Chapter 98 : New Yonko!!

Somewhere in the uncharted waters of the first half of the Grand Line, the Thousand Sunny sailed smoothly with the wind. Buggy and his crew were lounging on the deck, reading the day's newspaper.

"Hahahahaha," Blackbeard chuckled, slapping the newspaper with a gleam in his eye. "Buggy, you were right! That Shanks fellow really has become the Fleet Admiral!"

Buggy, reclining against Boa Hancock and enjoying her hand massage, looked slightly surprised. He had mentioned this casually the other day but hadn't expected Shanks to actually become the Fleet Admiral!

In terms of capability and personality, Shanks is indeed suited for the role of the Fleet Admiral. But given that Shanks has already become a figure akin to Roger, would he really agree to become the Fleet Admiral? There must be a lot of behind-the-scenes dealings at play!

Seeing Buggy's lack of reaction, Blackbeard continued, "Hahaha, I bet the New World is in chaos right now! With the fall of the Whitebeard Pirates, a large chunk of territory was left open. Now, with the Red-Haired Pirates also down, that's another big piece of territory up for grabs!"

"And those subordinates of Shanks, I wonder where they'll end up. It's hard to imagine them joining Shanks in the Navy!"

Buggy frowned, sensing something vaguely troubling. He shook his head and said, "It seems Shanks is really in a hot spot this time. Unless he can take control of the Navy with an iron fist, his position might not last long." 

He didn't elaborate further. From what he knew of Shanks, staying in the Navy was only a temporary measure; Shanks would surely seek an opportunity to step down eventually.

But a position as significant as the Fleet Admiral isn't something one can just leave behind easily!

Blackbeard was taken aback by this revelation. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Buggy and asked, "Buggy, what are you implying? What could be the real scheme behind Shanks becoming the Fleet Admiral?"

Buggy shook his head with a smile and replied, "There must be some kind of conspiracy, though I can't say exactly what it is. But it doesn't concern us. Instead, it's an opportunity for us!"

Seeing Buggy's reluctance to elaborate on the Fleet Admiral Shanks, Blackbeard's eyes showed a hint of unease, but he kept his composure and followed Buggy's lead: "What opportunity?"

Buggy didn't answer right away. He settled down comfortably, resting his head in a soft spot. Boa Hancock offered no resistance, her body slightly trembling as she wrapped her arms around Buggy's neck.

Buggy adjusted his position before speaking: "Didn't you say it yourself? The New World is in chaos right now. It's the perfect time to seize some territory!"

Blackbeard nodded in agreement. "I think so too. If it weren't for the Golden Lion's situation being equally critical, I would have set sail for the New World a long time ago! I just hope those guys manage to recruit more people and claim more territory!"

Buggy reassured him, "Don't worry. This chaos will last for at least a few months before things settle down. A few days or nights won't make much of a difference!"

Blackbeard laughed. "Hahaha, I know. With the two of four emperors of the New World out of the picture, it's likely that after the dust settles, two new emperors will emerge before things stabilize again."

"By then, the Navy's World Military Draft will almost be over, and the various forces on the sea will reach a new balance!"

Buggy grinned and said softly, "No, I'm here to upset the balance!"

Blackbeard was momentarily stunned. He hadn't quite heard what Buggy said. Just as he was about to ask a question, Mr. 3, who was standing next to him, interrupted.

"That's not correct! There's no need to select two new Emperors of the Sea. One new Emperor has already been chosen!"

Mr. 3 said, pulling out a newspaper with a bounty poster and holding it up for everyone to see.

It was Buggy's bounty poster!

"Yonko, Buggy the Clown: 3,189,000,000 Berries! Dead or Alive!"

Buggy seemed intrigued. He reached out and took the bounty poster from Mr. 3's hand.

"Three billion one hundred and eighty-nine million berries, the top actor, and the king of clowns—that's not bad!"

Buggy's mouth curled into a satisfied smile.

Blackbeard frowned slightly, turned to Mr. 3, and asked, "Do you have a bounty poster for me?"

Mr. 3 nodded and handed out the bounty posters to everyone. "Here they are!"

"Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach: 2,247,600,000 Berries! Dead or Alive!"

"Phoenix, Shiryu: 1,533,000,000 Berries! Dead or Alive!"

"Demonic Buddha Sanjuan Wolf: 1,765,000,000 Berries! Dead or Alive!"

"Demon Heir, Douglas Bullet: 2,300,740,000 Berries! Dead or Alive!"

"Desert King, Crocodile: 1,121,300,000 Berries! Dead or Alive!"

The convicts who followed Buggy out of the city all had new bounties. The bounties for the main characters from the Level 6 of Eternal Hell were mostly in the billions or more!

Any of the Four Emperors had a bounty exceeding one billion too.

Mr. 3, with his head bowed and standing behind Buggy, glanced nervously at Boa Hancock and then pulled out a bounty poster. "Here's something interesting! The title of Seven Warlords of the Sea has been revoked for Empress Hancock, and a new bounty has been issued!"

Boa Hancock, unable to take it herself, had Buggy retrieve the bounty poster for her.

"Pirate Empress Boa Hancock, bounty of 1,659,000,000 Berries! Capture Alive" 

Buggy frowned, thinking, Boa Hancock's bounty seems a bit exaggerated!

Boa Hancock's strength is considered to be in the mid-to-upper tier among the Seven Warlords, and her worth should be around one billion Berries at most!

Buggy's eyes were drawn to the two words beneath the bounty amount, and he had a sudden realization.

So, are those extra Berries due to Boa Hancock's appearance?

Or are some of the Celestial Dragons in Mariejois fixated on Boa Hancock again?

Just as Buggy was about to speak, he felt Boa Hancock's arm around his neck tighten slightly, the muscles in her arm tensing!

"I'm sorry."

After a few moments, Boa Hancock relaxed her grip, released Buggy's neck, and retreated into the cabin!

Blackbeard, observing this, turned to Buggy with a grin. "Hahaha, Buggy, it seems you've quickly learned to discipline Boa Hancock!"

Buggy smiled but said nothing, only signaling to Domino, who was standing nearby.

Domino hesitated for a moment but then walked over to Buggy, taking Boa Hancock's place and allowing Buggy to lean on her!

Damn!

Blackbeard's eyes twitched as he felt as if he had taken a critical hit!

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