What does a bounty of 1 Billion mean?
To put it simply, the current individual bounties of the Four Emperors are around four to five billion, while their first mates and elite combatants, such as the [Three Disasters] or the [Four Sweet Commanders]… have bounties fluctuating in the range of one to one and a half Billion.
A bounty doesn't fully represent combat ability, but it does indeed reflect a person's strength in one aspect. After all, someone who commits major crimes and manages to avoid capture must have sufficient strength.
Those with a bounty of 1 Billion are essentially true 'first-rate' strong figures on the sea.
And currently, Luffy, even after making such a big splash at the Summit War, had only just surpassed the 300 Million mark and was heading towards 400 Million. (Because the Enies Lobby incident hadn't occurred, his bounty was lower than originally.)
As for the others in the Straw Hat Pirates, they were basically still fluctuating around the tens of millions, with only Zoro surpassing 100 Million.
The threshold of 1 Billion effectively 'filtered out' all of the younger generation.
Well… including Portgas D. Ace, the son of the Pirate King and captain of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division.
There was no helping it… his current bounty was only 550 million.
Whether it was due to some invisible force from the Marines or other reasons, one couldn't say.
It couldn't be that he was actually weak, right? (laughs)
Actually, if it were just about combat strength, Naruto felt that going alone wouldn't be a huge problem. The only thing worth worrying about was that person's ability to manipulate hearts.
Even the rescue mission could be handled by the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
But… ultimately, Imu was not just his enemy, but the enemy of the vast majority of free-willed individuals in this world.
Naruto couldn't be a permanent babysitter for the One Piece World. What he needed to do was ignite the spark of resistance in this world.
Otherwise, even if Imu were killed, a hundred or a thousand years later, there might be another 'Imu' or 'Umu', and Naruto might not still be on this planet by then.
So this time, not only did he need to bring people, but he needed to bring representatives from each faction.
The Marines, the pirates, the Revolutionary Army… all three sides needed witnesses.
Fortunately, it happened to coincide with Naruto's wedding… otherwise, it would have been difficult to gather everyone so conveniently at a normal time.
However, there was still a small issue: the pirate side had many people, the Marine side had a heavyweight like Garp, but the Revolutionary Army only had Belo Betty and Chief of Staff Sabo… just two or three people.
This meant that among the three brothers, Ace and Luffy could only watch as Sabo walked toward the 'expedition' side while they were kept out.
"Unfair! Unfair! Why can Sabo go? I want to go too! Fox-Faced Uncle, don't stop me!"
"Uncle Naruto! Let me go too! I'm a representative of the Whitebeard Pirates, you can't…"
Bam! Bam!
Naruto's shadow clone gave each of them a smack on the head, turning them into rolling gourds again.
Seeing this, Sabo could only give his brothers an awkward smile. Garp, their grandfather, on the other hand, was laughing quite heartlessly.
Over on the Big Mom side, there were no objections, as this pirate crew was always a dictatorship under Charlotte Linlin. Whoever Big Mom designated to go would go… there would be no second opinion.
However, among the ministers who had come this time, the only one meeting the 'bounty of 1 Billion or more' requirement was Katakuri. Even his older brother Perospero didn't qualify.
Of course, for Perospero personally, it was clearly better not to go.
He readily agreed to stay behind and guard the home front, clearly aware of his own limitations.
It was fine to bully rookie pirates just setting out to sea, but actually fighting his way to Elbaf to face the dark side of the world? Better to leave that to others.
If he were really that capable, he would have been among the Sweet Commanders.
"Ah… such a shame King couldn't come this time…"
On the other side, Kaido pulled the sake gourd from his waist and gulped down several mouthfuls.
He genuinely felt regret.
He hadn't informed King and Queen, the two All-Stars still in Dressrosa, about his trip this time. It seemed he would have to go alone.
"Why are you sighing like that, you old fart?"
Without needing to turn around, Kaido recognized the approaching person by their familiar voice.
Who else could it be but his unfilial daughter?
Yamato slammed her kanabo down beside her, then followed suit, plopping down next to Kaido, holding a bottle of sake she'd gotten from somewhere and chugging it, as if she could actually taste anything drinking that way.
"Go away, you idiot son. Didn't you hear what your 'Naruto-sama' said? Those with bounties below 1 Billion aren't qualified to go."
Kaido tilted his head, glancing sideways at Yamato with disdain, his meaning clear.
'You, with no bounty whatsoever, just obediently stay out of the way.'
Yes, despite Yamato's exceptional strength, even surpassing Katakuri, because she had been confined to a single area her whole life, she had no bounty at all.
"Don't think you can act all high and mighty just because you've learned a few tricks."
"You're still far from it!"
Of course, Yamato didn't buy her father's rhetoric, not even bothering to argue.
"I will go, old man."
Yamato's tone was filled with determination, and her eyes burned with a flame that Kaido found very familiar.
"I have to go."
Ah, he remembered.
Kaido recalled where he had seen that same look before.
It was his younger self.
Back then, he had just escaped from the World Government's laboratory, and with King, he had begun his journey of conquest, fueled by his ambition.
His eyes back then were just as determined.
As if carrying out the one true meaning of his life.
For a 'Hero', what could better embody that than eradicating a millennium-spanning evil and saving the world?
Yamato didn't argue like Ace or Luffy. Her tone was calm, as if stating a fact.
She would definitely go… nothing could stop her.
"…"
"Wororororo… Idiot son, it seems you've learned something from that brat after all."
"You're finally starting to look like something."
With that, Kaido uncharacteristically raised his sake gourd toward Yamato.
Yamato was momentarily stunned, then, when she understood, her eyes held a different light for the first time.
She also raised her hand and clinked her bottle against Kaido's gourd, and then father and daughter drank together.
"Hah… Yamato."
Lowering the gourd, Kaido exhaled a breath of alcohol, then called her name in a tone Yamato found very unfamiliar.
"Don't die out there."
"You too, you old fart."
"You can only be defeated by me!"
Father and daughter stared at each other, appreciating the fighting spirit rising between them.
"They're cut from the same cloth…"
Passing by, B rubbed his chin and remarked. Because of his personality, he got along well with Yamato and also knew from Naruto that this little giant in front of him was the father of the bombshell beauty Yamato.
"Where do you see that?"
Beside him, Yugito rolled her eyes, feeling that his claim was untenable.
Aside from both having a pair of horns, Kaido and Yamato had almost nothing in common.
"You wouldn't understand… it's a feeling, a feeling…"
B gestured wildly, but unfortunately, his words didn't enter Yugito's ears.
"Fine, fine, I know, I know. So, are you ready? We're leaving soon. Don't make everyone wait for you…"