Chapter 292 - 150

Chapter 150"I understand."Iceberg didn't seem surprised by this. He had a nearby Bull turn around, patted Bally on the shoulder, and said, "Leave the food to you. Arrange it.""Leave it to me!"Bally thumped his chest, turned, and waved to the massive crowd of shipwrights behind him, shouting, "Everyone, don't let Galley-La Companylose face!""Oh—!" The shipwrights roared in unison, their combined voices shaking the sky.And so, a large group escorted the Straw Hats, moving in a grand procession toward the central district of Water 7.Arranged by Iceberg, everyone arrived at the Galley-La Company headquarters within Dock 1, which was also the mansion where Iceberg lived and worked. Although the building itself had sustained some damage during Aqua Laguna, the main structure was intact, and the interior remained spacious and comfortable.The banquet was quickly prepared in the great hall.The shipwrights brought in long dining tables, while Bally directed people to bring in a vast amount of lavish food, especially mountains of various meats, which were continuously brought out."Please, help yourselves!""Then we won't stand on ceremony!"Luffy couldn't hold back any longer.He let out a cheer, the first to pounce on the dining table, his hands becoming blurs as he began devouring everything in sight.The speed was truly astonishing.For a moment, the shipwrights of Galley-La Company were stunned.No wonder they asked for enough for a hundred people.Zoro and the others were also starving and promptly joined the fray.Nika, however, had stealthily made his way to a barrel of alcohol, poured himself a huge cup, and happily started drinking.The banquet atmosphere was lively and harmonious.It lasted well into the night.And many eyes, including Iceberg's, Franky's, and those of many veteran shipwrights who were in the know, would involuntarily drift toward Luffy.More precisely, toward Merry, who was sitting on Luffy's shoulder, taking small bites of meat.Their faces were all filled with a sense of reverence and excitement, akin to a pilgrimage."It really is a Klabautermann.""The legendary ship spirit.""To actually see one with my own eyes in my lifetime...""Mr. Tom didn't lie to us."Low murmurs spread among the shipwrights, their gazes toward Merry filled with awe and tenderness.For these craftsmen who had dedicated their lives to shipbuilding, being able to witness, even come into contact with, a spirit born from a ship's love and longing was like a dream come true, the highest honor.Nami and Robin sat together, enjoying the feast while quietly discussing the matter of the new ship."One thing Merry has always been concerned about is being too small.""Mm. The girls' quarters currently house the three of us, and with Merry sometimes coming over, it is indeed a bit cramped. I hear the boys' quarters are even more crowded.""So the most important thing for the new ship is rooms. They must be numerous and large enough. And it would be great if there's space for my tangerine garden.""The bathroom should ideally be larger too. There needs to be a separate library for you, Robin. Usopp needs a workshop, Chopper needs a medical room, Sanji's kitchen and food storage..."Merry was drawn over by the discussion.Being small was a fact, and it was what Merrycared about most.Although Luffy had comforted her before, saying something about small things being cute too.But Merry also envied Nami and the others.The original design of the going merry was only for a small pirate crew. As crewmates were added one by one, space had long since become insufficient.A ship's mission is to carry people from one island to another.Merry knew that to continue adventuring with Luffy and the others, change was necessary.*Thud!*Just as the banquet atmosphere was at its peak, Zanbai, a member of the Franky Family, rushed in panting heavily. Waving a stack of fresh papers in his hand with a panicked expression, he shouted:"Straw Hat Boss, Franky Big Bro! It's bad! Your bounties are out!"Chapter 220 Unprecedented Highest"Bounty?"Hearing this, everyone looked over.Nami immediately put down her juice and walked over alertly, asking, "What's going on? Did my bounty increase too?"She hadn't forgotten that she was already a pirate with a considerable price on her head.Luffy took the stack of bounty posters from Zanbai, casually flipped through them, pulled one out, and grinned at Nami:"Nami, your bounty has increased a lot."He deliberately drew out his tone, then held up that bounty poster.Nami curiously leaned in to look.Cat Burglar Nami Bounty: 100,000,000 