Location: Red Blade – Two Days Later, Open Ocean
Veron was left alive—intentionally.
Because by letting him crawl back to the bounty network, Shanks and Benn knew what would come next.
Makino stared at the new bounty notice, stunned.
The World Government hadn't released it publicly—but the underground?
Every major black market and underworld group had received the new bounty posters:
📜 Underground Bounty Updates – Distributed via Cipher Shadows
"Red-Haired" Shanks – Bounty: 1,004,000,000 Berries
"Confirmed relic interaction. Considered Level 1 Threat."
Ankit "Twin Blade" – Bounty: 340,000,000 Berries (NEW)
"Unknown origin. Systematic sword user. Associated with Stormmark protocols. Capturing unit to remain discreet. Termination NOT authorized."
Benn Beckman – Bounty: 850,000,000 Berries
Makino (First Officer) – Bounty: 410,000,000 Berries
The paper trembled in Makino's hands.
"They're hiding the poster from the public. They want to keep Ankit's existence off the radar—for now."
Benn nodded. "Because if the world sees this, they'll start asking questions. About relics. About Stormmarks. About what Ankit is."
Elsewhere – In Mary Geoise
In the shadowed halls of the Celestial Dragons, five men stood before a burning table.
The Five Elders.
One of them—bald, with a blade across his lap—spoke first.
"It's him. The echo from Oureval's ruins. The bearer of the twin blades."
Another Elder stared coldly at the bounty note.
"Suppress the public version. For now. If we move too quickly… we may awaken more Stormmarked."
The third whispered, "And what of Shanks?"
Silence.
Then—
"Let them run. Let the world see their storm. Then we strike it down."
Back on the Ship
Ankit stared at the waves, poster crumpled in hand.
"340 million," he muttered. "Feels like a price on something I haven't even become yet."
Shanks leaned beside him. "It's not a bounty on you. It's a bounty on what they think you might be."
He smiled.
"Which means they're scared. And when the world government gets scared… it starts making mistakes."
Ankit smiled faintly.
"Good. Let's be the reason they stay afraid."