Issho’s Bounty, the Meaning of Waiting

At Marine Headquarters.

Sengoku sat in his office, processing paperwork. A Marine Rear Admiral knocked on the door and walked in.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, we've received news from Alabasta. A notorious pirate with a bounty of 2.439 billion Berries has appeared there and clashed with Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, in Rainbase."

"Afterward, Crocodile was defeated by a swordsman under Sanders' command."

"Additionally, the 'Demon Child' Nico Robin, with a bounty of 79 million Berries, has also joined Sanders' crew."

The Rear Admiral quickly summarized the events involving Sanders in Alabasta and handed the detailed report to Sengoku. Ever since Sanders slaughtered a Celestial Dragon and defeated Admiral Aokiji, his intel had become a top priority, even higher than that of the Four Emperors.

Although the Four Emperors were powerful and had vast territories, they didn't target Celestial Dragons, nor did they cause trouble recklessly. Sanders, however, was different. He was fearless, with no limit to what he might do. Sengoku wouldn't be surprised if Sanders attacked the Holy Land, Mariejois, someday.

It had only been just over a month since Sanders defeated Aokiji, and now he had caused another major incident in Alabasta. This time, he faced off against a Warlord of the Sea right off the bat.

Sengoku frowned as he flipped through the report.

"Does our Intelligence Division have any information on this swordsman?"

Sengoku's gaze sharpened when he saw that Crocodile had been defeated by a man named Issho. Though Crocodile's bounty was under 100 million, Sengoku knew he was far more formidable than his bounty suggested. Defeating someone like Crocodile shouldn't have been done by someone unknown.

"There's not much intel from the Intelligence Division," the Rear Admiral responded.

"We only know that his name is Issho, a swordsman, and he appears to have a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit ability related to gravity."

"We couldn't find any record of him fighting before this."

The Marine's Intelligence Division was highly efficient, managing to gather Issho's name and even deducing his potential Devil Fruit ability from his battle with Crocodile.

"A gravity-based Devil Fruit, huh? Another troublesome one."

"It seems Sanders recruited quite an impressive guy, though I wonder how they met."

"And Nico Robin... Why would Sanders recruit her? What is he planning?"

Sengoku's expression grew heavy as he read about Nico Robin. She, too, was a dangerous individual, with her goal being to uncover the secrets of the Void Century. Now, aligned with Sanders, the threat level was even higher.

"A flying ship?"

Suddenly, Sengoku noticed a part of the report mentioning that Sanders had a ship capable of flight. This discovery left Sengoku momentarily at a loss. If Sanders had a ship that could fly, how could they ever capture him? It would be like when Shiki, the Golden Lion, escaped—had he not attacked Marineford, the Marines might never have caught him.

Continuing through the report, Sengoku came across the announcement of the founding of the Thunder God Pirates. His heart was filled with mixed emotions.

A former Marine prodigy had now hoisted his own pirate flag.

"Immediately issue a bounty for Issho of the Thunder God Pirates. Set it at 1.9 billion Berries!" Sengoku ordered as he stared at Issho's photo.

Defeating Crocodile alone would warrant a bounty of at least 1 billion, but considering Issho was now Sanders' crew member, an additional 900 million was added.

"As for Nico Robin, considering her association with Sanders, raise her bounty to 93 million Berries."

Even though Robin hadn't done anything in Alabasta, her bounty increased by over 10 million simply because of her affiliation with Sanders.

"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"

The Rear Admiral saluted and left.

Sanders' bounty remained unchanged since he hadn't really done anything this time—other than kicking away a minor henchman.

The founding of the Thunder God Pirates caused quite a stir across the seas, not because the pirate crew was newly formed—many had already anticipated that Sanders would eventually start his own crew—but because of Issho defeating Crocodile.

The title of a Warlord of the Sea carried a lot of weight. Over the years, many had challenged them for fame, but none had succeeded. Now, Issho had defeated Crocodile and instantly became a pirate with a bounty close to 2 billion Berries, drawing considerable attention.

"Gurararara! That sand-playing Crocodile got defeated?" Whitebeard laughed heartily aboard the Moby Dick as he read the newspaper.

"First bounty at 1.9 billion? Seems that little lightning brat has recruited some good companions."

