CHAPTER 85

Three Days Later —

As the news of Enies Lobby's destruction swept across the seas, the Straw Hat Pirates instantly rose to supernova-level infamy, stirring even the distant New World.

With his bounty soaring to 300 million Berries, Luffy instantly became the top rookie, shocking countless pirates.

"Captain Red-Hair! The News Coo's arrived! Should we grab a paper? Might be good to see Luffy's new bounty!"

On a remote island beach, a bonfire crackled.

Lucky Roux, spotting the News Coo flying overhead, called out with excitement.

A week ago, they'd already caught wind of the Enies Lobby incident.

But compared to rumors, nothing matched seeing it published in black and white on the front page.

"Heh, sure—get one," Shanks said, downing a mouthful of liquor. "We've been in the Calm Belt for a while now, cut off from the world. Let's see just how much of a stir Luffy caused."

"To bring down the Enies Lobby—an institution untouched for 800 years—and even defeat CP9... Luffy's grown fast."

"Alright, boys! Let's take guesses—whoever gets the closest to his bounty gets this fine bottle of sake!"

"I'll go first—300 million Berries!" someone shouted.

Shanks chuckled and casually tossed the prized sake onto the sand, instantly riling everyone up.

Lucky Roux eagerly ran to negotiate with the News Coo.

Being in the Calm Belt meant no wind for sailing and teeming with Sea Kings. Even Den Den Mushi communication was disrupted.

For Amazon Lily and other places in the belt, the News Coo was the only reliable source of global updates.

"Hey, Beckman—you're our strategist," Yasopp grinned. "Shouldn't you be able to outguess even the captain?"

Everyone turned toward Ben Beckman, who took a drag from his cigar before exhaling slowly.

"Captain… maybe we shouldn't have sent Lucky. Don't forget—his jinx of a mouth usually hits the mark."

"Jinx?" several of them echoed, confused.

"You mean back on Whitebeard's turf? When the captain mentioned he was looking forward to seeing Luffy clash with the Navy's new admiral?" Yasopp said.

"And Lucky said he hoped for bloodshed..." another added.

Even Shanks paused, a rare flicker of concern crossing his face.

Everyone instinctively turned to Lucky Roux—whose sheepish face confirmed their worst fear.

"Lucky! Hurry up and bring the paper over! Don't tell me your jinx worked again!" Yasopp shouted, anxiety clear in his voice.

After all, his son was aboard that ship.

With a bitter expression, Lucky Roux handed over the paper.

"It was just a joke, alright? I didn't think Luffy would have such rotten luck…"

"The paper does have their updated bounties… and the news about Enies Lobby…"

"But... the rest, you'd better see for yourselves."

Everyone's attention snapped to the front page.

The Straw Hat Pirates—who should have had the spotlight—were pushed to a corner.

Dominating the headline instead was an image of a scorched, cratered dockyard.

"Marine vs Pirate Supernovas!""No sparks—only blood!""Supernova Pirate slain on the spot!""Flying Six member obliterated by new Admiral Taiote Luo Yu!""Other Supernovas escape in chaos!"

Large, bold black characters screamed across the page.

Even worse, there were photographs—provided by Luo Yu himself—showing him reporting in for his bounty claim.

The sight of Luffy and the others, beaten and bloodied, in the photos left the once-cheerful camp frozen in dead silence.

Could it be... had their captain wagered his arm on the wrong era?

Elsewhere—just beyond the Sabaody Archipelago:

A navy warship sliced through the waves.

At its bow, Luo Yu stood, sipping cheap liquor and munching on steamed buns. A Den Den Mushi sat beside him, currently connected.

"Luo Yu, have you lost your mind? It's been three days and you still haven't brought that Flying Six member back!"

"Don't tell me you're really using a cripple as bait to lure out Jack the Drought for another bonus!"

Vice Admiral Garp's voice shouted from the snail's receiver.

"You've gone completely off the rails—but damn it, I love it!" he burst into hearty laughter.

"I've had enough of the Beasts Pirates anyway!"

The marines aboard the ship all twitched nervously.

After all, the Four Emperors were nightmare incarnate for most. Even navy officers avoided direct confrontation unless absolutely necessary.

But now here was someone baiting one of them on purpose.

Even the heavily wounded Flying Six member, only recently recovered thanks to his Ancient Zoan vitality, almost coughed up blood at what he was hearing.

He'd thought being a pirate meant either glory or death—not becoming bait for a navy admiral's side hustle!

Worse, this Luo Yu didn't even measure worth by bounty amount—only by bonus pay.

If not for the Seastone cuffs shackling him and the ropes tying him like a dumpling to the mast, he might've tried to kill himself from shame.

"Fifty million in performance bonus, Garp. You telling me that's not worth it?" Luo Yu said calmly, taking another sip.

"Just keep this from Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and your rice crackers are on me."

"Anyway—has Marine HQ found CP9's location yet? If not, I'll have to get creative…"

"Get creative?!" Garp choked, then shouted. "You're not planning to hit the underground intelligence taverns again, are you?!"

"Last time you did that, you pissed off the whole Beasts Pirates crew!"

"You keep this up, we'll be picking a fight with every Yonko! Sengoku's going to have a heart attack!"

"Just give it some time! HQ's intelligence division isn't as useless as you think. We'll find CP9's hideout in the Sabaody area soon."

"Don't hang up! I'll even give you my personal line if it stops you from doing something crazy again!"