Chapter 28: A Bounty That Shakes the World
The Holy Land of Mary Geoise stood in its usual, suffocating grandeur.
White marble halls gleamed beneath chandeliers of gold, and beneath them sat the highest authority in the world—the Five Elders. Their expressions were darker than the polished floor beneath their feet.
A Den Den Mushi trembled on the long conference table.
"What are you Marines doing?!" one of the Gorosei barked into the receiver. "That damned Oni Samurai is killing nobles, and you are just watching?!"
On the other side of the line, Sengoku's voice responded, strained but controlled.
"We can't do anything," Sengoku said firmly. "He is called the Storm King for a reason. He comes and goes like a storm."
Silence lingered for a second before he continued.
"His ability to fly makes him nearly impossible to catch. By the time our forces mobilize, he's already gone."
One of the elders slammed his cane against the marble floor. "Excuses!"
Sengoku did not flinch. "We intend to issue a bounty."
The Gorosei exchanged glances.
"How much?" another asked coldly.
There was a heavy pause.
"Two billion Berries."
Even Sengoku hesitated for half a second before speaking again.
"That's—won't that be too much for his first bounty?"
"He killed Shiki," an elder replied sharply. "Then slaughtered slave traders and nobles in Sabaody."
Another added, "His strength alone justifies it."
"And his audacity demands it," the tallest among them concluded. "Make it 2,000,000,000 Berries."
Sengoku exhaled slowly.
"…Fine. Two billion it is."
The Den Den Mushi clicked off.
The room fell quiet.
"So," one of the Gorosei muttered, "what do you think of this Oni Samurai?"
Another stroked his beard thoughtfully. "That damned cursed land… Wano."
"First it was Sword God Ryuma," one said darkly. "Now this Oni Samurai."
A third adjusted his glasses. "We cannot move directly. Wano is Kaido's territory."
"And our largest supplier of Seastone," another added grimly.
The tallest elder narrowed his eyes. "Then we eliminate him without touching Wano."
"Agreed."
Far below the Holy Land, orders began to ripple through Marine channels.
---
At Marineford, tension crackled in the Fleet Admiral's office.
Sengoku slammed his palm onto his desk. "Garp! You bastard! Why didn't you catch him when he was exhausted?!"
Monkey D. Garp leaned back in his chair with arms folded, unimpressed.
"Shut up," Garp growled. "It's just some nobles dying. Nothing to fuss about."
Sengoku's veins bulged. "That's not the point!"
"He created a giant hurricane," Garp continued bluntly. "What did you want me to do? Chase him for killing pirates and let my men die in that storm?"
Sengoku gritted his teeth. "That's not it!"
"Then stop making a fuss about some nobles dying," Garp snapped. "I'm already pissed I didn't get to fight him."
In the corner, Tsuru rubbed her forehead.
"They're bickering like children again…" she muttered.
She turned toward the Marine soldier at the door.
"Issue the bounty," she ordered calmly.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Within hours, bounty posters began flying across the seas like restless birds.
A masked figure. Lightning behind him. The name printed boldly beneath.
Oni Samurai – 2,000,000,000 Berries.
---
Aboard the Moby Dick, laughter erupted like cannon fire.
Edward Newgate threw his head back.
"Gurarararara! That brat got quite the first bounty!"
The Whitebeard Pirates gathered around the freshly delivered poster.
"Two billion?!" one pirate shouted.
"For a first bounty?!"
Whitebeard grinned widely. "Boys! Let's have a party for the Oni Samurai's first bounty!"
Cheers exploded across the deck.
Sake was poured. Meat was roasted. The sea itself seemed to hum with celebration.
"Gurarara! A monster's been born!"
---
Far away in the Beast Pirates' stronghold of Onigashima, laughter of a different kind echoed.
"Worororororo!"
Kaido stared at the bounty poster in his massive hand.
"Not only did he kill Shiki… he escaped," Kaido growled. "And now his first bounty is two billion."
He crushed a barrel of sake under his foot.
"Damn him."
The doors suddenly burst open.
"Hey, you shameless old man!"
A young woman charged in.
Yamato leapt forward, kanabo raised high.
"Take this—Thunder Bagua!"
She struck Kaido squarely.
The blow cracked the floor beneath them, but Kaido did not budge.
Yamato clicked her tongue. "Still not strong enough."
She turned and left the room without another word.
Kaido stared at the doorway.
His mouth twitched.
He didn't know whether to feel proud, annoyed, or furious.
His daughter had just attacked him.
Her arms had been coated in hardened Armament Haki.
Proud—because she was talented.
Annoyed—because she came in, hit him, and left.
Furious—because she wasn't strong enough to hurt him.
"You damn unfilial girl!" Kaido roared, finally losing his composure.
The entire fortress trembled.
A nearby subordinate swallowed nervously. "C-Calm down, Kaido-sama. She's just a child…"
"DAMN YOU, YAMATOOOO!"
Kaido grabbed another barrel and drank deeply, face red with irritation.
The New Era was stirring everywhere.
---
Back in Sabaody, the atmosphere was far calmer.
Kai leaned against a tree in a secluded grove while Rayleigh stood across from Hancock and her sisters.
Rayleigh adjusted his glasses. "Again."
Hancock inhaled sharply.
"Slave Arrow!"
A pink arrow of condensed emotion shot forward.
Rayleigh stepped aside effortlessly.
Too slow.
Again.
"Focus your breathing," Rayleigh instructed calmly. "Don't let emotion control the technique."
Hancock's irritation grew.
"I am focused!" she snapped, firing another arrow.
Rayleigh dodged again.
Kai watched silently, arms crossed.
After several failed attempts, Hancock's breathing grew heavy.
Rayleigh smirked slightly. "Is that all?"
Hancock's pride flared.
Kai suddenly released a surge of Conqueror's Haki.
It wasn't meant to crush—only to test.
The invisible pressure slammed into Hancock.
Her knees buckled.
"Don't kneel, Hancock!" Kai's voice rang out sharply.
The sudden pressure made her vision blur.
Her body screamed to submit.
But his words pierced through the haze.
Her eyes snapped open.
Full of defiance.
"I… will not kneel!" she shouted.
A surge erupted from her.
Her own Conqueror's Haki burst outward, clashing directly with Kai's.
The ground cracked beneath them.
Rayleigh's mouth hung open.
Even Shakky, watching from a distance, blinked in surprise.
"My, my…" Shakky murmured. "Looks like our Hancock is really something else."
The clash lasted only seconds.
Hancock swayed, her strength spent.
Kai stepped forward and caught her before she fell.
"Nice," he said softly. "Now take a rest."
Her body was already beginning to recover.
The Seraph Contract's golden warmth flowed through her veins, healing fatigue and minor injuries.
Rayleigh exhaled slowly.
"She awakened Conqueror's Haki at twelve…"
Kai smiled faintly.
"I told you."
Shakky crossed her arms. "You're creating monsters, little brother."
Kai looked at the horizon where the sea shimmered under sunset light.
"No," he corrected calmly.
"I'm freeing them."
And somewhere across the world, bounty posters fluttered in the wind.
The Storm King had been named.
Now the world would begin to move.