"Onorororo! Thunder God Pirates? Is Sanders forming his own crew?" Kaido, reeking of alcohol, chuckled drunkenly. "Come to the New World. I'll avenge Jack. Let's see if your lightning can do more than tickle me!"

Since Sanders had defeated Aokiji, people had begun to compare him to the Four Emperors. Although he had yet to challenge any of the Four directly and was still traveling alone, many viewed him as a potential Fifth Emperor. Nonetheless, despite this lack of a formal title, Sanders had garnered a considerable following.

Many pirates expressed their desire to join Sanders' crew, hoping to help him contend for the title of the Fifth Emperor and eventually become the Pirate King.

Many believed Sanders had the best chance to become the Pirate King due to his youth—he was not yet twenty years old, making him the youngest top-tier fighter on the seas.

Issho's addition to the Thunder God Pirates only strengthened his supporters' enthusiasm. However, Nico Robin didn't attract much attention in this uproar.

Most people in the world didn't even know what the Poneglyphs were. And even among those who did, very few knew that Nico Robin could read them. Hence, Robin, with her 93 million Berries bounty, was largely overlooked.

Some of Sanders' supporters were dissatisfied with Robin's bounty, which was less than 100 million berries, feeling that she was unworthy of being Sanders' second crew member. The discussions about Sanders were all over the sea, but at this moment, they were floating on the ocean.

Since the wind was strong while flying in the air, after a brief discussion, they decided to sail on the sea once the waters were calm. Sanders and Issho were on the first-floor deck, playing dice. There was no other option—Issho had a bit of a gambling addiction, and he would often drag Sanders to play with him. Meanwhile, Robin was on the second-floor balcony, busy learning Armament Haki and Observation Haki. She knew that without these skills, the Thunder God Pirates might be laughed at by others if they had to fight another crew and it turned out some of them couldn't use Haki. Issho and Sanders were both Haki experts, more than capable of guiding Robin.

Just then, a newspaper bird slowly approached. Robin paused her training, wiped the sweat from her face, and waved to the bird. The bird flapped its wings and landed on the second-floor railing. Robin took out 100 berries, handed it to the bird, and gently patted its head, making the bird unusually obedient.

"Off you go," Robin said with a soft smile, waving her hand before opening the newspaper. Two bounty posters immediately fell out.

"Issho, you've got a bounty now," she said, tossing Issho's bounty poster down to the first-floor deck.

Sanders quickly flashed over to catch the bounty and returned to his seat.

"Oh, 1.9 billion berries. Sengoku is really underestimating my first mate," he said. "Issho, your bounty should be at least 2 billion. 'Blind Swordsman'? Sengoku really isn't good at coming up with names." Sanders glanced at it, then casually tossed the bounty poster aside.

Issho smiled and opened the dice cup.

"Big, I win," he said.

Sanders glanced at the dice, already a little tired of these gambling sessions, where he had to help Issho due to his blindness. There was no excitement anymore. He decided that he needed to recruit another crew member soon so they could play mahjong instead. With mahjong, Issho wouldn't need anyone to help him read the tiles, and he could play by feel.

It's worth noting that there was mahjong in the world of pirates, saving Sanders the trouble of teaching them a new game.

"Captain, we're approaching Twin Capes. Should we prepare to lift the ship?" Robin looked ahead and asked.

Due to her vast knowledge, Robin was temporarily acting as the Thunder God's navigator.

"Got it," Sanders responded.

Don't ask why Sanders was taking this route instead of directly crossing the Calm Belt—he had never seen the Reverse Mountain and wanted to witness the wonders of the pirate world firsthand. Before joining the Marines, he had lived in the Sabaody Archipelago. After enlisting, most of his missions had been near Marine Headquarters, so he had never traveled to the Four Seas or the New World.

As they neared Twin Capes, Sanders immediately noticed the whale repeatedly crashing into the Red Line.

"What a huge whale. Is that an island whale? Why is it ramming its head and injuring itself?" Robin asked, curious as she looked at the whale, Laboon.

"Maybe it's missing a friend," Sanders said with a smile.

