"Six billion Berries?!"
Gion nearly had a heart attack when she saw the new bounty poster. Rhett Vane's latest bounty wasn't just staggering—it was historic.
Seagulls had recently started delivering newspapers to the waters of Wano, allowing the people there to catch up with news from the outside world. And just three days after Vane returned from Mariejois, the World Governnt dropped a bombshell.
It was the highest bounty the world had ever seen.
Gion stared at the man calmly dozing in the grass. How could he sleep so soundly with the weight of a six-billion bounty over his head?
"Hey," she muttered, stepping closer. "Take a look. That's the price on your head now."
Vane lazily opened one eye, glancing at the poster.
"Six billion?" he asked casually.
"Yeah," Gion replied, still stunned.
"Alright," he said, as if it were pocket change.
To him, that number ant nothing. The World Governnt's bounty system was more a warning label for the weak than a true asure of power. At Vane's level, it had no impact.
Just a number.
Once, the highest bounty had belonged to Gol D. Roger—5.5 billion. But now, Vane held the record. If bounties had been given to the dead, Roger's might've reached ten billion. Before the Age of Pirates began, Roger could've been called a good man. But after the new era dawned, he beca a symbol of chaos.
That era, one built on dreams and destruction, had claid too many lives. No amount of whitewashing could cleanse its sins. Still, Vane believed Roger's true goal was to expose the world's hidden truths—perhaps even the lost history of the Void Century. Roger had visited Fish-Man Island, and that's when he realized he wasn't the one the prophecy spoke of.
Poseidon hadn't yet been born, and the forces at play were far beyond what one man could oppose.
He had overestimated humanity's heart. Pirates rarely made good people.
Now, Vane stood as the youngest Yonko. His six-billion bounty was clearly a punishnt for his assault on the Celestial Dragons.
Red-Haired Shanks had once held the record for youngest Emperor, but he had aged past forty now. His strength, though, was undeniable—an Emperor with no Devil Fruit, just sheer force of will and unmatched swordsmanship.
The Roger Pirates hadn't relied on abilities either. Their power ca from fists, blades, and Haki—true mastery of combat.
The sa could be said for Shanks' crew.
And here Vane was, not even sixteen yet—five months away. A redhead like Shanks. The youngest Emperor.
He had nothing to do lately. No one dared challenge him, and so long as he kept quiet, he could rest. Wano had grown peaceful. The country, sitting high atop sheer cliffs and waterfalls, was nearly inaccessible. Only a few could even attempt to reach it.
And those who did?
Well, Vane was happy to feed them to the sea.
But Wano was changing. While renowned for its samurai and strength, it couldn't compare to economically advanced countries like Dressrosa. Outside of the Flower Capital, people still starved.
That had to change.
Vane would rebuild the country from the inside out. Anyone who resisted would be cut down. And those who did resist were, unsurprisingly, the nobles—whose wealth and comfort had relied on corruption.
In Orochi's day, they simply bribed the shogun to maintain their lifestyles.
But Vane didn't care for bribes, gold, silver, or even the purest of won offered to him in desperation. He'd already seized the estates of five major noble families and distributed their riches to the starving. The people supported him, but Vane didn't believe in charity. He understood human nature: give soone a hundred Berries, and they call you a savior. Give them a thousand, and suddenly they want your head.
Another clear morning dawned over the rising cliffs of Wano.
The sun had barely risen when a massive shadow fell over the land.
Dozens of islands floated in the sky above. At their center lood one far larger than the rest.
A floating island.
There was only one man in the world capable of this.
The Golden Lion—Shiki.
"Oi! Kid! Why haven't you called yet?" Shiki's voice bood from the heavens as he descended, landing with a tallic scrape—the swords he used as legs clanging against the earth.
"Golden Lion?!" Gion's expression darkened as she leapt in front of Vane on instinct, ready to shield him. "Damn it… I forgot my sword!"
But then she rembered—Vane and Shiki weren't enemies.
"Heh… I rember you," Shiki chuckled, squinting at her. "You're Tsuru's little sister, aren't you?"
Tsuru, a legendary marine woman—once famous for both her strength and beauty. Now aging, but still formidable.
"Gion, he's not an enemy," Vane said calmly, sitting up and pulling her down beside him.
"Golden Lion. Sit."
He pointed to the grass before him, and Shiki obeyed, crossing his legs like an old friend.
From the sky descended two large wooden bowls and a massive jug of sake.
n didn't drink from cups. Bowls were the sign of warriors. And vats? Those were for legends.
The bowls hovered, suspended in the air. The jug popped open and poured generous amounts for both n.
"Golden Lion, my captain doesn't drink!" Gion snapped, clearly irritated.
"Hah! If a man doesn't drink, is he even a man?" Shiki laughed heartily. "Roger, Whitebeard, even those brats—Shanks and Kaido—they all drank. The strongest n do. If you don't drink, you've got no business calling yourself a man!" Thɪs chapter is updated by noⅴelfire
To Shiki, Shanks and Kaido were still just upstarts.
"Stuff your nonsense, you old drunk!" Gion growled, fists clenched. She wanted nothing more than to punt the relic off the cliff.
But Shiki just kept laughing.
To him, won were obstacles on the path to power. Roger had been his only equal, his lifelong rival and obsession. After Roger's execution, Shiki had stord Marineford in rage and sorrow. Even after his escape from Impel Down, revenge still fueled his every move.
Vane downed his sake.
"Well?" Shiki grinned. "That's one of the finest brews in the New World. What do you think?"
"Not bad," Vane said coolly. He wasn't a fan of alcohol, but it would've been rude to decline.
"So," he said, glancing sideways, "what brings you here, old man?"
Shiki smirked, leaning forward.
"Thought it was ti we had a little chat."
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