novelhk 46. New Bounty and Zoro's Challenge
46. New Bounty and Zoro's Challenge
"absurd!"
The Warring States period suddenly stood up.
"How is this possible! You're Garp!"
"That's why I said he was terrifying."
Garp looked at Sengoku with an extremely serious expression.
"Sengoku, that kid... is even more terrifying than Roger."
The air in the ward seemed to freeze.
"Roger sought freedom and adventure. But that kid..."
Garp said, enunciating each word clearly, "He's ambitious! Incredibly ambitious! I can sense it; he wants more than just the title of Pirate King!"
"What does he want?"
Garp remained silent for a long time before finally uttering a few words: "He wants... the whole world."
Sengoku's expression changed completely.
"Just like Rocks..."
Zhan Guo slumped back into his chair, remaining silent for a long time.
Outside the window, the shouts of new recruits during their drills echoed from the training grounds of Marineford.
The sun was shining brightly, and seagulls were calling out.
But a thick gloom hung over the hearts of the Warring States period.
The East Sea... has actually given birth to such a monster.
"His bounty..." Sengoku asked in a hoarse voice.
"A bounty?" Garp scoffed. "Do you think bounties still have any meaning? Anyone who can defeat me should have a bounty of at least four billion. But even if the bounty is ten billion, what difference would it make?"
"Right now, who in the Navy can guarantee they'll take him down? Kuzan? Or Sakazuki? You're not counting on Borsalino, are you?"
"On the contrary, his subordinates are more valuable to target."
The Warring States period was speechless.
After a long while, Zhan Guo slowly got up.
"You should focus on recovering first." He walked towards the door. "This matter... I need to discuss it with the World Government."
"Warring States period," Garp called out to him.
The Warring States period has turned back.
"Be careful." Garp's eyes were extremely serious. "He's not an 'enemy' we can understand in a conventional way. He might do anything... including things we can't even imagine."
Zhan Guo gave his old friend a deep look, nodded, and left.
In the corridor, Gion leaned against the wall, clearly having overheard the entire conversation.
"Gion." Sengoku looked at her.
"I'm sorry, Sengoku-san," Gion said, head bowed. "If only I had been stronger back then..."
"It's not your fault." Sengoku patted her shoulder. "Even Garp lost... That Norton has exceeded our original expectations."
He looked out of the corridor window at the harbor, where warships were lined up in neat rows, and the cloak of justice fluttered in the wind.
"Prepare yourselves. An emergency meeting of the Navy's top brass may be held soon."
"Yes."
...
...
The sea beyond Rogge Town is adjacent to the Calm Belt and near the Inverted Mountain.
On the sea, shrouded in a gray mist, a large fleet of ships could be vaguely seen sailing slowly.
Most of the ship shadows were damaged, and some were so damaged that they could not sail and could only drift slowly with the sea breeze.
That was Norton's fleet.
In the center of the many ship shadows, a three-masted sailing ship, several times larger than the others, can be vaguely seen. A tall statue of a young girl at the bow holds a flying bird, appearing both sacred and eerie in this misty environment.
The conference hall is located on the third floor below the rudder control platform of the White Pearl.
Norton sat on the largest red velvet sofa with gold trim, while the executives, including Sanosuke, Nami, Funing, and Kuro, gathered around a huge round table, listening to Funing recount the losses from the battle.
"In summary, we now have only 27 ships left capable of continuing our voyage, and the loss of manpower has reached a staggering three hundred men!"
"And this doesn't even include the wounded!"
"And of the remaining 27 ships, some also require repairs to ensure safety!"
"King! We need a doctor now!"
Norton nodded in response to Funing's words.
"I understand. I didn't expect the situation to be worse than I thought... I have a way to find it, but I need to get into the Grand Line first," Norton said.
He remembered that there was a ship doctor from the Pirate King Roger's ship on the other side of Upside Down Mountain.
If we could bring them under our control, that would be ideal.
"It seems we can only ask everyone to hold on a little longer. If we're unlucky enough to die on the way, there's nothing we can do," Fu Ning sighed.
Unfortunately, although the White Pearl had some medical staff, they could only perform the most basic bandaging. The wounded were in all sorts of conditions, and without a professional doctor, they couldn't be treated.
Especially now, at sea. Resources are scarce.
"The best course of action now is to get into the Grand Line as soon as possible so we can make our next move," Crowe said, adjusting his glasses.
