Setsuna and Ace stood in the center of the ruins. The sky in the distance was gradually clearing, but the winds and waves in the East Blue had not yet subsided.
Setsuna suddenly asked, "Roger brought disaster to his hometown. What about you? Interested in being your hometown's savior for once?"
Ace looked up, confused. "Huh? Disaster?"
Setsuna explained, "The aftermath of my final clash with Golden Lion pushed the surrounding sky islands far away. Now that Golden Lion is dead, his Devil Fruit power is gone. Those sky islands are falling. Even if only one percent of the monstrous creatures on them survive, it will be a catastrophe for the East Blue."
Ace's expression changed drastically. Although he could fly using his fire jets, clearing the entire East Blue of monstrous beasts in a short time was simply impossible.
Ace asked urgently, "Captain, what should we do?"
Setsuna replied calmly, "Don't worry. I plan to go to the nearest Marine base and 'commandeer' some battleships. Along the way, we can have the Marines gather rescue intel from all over, so we don't run around aimlessly like headless chickens."
"Besides-" Setsuna glanced at Golden Lion's corpse, "Golden Lion's bounty should be worth quite a bit of money."
Just then, Nami pushed a small cart loaded with treasure, panting heavily as she ran over.
The money in the cart was stained with blood and mud, looking quite worn.
"Wait! If you're going to a Marine base, you should go to one further away."
"Why?" Ace asked, puzzled.
Nami said urgently, "The closest Marine base to us is Branch 16. The commander there, Captain Nezumi, is said to be an insatiably greedy and corrupt Marine. He might try to pocket your bounty money and then turn around and accuse you of being pirates instead."
She bit her lip, pointing to the cart she had pushed. "This is the 70 million Berry I saved up. If you're really short on money, I can also help you find the Fish-Men's treasure."
Setsuna raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
Given Nami's personality, she was actually willing to give them Arlong's treasure.
In the original timeline, even after Arlong was defeated, Nami's love for money hadn't changed.
Ace couldn't help but laugh. "You think we'd be afraid of a Marine Captain?"
Nami shook her head. "I know you're very strong, but he has the entire Marine Headquarters behind him."
Setsuna smiled. "You think that way because you're not strong enough. If you're powerful enough, even if you kill a Marine Commodore or Vice Admiral, they won't dare to pursue it. They might even try to recruit you."
Edward Weevil was a perfect example. He had killed numerous Marines, and even cut off the arm of former Admiral Zephyr. Yet, as long as he was willing to become a Warlord, all his bounties were instantly wiped clean.
Setsuna continued, "As for Arlong's treasure, most of it was plundered from nearby villagers. I have no interest in poor people's money. You should return it to the villagers."
Nami was stunned, feeling an indescribable surge of gratitude.
Suddenly, she seemed to remember something else. She carefully pulled out a tangerine-shaped fruit from her clothes.
"Oh, right. When I went back to get the money, I found this among my tangerines… It seems like a legendary Devil Fruit. That bastard Arlong must have planted it there, wanting to frame me for stealing his Devil Fruit, then use that as an excuse to steal my money."
Setsuna's eyes flickered. He reached out and took the fruit.
'Found in a pile of tangerines… Could it be Golden Lion's Fuwa Fuwa no Mi?' Setsuna wondered inwardly. After a Devil Fruit user dies, the fruit can sometimes regenerate in a nearby fruit.
But the probability should be low. Otherwise, Blackbeard wouldn't have waited until after obtaining the Yami Yami no Mi to start hunting Devil Fruit users.
"Then I'll accept it."
"Mhm, mhm." Nami nodded repeatedly. She had also heard that Devil Fruits could sell for 100 million Berry on the black market, but she didn't feel any heartache at all.
Setsuna had Ace take the twin swords stained with Golden Lion's flesh and blood. After saying goodbye to Nami, they flew off in the direction of Branch 16 that Nami had indicated.
Nami watched the two depart, then looked at the Fish-Men lying dead at her feet in a miserable state. She couldn't help but hum a cheerful tune. Today was the happiest day she'd had in five years.
…
In the office of Marine Branch 16.
Captain Nezumi was squinting his eyes, licking his finger to count today's 'earnings'. "Heheh, my lovely money."
"R-report!" A Marine Lieutenant Commander burst in, flustered.
"Bastard!" Captain Nezumi slammed the table. "Don't you know to knock?!"
He quickly gathered the bills on the table, covering them with scattered documents. "What's the matter? Why so panicked?"
"Th-there are two bounty hunters who submitted… Golden Lion's head…"
"Golden Lion? Which Golden Lion?" Captain Nezumi looked puzzled. "Is there a pirate called Golden Lion in the East Blue?"
The Lieutenant Commander whispered a reminder, "It's… it's the one who once rivaled the Pirate King Roger, the great pirate who later escaped from Impel Down… Golden Lion Shiki!"
Thud!
Captain Nezumi fell right out of his chair in fright, his voice shrill. "What did you say? That legendary pirate?"
The Lieutenant Commander nodded fearfully. "That's what they claim. I've already sent someone to verify the wanted poster."
"The wanted poster, right! What's Golden Lion's bounty?" Captain Nezumi asked, breathing rapidly.
"I don't know. We haven't found the poster yet," the Lieutenant Commander whispered.
"Useless!" Captain Nezumi rushed to his file cabinet, displaying a work ethic never seen before. He actually quickly found two yellowed wanted posters in the bottom drawer.
The first one was from the Roger era, clearly stating 1,000,000,000 Berry.
The second one was from after the Impel Down escape. The number on it made Captain Nezumi's breath catch… 3,765,000,000 Berry.
"Three-Three billion Seven hundred and sixty fix million…" His eyes turned into Berry symbols, and drool unconsciously dripped from his mouth.
"How old are these two? What are their names?"
"Those two young men look about sixteen or seventeen. One is called Chiaki Setsuna, the other is Portgas D. Ace."
Captain Nezumi's beady eyes darted around, 'Sixteen or seventeen years old, and names I'd never heard before.'
"Bastards!" He suddenly slammed the table and stood up. "It was me who killed Golden Lion! Those two thieves dare to steal my credit?!"
The Lieutenant Commander was speechless. "B-but…"
"Assemble the troops," Captain Nezumi screeched. "Arrest those two frauds trying to claim the bounty immediately."
When Captain Nezumi surrounded Setsuna and Ace with a large contingent of Marines, Ace sighed, took out a coin, and handed it to Setsuna. "Captain, you win."
On the way, Setsuna had bet with him, wagering that Captain Nezumi would immediately try to seize the credit by force. Ace knew from Nami that Nezumi was greedy, but he thought the man would at least try to probe them first, didn't he?
Setsuna smiled as he took the coin. "Well, that's why I'm the Captain, isn't it?"
Watching the two converse as if no one else was there, Captain Nezumi angrily gave the order. "Open fire on the spot!"
Bullets shot towards the two. When they hit Setsuna's body, they made metallic clinking sounds, falling to the ground in a shower.
As for Ace, the bullets simply passed right through his body.