Nojiko and Kaya, who were watching nearby, gritted their teeth and pouted.
The two of them successively made harsh remarks.
"What are you so proud of? There's still next time!"
"Exactly! We'll definitely surpass you next time."
However, while making these threats, the two girls also secretly vowed to give their all in the next battle.
"Haha, bring it on!" Carmen, for her part, welcomed the challenge.
After all, if there were a hierarchy on this ship, Luna, as the Captain, and with her already displayed strength, was undoubtedly number one.
Kuina and Shiro were not far behind in strength, but one was the first mate and the other a Scientist, occupying the second and third positions.
The other The Girls greatly recognized and respected the strength and abilities of these three, and also acknowledged their current status.
But further down, Dia, though the newest arrival, also possessed the strength of a Reserve Admiral, coupled with a clever and flexible mind, and the mysterious power of space, currently occupying the fourth seat on the ship.
To be precise, it should be a tie, because Asada Shino, a seasoned sniper who now possesses the power of the Lightning Fruit, has further enhanced her strength through several days of training, and will soon have a hecate sniper rifle capable of mounting a seastone bayonet.
She has now reached the peak of a Vice Admiral, and is quickly approaching Reserve Admiral, perhaps only half a step away.
However, Dia's strength also improved after learning some sword skills from Kuina.
The two of them now had a competitive dynamic, constantly trying to surpass each other. But as fellow otherworldly partners, both possessing intelligent minds and demonstrated abilities, their status on the ship was arguably second only to Luna's and the other two.
Then came the three of them. With similar strength, having eaten similar Devil Fruit Abilities, both hailing from the East Blue, and being essential professionals on the ship, among other factors, the three girls also had a competitive spirit.
"Sniper, 'Winged Lightning Sniper Shino Asada,' bounty 196 million Berries."
Based on the description of Asada Shino, and her one-shot headshots of Marine officers in yesterday's battle, her influence and the pressure she exerted on the Marines even surpassed the three East Blue girls, including Carmen who personally engaged in combat.
This bounty, extremely close to 200 million, was considered the Marines' recognition of her importance and the threat she posed.
Next were Shiro and Kuina.
"Scientist, 'Gold and Silver Dragon Armor Bai Jin Longlong,' bounty 500 million Berries."
"Swordswoman, 'Black Sword Princess Kuina,' bounty 500 million Berries."
As the second and third in command, they successively demonstrated strength that could overwhelm Momousagi and Tokikake, even when injured. Furthermore, their previous joint effort to suppress Bogard was a brilliant achievement. Of course, the most important point was their Conqueror's Haki.
This was a significant bonus, especially after realizing that the Pink Hat Pirate Crew now had three users of Conqueror's Haki.
It's no wonder the Marines placed such high importance on Kuina and Shiro, directly increasing their bounties by 400 million, reaching a somewhat astonishing 500 million.
The two girls were very satisfied with their increased bounties.
But the biggest increase, naturally, went to Luna, the Captain.
"Pink Hat Pirate Crew Captain, 'Pink Hat Girl Luna,' bounty 1 billion Berries."
Indeed, Luna's bounty directly rose to 1 billion. After all, she easily defeated Akainu, the strongest monster Admiral of the current era. Moreover, the Marines had already realized that Devil Fruit Abilities seemed ineffective against Luna. Given all this, a second increase to 1 billion was perfectly normal.
Because the Marines saw a huge threat in Luna.
All in all, however, The Girls were very satisfied with this round of bounties.
"Take it, take it—" But suddenly, the transponder snail next to The Girls rang. The transponder snail, placed on a wooden barrel, rang.
The transponder snail's appearance slowly transformed into a form they were all very familiar with.
After all, they had only met yesterday, and if Luna hadn't anticipated the call, why would she have placed it there?
A mischievous smile appeared on The Girls' faces, and Luna stepped forward to answer directly.
She said, "Hello, who is this?"
"Hehe, you know perfectly well, is that amusing?" Staff Officer Tsuru's cold voice, barely suppressing her anger, came from the other end of the transponder snail.
"My gift isn't bad, is it?" Luna asked with a knowing smile.
"You said you wouldn't spread it," Staff Officer Tsuru finally couldn't hold back and roared in anger.
"Hehe, we didn't. And did you thoroughly investigate at the time?" Luna snorted coldly.
"How dare you say you didn't! We investigated thoroughly yesterday, and there were no surveillance transponder snails around," Staff Officer Tsuru continued to curse.
On her side, the expressions on Momousagi and the other two were equally grim, filled with immense anger.
