Part 11 - Sanji 2/21

"What the hell is all this commotion about?" Sanji asked as he descended the stairs.

"See for yourself, damn snot-nosed brat," came the usual, hoarse, disgruntled voice of old man Zeff.

The crowd around the table parted, allowing Sanji to walk over to the old man and take the newspaper that was handed to him. Sanji accepted the paper with some trepidation. He was not fond of the old man's satisfied grin; such a grin never boded well for him. However, Sanji had no idea how news in the world's largest newspaper could be directly related to him. Nevertheless, the mystery was quickly solved as soon as he read the headline on the front page:

** "Pirate Slayers" Raised Pirate Flag! **

Under the glaring headline, the newspaper editors had placed a photograph of a small caravel with black sails depicting a skull and crossbones and a straw hat. A Straw Hat! Sanji immediately got engrossed in the article.

Most of what was written did not interest him much. The newspaper detailed everything that the 'Pirate Slayers' had done during their existence, but Sanji already knew this with much more detail. However, the paper discussed when they first came into the spotlight, how they formed, the composition of their group, and who had made their mark when and how. The article also devoted a lot of space to describing the changes that had occurred in the East Blue with the emergence of this pirate-hunting group, which had long become famous worldwide. And, accordingly, what changes might occur now that these famous pirate hunters had become pirates themselves.

"Although, as recent practice has shown, the newly raised skull and crossbones on their matte black sails has had no effect on their attitude towards other pirates," wrote Riord Draf, the journalist responsible for the article, who had gained considerable fame over the past year by constantly writing about the 'Pirate Slayers'. — "The first thing the newly minted pirates did after raising their flag was to eliminate the last pirate stronghold in the East Blue. We're talking about the Arlong gang, the only fish-men pirates in the East Blue, who, as it turns out, were quite 'living and thriving.' For eight long years, they had drained the lifeblood of the residents of an entire archipelago. However, that is all in the past: the 'Pirate Slayers' eradicated the Arlong gang completely. According to Purin-Purin, — one of the three captains of the Marine brigade assigned to investigate this undoubtedly highly publicized case, — they were unable to find the bodies of only three fish-men. However, according to eyewitnesses, all three were at least mortally wounded, so even if their bodies fell into the water and were carried away by underwater currents, their chances of survival are virtually zero. Thus, it can be stated with full confidence that the Arlong gang has ceased to exist. Unfortunately, on that day, not only the Arlong gang ceased to exist…"

The article then moved on to Captain Nezumi, an officer who had been responsible for the sixteenth division of the Marine branch just a few days ago. The journalist first described how he had witnessed the 'completely ruthless massacre of the Marines carried out by the merciless 'Pirate SlayerRoronoa Zoro.' All of the journalist's words were backed up with corresponding photographs, though taken from a considerable distance, leaving no doubt that everything had happened as described. However, after Riord Draf had thoroughly savored the details of the 'ruthless massacre of the Marines,' he began to speculate on why the 'Pirate Slayer' had decided to carry out the mentioned 'ruthless massacre.' This led to some quite curious details.

For instance, it was first revealed that all the islands that had been under the Arlong gang's oppression for eight years also fell under the jurisdiction of the unfortunate Captain Nezumi and his men. The journalist then told readers that Arlong had previously been part of another pirate crew. He was one of the officers of the so-called "Sun Pirates" led by the now-deceased fish-man Fisher Tiger. Furthermore, the same crew included the world-famous Jinbei, now a Shichibukai serving the World Government. The journalist raised the question: could the ignoring of Arlong's actions be related to Jinbei's Shichibukai status? However, as soon as this question was posed to readers, the text immediately returned to Nezumi and his men, who clearly lived extravagantly. The captain and his team's expenses far exceeded their official means. How was this possible? In response to this question, the Marine command promptly assured readers that they "would thoroughly investigate and punish any guilty parties, if any are found, to the fullest extent of the law." The journalist added, "and if they are still alive."

The article ended there, but the next few pages were arguably the most significant in the current issue. They featured wanted posters for the "Pirate Slayers." Usually, bounty flyers came separately with the newspaper — and there were also those — but given the importance of the event, the newspaper editors apparently felt it appropriate to include the posters directly in the newspaper. The first one, for obvious reasons, was the wanted poster for "Pirate Slayer" Roronoa Zoro, the captain of the newly formed pirate crew. The photograph used for the wanted poster was taken early in the morning, against the backdrop of the rising sun and the partially sunken but still smoking remains of a ship. A black bandana on his head, a dark green cloak with its upper part removed, revealing the swordsman's muscular torso and a huge scar running diagonally from his left shoulder to his right thigh. Two black katanas in his hands and one white one in a scabbard on his belt. And, as a final touch, a mountain of corpses under the former hunter's feet, upon which he stood. A perfect poster for someone with the nickname "Pirate Slayer," as the dead bodies beneath him undoubtedly belonged to pirates — confirmed by the tattoos on a couple of the corpses. However, even such a photograph could not distract from the glaring numbers and words below it:

 WANTED

 DEAD OR ALIVE

 RORONOA ZORO

 100.000.000

And although Sanji considered such a bounty completely justified and well-deserved, he almost choked on his cigarette when he saw it. One hundred million was no joke. One hundred million was a milestone. Among bounties, there were several milestones, but the first one was always considered to be the bounty equal to or exceeding one hundred million Berries. Such a bounty indicated that its owner possessed a formidable power and, most importantly, had the potential to become even more dangerous over time. To put it in perspective, a pirate with a bounty of ninety-nine million could be far less dangerous than a pirate with a bounty of one hundred million.

As mentioned, one hundred million is a milestone. Some pirates who reached ninety million might spend their entire lives without surpassing the one hundred million mark. It didn't matter how many cities and villages they plundered, how many ships they sank, or how many people they killed; their bounty would not increase. Captains with bounties equal to or exceeding one hundred million would see their bounties grow with their actions, whereas others would not. This was because such pirates and their crews didn't have the potential to become truly dangerous in the future. Typically, crews led by such captains ended up either in prison, on the executioner's block, or falling victim to other pirate crews. Nonetheless, ninety million was a substantial bounty that the Marine Admirals couldn't simply ignore, nor could other pirates dismiss such competitors.

The next milestone after one hundred million was a bounty exceeding three hundred million. However, reaching from one hundred million to three hundred million was not as challenging as increasing one's bounty beyond the coveted three hundred million. Bounties over three hundred million were reserved for elite pirates, those who could inspire future generations of pirates. In other words, the "Elite." Another notable threshold was five hundred million. Pirates with bounties at this level were living legends, leaving their mark on history. Of course, these "marks" were not always about something grand, but one could definitely say that such individuals would not be forgotten easily. Five hundred million and above indicated potential Yonko and Pirate Kings, or more precisely, pirates with the greatest chance of obtaining such titles. This was known as the "Elite of the Elite" or, if one could say, "Pirate Aristocracy." A billion Berries and beyond was not just potential but the level of the strongest active Yonko generals—"Rulers" or even "Kings" of the New World.