Berries"Nani?!"Nami instantly covered her cheeks with both hands, tears immediately welling up in her eyes."One hundred million Berries? What terrible crime did I commit? I don't want this!"It was already unlucky enough becoming a wanted criminal before, but now it's directly jumped to a hundred million? What's going on?Does this mean being hunted by the Marine for the rest of her life?!One hundred million Berries!It sounds like a lot, but it's a bounty, not savings!What to do, it's over a hundred million... even she herself is tempted by that much money.Nami thought carefully. She hadn't displayed any particularly great strength, so why should her bounty be one hundred million Berries?Slander! A setup!But there's no use refusing. The bounty posters have already been printed and are probably flying to every corner of the world with the News Coos right now.Nami felt like crying but had no tears, her expression practically becoming a meme. She grabbed Luffy's arm and shook it vigorously, her voice choked with sobs:"Luffy, what do I do? How am I supposed to live with a one hundred million Berry bounty?!""Don't worry, I'll protect you!"Luffy, dizzy from being shaken, hurriedly replied, then shouted, "Everyone, come see the bounties!"Seizing the chance, he broke free from Nami, jumped directly onto the table in the center of the hall, and raised the stack of bounty posters."Oh, it's no surprise the bounties would skyrocket.""The World Government must have dumped all the blame on us.""How much did the bounties increase this time?"Hearing about new bounty posters, everyone gathered around.Even Iceberg, Kokoro, and the shipwrights curiously moved closer."This time, everyone's included."Luffy chuckled and spread all the bounty posters out on the table one by one.Pirate Hunter Roronoa ZoroBounty: 150,000,000 Berries150 million?!The crowd exclaimed in shock.This was already an exceptionally high bounty amount.In the first half of the Grand Line, pirates with bounties over a hundred million were few and far between. They were generally referred to as the Supernovas.Zoro looked at his new bounty poster. The photo showed him with a fierce gaze, the burning ruins of Enies Lobby in the background.The corner of his mouth lifted in a satisfied arc. "Not bad."Black Leg SanjiBounty: 80,000,000 Berries"Only eighty million."Sanji looked at his bounty poster. The photo wasn't a snapshot but a drawing. A drawing was bad enough, but why was it so sloppy? Aside from the curly eyebrow, what part of it looked like him?He lit a cigarette to calm himself down.Otherwise, he was afraid he might impulsively go protest to the World Government.And the worst fear was...Speak of the devil.Beside him, Zoro directly burst out laughing. Picking up Sanji's bounty poster, his expression control completely failed:"Yo, number five's bounty just barely passed half of mine? And who the hell drew this bounty poster? It's absolutely perfect for that face of yours, hahahaha!"He laughed, slapping Sanji's shoulder hard, nearly choking on his laughter.A vein instantly popped on Sanji's forehead. Furious, he roared face-to-face with Zoro, "You bastard Marimo, you wanna fight?!""Oh, an eighty million dares to speak to a hundred and fifty million?""I'll slice you into sashimi, believe it or not!""Bring it on, curly-brow cook!"The two were at a standoff, looking ready to fight.Their crewmates, however, all looked completely unfazed, no one paying them any mind.Usopp and Chopper nervously searched for their own bounty posters.Sniper UsoppBounty: 40,000,000 Berries"Forty million?!"Usopp picked up his bounty poster, his face turning green with fear, his voice trembling. "I've finally become a real wanted criminal too? But isn't this a bit too high!"When Chopper picked up the bounty poster, he first closed his eyes, then peeked through a slit.Cotton Candy Loving Reindeer Tony Tony ChopperBounty: 100 BerriesChopper picked up his bounty poster, looking at the bounty that had doubled. He didn't know whether to cry or laugh."Is it too little?""Not little, not little. There's an even smaller one."Luffy took a bounty poster and spread it out.White Unidentified Creature NikaBounty: 50 Berries"Pfft—hahaha, fifty Berries!"Seeing Nika's bounty poster, Usopp temporarily forgot his own fear and couldn't help but laugh out loud.Nika's previous bounty was ten Berries. This time it increased fivefold, reaching the astonishing sum of fifty Berries!Nika, who had been secretly drinking, saw his bounty poster and immediately jumped up in anger. He threw his flask to the ground and started cursing: