Chapter 33: Ron’s 2 Billion Berries Bounty!

Two days later—

A bounty poster shook the entire world.

Whitebeard Pirates Vice Captain — Ron

Bounty: 2,000,000,000 Berries

Immediately afterward, a long list of crimes attributed to Ron was published.

Injuring Admiral AokijiKilling the Celestial Dragon Saint DeguRobbing 10 billion Berries worth of Heavenly TributeOrganizing an assault against Admiral Kizaru of Marine HeadquartersIllegally occupying islandsForcibly seizing territory...

The list went on and on.

There were so many charges that Ron had to finish an entire newspaper page before reaching the end.

"Hahaha! Our Vice Captain’s bounty is actually two billion Berries !"

Jozu stared at the number on the newspaper, his eyes shining with excitement.

One would think the bounty belonged to him instead.

Waving the newspaper enthusiastically, he shouted,

"That’s two billion! Who would’ve thought our Vice Captain would be worth that much?"

"Ace, the Vice Captain’s bounty is four or five times higher than yours."

Marco stepped beside Ace and grinned mischievously.

His eyes sparkled with amusement.

"And it’s higher than mine too. Mine’s only 1.374 billion Berries ..."

Marco deliberately dragged out his words in an exaggerated tone.

Ace, who had originally been happy for Ron, immediately looked irritated.

"Hmph!"

He folded his arms.

"Don’t get so smug, Marco. My bounty definitely shouldn’t stop there."

Speaking seriously, Ace continued,

"When Admiral Aokiji got injured, I was one of the main fighters. He probably didn’t fully report what happened to the Marines."

"And right now, all of their attention is focused on Ron. That’s why the bounty ended up like this."

Marco blinked.

Then he looked genuinely surprised.

"Not bad, Ace."

He nodded approvingly.

"You’ve gotten a lot smarter in just two days."

Ace’s face instantly turned red.

He slapped away Marco’s hand before it could reach his forehead.

"Get lost!"

"Hahahahaha!"

The surrounding crew burst into laughter.

The friendly rivalry between the two s amused everyone.

Before long, they all turned their attention back toward Ron and began congratulating him.

Far away, in the ruins of an ancient castle within the Kuraigana Kingdom—

Dracule Mihawk sat alone in a dimly lit room.

A wine glass rested in his hand.

Yet his gaze remained fixed on the bounty poster lying atop the table.

The room was silent.

Only the occasional wind disturbed the stillness.

"Vice Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates... Great Swordsman... Ron."

Mihawk quietly repeated the words.

His tone carried both surprise and curiosity.

"Is this man really a Great Swordsman?"

He examined the information again.

As the world’s strongest swordsman, it was astonishing that he had never heard of such a figure aboard Whitebeard’s ship before.

The more he thought about it, the more intriguing it became.

Slowly, Mihawk raised a finger toward the upper-left corner of the bounty poster.

There stood Ron.

His fingers were held together like a sword.

Around him floated eight visible yet intangible sword energies.

The strangest part was that these "swords" lacked any physical hilt.

They were formed entirely from pure sword energy.

"...Sword Aura."

Mihawk finally identified what he was seeing.

As a master swordsman, he understood exactly what that represented.

Anyone capable of reaching such a level was no ordinary fighter.

A spark of curiosity ignited within him.

If given the opportunity, he genuinely wanted to test this mysterious swordsman himself.

Mihawk’s emerald eyes narrowed sharply.

According to the newspaper, even Admiral Kizaru had personally acknowledged the technique.

A sword style capable of splitting the heavens themselves.

"Tsk..."

After some thought, Mihawk concluded there were only two possible explanations for Kizaru’s reaction.

First—

Ron truly possessed such extraordinary swordsmanship.

Second—

Ron was extremely important to the Marines, and they were deliberately exaggerating his abilities to justify his bounty.

Either way, one fact remained unchanged.

A Great Swordsman this young deserved his attention.

"A sword technique capable of splitting the heavens..."

Mihawk quietly pondered.

Such a technique was rare even on a global scale.

If Ron truly possessed that level of skill, then he would undoubtedly be a worthy opponent.

Yet at the same time, Mihawk sensed there was a deeper secret behind everything.

The Marines wouldn’t arbitrarily elevate someone’s reputation without reason.

Unless that person held special significance.

"Interesting..."

The following day—

Another piece of news exploded across the world like a thunderbolt.

Its impact was no less shocking than the execution of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.

The report came from none other than the self-proclaimed "Big News" Morgans, who had apparently risked his life to obtain information from a mysterious source.

The moment it was published, the entire world was thrown into chaos.

According to the report—

The Whitebeard Pirates possessed multiple members with two Devil Fruit powers.

This revelation completely overturned the world’s understanding of Devil Fruits.

For centuries, it had been accepted as absolute fact that a person could only consume one Devil Fruit.

Anyone who attempted to eat a second would die.

Yet now—

The Whitebeard Pirates seemed to have shattered that rule.

The report listed name after name.

Whitebeard Pirates — Jozu

User with Two Devil Fruit Powers

Whitebeard Pirates — Marco

User with Two Devil Fruit Powers

Whitebeard Pirates — Portgas D. Ace

User with Two Devil Fruit Powers

Whitebeard Pirates — Whitey Bay

User with Two Devil Fruit Powers

...

The newspaper was packed with names.

Many of the most eye-catching entries belonged to users possessing two Devil Fruit powers.

Each name seemed to radiate mystery and power.

Other names listed ordinary Devil Fruit users.

Yet even their abilities appeared bizarre and overwhelmingly powerful upon closer inspection.

However—

The statement that truly set the seas ablaze appeared at the very bottom of the article.

Morgans had written it in bold print.

If even the crew members possess two Devil Fruit powers...

Then what about their captain?

The man said to possess the power to destroy the world.

One of the Four Emperors—

Edward Newgate, "Whitebeard."

Could it be...

That Whitebeard has already become a Three-Devil-Fruit User?

...

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