Chapter 168

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"What?!!!!!!"

"Who did it? Which bastard did this!"

"How dare they write about the holy, noble, wise, and revered me as a filthy, dirty, and damned witch!!"

"The Navy Headquarters, huh? The World Government, huh? Damn it! Zyhark, don't stop me. I'm going to destroy those maggots living in the stinking gutter and throw them into the sewer to rot!!"

Just as Zyhark had expected, Aqua erupted upon waking up, her body ablaze with fury as she screamed about storming Mariejois.

Compared to disregarding human lives, abusing slaves, or putting a bounty on a goddess, this insult to her title struck Aqua deeply, igniting her boundless anger and hatred!

"Aqua is so scary."

Feeling the tangible fury, Kanna grabbed Zyhark's pants with both hands, hiding behind him.

"Wait, Aqua, don't be rash. It's just a title. We'll have our chance."

Zyhark held the enraged Aqua tightly.

They would eventually confront the World Government, but with their current strength and scale, it would be a death wish!

As Aqua struggled violently in his arms, Zyhark's eyes darted around, and he quickly said, "From what I know, titles are determined by the World News Agency."

He wasn't entirely sure who decided on the titles for wanted criminals, but to prevent Aqua from impulsively storming Mariejois, he had to blame Morgans.

After all, the news agency's headquarters were often hidden in high altitudes, and with Aqua's poor sense of direction, she was unlikely to find it.

Even if she did manage to find Morgans and give him a beating, it would be far less dangerous than storming Mariejois.

"The World News Agency? That handless birdbrain, huh?"

"Alright, alright! I've got you, you stinking maggot!!"

Aqua didn't hesitate, firmly etching Morgans' name into her memory.

Finally, the terrifying goddess's tantrum was barely pacified after Zyhark promised her two bottles of premium sparkling wine.

Just as Aqua's rage subsided, another outburst of cursing erupted from the deck.

"Damn it! Damn it! What does this mean? Everyone else has bounties in the millions, but mine is only 666 Berries?!"

Meowth, who had read the bounty poster a dozen times and still saw only three digits, was fuming.

"What a joke! This gold coin on my forehead is worth more than that!!"

In his fury, Meowth yanked the gold coin from his forehead and slammed it onto the bounty poster.

Kanna, peeking out from behind Zyhark's pants, was wide-eyed with surprise: the gold coin could be taken off?

Even Aqua was taken aback by this.

Seeing Meowth's exasperation, her own anger diminished.

In terms of misery, it seemed Meowth, who was completely disregarded, was even more pitiful.

Speaking of bounty amounts, Aqua realized hers was higher than King's.

So, does that mean people think I'm stronger than King?

(The punch that sent the Celestial Dragon flying alone was worth at least a million...)

Seeing King's distressed face over his low bounty, Aqua's mood brightened.

For someone who had once been crushed by King, this rare victory felt incredibly sweet!

Meanwhile, King's internal monologue was:

I'm dead, I'm dead, more than two hundred million!

I'm going to die, with so many pirates and hunters after my head now.

Whoever set this bounty must be crazy! I haven't even done anything!

I wish I had Meowth's bounty...

King's envious and resentful look at Meowth only made Aqua feel more victorious.

To her, it looked like a strong King was pitying Meowth's plight, further highlighting her own triumph in bounty.

Feeling an odd sense of satisfaction, Aqua couldn't help but laugh stupidly.

Even King has his moments of defeat against me, the great goddess!

...

On the Grand Line, in Alabasta, the only city unaffected by drought and civil strife was Rainbase.

This was the stronghold of the kingdom's hero and Warlord of the Sea, Crocodile.

In his luxurious office, a cigar burned slowly.

"Daring to kill a Celestial Dragon and escaping from Garp and Sengoku... quite audacious, Sea Restaurant Endless Dream."

Crocodile, draped in a coat, rested his legs on the desk, his gaze dark as he looked at the bounty posters before him.

"The Baroque Works is still in its infancy and needs more manpower to achieve my ambitions. These kids might be worth considering."

Crocodile took a deep drag of his cigar, exhaling thick smoke.

Though he had thoughts of ruling the sea with ancient weapons, he had only been in Alabasta for two or three years, and his ambition had not yet waned.

He still exuded the charisma and sharpness of a great pirate.

By his side stood several operatives, including a burly man with a sharp gaze and a bald head: Daz Bonez, the Supa Supa Fruit user.

At this point, the days of the numbered agents had not yet come, and aside from Daz Bonez, the other faces were unfamiliar.

The future vice president Nico Robin, Mr. 2 Bon Clay, and Mr. 3 Galdino had not yet joined.

"Daz, how's that red-nosed troublemaker from a while back?" Crocodile suddenly asked.

"Still trying to escape, but I've ordered the guards to ignore whatever he says," Daz replied in a deep voice.

"Good, keep him locked up. He dared to cause trouble on my turf, let him learn some lessons."

Crocodile leisurely wiped his golden hook arm with a cloth.

As a former pirate who had fought Barrett, he naturally recognized Buggy from Roger's crew—his bright red nose was unforgettable.

Had he not been worried about the complications of killing someone with such connections, which might disrupt his plans to take over Alabasta, Crocodile might have taken more drastic measures with Buggy.

In the dark, damp cells deep within Rain Dinners, Buggy was furious.

"It's impossible, absolutely impossible! How could Zyhark become this strong in just a few days?"

"Those bastards must have given me fake newspapers!"

Buggy ripped the newspaper and bounty posters to shreds, shaking the cell bars in frustration.

