Finn reported his theories to Admiral Sengoku, and the next day, Marine Headquarters' top brass convened to discuss them.
Fleet Admiral Kong sat at the head of the conference table, with various Marine leaders filing in to take their seats. Garp's chair remained conspicuously empty. After the news broke of Roger becoming Pirate King, Garp had already departed for the New World alone, determined to try his luck even without solid intelligence.
Kong took a sip of tea and cleared his throat. "Today we have two matters to address. First, Roger's bounty. This man has become the so-called 'Pirate King,' and both the Marines and World Government have acknowledged this fact. Therefore, we must update his bounty accordingly. Let's discuss the appropriate amount."
As soon as Kong finished speaking, Sakazuki spoke up. "Four billion berries."
At this point in history, pirate bounties hadn't yet inflated to their future astronomical levels. Whitebeard, Edward Newgate, known as the world's strongest man, would have a bounty of only 5.046 billion berries during the Battle of Marineford more than twenty years from now.
Currently, Newgate's bounty stood at 3.3 billion berries. High, certainly, but considerably lower than his future valuation.
Roger's current bounty was slightly less than Newgate's at 3.172 billion.
Sakazuki's suggestion to raise Roger's bounty to five billion was significant, but Borsalino immediately shook his head. "Obviously not enough."
Sakazuki turned to look at him. "Four billion berries isn't sufficient?"
"Rocks' bounty once reached 4.3 billion berries, and Rocks never became Pirate King." Borsalino's tone remained calm, analytical. "Now Roger is the first officially recognized Pirate King in history. His bounty should exceed Rocks', shouldn't it?"
Sakazuki wasn't one to argue for argument's sake. Borsalino's logic was sound. He considered it for a moment, then nodded. "You're right. It's insufficient." His gaze shifted to Finn.
When Finn had first arrived at Marineford, Sakazuki had barely acknowledged his existence. But as Finn's reputation grew, Sakazuki had begun engaging with him. Though Finn found Sakazuki's methods excessively harsh at times, he recognized the man's other qualities were sound. Their relationship had developed into something approaching mutual respect.
After Finn's promotion to Rear Admiral, Sakazuki had paid even closer attention. Particularly after Finn's advance prediction of the Roger Pirates' goal had proven accurate, giving the Marines crucial preparation time, Roger's actual coronation as Pirate King had only reinforced Sakazuki's estimation of Finn's intelligence analysis capabilities.
Though Sakazuki never voiced it directly, his regard was evident.
Meeting Sakazuki's gaze, Finn blinked in surprise, then offered a slight smile.
Fleet Admiral Kong also turned his attention to Finn. "You've always demonstrated keen insight in matters like this. Share your thoughts."
"Yes, Fleet Admiral." Finn set down his teacup and addressed the assembled leaders. "I believe we should first define what the Roger Pirates represent."
Admiral Sengoku leaned forward with interest. "Explain."
"To put it simply, we need to define his current status. I'd like everyone's opinion on something: assuming the Roger Pirates remain active at sea, will there be any need to change Roger's bounty in the future?"
The question prompted thoughtful silence around the table.
After a moment, Chief of Staff Tsuru spoke in her measured tone. "I believe the Pirate King classification represents the highest level possible. There should be no need for future bounty increases."
The other officers nodded in agreement. Whatever Roger might do next, he likely couldn't surpass himself. He already stood at the pinnacle of piracy. What higher achievement could exist?
Any future actions would simply be performance consistent with his identity as Pirate King. No bounty increase would be warranted.
Seeing the consensus forming, Finn continued. "In that case, this will be the final bounty increase for Roger. This also establishes a ceiling for all pirate bounties across the seas. Unless another Pirate King emerges, no one's bounty should exceed Roger's. Otherwise, the entire system becomes meaningless."
"Agreed," Kuzan said with a nod.
Instructor Zephyr looked at Finn with obvious satisfaction. This student hadn't disappointed him.
"Then I propose we leave some buffer space below Roger's bounty for other pirates," Finn said with a slight smile. "Otherwise, if situations arise in the future, we'll be constrained by Roger's bounty and unable to appropriately increase others. We'd be backing ourselves into a corner."
In truth, for crews at the level of Roger's or Whitebeard's, bounties primarily represented how seriously the Marines and World Government took them rather than practical enforcement mechanisms. The actual deterrent effect was minimal. Paradoxically, higher bounties often enhanced the target's reputation and power.
After all, at their level, being killed by bounty hunters and having their heads brought in for reward money was essentially impossible.
But the Marines couldn't simply stop issuing bounties. The system was too fundamental to abandon.
"So your suggestion is to raise Roger's bounty substantially higher than current levels?" Fleet Admiral Kong considered it carefully.
"Yes," Finn confirmed.
After a moment's thought, Admiral Sengoku spoke. "Finn's reasoning is sound. We must leave buffer space for other pirates, or we'll face problems later. Additionally, most pirates crave fame and fortune. Bounties are a major factor in their competition with each other. If we raise Roger's bounty to a currently unattainable level, it might inspire their competitive spirit, creating a kind of flattery effect..." He paused meaningfully. "If someone like Newgate or Shiki can't stand it and goes looking for trouble with Roger, that would benefit us considerably."
