When Moonlight appeared, all the marines couldn't help but tremble, as if the terrifying scene from before was replaying right before their eyes.
"What's going on? The marines can't even stand straight in front of Moonlight?" Sanji took a puff of his cigarette, confused.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong with you guys? You were shouting so fiercely just now, but what's with this sudden change?" Luffy asked, completely puzzled. He genuinely couldn't understand why the marines, who had been so confident and aggressive just a moment ago, were now acting so differently.
"Maybe they were scared off by the great Captain Usopp's reputation!" Usopp laughed loudly.
"No, it's because of Moonlight. He helped me before…" Nami looked at Moonlight, her expression complicated as she explained what had happened between her and Moonlight.
"These marines are just small fry. The real elites, even when facing this man, might be afraid, but they would never back down like these ones," Genzo shook his head, looking disdainfully at the marines who were trembling before Moonlight, completely devoid of fighting spirit.
"Indeed, this is the man. They can't even stay conscious in his presence," Nojiko nodded, her eyes gleaming as she looked at Moonlight. After witnessing that earlier scene, it was the first time she had seen someone as powerful as him.
"Moonlight? You're saying they're acting like this because of Moonlight?" Luffy's eyes widened in surprise as if he had discovered something extraordinary. He scrutinized Moonlight up and down, but after a long look, he couldn't figure out what was so terrifying about Moonlight that made the marines so scared.
"So it wasn't because of me after all!" Usopp said with disappointment, realizing he had been mistaken.
"Is it him again? Just how strong is this guy? Even the marines lose all their will to fight in his presence—or rather, they can't even stay conscious!" Sanji took a deep drag on his cigarette and exhaled slowly, feeling an ever-growing sense of awe toward Moonlight. They all overlooked Nami's hidden 100 million Berries and instead marveled at Moonlight's terrifying presence, one that even made the marines shudder.
"We're marines! Don't come any closer!" Captain Nezumi trembled as he spoke to Moonlight.
"If I don't come closer, then you'd better get lost!" Moonlight said coldly.
"Alright, we'll leave, but remember, you're still a pirate, and we're not on the same side. This matter won't end here!" Nezumi, still shaking, didn't dare linger any longer. After spitting out his threat, he led the terrified marines away, fleeing in a hurry. In the blink of an eye, they were all gone, not a single one left behind.
"Thank you so much! From now on, this island will finally return to its peaceful state!" Genzo expressed his gratitude to Moonlight and the others.
"It's nothing, really, just a small favor!"
"Don't mention it; it was no big deal for us!"
"Hey, hey, hey, it was clearly Moonlight who did all the work, right? You guys barely did anything!" Sanji remarked as the villagers warmly thanked them.
Luffy and the others, however, showed no humility, proudly marching into the village. Seeing this, Nami rubbed her forehead with a sigh, feeling a mix of helplessness and amusement. She followed everyone back to the village, where the celebrations began.
The villagers were filled with joy and excitement; it had been a long time since they felt such happiness after being under Arlong's oppressive rule.
Meanwhile, as the villagers celebrated, Nezumi returned to the base with a thousand marines. He hurriedly went to his office, picked up the Den Den Mushi, and called Marine Headquarters.
"What is it?" A cold, harsh voice came from the other end of the line.
"Urgent news, urgent news!" Nezumi shouted.
"There's a very powerful pirate crew in the East Blue called the Straw Hat Pirates. They've defeated the East Blue overlord Krieg and even Arlong. No one in the East Blue can stop them now. I request a bounty order be issued."
"So, Krieg and Arlong have both been defeated? Seems impressive. What's the crew's roster?" After a brief pause, the cold voice on the other end responded.
"Yes, the captain is Straw Hat Luffy. The crew includes the nameless swordsman Moonlight, Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro, the liar Usopp, and… the Cat Burglar Nami!" Nezumi reported quickly, though he completely forgot about Sanji, whom he had never met.
"Understood." The Den Den Mushi clicked, ending the call.
An hour later, a bounty poster was issued from Marine Headquarters and delivered worldwide by seagulls. Instantly, the whole world knew about the Straw Hat Pirates.
However, few took notice, as a small-time pirate with a bounty of just 30 million Berries was hardly worth mentioning in the grand era of pirates, where such crews were as common as raindrops.
Meanwhile, inside a Marine base prison, someone got hold of the bounty poster and showed it to a bespectacled man nearby.
"Captain Kuro, look, the bounty for that Straw Hat kid is out. He's defeated both Krieg and Arlong, and the Marines are offering 30 million Berries for him. This kid's progressing way too fast!" he exclaimed.
Hearing this, Kuro's eyes flashed with a cold glint.
At another Marine base, Coby and Helmeppo, working as janitors, were cleaning up when they saw the bounty poster. Coby froze, staring at it in shock.
"What's wrong?" Helmeppo asked.
Coby didn't reply, just trembling as he looked at the poster.
"Huh?" Helmeppo glanced over and was similarly stunned, his whole body going rigid.
After a long silence, both were overwhelmed with emotion.
"That's amazing, Captain Luffy! You've finally become a great pirate!"
"Zoro, I can't believe you've made a name for yourself so quickly!" they both exclaimed excitedly.
Coby's gaze then grew determined. "Captain Luffy is already working toward his goal, so I have to work hard too. I want to become a proper Marine!"
"I want to become a proper Marine too!" Helmeppo nodded, equally resolute.
The two exchanged a determined look, filled with new resolve as they continued their work with renewed vigor.
Meanwhile, across the East Blue, everyone who knew Luffy smiled as they looked at his wanted poster.
…
On the Grand Line, at Windmill Village, Shanks and his crew were still hungover from drinking all night. It was early morning, and everyone was still drowsy when suddenly, a crewmate came rushing over, panicked.
"Captain, something big has happened! Something really big!" The crew member was shaking.
"Don't panic; have a drink to calm down," Shanks said, tossing him a bottle of booze.
The crewmate grabbed the bottle, gulped it down in one go, and steadied himself.
"It's bad… Mihawk… Mih—"
Before he could finish, his hair stood on end as Mihawk suddenly appeared right behind him. All his words were immediately cut short.
Seeing Mihawk, all the crew members stood up at once, on high alert, as if facing a great enemy.