Chapter 165: Blessings to This Wonderful World with Qiubai

Several days later, in a room at a certain inn in Water 7.

Here, a group of guests dressed like South Asians gathered. However, tourists from the ends of the earth came to this place, so such attire was hardly unusual; for all anyone knew, they might be native residents of Alabasta.

Yet, obviously, they were not.

"There's no doubt we'll have bounties on us this time, right?" Law mused aloud.

"Don't worry, Monet has already gone out to gather intelligence. But if Sengoku plays his cards right, maybe we won't have any trouble at all?" Qi Bai said. Still, this was somewhat joking; excessive optimism was unacceptable. If they could pull off something like this and face zero consequences, would the World Government and the Celestial Dragons be eating for free?

Qi Bai naturally understood this, so he added, "Considering reality... do as you please. But I wouldn't be surprised if I get a bounty of six hundred sixty-six million six hundred sixty thousand, just short of 666 so I wouldn't get too proud."

This was precisely the reason they had immediately chosen to abandon their ship and disguise themselves. This bounty might match his actions, but it certainly did not match his true strength. If a passing swordsman named Issho happened to take a transient fancy to such a bounty and fancied playing the role of a bounty hunter for a moment, then I ask you, would Qi Bai bite the dust, or would he bite the dust?

"None of that matters! But why on earth did I get dragged into this?!" If one were to ask who was the most innocent person in this room, it was undoubtedly classmate Cavendish. Even though he had inadvertently terrified a Celestial Dragon without knowing the full story, what on earth did that have to do with him?

"In theory, nothing much. However... if you want to leave us now, there's no problem at all. In fact, to clear your name, you could even find a Marine base and report us." This phrasing made Cavendish sound like a used tissue—discarded with no lingering attachment. No, correction: he should be discarded immediately. Who would keep carrying around a thing like that?

"Are you kidding me? You want me to go march to my death?!" Cavendish instantly flew into a rage. He wasn't a fool; by now, how could the Marines possibly believe his side of the story? They would undoubtedly treat him as one of Qi Bai's accomplices.

Compared to his anger, he felt a deeper sense of grievance. It was simply... too unfair. Even with the kidnapping, he was the last to know about it.

"Calm down. This is precisely the moment for us to pull together in the same boat."

Qi Bai remained completely calm. The real issue now was that even if Cavendish wanted to leave the ship, it was no longer possible.

"Damn it! If that's how it's going to be, I'll just have to walk the flamboyant path of a pirate! The super-popular pirate, how does that title sound..."

Before Cavendish could finish his grandiose speech, Law suddenly made a move. In an instant, Cavendish's dazzling, brilliantly gleaming golden hair became even more dazzling and gleaming—right down to his bare scalp.

"What did you just do?!" After touching the top of his head and realizing what had happened to him, Cavendish momentarily looked as though he had been violated by Law.

"We are currently on the run! Your hair is far too conspicuous!"

"Trafalgar Law, I'll fight you to the death!"

This farce caused Qi Bai to slap his own palm against his forehead... Law had good intentions, but a bald head was even more conspicuous than golden hair.

"She's back..."

Fortunately, at that moment, Monet, who had gone out to gather information, finally returned. Matters had their priorities of urgency, and Cavendish was forced to pause his grievances.

Monet wasted no words and directly placed a stack of brand-new bounty posters on the table.

"Oh, Fleet Admiral Sengoku is doing a fine job." The bounties were within expectations, and after scanning the bounty amounts of his companions, Qi Bai found that the World Government was still surprisingly benevolent:

Trafalgar Law: 250 million Berries.
Ain: 200 million Berries.
Monet and Cavendish: 100 million Berries each.
Bepo was granted 50 million... With Rosinante's intelligence as a precedent, at least this Mink would no longer be mistaken for a pet; he was a legitimate navigator.

These bounties were entirely ranked according to the level of trouble posed by their abilities. Compared to the magnitude of their crimes, these were genuinely conscientious figures, which made Qi Bai feel that Fleet Admiral Sengoku was quite reliable.

Then, looking at his own bounty: Oh, 120 million... Um, wait?

"That doesn't seem right. Why is my bounty lower than Law's?" Qi Bai sensed something unusual. He was the primary culprit; this bounty... surely Sengoku wouldn't hold back that much, would he?

Or perhaps Lady Charlotte had exerted some influence.

Monet let out a sigh. "Captain, take a closer look... In short, we're in trouble."

Since she put it that way, Qi Bai re-examined his own bounty poster: ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundred thousands, million, ten million...

"Hold on? Have my eyes gone blurry in my old age?" Qi Bai pinched the bridge of his nose to relax his eyes, then began recounting the zeros trailing behind the "12". By then, he already harbored a thoroughly ominous premonition... The number was actually written like this:

1,200,000,000.

Qi Bai, bounty: 1.2 billion Berries.

He gently placed the bounty poster back down onto the table, then muttered to himself, "Has inflation gotten this severe lately? Have Berries depreciated into Zimbabwean dollars?"

Do not feel grateful; as the first major bigwig daring enough to kidnap a Celestial Dragon, this was what he deserved. As a pirate who had nearly triggered the "destruction of the world," just how high was his level of threat? Hence, 1.2 billion? A mere drizzle.

This decision was made under the premise that it had already been confirmed Lady Charlotte had suffered "no harm whatsoever."

The reasoning of the Marines and the World Government was also quite simple: every debt has its debtor, every grievance has its perpetrator. As long as they sacrificed this scourge Qi Bai, the entire world would be at peace.

So everyone, why not seize the opportunity?

Looking closer, his bounty poster also had a unique detail that differed from the others. Written upon his poster were the words... ONLY DEAD.

It made it abundantly clear that they intended to kill him off completely. This... this... was this the legendary rhythm of "getting boxed the moment you land"?

"Is Fleet Admiral Sengoku eating for a living?"

This was Qi Bai's immediate exclamation. Yet this matter couldn't really be blamed on the old man either—didn't he have any self-awareness about what he had done?

Leaping instantly from the tens of millions tier to 1.2 billion, he was probably the fastest-rising pirate in terms of bounty inflation, exceeding even the third cosmic velocity. Just how many pirates in the entire world possessed bounties exceeding one billion? Right now, Qi Bai might very well be the sole specimen. Therefore... this was no longer a matter of a passing Issho taking a transient fancy; bounty hunters across the entire world would stir at the scent.

If you walk often by the river, your shoes are bound to get wet. After pushing the limits of courting death time and time again, Qi Bai had finally stirred up a monumental disaster.

"Change our route entirely. Take the Sea Train to Gourmet Island, and from Gourmet Island head to Whirlpool Island. We need to hide ourselves away quickly."

This development—which was within reason yet somewhat exceeded Qi Bai's expectations—prompted him to quickly make up his mind. Originally, he had wanted to stay here to observe the Marines' subsequent reactions, but seeing the attitude of the Marines and the World Government towards him now, it could not possibly be clearer.

By now, it was almost certain that at least one Marine Admiral was hot on their heels, so they had to slip away at the earliest opportunity.

The only good news was that due to the opening of the Sea Train, a massive influx of outsiders had poured into Water 7 for sightseeing. Consequently, the overall situation was immensely chaotic, making it less likely for Qi Bai's crew to be discovered easily.

"The most expensive man in the world" was single-mindedly intent on escaping, though goodness only knew whether he would actually manage to get away.

At a time like this, they could only thank their lucky stars that they had at least prepared a contingency route in advance.