"Also, King," Kro looked at Norton, "as far as I know, the Reverse Mountain is where the currents of the four seas converge, and the sea is fierce. If we don't reinforce the ships in advance, I'm afraid many ships will break apart."
On this vast ocean, the most dangerous thing is often the ocean itself.
"Yes," Norton nodded slightly, "Furning, I'll leave the reinforcement to you."
He then looked at Crowe and instructed, "Crowe, go and check on the wounded, and write a detailed report for me so that when we find a doctor, he can understand the situation."
"Yes." Chloe nodded.
"Norton! I think we should rest here for a while! Fortifying the ship takes time, otherwise we can't ensure a safe entry into the Grand Line!" Nami tapped the table.
"Then let's do as you say." Norton stood up and stretched.
"Zep, where's the food I asked you to prepare? Is it all ready?"
"Ready? Are you ready to eat? I'll go tell the kitchen to serve the dishes." Zeff stood up, stepping on his wooden prosthetic leg.
The meeting was essentially over. Nami picked up a black cashmere coat from the hanger and draped it over Norton's shoulders. Norton swaggered out of the meeting room and walked down the corridor to the deck.
On deck, the shipwrights were repairing the bulwark and deck of the White Pearl, while some veteran shipwrights directed the pirates to work on other pirate ships.
After fighting ten naval warships, almost all the pirate ships in the fleet suffered varying degrees of damage, and there were too many places that needed repair, which was not enough for the shipwrights alone.
Fortunately, most of the work is relatively simple, and the pirates can learn it quickly with just a little instruction. And the Norton Pirates have no shortage of manpower right now.
Under Norton's orders, the entire crew of pirates, from the lowest ranks, began to operate like a massive machine, and the pirate ships of the entire fleet were being repaired at a visible speed.
Norton stepped off the White Pearl's bulwark and jumped down to the Barratier restaurant. He went straight to the largest table in the restaurant and sat down. Hearing the noise, the kitchen staff brought out the prepared dishes one by one.
Oysters, fish balls, swimming crabs, sea urchin sashimi, sandworm porridge, stir-fried crab noodles, stir-fried mutton, roasted mutton, spiced mutton...
One delicious dish after another was served to Norton!
At the service of Nami and Funing, Norton put on a napkin and began to eat.
His movements appeared slow and deliberate, yet were incredibly fast. He cut each piece of food with a knife and fork, put it into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and then swallowed it immediately!
About ten minutes later, Norton devoured all the hundreds of dishes on the table by himself!
The chefs in the kitchen rushed out, staring at Norton in shock. They'd seen competitive eaters before, but this was the first time they'd ever seen one to this extent!
Nami was stunned and reached out to lift Norton's clothes.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Norton looked at Nami.
Nami poked Norton's stomach, hitting firm muscles.
"Isn't that unfair? He's eaten so much and his stomach isn't even bloated!" Nami complained. How come this guy can eat so much and not gain weight?!
"Because it's already digested." Norton removed Nami's hand, and Fu Ning helped wipe the sauce from the corner of her mouth.
The battle with Garp had taken a toll on Norton's stamina, which is why he had the sea restaurant prepare so much food this time, as he hadn't had a large meal in a long time.
The food he ate was digested and broken down into energy immediately, and all the nutrients were perfectly absorbed by Norton's body without any waste.
As for miscellaneous items...
"Um, you guys must be hungry too? Eat first, I'm going to the restroom."
Norton went into the restroom of the sea restaurant, and a newsbird flew into the restaurant.
"Coo-coo-"
"Is it a new newspaper?"
"I'll go take a look..."
Nami walked over, pulled a newspaper from the pocket on the newsbird's chest, and said with a disgruntled expression, "What?! The newspaper price has gone up again!"
She tossed a 100-bean coin into the bag in front of the newsbird.
"If the price goes up again, I won't buy it!"
The news bird scratched its head, looking aggrieved and distressed.
"So what if the newspaper goes up in price? You're so rich anyway," Zoro said from the side.
Upon hearing this, Nami became furious and grabbed Zoro by the collar: "You bastard! You still haven't paid me back the money you owe me!"
Zoro wiped the drool from his face, looking embarrassed, and said, "I'll pay you back... I'm working hard to earn money!"
Nami snorted coldly, no longer wanting to pay attention to Zoro, and sat down on a chair to the side, unfolding a newspaper to read.
Funing, Klo, Zeff and others also came over.
"Huh?!!"
Suddenly, everyone cried out in surprise.
One reward notice after another floated out from between the newspaper pages.
"Ninja" Sanosuke, bounty 1800 million Berries!