He didn't intend to recruit Brook this time, as his journey hadn't passed through the Florian Triangle, and he didn't want to poach too many of Luffy's future crewmembers. However, he thought it wouldn't hurt to bring some news to Laboon, and he also wanted to meet an old friend of Rayleigh's.

"Captain, how do you always know so much? Didn't you say you've never been here before?" Robin asked, now accustomed to Sanders' knowledge of many secrets.

"Haha, well, I know a little bit," Sanders laughed heartily, deciding to reveal the story of Laboon and the Rumbar Pirates to the two of them.

"What an amazing friendship," Issho remarked, clearly moved. For someone who had witnessed much of the world's filth and evil, stories like this touched him deeply.

"Where did you hear this story, Captain?" Robin asked curiously.

"There's one surviving member of the Rumbar Pirates...well, barely surviving. We can call him half a person, I suppose," Sanders replied with a chuckle. "Come on, let's meet the doctor from the Pirate King's crew, and let him know how Rayleigh is doing."

They approached Laboon, and compared to the massive whale, the Thunder God Pirate ship was like a tiny ant. Laboon's movements created waves that rocked the ship, so Sanders used his powers to lift the ship into the air.

After a while, Laboon calmed down. Sanders knew this was because the Pirate King's doctor, Crocus, had administered a sedative to the whale. Just as Sanders was considering how to enter Laboon's stomach, a figure emerged from the whale's body. The man had gray hair, glasses, and a flower-like decoration on the back of his head. It was none other than Crocus, the ship doctor of the Pirate King.

Sanders controlled the Thunder God ship to float towards him.

Crocus was momentarily stunned when he saw a flying ship, then turned his gaze toward Sanders and the others.

"Looks like some important figures have arrived today," he said, clearly recognizing Sanders and his crew.

"Hello, I'm a friend of Rayleigh's," Sanders greeted him.

"A friend of Rayleigh, huh? So that old guy is still alive," Crocus said with a sigh.

"Very much alive. He's living in the Sabaody Archipelago as a coating mechanic, often selling himself to slave traders for booze money."

"Hahaha, that sounds just like him," Crocus laughed. "Next time you see him, be sure to give him my regards."

Hearing news of his old friend seemed to lighten Crocus' mood.

"No problem," Sanders nodded.

"Oh, and I have another piece of news for you, about the Rumbar Pirates." Sanders pointed at Laboon, who was still near Crocus' feet.

"One member of the Rumbar Pirates is still alive—Brook, the Afro-haired swordsman and musician."

Crocus was taken aback by this revelation. After more than forty years, he had long believed that the entire crew of the Rumbar Pirates had perished somewhere in the Grand Line. After all, if they had survived, they would have surely returned to see their friend, Laboon.

"He's really alive?" Crocus asked, still in disbelief.

"He's alive, though his condition is rather unique," Sanders replied, explaining everything he knew about the Rumbar Pirates and Brook's current situation.

"The Rumbar Pirates never forgot their promise to Laboon. One day, Brook will return here and fulfill the promise they couldn't keep."

"So, you should tell Laboon this," Sanders added with a smile.

"Maybe that will stop him from ramming into the Red Line."

"Thank you for bringing this news. I think Laboon will be very happy," Crocus said gratefully. He didn't ask why Sanders hadn't brought Brook out of the Florian Triangle. After all, those who set sail must bear responsibility for their own actions, and no one was obligated to help others without reason.

"In the future, Brook will find new companions and set sail again, and one day, he will return here to fulfill their promise," Sanders continued. "Well, that's all I had to say. You can tell Laboon the news—I've got to be going now."

With that, Sanders bid farewell to Crocus and left, eager to witness the marvel of Reverse Mountain. After the group departed, Crocus immediately relayed the news to Laboon. Laboon let out a joyful roar toward the sky. Having a clear purpose again, Laboon no longer rammed into the Red Line. For Laboon, losing the meaning of waiting had been the most terrifying thing, but now, his waiting had purpose once more. Following Crocus' advice, Laboon began to rest and heal, quietly waiting at Twin Capes for the return of his friends, hoping for the day when he could reunite with them.

After mending this small piece of regret, Sanders steered the Thunder God Pirates toward Loguetown. The place where Roger was executed was a site he felt was worth visiting—after all, an old friend was waiting for him there.

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T/N:

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