"Take a look yourselves, aren't the photos in the newspaper from an aerial perspective? And don't you know that Morgans's birds can not only deliver newspapers but also take photos?" Luna said, feigning an air of righteousness.
The Girls almost burst out laughing.
After all, Luna was clearly trying to shirk responsibility, to muddle and deceive.
As for what Morgans would say, hehe, having taken her things, he had to do something in return.
Luna planned to contact him in a while.
Anyway, that birdman was thick-skinned, prioritizing big news over his life. To spread big news, anything was worth it.
"..." On the other side, Staff Officer Tsuru and the others fell silent, stunned.
They couldn't be mistaken, could they?
"We didn't spread it. If you want trouble, go find that old birdman. And I advise you Marines, stop bothering me, or the first two times will be your fate. Of course, I also don't mind you Marines coming to be my money-sending boys, hahahaha." Luna laughed as she hung up the transponder snail.
Before hanging up, she could still hear the furious curses from the other side, especially from a certain red mad dog.
Next, Luna immediately called the hotline of the World Economic News Agency.
But this time, the one who answered and spoke to her was Morgans himself. It was clear that because of this incident, Morgans had instructed his subordinates to pay special attention to them.
Luna guessed in her heart that this guy had already started treating them as a small money tree, and was deliberately trying to curry favor.
However, this also made things easier. Luna immediately recounted the previous events.
In short, regarding their affairs, especially Shiro's inventions, it was impossible for them to be exposed. Morgans was undoubtedly the best scapegoat to find.
After explaining the situation, the old birdman indeed agreed.
In any case, Luna and The Girls no longer needed to worry too much about this matter.
They continued their sea voyage, heading towards Jaya Island.
But as the Marines issued their bounties, they also released the Marines' scandal. As Morgans spread the news, the entire Grand Line immediately erupted. To be precise, many people were shocked that Luna and her group of women had their bounties skyrocket once again in just about a week.
Of course, many people were also somewhat surprised by Luna's abilities, but this time, with Morgans's newspaper circulating, the abilities of The Girls were now known to everyone on the Grand Line.
As of now, the abilities and configurations of every girl in the Pink Hat Pirate Crew basically possessed the power to shock everyone on the Grand Line.
But there was also the Marines' scandal this time: a Admiral was defeated, and the Marines were once again defeated by the Pink Hat Pirate Crew, a rookie Pirate Crew. Moreover, the Marines' lineup this time was not low-level, consisting mostly of high-ranking officials and strong individuals, yet they ended up doing such a thing, kneeling on the ground and shouting like dogs.
In an instant, the Marines became the laughingstock of many people on the Grand Line, especially among pirates. Conversely, the Marine lower ranks, some Marine Soldiers, were stunned when they saw it, wishing they could immediately find a crack to crawl into.
Meanwhile, various factions had different reactions... First, among the Yonko, in the territory of the Whitebeard Pirates. On the Moby Dick.
Marco saw the Newspaper Seagull arrive and immediately bought several newspapers. After all, there were so many people on their ship, and many couldn't just read one copy. At the same time, he also took some extra copies of the newly issued bounties.
"Oh my, it's these Young Lady again, the Pink Hat Pirate Crew. But this time their bounties have increased too much, haven't they?" Marco naturally looked at the bounties first, as they were much simpler than the newspaper content.
Moreover, one was exciting news from the Grand Line, useful intelligence.
The other was the Marines and the World Government's assessment of certain individuals they felt threatened by.
But after seeing the bounties of Luna and her seven companions, Marco couldn't help but show a shocked expression once again.
However, as he walked and opened the newspaper, he suddenly froze in place, stopped walking, and his expression slowly turned dumbfounded.
First, he was shocked that the Captain of the Pink Hat Pirate Crew, this Young Lady who looked even younger than Ace, had actually defeated Akainu, and so easily at that.
At the same time, he was amazed by the abilities of every girl in the Pink Hat Pirate Crew.
But what shocked him the most was, of course, the very end, especially the photo in the newspaper: the scene of all the Marines kneeling and shouting, which included two Reserve Admirals, Admiral Akainu, and Marine Staff Officer Tsuru.
After watching for a while, Marco finally burst out laughing, unable to hold it in.
"Hahahaha, Dad, everyone, come and see! The Marines lost again, and this time even an Admiral lost, and then they knelt down and shouted that the Marines are mongrels!"
Marco shouted as he ran inside.
"What?" But hearing his words, all the Division Commanders, ordinary crew members, and even Whitebeard himself on the entire ship couldn't help but be stunned. But as they took the newspaper Marco handed them and began to read...
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