Ron turned around and saw Kaido rushing over from the street corner like a gust of wind, one hand carrying his spiked club and the other clutching a pale yellow sheet of paper.
“Your wanted poster?” Ron glanced at the familiar format and asked casually.
“No, it’s yours.” Kaido’s expression was complex—a mix of envy and jealousy—before he lowered his voice and asked, “Guess how much?”
Ron pondered.
Previously, his bounty hadn’t reached the hundred million mark.
Now that it had been updated, the main reason was likely due to the robbery of the ‘Heavenly Tribute.’
Beside them, Annika blinked and cautiously raised her hand.
“Lord Kaido, may I guess?”
Kaido glanced at her, his tone indifferent.
“Go ahead.”
With permission granted, Annika immediately began counting on her fingers, quickly estimating in her mind.
She remembered Shakky once telling her that on these seas, a bounty exceeding one hundred million Belly already qualified someone as a major pirate.
But Lord Ron… was just a trainee.
In Annika’s understanding, trainees in pirate crews were generally weaker, often relegated to menial tasks and errands.
No matter how capable he was, how capable could he really be?
“Twenty million Belly?” Annika said with a serious expression.
She had actually wanted to say ten million, but on second thought, it was better to overestimate than underestimate.
How awkward would it be if she guessed too low?
Kaido’s expression instantly froze.
He stared at Annika in disbelief, his mouth slightly opening, closing, then opening again.
Was she serious with that earnest look?
Annika blinked, startled by Kaido’s reaction, her voice growing quieter.
“Wh-what’s wrong?
Did I guess correctly?”
Kaido took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
He finally understood—this woman was purely here to cause trouble.
Twenty million Belly?
What kind of amateur would come up with such an absurd number?
When he was fifteen, his bounty was already seventy million Belly.
“You guessed quite accurately,” Kaido said expressionlessly.
“But… don’t guess next time.”
Annika’s eyes lit up, and she blurted out, “Was I close?
Could it be nineteen million Belly?”
Kaido’s lips twitched.
Suddenly losing his calm tone, he straightened his face and said word by word, “Stop guessing.
Guess again and I’ll kill you.”
Annika immediately covered her mouth, not daring to speak another word.
“Heh heh…” Ron chuckled softly beside them and casually said, “No more guessing.
Just announce it already.”
Kaido didn’t say it outright.
Instead, he unfolded the wanted poster in front of Ron.
Curious, Annika leaned her head over and read the words on the poster one by one: “Member of the Rocks Pirates… Ron… Alias ‘Devil Butcher’… Bounty… ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, millions, ten millions, hundred millions…”
Her voice grew slower and quieter.
“One… billion?”
She rubbed her eyes, thinking she had misread it.
“Uh… one point five billion Belly?”
Annika stood frozen, her mouth slightly agape and her eyes wide open.
Not fifteen million, not one hundred and fifty million, but one point five billion!!
It’s one point five billion!!
Annika’s mind raced at that moment.
That senior in her eyes, ‘Shakky,’ who was so powerful she couldn’t even imagine, capable of roaming the seas single-handedly, had a bounty of only around seven hundred million.
And the man standing before her, this man who was merely an “apprentice,” had a bounty more than double Shakky’s.
Then what about the full-fledged members?
What about the captain?
Annika didn’t dare to think further.
She slowly raised her head to look at Ron, only to find his expression eerily calm.
Suddenly, Annika remembered a very important piece of information.
She had once curiously asked Shakky: Which is the strongest pirate crew on these seas?
Shakky’s answer was: Currently, the most feared on the seas is the Rocks Pirates.
‘Just an apprentice alone can have a bounty of 1.5 billion Belly.
This Rocks Pirates is truly terrifying.’
‘Shakky said back then that the people of the Rocks Pirates are all ambitious, crazy, and capable of any evil.
But now, it seems that’s not entirely true either.’
Thinking of this, Annika’s mood suddenly became complicated.
She was now “kidnapped” by the Rocks Pirates.
With the strength of the Kuja Pirates…
they simply couldn’t save her.
Just as Annika’s thoughts were swirling, Ron had already put away the wanted poster.
He turned his head to look at Kaido: “Huh?
You seem quite dissatisfied, Kaido.”
Kaido was like a deflated balloon, his shoulders slumping, his tone carrying a hint of sourness: “Those Marines really have no eye…
I participated too, so why hasn’t my bounty moved at all?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard Ron casually add: “Isn’t it just a bounty?
I have a way to make yours go up.”
Ron smiled and walked forward.
Kaido was stunned for a moment, then followed with keen interest: “Really?
What way?”
“Solo the Holy Land Mary Geoise,” Ron said with a serious tone.
“Walk out alive, and your bounty will definitely increase.”
“Go to hell.
How is that any different from telling me to go die?” Kaido shouted loudly.
“Never mind that, just tell me if my method works or not,” Ron continued.
“It works, it works perfectly, but you go do it first.”
“I don’t need my bounty to increase.”
After wandering around the town all morning, when Ron stepped back onto the deck of the vice-captain’s ship, he saw a familiar figure sitting there, but one he wasn’t too keen on seeing.
Wang Zhi.
Yes, that guy Wang Zhi had come back.
Seeing Ron return, Wang Zhi didn’t show any extreme emotion, just sneered and cursed: “Ron, you bastard, you’ve caused me quite a bit of trouble.”
Ron glanced at him as if looking at an unsightly piece of furniture, not even bothering to acknowledge him, then turned to Annika and said: “I feel like eating chicken today, hmm…
let’s have some white cut chicken.”
“Yes, Lord Ron!” Annika responded crisply and turned to walk into the ship’s cabin.
Ron followed behind, his steps leisurely.
Kaido carried his spiked club, grumbling as he walked, “White-cut chicken?
What’s that?
Did you invent it?
Just hearing the name doesn’t sound great, Ron!”
“You don’t know shit.”
“How don’t I know?”
The two of them walked into the ship, bickering back and forth, their voices gradually fading away.
On the deck, the sea wind howled.
Wang Zhi sat on the railing, watching Ron’s retreating figure, his expression shifting several times.
Finally, he let out a few cold chuckles, “Heh heh heh,” but didn’t chase after him or do anything reckless.
Not because he didn’t want to, but because he didn’t dare.
That guy who could treat a warship like a toy and handcraft Energy Spheres—Wang Zhi knew full well he was no match for him.
“Wang Zhi,” Whitebeard suddenly spoke, his tone flat, “You’d better not do anything stupid.
Otherwise, I won’t let you off.”
Wang Zhi’s smile froze for a moment before returning to his usual carefree expression.
He tilted his head, squinting at Whitebeard, his tone tinged with a hint of disdain, “Huh?
Newgate?
Even you are on his side now?”
Before they set out, his relationship with Ron had been lukewarm at best.
How had he taken sides in just a few days?
“Mind your own business,” Whitebeard replied.
Wang Zhi fell silent for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter, “Heh heh ha ha!
You’re as unlikable as ever.”
After a pause, he tentatively asked, “But that Ron guy…
where did he pick up a mercenary?”
Whitebeard didn’t follow the script at all.
He casually replied, “If you like them, no one cares how many you pick up.”