14

Shell Island, known for its naval presence, is often visited by pirate hunters exchanging pirate trophies for bounties. Usually, these hunters only need iconic items from the pirates—like unique muskets or swords—because after a fierce battle, the pirates' bodies often aren't intact, especially if they have Devil Fruit abilities and end up sinking into the sea.

However, today was different. For the first time, someone walked onto Shell Island carrying the actual heads of pirates. The man's arrival immediately captured everyone's attention.

"Who is that guy? He's carrying the heads of three pirates!" someone exclaimed.

"Never seen him before. A new pirate hunter, maybe?" another suggested.

"Wait, look closely! Those heads—aren't they 'Quick Blade' Muto, 'Sharpshooter' Komai, and 'Black Fist' Mike? All of them have bounties of tens of millions!" someone else shouted in shock.

The gathered pirate hunters were astounded. Hunting pirates with small bounties was one thing, but to take down pirates with tens of millions in bounties was beyond what they could imagine. And yet, this man had done it alone.

The man in the red cloud and black cloak was, of course, Ryō, now playing the role of Kakuzu. As Kakuzu, who valued money above all else, Ryō was driven to improve his proficiency by earning it—essentially, a grind-for-wealth system. And in this world full of pirates with massive bounties, it was a goldmine of opportunity.

Ryō marched into the naval branch, the aura of blood and killing following him, causing the stationed marines to tremble in fear.

"W-What do you want…!? This is a naval base…" one of them stammered.

"Hmph, these are the heads of pirates. Get me my money," Ryō commanded, tossing the severed heads at the feet of the marines.

The marines, initially stunned, quickly realized who these heads belonged to. "This… this is Muto's head! And Mike and Komai too! These pirates each have bounties of tens of millions!" one marine gasped.

The marines scrambled to gather several chests of gold coins, which they presented to Ryō.

"Sir, here is your bounty—42 million Berries," one of them announced, their voices shaking.

Ryō opened the chest and meticulously began counting the gold coins. The marines stood by in nervous silence, not daring to interrupt. After half an hour, Ryō finally closed the chest.

"Hmm, it's indeed 42 million Berries," he confirmed, then began to leave, chest in hand. Before he could exit, a marine called out, "Wait, sir, may I ask your name?"

Without turning back, Ryō responded, "Akatsuki Organization, Kakuzu."

The name left the marines bewildered. "Akatsuki Organization? Why does that sound familiar?" one of them mused, before rifling through wanted posters.

"Ah… it's them! The Akatsuki Organization!" He found Pain's wanted poster—Ryō's earlier persona.

"We must report this to Navy Headquarters immediately!" another marine shouted, grabbing a transponder snail.

"This is G16 branch on Shell Island. We've spotted a member of the Akatsuki Organization," the marine reported.

At Navy Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Sengoku was reviewing intelligence regarding the Akatsuki Organization. The group was too powerful and too mysterious, with its members first killing a Celestial Dragon, then battling an Admiral at Sabaody Archipelago. Despite the World Government's and Navy's efforts, they had found little trace of the organization. It was as if the Akatsuki didn't exist.

The thought of such a strong and secretive group plotting from the shadows gave Sengoku a headache.

"Report! The G16 branch in the East Blue has found information on the Akatsuki Organization," an officer announced as they rushed in.

Sengoku's eyes widened in surprise. "What? They found something? Show me!"

But as he reviewed the intelligence, his confusion grew. "A new member? Kakuzu? A pirate hunter collecting bounties? What is their plan…?" Sengoku was left with more questions than answers. Nonetheless, any information was better than none.

"Send word to all branches in the East Blue to be on the lookout for any members of the Akatsuki. If possible, capture them," Sengoku ordered, determined to uncover the truth behind the organization.