"Tirion D. Grimm, Patrick Redfield…"
Among the Five Elders, the one with blond hair, blond beard, and a buzz cut repeatedly called out Grimm's and Redfield's names, saying in a deep voice, "We must swiftly deal with these two to restore the government's dignity. We won't pursue your reckless involvement in the battle, Kong. You must capture these two!"
"Hmph, while pirates run rampant, the Celestial Dragons continue to enjoy most of the world's wealth. Do you think the Navy can maintain peace on the seas if things continue like this?" Kong said with dissatisfaction.
The Five Elder with the mustache was about to reprimand Kong's behavior but was stopped midway by another Five Elder, dressed in a kimono and holding a katana.
The kimono-clad Five Elder with glasses asked Kong, "What are your thoughts?"
"Due to Roger's influence, the Navy worldwide is now facing a shortage. First, we need to recruit on a large scale and increase the Navy's budget accordingly, at least threefold!"
Kong didn't mince words and directly asked for a threefold increase in military spending.
"Are you joking? Steel Bone, you're asking for a threefold increase all at once?"
"The number of pirates, I estimate roughly, has increased at least tenfold compared to before Roger became the Pirate King!"
The kimono-clad Five Elder raised his katana, signaling the others not to interrupt Kong, and continued, "Go on!"
"To enhance the awareness of capturing pirates worldwide, it's time for us to lower the bounty levels for pirates."
"Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, Grimm—as the peak of the new generation of pirates, their bounties should be raised to match Whitebeard's, exceeding 2 billion Belly. For pirates who were once Vice Admiral level, we previously offered bounties around 200 million Belly; now it should be raised to about 500 million. Of course, we must consider their threat level and the danger they pose to the Navy when making appropriate adjustments."
After Kong finished speaking, the five exchanged glances and all nodded, agreeing to the request.
"I will personally attend the next assembly of government-affiliated nations to convey this matter," Kong added as a final point.
"Hmm… Let's return to the initial issue we were discussing!"
The Five Elder with curly white hair crossed his arms and said sternly, "Regardless, such an incident occurred right under Marine Headquarters' nose. If Grimm and Redfield are not dealt with, barely two years into the Great Pirate Era, the government and the Navy will have lost all face!
Redfield is a lone wolf. His threat level, not to mention Whitebeard, is probably less than Kaido or Charlotte! As for Grimm…"
"However, Redfield represents the pinnacle of piracy. If we capture him first, it will undoubtedly deal a significant blow to pirate morale."
The Five Elder with the mustache pondered for a moment and said, "Redfield or Grimm, whom do we target first?"
Kong closed his eyes and pondered in silence for several minutes before slowly opening them and saying, "Redfield!"
"He is from the same era as Roger. In the hearts of most pirates, Grimm's status is certainly not as high as Redfield's. Nowadays, the only ones left from Roger's era are him and Whitebeard!"
After a pause, Kong continued, "After the battle on Sabaody Archipelago, I also noticed slight signs of decline in Redfield's combat power. Even if it's very subtle, given his personality, he will actively seek ways to compensate for his weaknesses. Now is a good time to capture him. We cannot wait until he finds a way to strengthen himself!"
After Kong finished speaking, the Five Elders told him to return. After a week of deliberation, they agreed to Kong's request and issued an order that Redfield must be captured as soon as possible.
On the other hand, the bounty levels were to be lowered.
Setting aside the lower-ranking pirates for now, any pirate of Vice Admiral level or above in the Navy could easily exceed 300 million Belly. Of course, this refers to Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals, not branch Vice Admirals.
This policy naturally led to the emergence of more bounty hunters. Seeing the amounts, they would start drooling.
Of course, pirates were also stimulated, as they would try every means to increase their bounties.
Although they decided to target Redfield between Redfield and Grimm, the former was not an easy opponent.
However, the Navy could not focus all its attention on Redfield. Zephyr, as the Chief Instructor, was training soldiers more rigorously after the Navy recruited a large number of new recruits.
...
Big Mom began to aggressively expand her territory in the New World.
Kaido re-entered the New World but seemed to have disappeared, likely plotting in Wano Country.
On the other hand, in Sanctuary, Jianna, Plank, and Yasuo were the highest-ranking executives. They already had no less than a hundred knights and priests who had comprehended Holy Light. Sanctuary's defenses were impregnable, and neither the Navy nor pirates dared to provoke them easily.
Meanwhile, Grimm roamed the "Paradise" in the first half of the Grand Line, honing his skills against pirates who coveted the One Piece treasure left by the Pirate King. For a time, a storm of blood and gore swept across the seas. Few pirates who encountered Grimm survived.
The first half of the Grand Line, one of the seven magnetic paths.
Captain "Stone Buddha: Duncan," bounty 50 million Belly, leading the "Spurs Pirates." He was named after being stunned by a boot with spurs to his forehead as a child, hence his nickname "Dumb Dumb"!
As captain, "Tim" was only twenty-one years old, a stoic, taciturn fellow with a bandana, but with a carefree personality. He had gathered many companions along the way.
But unfortunately, today their journey encountered an unprecedented crisis.
At this moment, on the Spurs Pirates' ship, the navigator "Demon Blade: Gino" looked at the unconscious captain lying on the ground, as well as some of his companions behind him, his legs trembling with fear.
"Hey, Tim, hey, Bowen, hurry up and get up! Bowen, didn't you say your 'Foshan Shadowless Kick' was amazing? How did you get instantly defeated!" Gino was distraught!
Grimm, standing opposite them, held a shield and a small hammer, clearly the Truth Guardian.
"Why? Why are you attacking us? We have no enmity, do we?" Navigator Demon Blade Gino shouted desperately.
They weren't the Idiot Pirates, they recognized Grimm's identity. But no matter what, they never expected that Grimm, just by chance encountering them, would suddenly board their ship and prepare to annihilate them.
Recalling the pleasant scene of everyone gathered on deck discussing "illegal moves not being called" and "crippling techniques," recalling how they had defeated the once-unrivaled "Heat Pirates" of the East Blue to reach the pinnacle of the East Blue, they were filled with grief and indignation!
Gino wished he could rush forward and kill Grimm immediately.
However, the gap in strength was too despairing.
"Why?"
Grimm's pupils contracted, and he smiled. "Since you crippled others, you should have been prepared to be crippled yourself. Is there any other reason? Besides, your strength is so poor, you're destined to be buried at sea sooner or later. I'm just putting you out of your misery early!"
Bang!
After speaking, he smashed a shield directly into Gino's face. The latter immediately fell to the ground, motionless.
"Next, it's your turn. As pirates, you should be prepared to be killed. May the great Holy Light bless you!"
After dealing with everyone on the ship, Grimm awkwardly realized that he seemed to have killed the navigator…
Would they be adrift at sea again?
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