Roronoa Zoro, the "Three-Sword Style" master, has a bounty of 1900 million Berries!
"Hundred Plans" Kro, bounty 2000 million Berries!
Bucky the Joker, with a bounty of 2000 million Berries!
"Demon" Gin, bounty 1500 million Berries!
"Iron Wall" Palu, bounty 1200 million Berries!
Sam and Buzz, the "Catmen Brothers," have a bounty of 990 million Berries!
Redleg Zeff, bounty 3000 million Berries!
"Hypnotist" Zango, bounty of 1000 million Berries!
"Beast Tamer" Mochi, bounty 500 million Berries!
Kabaji the Acrobat, bounty 500 million Berries!
Sanji, nicknamed "Black Leg," has a bounty of 1000 million Berries!
"Shrimp Cannon" Paddy, bounty 800 million Berries!
Nami, the Cat Burglar, has a bounty of 800 million Berries!
Finally, there's Norton's bounty...
"Silver-haired" Norton, Bounty—
"1, 000, 000, 000."
"One billion Berries!!!"
Bounties of this caliber could only exist in the New World!
"Almost all the key members of the pirate crew are wanted." Kuro pushed up his glasses.
"Why is my bounty so low?!" Sanji scoffed. "Even that green-haired guy has a bounty of 1900 million!"
"Because this is your first time having a bounty on your head. People with no prior record usually don't have particularly high bounties. 1000 million Berries is already quite astonishing," Zeff explained.
As a veteran who had once ventured into the Grand Line for a year, this wasn't the first time he'd been wanted, which is why the bounty was a whopping 30 million.
"The bounty doesn't mean anything. Work hard, and you'll surpass me, you perverted cook!" Zoro patted Sanji on the shoulder triumphantly and looked at Sanji in the shadows.
"You're right, aren't you? A sinister ninja?"
Sanosuke snorted coldly, ignored Zoro, and turned his head away.
Sanosuke was extremely dissatisfied that Zoro wasn't included in the bounty!
"On the contrary, King has a bounty of one billion Berries! That's more than everyone else combined!" Fu Ning exclaimed.
"That's normal, after all, King defeated the hero Garp!" Zeff said.
Just then, Norton came out of the bathroom after washing his hands and happened to run into the group discussing the bounty.
"What's going on? Why is it so lively?"
"Oh! You've finally come out!" Zoro's gaze towards Norton became fervent. "Let's do it today! King... no, Norton, I challenge you!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.
"There's no way we can win, right, you green-haired guy?" Sanji stubbed out his cigarette.
"You think you can easily defeat me?" Sanosuke stood in front of Zoro, brandishing his kunai. "I didn't expect that a bounty a million Berries higher than mine could give you this kind of confidence!"
Zoro grinned and drew his sword: "What gives me confidence has never been the bounty! It's the sword in my hand! Of course I know I might fail, but I'd be unwilling to give up if I didn't try!"
When the cold glint of the blade reflected on everyone's faces, they all understood that Zoro was serious!
"Let's go up to the deck then," Norton said, not really bothered. "Consider it exercise after dinner."
But Sanosuke disagreed and blocked Zoro's path, directly confronting him.
"King! I won't let him attack you unless he defeats me!" Sasuke said coldly.
"Then you guys go first." Norton shook his head helplessly.
In his view, Sanosuke is no longer a match for Zoro.
After this battle with the Navy, Zoro's strength has undergone a transformation, and he has acquired two new weapons, making him probably the strongest person on the ship besides himself.
Moreover, Sasuke's talent is not as high as Zoro's.
As expected, in the next battle, Sanosuke was quickly defeated by Zoro!
Sanosuke was incredulous and looked deeply shocked.
But Sanosuke no longer tries to stop Zoro.
"Take this, Norton!"
After defeating Sanosuke, Zoro's confidence soared, and he drew his sword to slash at Norton! And he immediately unleashed his strongest Oni Giri!
Norton, too lazy to dodge, threw a punch, and Zoro's three swords fell onto the deck.
"This...!" Zoro was speechless; he hadn't even seen Norton's movements!
Norton patted Zoro on the shoulder: "Keep practicing, you can get even stronger."
After saying that, Norton ignored Zoro, who was frozen in place, torn between his inner turmoil, and walked into the cabin without looking back.
Sanosuke called out to him, "King!"
"What's wrong?" Norton turned around.
"I want to eat! That Devil Fruit!" Sanosuke looked up, his eyes filled with a desire to become stronger!