CHAPTER 31

Ochoku raised his brows slightly, looking at the bounty amount in his hand with some surprise. "Ayr... It seems this guy has finally drawn Marine's attention. His bounty just skyrocketed!"

"A bounty? Let me see."

From a short distance, Golden Lion noticed the reward poster in Ochoku's hand and quickly snatched it away.

"Hey, Shiki, you bastard!" Ochoku snarled, irritated by the Golden Lion's sudden move.

But Golden Lion paid no mind, his sharp gaze locked on the freshly printed bounty poster.

"Ayr's bounty… 450 million berries?!?"

Before, Ayr's bounty had only been a mere 100 million.

Now, after his clash with Garp, his value in Marine's eyes had jumped by 350 million, soaring to 450 million berries!

Logically, Garp's current rank was only that of a Marine Colonel. But for defeating him to have resulted in such a massive bounty hike… even Golden Lion was caught off guard.

"450 million berries? It looks like the Marines have finally realized how terrifying Ayr's talent is." Whitebeard suddenly appeared beside Golden Lion, his deep voice rumbling.

When Ayr first joined the Rocks Pirates, his abilities were impressive, but not enough to shake the world. He had unleashed powerful techniques reminiscent of ninjutsu, using something akin to a Tailed Beast Bomb, which had caught the attention of many on the crew.

But back then, his strength was only at the level of a regular crew member.

Yet in just two days, Ayr had climbed the ranks at a terrifying pace—awakening Sage-like physical resilience, improving his swordsmanship, and mastering both Armament and Observation Haki.

He even seemed to wield an ability akin to Rasengan, a powerful compressed force attack capable of tearing through opponents.

With such monstrous growth, Ayr had ascended to the strength of a true cadre-level fighter in record time!

Even battle-hardened legends like Whitebeard and Golden Lion had to acknowledge this unnatural rate of development.

"The brat refused my invitation when he first joined, and now I see why. His potential is beyond anything we could've taught him." Charlotte Linlin, lounging on the ship's railing, let out a small, amused chuckle.

She prided herself on her monstrous physique, having skin tougher than steel.

But even she had to admit—Ayr's talent might surpass her own.

"It's a damn shame… If only I could make him one of my men," Golden Lion mused, his lips curling into a smirk.

But he knew the truth—Ayr was not someone who could be controlled or swayed.

"Forget it, Shiki," Charlotte Linlin interrupted. "What you should be worried about is whether we'll all be left in his dust someday."

No one knew how far Ayr would go, nor how quickly he'd surpass them.

Hearing Charlotte Linlin's words, Golden Lion didn't argue. Instead, his expression darkened with thought.

"What's the big deal about a mere 450 million berries bounty?"

Silver Axe stepped forward, crossing his arms, his voice cold.

…Idiot.

Golden Lion barely spared him a glance. The others simply rolled their eyes.

What was this fool rambling about?

Ayr had gone from 100 million to 450 million berries in less than a week.

Had Silver Axe ever done something like that? No.

But it was true—compared to the top bounties in the crew, 450 million was still low.

Rocks D. Xebec: 3.2 billion berries

Whitebeard: 1.7 billion berries

Golden Lion: 1.6 billion berries

Charlotte Linlin: 1.45 billion berries

Ochoku: 1.03 billion berries

Captain John: 950 million berries

Silver Axe: 900 million berries

Even Silver Axe, whom no one took seriously, had a bounty twice as high as Ayr's.

But given how fast Ayr was climbing, it was only a matter of when, not if, he surpassed them.

---

A Few Months Later…

The Rocks Pirates continued their operations as usual. The seas were quiet. Too quiet.

But today was different. Today, Rocks D. Xebec had gathered the entire crew for a meeting.

On the massive ship's deck, pirates of all ranks sat together. At the bow, Rocks himself stood tall, his overwhelming presence making the air heavy.

His piercing gaze scanned the crew before he finally spoke.

"I think you all remember why you joined this crew in the first place."

He grinned, voice echoing across the deck.

"That's right… Power! Wealth! Conquest!"

"And now, I have a plan that will bring us the greatest riches of all. Something I know you all will love."

His grin widened.

"We're going to attack the World Government's allied nations!"

Silence.

For a second, no one moved.

Then the murmurs began.

"Attacking the allied nations?!?"

"This will make us enemies of the World Government itself!"

"If we do this, the full force of the Marines will be after us!"

"I don't know about this…."

Many lower-ranking crew members voiced their concerns.

But the veteran commanders of the Rocks crew? They barely reacted.

"Hah! 'Offend the World Government'? You fools, we've already done that!" Golden Lion took a long drag from his cigar, exhaling smoke.

Charlotte Linlin scoffed. "Do you honestly think we'd get to the top without taking risks?"

"If you wanted an easy life, you should've joined the Whitebeard Pirates," Ochoku sneered. "Or maybe Marineford, if you like being on a leash."

Some crew members gulped.

They knew the truth.

Attacking the allied nations would put a massive target on their backs.

But at the same time… the rewards would be immense.

And for Rocks D. Xebec, conquering the world meant taking what he wanted—by force.

The war against the World Government was about to begin.

And Ayr… whether he liked it or not, would be at the center of history itself.

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