Because two pirates with bounties of 500 million Berries had descended upon this Spring Kingdom, the entire city was in a state of high alert. The King sat trembling on his throne, silently praying that these two titans wouldn't start a war within his borders.
On the street, Law's "surgery" wasn't finished yet, and since Ren's crew wasn't in a hurry to leave, they struck up a conversation with Ace.
Through their chat, Hill and the others learned from Ace that the notorious Whitebeard Pirates actually referred to each other as family, and everyone on the ship called Whitebeard "Pops."
"And the only ironclad rule on the ship is that you must never attack a family member. That bastard Teach didn't just break it—he murdered one! It's absolutely unforgivable!"
Whenever the subject came up, a murderous intent simmered in Ace's eyes. If Blackbeard appeared before him now, Ace would undoubtedly send a Fire Fist his way without hesitation!
"That is indeed unforgivable!" Ren nodded, his disdain for Blackbeard deepening.
While the essence of piracy often involved killing, looting, and backstabbing, the core of the Whitebeard Pirates was family. Their only rule was no fratricide. Blackbeard's actions were the equivalent of dragging that moral baseline through the dirt; until he was dead, Ace's heart wouldn't find peace.
Furthermore, although the rule on the ship was "whoever finds a fruit keeps it," everyone knew that if Blackbeard had simply asked, Thatch—given the "good guy" persona Teach had maintained for years—would have likely given it to him. Thus, Ace had tracked him with a resolve to kill!
However, he never expected that the next time he heard news of Blackbeard, it would be in a newspaper announcing the man's death.
When he first saw the news, Ace was stunned. He couldn't believe Blackbeard had died at someone else's hands; he had intended to personally turn the traitor to ashes. To verify the news, Ace had even snuck into a Marine base to gather intel. The result: it was true.
Everyone was buzzing about it. No one expected a pirate who had fought his way out of the New World to fall in "Paradise," defeated by a relatively unknown named Ren.
In the Marine base Ace infiltrated, the presiding Rear Admiral couldn't even understand why the higher-ups had raised Ren's bounty to 500 million Berries just for killing Blackbeard. Usually, that kind of bounty was reserved for "active elements" in the New World—people who loved causing trouble so much that the Navy had no choice but to keep raising the price on their heads.
Ren was a rookie, and he had killed Blackbeard, who... well, could have been called a nobody. Before he stole the Dark-Dark Fruit, aside from Red-Haired Shanks and "Buggy the Great," no one had paid any mind to that "honest, hardworking" guy.
Ren killing Blackbeard and hitting 500 million was, frankly, a bit ridiculous to the world at large.
Looking at Ren, Ace asked seriously, "I want to confirm one more time. You really killed Blackbeard?"
"Yes. I personally cremated the body. He is definitely as dead as one can be!"
Receiving a definitive answer, Ace let out a long, heavy breath of relief. He then formally bowed to Ren. "On behalf of the Whitebeard Pirates, I sincerely thank you!"
Even if Ren killing Blackbeard was a coincidence, he had indeed helped the Whitebeard Pirates remove a traitor. Consequently, after his thanks, Ace left his Den Den Mushi number and a Vivre Card, stating that if Ren ever faced trouble, he could come to him—Ace would put his life on the line to help.
After Ace departed, Klin and the others remarked on how polite "Fire Fist" was—nothing like a pirate, more like a gentleman.
"That's because he's living for the sake of his brother, too," Ren muttered softly.
Suddenly, the sound of retching came from behind them.
The next second, Law appeared. His face was pale, and he was fighting back nausea as he spoke to Ren. "Captain, your request is finished. I've deepened my fruit's development... but that was truly disgusting."
At that moment, from behind the earth wall just a few feet away, a continuous chorus of vomiting and flatulence erupted. Now, for that Marine, "talking" really was like "farting."
Blue, being a bit soft-hearted, spoke up. "Captain, isn't this too cruel? He didn't actually manage to hurt us. Should we..."
"Then you go ask the doctor if he's willing to perform another surgery to fix it~" Ren shrugged, speaking with total indifference.
Having lived in this world for over a decade, the logic of "man eats man" was buried deep in his soul. For a guy who dared to target their heads, Ren not using Amaterasu to burn him into nothingness was already a mercy. Let him go? Impossible.
Uncle Gray shook his head. "Blue, you're still too young. That guy wanted to trade our heads for a promotion. We can't be soft on him!"
"Being soft to your enemy is being cruel to yourself," Klin added with a smile. "Blue, in this chaotic world, never try to be a 'good person.' If you do, you'll end up dragging down the people who love you."
Blue scratched his head. He was the youngest on the ship, only fifteen. He took the advice of his seniors to heart. "I understand. In the future, when facing enemies, I must cut the grass and pull the roots. I'll even scatter their ashes!"
"Exactly! Now you've got it!" Ren nodded with satisfaction.
The group rested on Gugujia Island for a week. During that time, they were pursued by the Navy, but against their overwhelming strength, the Branch Vice Admirals were no match. They were beaten until they fled in total disarray.
Once the Log Pose pointed to the next island, the crew set sail.
"Guys! The bounties went up again!"
In the early morning, as a stack of newspapers hit the deck, Blue's excited voice reached everyone's ears.
"How much?" "Do I have one now?" "I'm the one who drove off that Vice Admiral! My bounty must be over 100 million!"
As they chattered, Hill handed out the posters.
Captain Ren: 500,000,000 Berries.
Swordsman Klin: 150,000,000 Berries.
Navigator Hill: 50,000,000 Berries.
Doctor Law: 100,000,000 Berries.
Chef Gray (formerly VP of North God Pirates): 300,000,000 Berries.
Sailor Blue: 10,000,000 Berries.
Aside from Gray, whose past had caught up with him, everyone else now officially had a price on their head!
"Uncle Gray, your secret's out!" Hill joked.
Klin looked at Gray in shock. "I knew you looked familiar! You're the VP of the North God Pirates who challenged the Red-Haired Pirates three years ago!"
Law also looked surprised. "I remember the reports said your crew was completely wiped out. I didn't expect the Vice Captain to still be alive."