Discussion erupted around the table as the Marine leaders debated specifics. The organization's efficiency in such matters showed clearly. Within a short time, consensus emerged on Roger's new bounty.
5,564,800,000 berries
The figure far exceeded the bounties of Shiki, Newgate, and others by more than two billion berries. Unprecedented in history. Whether anyone would match it in the future depended on the pirates' own capabilities.
Afterward, the bounties of Roger's crew members also received proportional increases, though these warranted less discussion.
Once that matter concluded, Fleet Admiral Kong rapped his knuckles on the table, drawing everyone's attention back to him.
"The second matter: Finn has presented two hypotheses regarding the Roger Pirates' future actions to the Intelligence Staff. Finn, explain them to everyone."
"Yes, Fleet Admiral." Finn stood and distributed documents he'd prepared.
The officers opened their copies and began reading. After allowing sufficient time, Finn spoke.
"Based on available intelligence, I've reached two possible conclusions. First, the Roger Pirates may begin searching for legendary treasures: the Wine of Eternal Life, the Fountain of Youth, Pure Gold, the Land of Gold, the Emerald City, and so forth. This assessment is based on their established personalities and behavioral patterns."
He paused, letting that sink in before continuing.
"The second conclusion is that the Roger Pirates will disband."
Another pause, this one deliberate.
"After reporting both conclusions to Admiral Sengoku and the Fleet Admiral, I reflected further before this meeting. I've formed my own weighted opinion." Finn's voice grew more serious. "I believe the Roger Pirates are highly likely to disband."
"Really, Rear Admiral Finn?" Borsalino's tone carried genuine surprise, unusual for him.
Many Marine officers looked equally shocked. Roger had finally reached the summit, and now he'd disband?
Sakazuki remained calm, cutting straight to the point. "Finn, what's the basis for this judgment?"
Finn was silent for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "I believe something is wrong with the Roger Pirates. Or rather, something is wrong with Roger himself."
"What do you mean?" Sengoku asked, curiosity evident.
"I've carefully studied the Roger Pirates' behavioral patterns from their founding until now. There was a major turning point. In Sea Circle Calendar year 1495, their rhythm changed dramatically." Finn looked at Kuzan. "Vice Admiral Kuzan, perhaps you have some experience or thoughts on this?"
Kuzan frowned, thinking back. After a long pause, he said, "I don't have a clear memory, but I recall Mr. Garp expressing similar sentiments at the time."
"What sentiments?" Finn pressed.
"He said the Roger Pirates seemed to have become... impatient." Kuzan's brow furrowed deeper. "It was a long time ago, so I can't remember precisely, but Vice Admiral Garp definitely felt something had changed."
Finn nodded quickly. "Exactly. Impatient."
He pulled a photograph from his file. "Crocus. He joined the Roger Pirates in 1495 of the Sea Circle Calendar. From that point forward, their pace became intense and urgent, completely different from their previous leisurely approach. It was also from that year they began frequently traveling to and from the New World, searching for Poneglyphs and related items." Finn tapped the photo. "This man, Crocus, serves as the ship's doctor on Roger's crew."
Sengoku's expression shifted immediately. "Are you suggesting Roger might have health problems? That he's ill?"
If an ordinary crew member fell sick, it wouldn't affect the entire pirate group's rhythm. But if the captain had serious health issues, that changed everything.
"Correct. Based on that hypothesis, I conducted a detailed review of the Roger Pirates' activity logs over the past two years—especially their supply purchases." Finn's tone was steady, analytical. "In their medical records, beyond standard sailing remedies, there's one recurring item: an herb called Calmora. It appears in every shipment."
He paused, his voice dropping slightly.
"This plant is listed by the World Government as a restricted medicine. My research indicates it has only one known property—pain relief."
Borsalino raised an eyebrow. "Keeping that kind of remedy on hand during a voyage sounds normal enough, doesn't it? Why would it be classified as restricted?"
"Because Calmora is no ordinary medicine," Finn replied. "Its potency far exceeds standard analgesics. It can dull pain that even opiate-based treatments can't reach—but at a price."
He looked around the room, meeting each gaze in turn. "The herb drains the user's life force. It's only prescribed for terminal patients who have no other choice, or in cases where the pain is so severe that death is preferable."
He paused, then added dryly, "Of course, it's also fairly common among Cipher Pol operatives…"
His joke fell flat. Sengoku, Kong, and the others wore grim expressions.
The implications were clear: if Roger was using Calmora regularly, he was dying.
And a dying Pirate King was more dangerous than anyone wanted to contemplate.
"How long?" Sengoku asked quietly. "Based on these remedies usage patterns, how long would you estimate he has?"
Finn shook his head slowly. "That depends on his condition's severity and his body's resilience. Could be months. Could be years. But..." He looked around the table. "If he's using Calmora consistently, his time is limited. And if my theory is correct, that would explain their urgency. They're racing against Roger's mortality."
"Which means," Tsuru said slowly, her sharp mind already working through the implications, "once they achieve whatever goal they're pursuing, there would be no reason to stay together. The crew gathered to follow Roger, not to rule the seas. If Roger is dying..."
"Then disbanding becomes not just possible, but probable," Finn finished.
Silence fell over the conference room as the weight of this analysis settled on everyone present.