He had come to Alabasta early to ambush Zyhark and Aqua, only to be captured by Crocodile.

Now the newspapers claimed Zyhark was at the Sabaody Archipelago, killing a Celestial Dragon and escaping from an Admiral?

What kind of joke is this!

His elaborate ambush plan was useless now.

"Shut up, you red-nosed fool! I still have a score to settle with you!"

A sinister voice came from the corner of the cell.

It was a man with a strange hairstyle and an unattractive face.

That was future Baroque Works agent Mr. 3, future crew member of Buggy's Thousand Men, Galdino.

Galdino had come to apply for a high-paying job at Baroque Works, only to be caught by Buggy's crew and thrown in the cell by Crocodile.

"What? You bastard, say that again, and I'll tear your mouth off!"

Buggy exploded with rage; he hated anyone commenting on his nose.

"What's all this noise? Keep it up, and I'll piss in your food tonight!"

The jailer approached, cursing at them.

Seeing this, Galdino stood up and shouted, "Bro! Please inform them that I, Galdino, came to join Mr. Crocodile and have nothing to do with these pirate scum!"

Maybe tired of hearing it, the jailer finally turned to Buggy and asked, "Hey! Is he really not with you?"

Buggy blinked, glanced at Galdino, then smirked.

Seeing Buggy's evil grin, Galdino knew he was in trouble.

Sure enough, Buggy turned away and said sarcastically, "Yeah, I don't know this guy. His name's Galdino or something. Just let him go."

Seeing through Buggy's obvious deceit, the jailer glared at Galdino. "Damn it! You think I'm that easy to fool?!"

"Enjoy your piss tonight!"

With that, the jailer stormed off, resolved to follow Daz's orders.

Watching the retreating figure, Galdino was speechless.

Damn red-nosed bastard!!

Buggy and his imprisoned crew laughed maliciously.

After the laughter died down, Buggy's eyes turned sly.

If Zyhark wasn't coming here, then he had no reason to stay in Alabasta.

What happened next was unknown, but considering Galdino joined Buggy's crew and Buggy had over a thousand subordinates, something interesting must have happened.

In another Warlord of the Sea's territory.

Located in the Calm Belt, infested with Sea Kings, was Amazon Lily, the Kingdom of Women.

Inside the spacious hall of Nine Snake City, all attendants and members of the Kuja Pirates were dismissed, leaving only a few core officers.

"What an incredible event! What kind of man is this Zyhark, daring to kill a Celestial Dragon?"

Elder Nyon, a former member of the Rocks Pirates, exclaimed, her eyes fixed on the newspaper.

At her words, two sharp screams echoed.

Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold, both paralyzed with fear, collapsed to the ground.

The words "Celestial Dragon" triggered the deep-seated terror from their dark days as slaves.

Even their elder sister, known as the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock, was trembling slightly, biting her right fingernail with force.

The long black hair that swayed with her trembling body showed how unsettled she was deep inside.

"The origins are unclear, but in the future, he will definitely be a man standing at the top of the world, like Roger."

Rayleigh, sitting nearby and leisurely drinking beer, spoke up.

Because of his appearance at the Sabaody Archipelago, intercepting the Marines, Rayleigh had planned to stay at Amazon Lily with Shakky for a while to avoid attracting unnecessary trouble.

Once the storm passed, he intended to return to Sabaody and continue his retirement.

The newspapers about the Sea Restaurant were brought over by him and Shakky.

"Is this the reason you helped them? Hearing such an evaluation from a man like you is quite rare," Elder Nyon remarked.

"There's another important reason."

Rayleigh set down his beer, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and recalled the various details from his interaction with Zyhark. His eyes, filled with dominance, turned serious.

"For some reason, I always feel that this guy knows many secrets of the world that even Shakky and I have not touched upon..."

"Secrets of the world that even you and Shakky don't know?" Elder Nyon's pupils contracted sharply.

After all, Rayleigh was a man who had been to Laugh Tale!

Next to Elder Nyon, Hancock's gaze remained fixed on the related illustrations in the newspaper.

It was as if she was in her own world, not listening to their conversation at all.

As Elder Nyon was about to ask for more details, the dazed Hancock suddenly flicked her cloak and began striding out of Nine Snake City in her red high heels.

Watching the beautiful back fade into the distance, Elder Nyon asked, puzzled, "Snake Princess, where are you going?"

"I am going to meet that infinitely great, infinitely noble, radiant person like the sun!"

Hancock didn't look back, her steps becoming faster and faster with determination.

Her voice, due to excitement, seemed to tremble.

"You are the queen of Amazon Lily now. Don't make such rash decisions to leave the island," Elder Nyon advised, feeling a headache coming on.

"What's it to me? If you dare to stop me, even you will not be spared!"

Leaving behind this brief but threatening statement, Hancock left with her two recovered sisters.

"That brat is getting more and more unruly!" Elder Nyon grumbled.

Despite her words, she didn't stop Hancock, fully aware of what she and her sisters had endured as children.

It wasn't because she feared being kicked to pieces by Hancock!

"Forget it. If Rayleigh approves of him, meeting him shouldn't be a problem," Elder Nyon sighed in resignation.

"That's not necessarily the case," Shakky said, taking a drag from her cigarette.

Seeing Elder Nyon's confused look, Shakky smiled and pointed at the newspaper on the floor.

Elder Nyon's cloudy eyes widened.

The illustration was of...

Aqua delivering the divine punch that struck down the Celestial Dragon!

(End of Chapter)