"Your ship is just too... well, you know." Seeing Shirakawa's vessel, Lisa couldn't help but comment in surprise. The ship's setup completely failed to match the Silver Pirates' current reputation.
Riddle looked a little awkward at that, because the ship had originally been his.
"This is only temporary. Once we get to Water 7, we'll have a proper ship built there. After all, that's the best place in the whole world for shipbuilding."
"Alright."
Once everyone was aboard, the Silver Pirates officially resumed their voyage.
But you had to hand it to the Navy—they moved fast. They hadn't been sailing long when a News Coo appeared, circling overhead. It promptly delivered a report on the Silver Pirates' battle with the Navy from the day before, and the crew's bounties had all been raised significantly.
Silver Pirates Captain, Silver Sword, Adolph K. Shirakawa — Bounty: 650,000,000 Beli.
Two-Sword Swordsman, Ural Jora — Bounty: 320,000,000 Beli.
Riddle, former captain of the Tyrannosaurus Pirates, Zoan-type Lizard Fruit user — Bounty: 250,000,000 Beli.
Ghost Sniper, Uristin — Bounty: 200,000,000 Beli.
Impostor, Salar — Bounty: 200,000,000 Beli.
Iron Hammer, Kullokam — Bounty: 400,000,000 Beli.
With that, the Silver Pirates' total bounty had surpassed two billion Beli, more than doubling their previous crew-wide bounty.
"Wow! Salar, you're incredible—two hundred million Beli!" Adala stared at Salar's bounty poster with the handsome picture and instantly wore a fangirl expression. "But why do they call you 'Impostor'?" she asked, puzzled.
"I think the epithet 'Impostor' suits Salar perfectly," Shirakawa said.
Though Salar looked completely harmless, the truth was he was a man who could kill without blinking. The moment his eyes fully opened, he became a different person entirely.
"Still, why is Kullokam's first bounty already so high? It's almost caught up to the captain's," Jora grumbled, clearly unwilling to accept it. He admitted Kullokam was stronger than him, but only by a "tiny little bit." So why had his bounty suddenly leapfrogged Jora's?
"Probably because he displayed Conqueror's Haki. Every user of Conqueror's Haki is regarded as a major threat by the World Government."
Since Shirakawa hadn't done much in the previous battle, his bounty had only been symbolically increased by a small margin.
However, the Navy had meticulously reported the fact that Shirakawa possessed a Supreme Grade Blade, no doubt hoping to cause trouble for him.
After all, a Supreme Grade Blade was the object of every swordsman's desire. Even knowing they lacked the strength, some would still desperately gamble everything for a chance at it.
And that was exactly the effect Shirakawa wanted. He couldn't wait for the whole world to know he had a Supreme Grade Blade—no other reason, purely out of a desire to show off.
"That guy... has he really already gotten his hands on such a treasure?" Kozuki Oden stared at the newspaper in astonishment. A Supreme Grade Blade was something even he deeply coveted. The two swords he currently used were both merely Great Grade Blades.
Compared to Shirakawa's blade, the two swords he had always treasured suddenly felt completely lackluster.
"Hahaha, that kind of thing really just comes down to luck." Rayleigh consoled Oden from the side, though truth be told, he was also a little envious of Shirakawa. His own sword wasn't a Supreme Grade Blade either. If Shirakawa weren't practically half his disciple, he might well have considered going after it himself.
"Still, hogging the spotlight like that isn't necessarily a good thing. Even if we don't go after it, I'm sure plenty of others will take an interest in his blade," Roger added from the side. He wasn't plagued by any intense jealousy, though—his own weapon was by no means inferior to Shirakawa's.
"But Shirakawa's current strength isn't all that far behind ours anymore. You all know his talent."
"Yeah."
When it came to Shirakawa's talent, every member of the Roger Pirates had no choice but to admire him. At their first meeting, he had been a young man who couldn't even truss a chicken.
Yet now, he had already stepped into the ranks of the world's top powers.
"It's been over three months since we last saw him. He must have grown quite a bit in that time."
"Yeah, and he's got himself a crew of reliable comrades."
Looking at the wanted posters of the others, it was clear they were all brimming with potential.
The perspective shifted back to the Silver Pirates. Shirakawa's wanted poster now featured a new picture, no longer the one from his days with the Roger Pirates. It had been taken the day before: him standing aboard his ship, wearing an expression of absolute confidence.
"Captain, looks like things are going to get lively from here on out."
"Isn't lively a good thing?"
Shirakawa could already imagine it—this Supreme Grade Blade was bound to thrust them into the heart of the storm. More than a few renowned master swordsmen would likely come to seize it.
But wasn't that perfect? Shirakawa possessed an immortal body. As long as no one could truly overpower him with overwhelming force, he simply couldn't be defeated.
And at this point, almost no one capable of outright crushing him still existed.
Time flew, and three months passed in the blink of an eye. Shirakawa and his crew had already journeyed from the North Blue all the way to the South Blue.
Throughout those three months, they fought battles almost every single day. Some opponents were swordsmen who came to steal the Supreme Grade Blade, while others were pirate crews who came to challenge them out of admiration for their fame.
As for the pirate alliance that had styled itself as an "Avengers" coalition, they seemed to have completely vanished—probably found some island to hide away in seclusion.
During this period, although the Silver Pirates' core membership hadn't grown, they did take in several subordinate crews: the Strongman Pirates, the Hyena Pirates, and the Red Rose Pirates.
The Strongman Pirates were made up entirely of muscle-bound men, every single one a powerhouse of brute strength. When Shirakawa and his crew first laid eyes on them, they nearly burst out laughing—it was the most bizarre pirate crew they'd ever seen.
The Hyena Pirates' captain was a Zoan-type Hyena Fruit user, a fairly decent ability. After losing to the Silver Pirates in a challenge, they willingly swore allegiance and joined the fleet.
As for the Red Rose Pirates, their captain was a woman. They had come purely out of admiration. The Silver Pirates didn't even have to lift a finger—the crew had already declared their submission. Even Shirakawa hadn't expected his charisma to be this overwhelming.
Shirakawa had already sent those three crews ahead to the Grand Line; they needed the brutal tempering of that sea. As for the Silver Pirates themselves, they would still need some time. At least for now, the moment wasn't quite right.
One thing worth mentioning: aside from Mole, the newly joined family of three had also received bounties. Doctor Lisa — Bounty: 30,000,000 Beli. Though her combat ability wasn't high, she could use poison—extremely potent poison at that.
Invisible Man, Abro — Bounty: 60,000,000 Beli.
Invisible Man's daughter, Adala — Bounty: 30,000,000 Beli, the same as her mother.
However, the great swordsmen Shirakawa had been hoping would come to challenge him never showed up, which left him slightly disappointed.
Feeling the story has been dragging a bit lately, so I'll be picking up the pace.
/-\
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