Sengoku had a faint feeling that the other side might have mastered some method that allowed them to obtain Devil Fruits quickly.
But that was only a guess. After listening to the explanation from the other end of the Transponder Snail, Sengoku first told the caller to wait for a while and that the Marines would naturally send someone to pick him up.
Then, on one hand, he sent people to investigate the Pika Pika no Mi. On the other, he hurriedly reported the matter to the World Government.
Without a doubt, after Kong received the news and passed it on to the Five Elders, it once again triggered a massive shock.
"What the hell was that bastard Borsalino doing?!" the curly-bearded Five Elder said coldly, his face dark.
"That man was killed so easily. In such a short amount of time, he didn't even manage to cause the enemy much damage!"
"So this is the Marines' so-called highest fighting force? Though he had not been promoted to Admiral yet, his strength was about the same as an Admiral's, yet he was killed just like that!"
The goat-bearded Five Elder's expression was also gloomy.
"Could he have been slacking off again and gotten himself killed because he was careless?"
"That should not be the case. Four CP0 agents were also dispatched, and this concerned whether Borsalino could be promoted to Admiral. He would definitely have taken it seriously."
The blond, middle-aged Five Elder folded his arms and said, "Then the only explanation is that the enemy is very strong, and that the Goro Goro no Mi has been developed to a point where it may counter the Pika Pika no Mi. That is why Borsalino fell in such a manner."
"But the most troublesome point is that the other side obtained the Pika Pika no Mi. According to the description from the survivors, and after comparing it with the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, it is indeed the Pika Pika no Mi! That bastard Borsalino can't even give us peace after dying!"
The bald elder holding a sword snorted angrily.
"However, one point has been confirmed. The Griffin form, plus that Boiling-Boiling Fruit, means the people who broke into the core warehouse were Roy and his group."
The long-bearded Five Elder spoke.
"But the user of the Cold-Cold Fruit still has not appeared. The suspected Shuttle-Shuttle Fruit user and Clear-Clear Fruit user have also not shown themselves on the sea."
"There are two explanations. Either our guesses were wrong, or the other side has hidden them extremely deeply."
"Those questions can wait until we destroy the Thunder God Pirates. Everything will naturally come to light then. The urgent matter right now is how to annihilate the Thunder God Pirates!"
"Borsalino's death has already made one thing clear. Even if we send Sakazuki or Kuzan, the result might only be slightly better than Borsalino's."
"On top of that, the other side has already obtained the Pika Pika no Mi. They will definitely cultivate another powerful combatant. If we want to destroy them, I am afraid we will have to pay an enormous price!"
"I have a suggestion. Let them go to the New World. Let them compete with Whitebeard, Kaido, and the others. That can also muddy the waters in the New World, which would benefit us."
"What if he becomes a second Roger?"
"Impossible. With Whitebeard's personality, he could allow Roger to reach Laugh Tale, but he absolutely will not allow a second Pirate King to stand above him!"
"That is correct. The current priority is Dragon! He is the one truly digging at the roots of the World Government. Garp really did raise a fine son! We should seize the chance while they are still weak and crush this root of evil before it grows!"
After a long discussion, the Five Elders ultimately chose not to act for the time being. Instead, they raised the bounty amounts on Roy and his group to show their determination.
Thus, despite the World Government's deliberate suppression, the News Coo still carried the news of this failed encirclement operation, along with the bounty posters, to every corner of the world!
Shocking! Great Evil: The Thunder God Pirates' Astonishing Deeds!
The article gave a detailed account of what had happened. Of course, because it had to consider the World Government, it did not mention Cipher Pol at all. As for the Marines in the article, they were described as heroic and tragic soldiers who had ultimately died after falling victim to the enemy's schemes.
Along with this news, the eye-popping bounty posters of Roy and his group also spread across the entire world.
"Evil Thunder God" Roy — bounty: 1.8 billion berries.
"Boiling Champion" Jesus Burgess — bounty: 470 million berries.
"Devil Sheriff" Laffitte — bounty: 440 million berries.
"Sea Demon" Jinbe — bounty: 390 million berries.
"Supersonic" Yasopp — bounty: 360 million berries.
"Ghost Paper" Kasta — bounty: 330 million berries.
"Flying Mantis" Chalcis — bounty: 300 million berries.
"Demon Man" Gin — bounty: 280 million berries.
"Demon Cutter" Daz Bonez — bounty: 250 million berries.
Other people, such as Hagens? and Arlong, were also wanted, but their bounties and the impact of their posters could not compare to the main members listed above.
Especially in an era like this, possessing such bounties meant they could be called great pirates without the slightest exaggeration!
As for why the bounty amounts were so high, on one hand, it showed the World Government's determination to get rid of them as quickly as possible, and on the surface, it also gave the Celestial Dragons an explanation.
Secondly, it was a way to prop them up so high that they would be destroyed.
It was just like when Luffy was treated as the Fifth Emperor and given a bounty of 1.5 billion berries.
This was also the World Government propping up the Thunder God Pirates so they would be destroyed. Once they entered the New World, what awaited them would surely be wave after wave of challenges.
Even those great pirates who were currently at the height of their fame in the New World would develop no small amount of interest in Roy and his group.
This completely pushed Roy and the others into the eye of the storm.
North Blue, Donquixote Family territory.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. The sea really has produced an incredible person this time! I never expected that he could even kill someone with Admiral-level combat power! I truly underestimated them before!"
On the table in front of Doflamingo lay photos of Roy and the group aboard his ship.
Others might not know the specific details. They might not know what kind of fighting force the Marines and the World Government had actually lost. But Doflamingo and those pirate giants knew very well.
"Tsk, tsk. That was an Admiral! I am very curious about that group now! Propping them up so they will be destroyed? So what? Once that group manages to survive, they will inevitably set off a towering wave in the New World. The Goro Goro no Mi, huh? Tsk, tsk..."
Even Doflamingo felt envious of the Goro Goro no Mi. That was truly a power that could be called invincible. Just from the starting point alone, it was far stronger than his String-String Fruit by an unknown number of times.
(End of Chapter)
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