Loguetown.
It was located in East Blue, near the entrance to the Grand Line.
Since the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was born in this town and ultimately executed here.
Because of this, the world knew it as the town of the beginning and the end.
The Marine branch stationed here was overseen by a commissioned officer directly affiliated with Marine Headquarters. This man was Captain Smoker.
He was different from the branch officers guarding the four seas.
Officers from the headquarters were naturally two ranks higher than their branch counterparts of the same title.
In other words.
If transferred to a regular branch, Smoker would hold the rank of Rear Admiral at the very least.
Inside the exclusive captain's office of the Marine base.
"Captain Smoker, there's an urgent report from headquarters!"
A Marine soldier stumbled into the room in a panic.
"Oh?" Smoker shot his head up. The man possessed short silver hair and wore a coat with the word Justice printed on the back. A lit cigar rested in his mouth.
"Is it news about Fire Fist Ace?"
The strongest rookie in East Blue had already racked up a bounty of 70 million beli before even stepping foot into the Grand Line.
In his view, only a pirate of this caliber, especially a Logia type ability user, was worthy of the headquarters' attention.
He blurted the question out without a second thought.
"Reporting to the Captain, it's not Fire Fist Ace. It's a wanted poster for a new pirate!"
The soldier hastily handed over the telegram. Pure terror painted his features.
A rookie pirate?
Smoker stared blankly for a moment.
Was a rookie pirate from East Blue really worth the headquarters' attention?
"Have there been any new pirates lately?"
He snatched the telegram with a face full of doubt. His pupils shrank the moment he saw the bounty poster attached to it. Utter shock washed over him.
The image on the bounty poster was a teenager with black hair and black eyes.
He looked to be seventeen at most.
Sporting a slightly handsome face, the teenager offered a brilliant smile. He looked as sunny and innocent as the boy next door.
However, at the very bottom of the wanted poster, the amount read ** beli.
"Lius? What exactly is this guy's background?"
Smoker was completely dumbfounded.
The name was completely unfamiliar. He had never heard of him.
Yet the attached information clearly indicated he hailed from East Blue.
"Who discovered this first?"
Disbelief colored his voice. He turned to the communications soldier.
What right did this teenager, have to bypass him and directly catch the headquarters' attention?
"It was Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Garp!"
With one sentence, his doubts instantly vanished without a trace.
The office fell into a dead silence after the soldier took his leave.
"We just had Fire Fist Ace, and now here comes Lius!"
He sucked in a deep breath after a long while, fighting to calm his turbulent emotions. A self-deprecating smile touched his lips. "What exactly is going on lately in East Blue, the sea that pirates consider the weakest?"
It was not hard to imagine the sheer storm these two would stir up if they both entered the Grand Line.
Fire Fist Ace went without saying.
The Logia type Flame-Flame Fruit possessed endless potential.
As for this new pirate Lius, his abilities remained completely unknown. However, the mere fact that Garp took him seriously was enough for the marines to treat the boy with the utmost gravity.
"Pass down the order. Have the base soldiers assemble immediately. Also, tell Tashigi to come see me!"
Smoker picked up the Den Den Mushi to relay the command after a moment of thought.
Anyone who wished to enter the Grand Line had to pass through Loguetown. That would be his perfect opportunity.
He would strangle all evil in its cradle!
......
.......
Meanwhile.
The bounty poster issued from Marine Headquarters had also reached the four seas, spreading across the entire world.
-Cocoyasi Village-
"Goodness, is this real? Is this really the captain's very first bounty?"
"His very first bounty is already so much higher than Arlong."
"This is terrifying. Could it be because of captain Nezumi?"
"It must be so. The Marines are taking revenge!"
Anger filled the hearts of Nojiko, Genzo, and the rest of the villagers as they watched the wanted posters flutter down from the sky.
It was painfully obvious to them that the Marines were seeking intentional revenge.
Such an absurdly high bounty would invite endless danger for a crew consisting of only two people, Lius and Nami.
It was just like the young Nico Robin from the original story.
They would have to guard against the greed of everyone around them while simultaneously enduring relentless pursuit from the Marines.
..
….
Meanwhile, the eyes of every other pirate in East Blue practically bulged out of their sockets.
"It's him? That Lius!"
At the Marine base in Weiker Town, the eyes of the lieutenant who had once received Lius nearly popped out of his head.
He suddenly recalled the words Lius had spoken back then about soon becoming famous throughout East Blue.
Looking at it now, it wasn't because he killed the fish-man Arlong.
It was because he had received a massive bounty from the Marines!
Regardless, this single wanted poster threw the entirety of East Blue into utter madness.
73 million beli. That was three million beli higher than Fire Fist Ace's 70 million beli, making him the highest in East Blue in one fell swoop.
The other pirates immediately sought to track Lius down.
However, they quickly discovered that they knew absolutely nothing about the teenager aside from his name and photograph.
They had no clue why he had received such an astronomical bounty in the first place.
In truth, let alone the pirates, very few people even within the Marines knew that this was a wanted criminal who had personally caught the attention of Vice Admiral Garp.