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The figure lurking at the entrance of the alleyway stood in stark contrast to the typical Marines. Clad entirely in black, a fitted suit, matching hat, and dark sunglasses, he exuded an aura of cold detachment.
His movements were fluid and silent, like a phantom drifting through the shadows. Everything about him, his posture, his presence, radiated deadly precision and ruthless intent.
"Understood," He murmured, voice low and emotionless.
With that, he cut the call on the Den Den Mushi and vanished with a subtle twist of his body.
In the next instant, he reappeared dozens of meters away, perched atop a swaying treetop. Balanced effortlessly, he tracked Rojen's group from a distance, an elusive shadow tailing them through the dense jungle.
His gaze remained steady and expressionless, but there was a subtle shift whenever his eyes landed on Lordling. Where he regarded Rojen and Jason with casual disinterest, his eyes lingered on Lordling with a strange reverence. A mix of fear and respect simmered beneath the surface, as though he were observing a highborn noble, or someone far beyond his station.
Unaware of the figure trailing them, Rojen and his crew steadily made their way up the mountain. Their senses remained alert, carefully tracking movement among the thick underbrush.
After ascending several dozen meters, the group began to spot signs of the island's wild beasts. For ordinary travelers, it would've been a perilous path, but the creatures merely stared at them in silence before slinking back into the foliage. There was an unspoken truce between predator and intruder, as if neither side wanted to risk provoking something troublesome.
"Well, at least the beasts aren't bothering us," Jason said, flashing a grin.
"Maybe they think you're too big to mess with," Rojen replied flatly.
Jason blinked. "…That doesn't even make sense."
But Rojen just kept walking, unconcerned.
As they climbed higher, a piercing screech suddenly split the air.
Screeeeech!
It was a high-pitched, shrill cry that cut through the jungle like a blade, echoing down from the mountaintop. The sheer force of the sound made the leaves around them shudder violently. Instinctively, everyone covered their ears.
"That sound could pierce steel!" Jason grimaced, wincing in pain.
Rojen narrowed his eyes, scanning the mountaintop through the gaps in the trees. His expression turned solemn.
Though they couldn't see the creature yet, the power behind that cry left no doubt, it was massive.
"It's up there," he said quietly. "Let's keep moving."
They rubbed their ears, trying to recover from the shock, then resumed their climb.
Roughly fifty meters behind, the black-suited man stood atop another tree, unmoving. His eyes gleamed beneath his sunglasses as he glanced toward the summit. He didn't speak, didn't move, only observed. Then, with another flicker of motion, he followed once more.
While Rojen's crew climbed the mountain in pursuit of the colossal bird, the impact of his wanted posters had already begun to ripple across the seas.
…
Loguetown.
"Jinx, slow down! I can't keep up!" A panting voice echoed through the streets as a boy, no older than sixteen or seventeen, ran behind a girl who moved like a bolt of lightning.
"You're too slow, Ize! With a body like that, how are you going to sail the seas and find Rojen? You'd get wrecked out there!" Jinx shot back over her shoulder.
Ize could only sigh in frustration. "It's not me, you're just too fast!"
To be fair, Ize wasn't weak. He could handle street punks and local thugs just fine. But against Jinx's pace, he was clearly outmatched.
Jinx eventually stopped to wait for him, hands on her hips.
Just then, something white fluttered through the air.
"Look up!" Someone shouted.
Jinx instinctively tilted her head back, eyes locking onto the drifting sheets. "Wanted posters!"
One landed right at her feet. She snatched it up, and the moment she saw the face printed on it, her eyes widened.
"No way…" she gasped. "It's… it's Rojen!" Her scream rang through the street, sharp and disbelieving.
Startled, Ize clapped his hands over his ears. "Ow! Warn me before you yell like that!"
"What? Where's Rojen?"
"Right here!" Jinx exclaimed, pointing at a wanted poster lying on the ground.
Ize blinked and looked down.
"Rojen – Bounty: 150 Million Berries – Dead or Alive!
Note: This individual is extremely dangerous and highly aggressive!"
A grinning face filled two-thirds of the poster. The man in the photo looked full of spirit, his sharp eyes gleaming with depth and confidence, and his expression radiating a powerful, commanding aura.
"It really is Rojen!" Ize said, stunned.
"Of course it is," Jinx replied, but her voice faltered with hesitation. "Still... he looks different."
"That's not the point," Ize said, crouching beside the poster and tapping the bounty. "He has a bounty now! Look at that number!"
"Didn't he already have one before? What's the big deal?" Jinx waved it off, but her excitement was hard to hide. "Still, this proves he's alive, and that's what matters!"
Her cheeks flushed pink. "He's gotten even more handsome… I really miss him. I can't wait to set sail and find him!"
Ize slapped his forehead, exasperated, a metaphorical black line twitching above his head.
"But the scale of this distribution…" He muttered, growing serious. "Rojen's the only one on these posters. That's not normal."
He stared intently at the wanted sheet in his hand.
Even with the title of Roger's younger brother, Ize couldn't shake the feeling that the Marines were reacting to more than just a name. Something deeper was going on.
"…That guy's changed," Ize murmured.
Rojen's face hadn't aged or altered, but the energy he gave off in the photo was far more intense than before. There was power behind that smile.
Elsewhere, on the shores of an unnamed island...
"Buggy, join me! Let's become pirates together! We'll form a crew and shake up the world!"
A teenage boy with fiery red hair, a slim saber at his hip, stretched out a hand toward the short, red-nosed boy standing opposite him, grinning widely.
"Get lost, Shanks!" Buggy snapped, brushing the hand away. "I'm going to be captain, you can take a hike!"
As the argument flared, the wind picked up, and with it, a flurry of wanted posters began to rain down from the sky.
"Rojen – Bounty: 150 Million Berries."
Shanks plucked one from the air, his eyes lighting up with surprise.
"Whoa, that's the captain's younger brother! Already at 150 Million?! That's insane!"
"You moron," Buggy barked. "It's because he's the captain's brother that the Marines slapped that bounty on him. It's got nothing to do with his strength."
"But Buggy," Shanks said, his voice more serious now. "You saw his fight that time, didn't you?"
"That kid's strong."
Buggy scoffed and turned away. "Tch. Whatever. I'm done talking to you."
He stomped off, leaving Shanks behind, still holding the wanted poster. Shanks stared at it, eyes gleaming with determination.
"Man… he's just set sail and he's already worth 150 million…"
He clenched the poster, feeling a surge of inspiration.
"I've gotta step up. That guy… he's not ordinary. Just like the captain."
(End of Chapter)