A Clash of Supernovas!
The Strongest Rookie—Eustass Kid VS. The Infamous Rookie—Ryuuto!!
Ryuuto unfolded the newspaper, his eyes immediately drawn to the bold, black headlines.
"So Morgans' men captured the entire fight with Kid," he thought to himself, studying the photographs that dominated the page.
After a quick scan, he found what he was looking for on the final page: his own wanted poster.
[The Infamous Rookie Who Effortlessly Defeated Eustass Kid]
[Ryuuto]
Below the text was a picture of him holding his purple lightning blade. In the photo, a faint smile played on his lips as he gazed forward, a picture of a man with everything under control.
[BOUNTY: 500,000,000 BERRIES!]
"Well, that's good news," Ryuuto mused. "My bounty has finally budged. After all those fights, it's about time I got some more exposure!"
Just as he finished the thought, he looked up and bumped heads with a cascade of blue hair. Vivi had leaned in curiously to get a look at the news.
"Ah…" Vivi's mind went completely blank, finding Ryuuto's face suddenly inches from her own.
Thump!
The soft impact brought her back to her senses, and she clutched her head.
"Captain, your bounty went up again! It's 500 million Berries!!" Vivi exclaimed in shock. She remembered his last bounty was 150 million. How could it have skyrocketed to 500 million?
Meanwhile, in the 37th Grove of the Sabaody Archipelago, Luffy and his two companions were trudging dejectedly out of a coating shop.
"Can you believe it? They want 200 million Berries just to coat the Thousand Sunny!" Luffy complained. Even with his poor grasp of money, he knew two hundred million was an astronomical figure. As a necessary gateway for pirates heading to the New World, the coating artisans of Sabaody could charge whatever they pleased, keeping their prices absurdly high.
As the three walked along the path, a newspaper suddenly flew into Luffy's face. He snatched it out of the air and his eyes fell upon Ryuuto's new wanted poster.
"What? 500 million Berries?!" Luffy was stunned, the massive number hitting him with the force of a physical blow.
Zoro pondered it for a moment. "It doesn't seem that high, actually," he thought. "Not for someone who could easily defeat Kid and his 315 million Berry bounty."
Sanji lit a cigarette, taking a long drag. He glanced at Luffy, a complex look in his eyes. "The gap is enormous," he murmured to himself.
Back on Ryuuto's ship, the newspaper was passed around to Foxy, Buggy, and the others. The crew erupted in cheers at the sight of the massive bounty. For a pirate, a high bounty was a direct measure of one's strength.
In Cocoyasi Village, Nojiko also saw Ryuuto's wanted poster. A few months ago, she never would have imagined that the random pirate she'd found on the road would have come this far. "Nami really chose the right person to follow," she whispered softly.
On Drum Island, Dalton smiled with genuine happiness as he looked at the poster. "Drum Island was never going to be big enough to hold a man like him," he said, his right hand resting on his hip as he recalled his first encounter with Ryuuto. "Right, I have to tell Eve the news!" He leaped forward, transforming into his full Zoan form—a bison—and vanished into the thick snow.
In Alabasta, Cobra and Igaram were frantically flipping through the paper, hoping to find any mention of Vivi. Instead, they found Ryuuto's bounty on the last page. "What a powerful man," Cobra remarked with awe.
At the same time, in the city of Elumalu, a young man named Darola stared at the wanted poster, his period of waiting finally over. He had made his decision. He would set sail and follow in Ryuuto's footsteps. Ryuuto, of course, knew nothing of this. Perhaps one day they would meet in the New World, much to his surprise.
On a small island famous for its liquor, a restaurant owner was proudly showing Ryuuto's poster to his patrons, boasting that the island was under the protection of the great pirate Ryuuto. Some of the patrons seemed skeptical, but they fell silent when they saw the staggering 500 million Berry bounty. The owner felt a surge of satisfaction, his mind drifting to the image of the black dragon flag fluttering in the sea breeze.
Ryuuto, however, turned his attention to the News Coo. His Justice Guild mission remained incomplete, and he had a feeling these birds might be the key. "I wonder if this will work? Worth a try," he murmured, stroking his chin.
"Take me to Morgans," Ryuuto said to the bird.
"Coo?"
The News Coo seemed baffled. This was the first time anyone had ever made such a request. Its pure white face was a mask of utter confusion.
"I know Morgans is on an island somewhere near the Red Line. Take me to him. I want to talk," Ryuuto pressed.
"Coo… Coo coo!" The bird shook its head vehemently. Impossible, absolutely impossible. As a professionally trained News Coo, it would never betray the location of the newspaper headquarters.
Ryuuto understood its meaning immediately. He gave Vivi a knowing look, and she returned a moment later with a small chest.
"Take a good look. How about now?" Ryuuto opened the chest, revealing a glittering pile of Berries to the News Coo.
"Coo! Coo… coo…"
The bird's head twitched, the black tuft on its head wobbling. It seemed to be undergoing a profound internal struggle. An almost human-like expression of conflict appeared on its face before it finally, reluctantly, nodded.
"Hahahahaha! There's nothing Berries can't solve! And if there is, it just means you didn't use enough!" Ryuuto let out a hearty laugh. "This is all yours. Lead the way."
With a flick of his finger, he hung the small chest around the News Coo's neck.
"Cooooo!"
The bird chirped with excitement and immediately flapped its wings to take off. It stumbled at first, the chest proving heavier than it expected, but after a few powerful beats, it managed to get airborne, wobbling as it flew.
"Crocus, I'm leaving you in charge!" Ryuuto called out. "I have some business to take care of!"
A breeze swirled around his feet, and he stepped onto the current of air, lifting off the ground to follow the bird.
"Don't worry, leave it to me!" Crocus replied, rubbing his chin.
Vivi watched Ryuuto go, her eyes wide with wonder. "The Captain's abilities are simply endless," she whispered. "First that incredible lightning, and now he can control the wind…"