Lion's disciple. Could just be a personal style."
The sword-wielding elder examined the paper and accompanying files on Weiss, filled with more detailed intel.
"Besides," he added, "this man doesn't seem interested in becoming a pirate. Just wants to live freely. I say we hold off for now."
The others nodded after a short silence.
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
---
New World – Whitebeard Pirates
"Pops! Look, this is the guy I told you about—my good friend from the East Blue. He gave me a ride most of the way," Ace said excitedly, eyes squinting in joy as he showed the newspaper.
Ace had already been accepted into the Whitebeard Pirates after challenging Whitebeard himself. His friend's newfound fame was clearly a source of pride.
"Whoa, Ace, you were on someone else's ship?" a pirate teased.
"Yeah, Weiss is really strong! I even found my Devil Fruit while sailing with him," Ace added, conveniently skipping the part where he still owed Weiss money.
Whitebeard, with his massive frame, took the newspaper and paused at Weiss's bold statement. Something about it sparked a memory, and a strange expression flickered across his face.
"Interesting kid," he muttered.
"Gurararara! Since Ace's friend is making a name for himself on the seas, let's celebrate that! A party!"
"Pops, you just want to drink again," Marco said, arms spread in mock exasperation.
"Marco, this is celebration, got it?" Whitebeard declared grandly, though he couldn't hide a slight hint of sheepishness.
If the world saw one of the Four Emperors—Whitebeard himself—wearing such an expression, jaws would hit the floor.
The man known as the strongest in the world… was flustered?
This side of him, perhaps only his sons—those he called family—would ever get to see.
---
Onigashima – Beast Pirates
"Captain, look at this! Someone fought both Lord King and Admiral Kizaru!" a nervous pirate presented the paper to Kaido, who was drinking deep in a cave.
Kaido took one glance before hurling the paper away.
"Just some brat! Did King retrieve the Devil Fruits? Those five Zoan Fruits!"
The pirate broke into a cold sweat.
"C-Captain Kaido, Lord King got four of them... but the last one is still with Weiss—the same brat!"
"What did you say?!"
"That damn brat!" Kaido's roar shook the cave, sending the pirate flying.
---
Whole Cake Island
"Katakuri, bring that brat home—I want him as my son-in-law!" Big Mom declared while eating cake, having just read Weiss's intel.
---
Elsewhere...
Shanks took a brief glance at the paper before returning to his celebratory banquet.
Mihawk, upon seeing the article, said nothing. His expression remained unreadable as he slung his black blade, Yoru, on his back and walked out of his dark, lonely castle.
---
Across the sea, more and more people were hearing Weiss's name.
And because of that crimson-stained photograph in the article, he had gained a new nickname:
"Sword Demon."
---
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