Since East Blue has been cleaned up too many times, its average bounty is only three million Berry.
A bounty of three million Berry means that the wanted criminal doesn't have any particularly special abilities. At most, they might have slightly more strength than usual, but most of their combat power relies on external tools—typically just cannons or armor.
Their bodies have not undergone much training, and they don't possess particularly strong techniques. As long as there is an opportunity, even an ordinary soldier could take them down with a single gunshot. Against enemies like these, sheer numbers often prove highly effective.
This is the type of enemy that East Blue's Marines most commonly face. Forget about bounties exceeding a hundred million—even pirates with bounties over ten million warrant careful consideration before engaging. Otherwise, Krieg wouldn't have been able to run rampant in East Blue for so long.
470 million and 350 million—these two bounties surpass East Blue's average by more than a hundredfold. Unless they're equipped with something like the Seraphim, which is still in the experimental phase, conventional weapons have long since lost their effectiveness.
"What's with all this panic? Are you scared already? I'll have you exiled to some deserted island when we get back!"
Looking at the fallen soldier, Nelson's fat face twisted with a hint of disdain.
"As a member of Nelson's fleet, how could you… how could you…"
Bang!
Nelson tumbled from his seat. His overly massive belly caused him to lose his balance, leaving him unable to get up for a moment.
Just then, the bounty posters that had fallen onto the deck were lifted by the sea breeze. From the corner of his eye, Nelson caught sight of the numbers on Ulti and Page One's wanted posters. The nine-digit figures completely choked his words.
Struggling to move his massive body across the deck, Nelson finally managed to grab hold of the two bounty posters.
"One, ten, hundred…hundred million…"
His layers of fat quivered, sweat poured down his face, and a puddle of liquid quickly formed beneath him. Judging by the amount, it wasn't just sweat—there were plenty of other fluids mixed in.
"Ugh…disgusting. Pay-tan, you handle this guy. The Marines in this place are just a bunch of useless trash."
"Weren't you all excited just now? How come you don't want to fight anymore?"
"I'm a girl, okay? Could you really bear to make your adorable sis deal with something this gross?"
"Yes, I could. And besides, I don't think you actually care about that kind of thing."
Ulti, who primarily fought in close combat, was frequently covered in blood. At times like those, she never seemed to mind. Moreover, Page One had long since built an immunity to Ulti's attempts at acting spoiled—her speaking like this had no effect on him.
Just then, Nelson suddenly started laughing like a madman, leaving Ulti and Page One utterly bewildered.
"Pay-tan, it's all your fault! You've scared this guy senseless."
"No, I think Sister, it's actually because of your hammer..."
"Hahaha! You pirates are done for! You guys are finished!
You have no idea what you're about to face!"
In that instant, Nelson felt like he had realized something—this had to be a scheme by Marine Headquarters. The reason Admiral Aokiji was here must be to capture these pirates with bounties exceeding a hundred million.
Only pirates of this level would warrant the intervention of an Admiral. That perfectly explained why Aokiji had appeared here.
Yes, even now, Nelson still believed that the frozen sea was the result of Kuzan's Ice Age, rather than Yamato's Glaciate.
Since Yamato had rarely used this move in past battles, Nelson, who lacked understanding of the pirates of New World, instinctively attributed it to Kuzan's ability.
"You'll all be spending the rest of your lives in Impel Down! My promotion is just around the corner! Hahaha!"
In this brief moment, gripped by fear, Nelson convinced himself that he had found hope. If this was Kuzan's plan, then with Kuzan's personality, there was no way he would abandon him, the bait.
Since he had successfully lured in the enemy, he was sure to get promoted. Those Millennial Dragons probably wouldn't escape either. That meant both the dragon bones and new status would soon be within his grasp.
"He really has lost it... Are East Blue's Marines this easy to scare?"
Ulti rotated her wrist and raised her hammer. She had no interest in fighting such a weird opponent, but seeing Nelson laughing so arrogantly right in front of her made her even more annoyed.
However, before she could throw her hammer, Nelson was struck by another attack.
Boom!
With a deafening crash, the spot where Nelson stood was blasted into a massive hole. The entire warship was pierced through by the impact, then Ferren appeared before them.
Until the moment of his death, Nelson never accepted reality. He remained lost in his beautiful fantasy, dreaming of immortality, promotion, and wealth.
"Sorry to interrupt, but Lost Island is about to appear. So, I took care of this nuisance—hope you don't mind?"
"No problem, no problem. It's better that you got rid of that filthy ba*tard. Pay-tan, go check down there… Just thinking about it is disgusting."
Blood dripped from Ferren's feet, but it was clearly not his own. Since his true form was that of a Millennial Dragon, Ferren had no interest in human clothing. His attack pierced straight through the deck, not to mention Nelson, whose body had never undergone any training.
Judging from the bloody claw marks Ferren left behind, it wasn't hard to imagine what the area below the deck looked like.
"I don't want to look either… Might as well just blow it up."
BOOM!
The ammunition depot on Nelson's flagship ignited in flames, triggering a massive explosion. The catastrophic blast obliterated the ship and crushed the morale of the remaining Marines on the nearby warships. Faced with an aerial assault from the Millennial Dragons, the surviving Marines began fleeing across the ice.
Ulti and Page One had no interest in pursuing them. Enemies like these didn't excite them in the slightest, and besides, their mission wasn't to annihilate the Marines.
Where these Marines ended up running was their own problem. The entire 8th Branch had mobilized for the hunt of the Millennial Dragon, yet Ulti and Page One destroyed their fleet's line of defense in just a few minutes.
With their commanding officer, Nelson, instantly killed, no one had the chance to issue effective orders. As a result, the remaining Marines had no idea what was really happening in these waters.
If they wanted to send out information, they'd first have to escape to safety. Right now, even if they had a Den Den Mushi, reporting was the last thing on their minds—after all, there was still a deadly threat looming in the sky.
The Millennial Dragons in the sky had no intention of letting them off so easily. They continued their assault, sharp stone blades forming in their mouths before being launched as lethal projectiles.
After chasing the Marines for a while, the Millennial Dragons came back. But, instead of landing, they circled in the sky, with Ferren joining their formation, waiting for Lost Island to emerge.
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