One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

The Donquixote Family's business network spanned the world, primarily dealing in high-profit black-market industries like arms dealing and the slave trade.

Recently, Doflamingo had grown increasingly dismissive of the slave trade, shifting his focus more toward the arms trade.

To him, Mad Hat Island seemed like a gathering place for all sorts of black-market enterprises, yet it conspicuously lacked one crucial element: arms.

Thus, when he received Ralph's first self-recommendation letter a year ago, Doflamingo paid it no mind.

However, two months ago, when Ralph approached him again with access to arms trade channels, Doflamingo's interest was piqued.

What he hadn't anticipated was that before their collaboration could even begin, Mad Hat Town would face utter devastation.

As a significant black-market hub, its destruction sparked some interest in Doflamingo.

Using his resources, it was effortless to gather some critical intelligence.

Through this, he learned that the culprits behind Mad Hat Town's downfall were none other than Navy hero Garp and Admiral Aokiji.

The sight of these two names left Doflamingo astonished.

Simultaneously, it deepened his fascination with the incident.

Until today, when a bounty poster arrived right on schedule.

"First bounty and already at 68 million... Fufufu..."

Doflamingo reclined slightly, casually tossing the bounty poster aside as he took the wine glass offered by a maid.

Diamante, one of the highest-ranking officers in the Donquixote Family, picked up the discarded poster and examined it closely.

"So young?"

Diamante, with his feathered hat and striped face paint, found it hard to believe.

"Doffy, is this guy connected to that Mad Hat Island incident you've been keeping an eye on?"

"Fufufu..."

Doflamingo downed his wine without answering.

The family members lounging around the pool noticed the commotion and gathered around.

"Eh? This kid looks only sixteen or seventeen, yet his bounty is that high?"

"Bacardi Maude? Never heard of him."

"And this is his first bounty..."

"What did he do to get such a high reward?"

"Hmph! It's fifty million more than mine!"

"Dellinger, to be precise, it's fifty-three million more than yours."

"Ahhh!"

A shriek of frustration.

"Dellinger, you're still young, so it's normal for your bounty to be lower."

"But this guy is young too!"

"..."

Doflamingo silently observed his family's chatter.

Bacardi Maude.

With a first bounty of 68 million and a connection to the Red-Haired Pirates, this kid was destined to be no ordinary figure.

Maybe in a year, maybe two...

This individual's presence...

Grand Line, Baltigo—The White Soil Island.

A barren land of yellow sands and rocky terrain, this island served as the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army.

Koala burst into Sabo's room with a bounty poster in hand.

"Sabo! Maude's been issued a bounty!"

"What?!"

Wearing only shorts, Sabo emerged from the bathroom.

"Here!"

Koala slapped the poster onto Sabo's chest.

Taking a glance, Sabo's expression was one of sheer surprise.

Koala, observing his reaction, sighed, "I was just as shocked when I saw the bounty poster. Maude doesn't seem to have done much, so how did he end up with such a high bounty?"

"I'm not sure."

Sabo shook his head. "But if the Navy set it this high, they must have their reasons."

Koala nodded in agreement.

Sabo placed the poster on the table and began dressing.

Before long, he and Koala left the room together and headed for the workspace.

The two quickly arrived at the Revolutionary Army's main operations room.

Inside, members were busy working at their stations. Noticing Sabo and Koala's entrance, they greeted them out of habit.

Soon, their attention turned to the bounty poster Sabo held, their curiosity piqued.

In their impression, Sabo had never shown any interest in pirates. Quite the opposite—he usually displayed outright disinterest.

"Sabo, when did you start caring about pirates?"

"Ah, because this one's a friend of mine."

Sabo raised the poster with a grin and walked with Koala to the window.

Standing there was a man in a green cloak, gazing silently at the windswept desert. His stoic face, adorned with red square tattoos, was reflected in the windowpane.

This man was none other than the Revolutionary Army's leader, Monkey D. Dragon.

Sabo approached and held up the poster. "Dragon, this is the Maude I told you about."

"Oh."

Dragon took the poster and glanced at it briefly, his response cold and indifferent.

Sabo, undeterred, continued with enthusiasm, "Impressive, right? First bounty and already this high. If only we could get him to join us."

Dragon handed the poster to Koala, while Sabo kept rambling on about Maude.

Even the Revolutionary Army members nearby could sense Sabo's eagerness to recruit Maude.

Listening to Sabo's animated chatter, Dragon's expression remained unchanged.

To him, shared ideology was far more important than raw strength. No matter how often Sabo brought up this individual, Dragon had little interest.

In a certain sea in the Grand Line.

The Red-Haired Pirates' ship, Red Force, was anchored after enduring a fierce storm last night. By morning, the skies were perfectly clear.

On deck, Yasopp held Maude's bounty poster, examining it closely.

"Not bad. The kid's pretty photogenic."

"That's what you're focusing on?"

Lucky Roux peeked at the poster, his attention immediately drawn to the bounty amount.

Yasopp slapped Lucky Roux's belly with a smirk. "Hard to wrap your head around, huh?"

Roux nodded.

"Haha!"

Yasopp chuckled and headed off to show the poster to Shanks, leaving Lucky Roux scratching his head in confusion.

A few steps later, crewmates stopped Yasopp in his tracks.

"Is that Maude's bounty poster?"

One sharp-eyed crew member spotted the photo.

"Yeah."

Yasopp nodded.

"Let me see."

The crew member took the poster and examined it, with others crowding behind him.

"Sixty-eight million? Not bad, Little Maude!"

"Hey, this is higher than mine!"

"Hahaha, it is."

"What are you laughing at? Your bounty isn't that high either!"

"Ah, sorry to disappoint you—mine's seventy-four million."

"..."

One crew member sulked and retreated to a corner.

Captain's Quarters.

Shanks lay on his bed, a bottle of liquor in hand. The lively commotion outside was as clear as day to him.

"What a pity..."

He stared at the ceiling, his gaze deep and unreadable.

East Blue, Monmon Island.

Unaware of his bounty, much less the staggering amount of 68 million berries, Maude continued his life as usual.

Even if he knew, it wouldn't matter much.

He wouldn't leave Monmon Island for a long time.

According to Sol's words, to truly roam the seas, one must first learn survival skills.

Otherwise, if you recklessly charge ahead, sooner or later, someone will break your legs.

And so, Maude began his long training journey on Monmon Island.

Starting with Moonwalk...

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