The news of Crocodile's defeat sent a seismic shock through the entire world. However, the Marine Headquarters, recognizing the catastrophic failure of having a Warlord orchestrate a civil war, needed a controlled narrative. They officially credited the defeat to the rising young Marine Captain, Smoker, and the intervention of the Straw Hat Pirates.
A Marine ship intercepted the Going Merry just as they were preparing to leave a small island hideout near Alabasta. Kenji, with his Omniscience Haki, had known they were coming, but he stayed below deck with Robin, allowing the core crew to face the reality of their new notoriety.
When the new bounty posters were plastered onto the mast, the crew erupted in shouts.
Luffy's bounty soared. Zoro's was respectable. Sanji and Usopp had earned their first official bounties. Nami was relieved she was still under the radar.
Then, there was Kenji.
Robin brought his poster down, her eyes wide with a mixture of pride and alarm. Kenji had never been officially noticed by the Marines before this. His poster featured a surprisingly accurate drawing of him in his black jacket, his expression calm and slightly aloof.
Name: Kenji 'Apex' Tanaka
Bounty: 777 billion berries
The number was obscene. It instantly placed him in the same league as the most dangerous veterans of the New World, towering over even Luffy's new bounty.
"S-seven hundred and seventy-seven million?!" Usopp shrieked, clutching his head. "Whoa! That's... that's more than the entire crew combined!"
Nami stared at Kenji, jaw slack. "Why is yours so high? You haven't been fighting publicly!"
Kenji finally stood up, his casual ease contrasting sharply with the crew's panic. "The Marines aren't stupid, Nami-san. They know a cover-up when they write one. They knew Crocodile wasn't beaten by a rookie with a $100 million bounty. They recognized the sheer, unquantifiable power that neutralized a Warlord and erased a city-sized sand vortex."
He tapped the poster. "The 'Apex' title is their best guess. They have no idea what my ability is, only that it surpasses every known power on the Grand Line. They've designated me as an 'Unconfirmed Threat'—meaning they can't even categorize my danger level."
Robin smiled faintly, leaning against his arm. "Seven-seven-seven. A lucky number for the man who is the ultimate cheat."
Luffy just laughed, the bounty completely failing to intimidate him. "Shishishi! See, Zoro? Our Fixer is the strongest! Let's go!"