"Oh? So there's a result?"
That immediately caught Whitebeard's interest, and even the people nearby were drawn in.
It couldn't be helped. When it came to the Sky Pirates' captain Yemu, a pirate who had only risen to prominence recently, most of them didn't know much. But Douglas Bullet was someone the Whitebeard Pirates knew all too well.
Back when he was part of the Roger Pirates, they had crossed paths with him plenty of times.
Later, after Bullet left the Roger Pirates and rampaged through the New World on his own, they clashed even more often.
No one particularly liked that half-crazed maniac who fought anyone he met, but even so, they had to admit one thing. Bullet was a monster through and through.
That was exactly why seeing him get beaten into such a sorry state by a newcomer had given them something to laugh about for quite a while.
As for Yemu, even if he hadn't done much yet, just the incident of killing a Celestial Dragon and the major events in Loguetown were enough to make everyone take notice.
"Mm... That young man actually survived Bullet. And this is the new bounty the Marines just issued."
"Oh?"
Whitebeard took the newspaper from Marco, glanced over it, and his expression shifted slightly.
Marco, meanwhile, casually explained to the curious looks around him.
"The Navy and the World Government raised their bounties, and the numbers are shocking. Captain Yemu alone is now worth 945 million Belly. The vice captain is at 800 million Belly. Altogether, the entire crew is close to 2.5 billion Belly. This is basically unprecedented. Pirates who haven't even entered the New World getting bounties like this? Even in the New World, there are only a handful of crews that can reach that level."
"2... 2.5 billion..."
The moment that number was spoken, everyone on the Whitebeard Pirates' ship froze in place. Wine cups and food stopped halfway to their mouths.
That reaction was only natural. In the pirate world, a bounty often reflected a crew's overall strength.
Two and a half billion Belly meant the Sky Pirates already had the power to contend for dominance in the New World.
Whitebeard, however, showed no sign of surprise. Instead, he frowned slightly and turned to Marco.
"What do you think, Marco?"
This was Whitebeard deliberately giving him a chance to speak.
As Marco continued to grow, his reputation within the Whitebeard Pirates kept rising, and his strength had improved so quickly that he was beginning to outshine some of the long-established division commanders.
Whitebeard always believed his crew was one big family, but he also understood human nature. No matter how close they were, being overtaken by a younger newcomer would still sting, even if no one said it out loud.
Marco understood his Oyaji's intent. Moved by it, he spoke his thoughts honestly.
"It's very abnormal."
"Oh? And why do you say that?"
"It's simple."
Under the gaze of all his crewmates, Marco laid out his analysis with confidence.
"Even if the Sky Pirates, especially their captain Yemu, proved their strength by surviving against Bullet, the World Government's usual way of doing things tells a different story. Whether it's killing a Celestial Dragon or what happened in Loguetown, the World Government would never want their reputation to keep growing. That kind of fame is a huge blow to both the World Government and the Navy. And yet now they've done the exact opposite, issuing bounties that clearly don't make sense on the surface. There are only two possibilities. Either the World Government or the Navy has decided to give up on dealing with the Sky Pirates, which is basically impossible. That leaves only the second option. They want to use this to draw everyone's attention while secretly preparing something else."
At that point, Marco's gaze sharpened.
"And there's a good chance it's aimed at us. After all, the Navy and the World Government have been losing ground in the New World nonstop lately."
Hearing that, Whitebeard finally burst out laughing.
"Gurararara... Just as I'd expect from my son. Marco, that was a solid analysis."
With Whitebeard openly praising him, the rest of the crew naturally followed suit, showering Marco with compliments.
Marco looked a little embarrassed, but he quickly steadied himself and turned back to Whitebeard, about to ask his next question.
"So, Oyaji, should we notify the other allies and have them get ready?"
"Relax, Marco. Those guys aren't fools. The World Government's intentions are obvious enough. Since that's the case, we'll return the favor properly. Starting tomorrow, have everyone step up their attacks on the Marines and the World Government. We'll drive the Marines and the World Government completely out of the New World…"
"Understood, Oyaji. I'll pass the orders along."
"Now then, my children, the feast continues…"
In an instant, the entire Moby Dick was once again filled with laughter and celebration…
...
Whitebeard and Marco were indeed right in their judgment, but the truth behind it all was something they could never have imagined.
Two weeks earlier, Spandine had finally made his way back to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise after a long and winding journey. Shaking with fear, he prepared to give the Five Elders a detailed explanation for the failure of the operation.
What he never expected was that, after meeting the Five Elders, they showed no interest at all in the failed mission. Instead, they took out another piece of intelligence and questioned him harshly.
"Why… was intelligence of this magnitude not discovered first by your CP9…"
"!!!"
Spandine froze. He took the document handed to him by the Five Elders, and after reading it carefully, his face drained of all color.
"No… that's impossible…"
The report stated that, due to the world-wide broadcast of Roger's public execution, Roger's identity had become known to the public.
South Blue, on an island called Bartella.
The villagers there were horrified to discover that the ordinary-looking middle-aged man who had suddenly appeared on their island a year earlier, unremarkable in appearance yet warm and open-hearted, was in fact the Pirate King himself.
Someone soon reported this information to the Marines.
The Marines then passed the intelligence on to Sengoku.
When Sengoku saw it, he was immediately alarmed and reported it to the Five Elders.
The report clearly stated that someone had seen Roger become acquainted with a woman on the island, and that the woman appeared to be pregnant.
This revelation instantly sent the Marines and the World Government into panic.
What the Five Elders found even more unacceptable was that this intelligence had been uncovered by the Marines first, rather than by the World Government's own intelligence apparatus, the CP System.
"From this moment on, you will take everyone with you and head to Bartella. I don't care what methods you use. You must find Roger's bloodline. Do you understand…"
"I… I understand."
Spandine had never seen the Five Elders this furious before. He trembled uncontrollably.
But then…
"What about the Sky Pirates? And the Celestial Dragons…"
"Idiot… do you think Roger's bloodline is less important than the death of a single Celestial Dragon…"
"I… I understand. I'll move out immediately…"