Chapter 109: The Wanted Notice

As night fell, the warship did not set sail but remained anchored off the deserted island. Since the mission was complete, there was no longer a need for the marines to travel day and night. Aside from a few sentries, the rest of the crew fell into a deep sleep. Perhaps due to the long-awaited rest, the following morning, while officers like Luo Lan were up early, the others did not stir until the sun was high in the sky.

Observing the marines rushing about in a panic, Luo Lan, having already finished his daily training, merely smiled and paid it no mind. After finally concluding their mission, it was only natural for these men to want some rest; he would hardly reprimand them for that.

By the afternoon, after lunch, the warship finally departed the island at a leisurely pace, guided by the permanent log pose toward Salon Island. Trailing behind the warship, Kid’s pirate vessel had been tethered to the marine ship by the crew, towed along toward their destination. Luo Lan had no hidden motive for bringing Kid’s ship along; he simply intended to burn it once they reached the waters off Salon Island as a tribute to the souls lost there.

The journey from Salon Island to this deserted island had taken them only three days, as they had been concerned that Kid might escape. The return trip, however, did not require such haste. The standard voyage was six days, and they had no intention of rushing or delaying, maintaining a steady, routine speed.

For Luo Lan, the six-day journey was somewhat monotonous. Aside from his daily practice of the Six Powers, he had little else to do. Peng Geles would handle the ship’s affairs, and Nami was monitoring the course; he had no need to intervene. Consequently, he spent his days lying on the deck, idling in the sun. Unfortunately, even the intense sun at sea could not darken Luo Lan’s skin in the slightest, a fact that made Nami quite envious.

"Colonel Luo Lan, these are the latest wanted posters sent by headquarters, featuring pirates who have recently entered the Grand Line."

Just as Luo Lan was about to drift off from boredom, a marine approached him with a stack of posters.

"The latest batch?"

Luo Lan suddenly became interested, took the stack, and began to look through them with enthusiasm. According to the original timeline, Kid had already entered the Grand Line, and the rest of the "Worst Generation" supernovas were likely entering around this same period—otherwise, they would not have arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago simultaneously. Even if there were discrepancies, they would likely be no more than a month apart.

However, as Luo Lan scanned the unfamiliar names on the posters, he was momentarily bewildered. What was all this?

The Iron Armor Pirates, Captain Jed the Ironclad, bounty 57 million, dead or alive, from the West Blue.
The Gray Wolf Pirates, Captain Hunter the Gray Wolf, bounty 43 million, dead or alive, from the South Blue.
The Heavy Metal Pirates, Captain Evan the Rock Star, bounty 39 million, dead or alive, from the North Blue.

...The long list that followed consisted entirely of strangers he had never heard of in the original story. Gradually, Luo Lan flipped through most of the thick stack, only to realize that there wasn't a single pirate from the East Blue. Even though he had swept through the East Blue and implemented the "Loguetown Pirate Prohibition Plan," surely it wasn't so peaceful that not a single pirate remained? He refused to believe the East Blue was that quiet.

More importantly, even if no other pirates appeared, Luffy should eventually reach the Grand Line, right? According to Garp, Luffy had fled when he returned to Windmill Village. By his calculations, he should have appeared on the Grand Line by now. In that moment, Luo Lan ignored a crucial detail: because of his own interference, Zoro and Nami had never joined Luffy’s crew. Under such circumstances, it was questionable whether Luffy could even survive to reach another island, let alone brave the Grand Line.

Finally, as he continued flipping through the posters, Luo Lan caught sight of some familiar figures.

The Fire Tank Pirates, Captain "Gang" Bege, bounty 78 million Berries, from the West Blue.
The Bonney Pirates, Captain Jewelry Bonney, bounty 55 million Berries, from the South Blue.
The Heart Pirates, Captain Trafalgar Law, bounty 84.5 million Berries, from the North Blue.
The Hawkins Pirates, Captain Basil Hawkins, bounty 96 million Berries, from the North Blue.

Beyond these, Luo Lan even spotted the now-deceased Kid, his bounty identical to what he had seen days prior: 195 million Berries.

As for the final poster, Luo Lan breathed a sigh of relief while feeling a touch of surprise.

The Straw Hat Pirates, Captain Monkey D. Luffy, bounty 30 million Berries, from the East Blue.

Luo Lan wasn't surprised that Luffy had a bounty, but he was curious about what the kid had done to earn it. In the original story, Luffy had defeated Arlong and beaten up Captain Nezumi, who then reported him to Marine Headquarters, leading to the 30-million-berry bounty. But due to his own interference, those events could never have happened. So, what exactly had Luffy done?

Filled with curiosity, Luo Lan went to the ship's communication room to look for recent newspapers from the East Blue. If Luffy had managed to land a 30-million-berry bounty right out of the gate—a figure unheard of in the East Blue—he must have done something extraordinary. Such a major event would surely be in the papers, making it the fastest way to find out.

Finally, among a stack of papers, Luo Lan found a report from half a month ago. After reading it in detail, he understood why that blockhead Luffy had been slapped with a 30-million-berry bounty; it turned out that half the reason was his own fault.

It appeared that while wandering the East Blue, Luffy had managed to recruit two companions, Usopp and Sanji. When the three of them reached Loguetown, they immediately saw the flagpoles at the port, adorned with the wind-dried corpses of pirates. At first, Luffy hadn't paid much mind, assuming they were local criminals, but when a tour guide explained that they were pirate corpses, Luffy flew into a rage. He didn't know what crimes those pirates had committed to deserve such lack of peace even in death, hanging there to be dried by the wind. Even in death, was it necessary to continue insulting their remains?

Luffy had caused a massive commotion at the pier, prompting Smoker to arrive and easily suppress the blockhead. If not for the arrival of Luffy’s mysterious, hands-off father—the man mentioned in the paper—Luffy’s pirate journey would likely have ended there before it began, with Smoker sending him to a headquarters prison.

Having been easily suppressed by Dragon in front of everyone, Smoker naturally felt he had lost face, and he reported Luffy to headquarters, specifically noting that Luffy had destroyed the structures Luo Lan had established. Consequently, out of respect for Luo Lan, headquarters had issued a 30-million-berry bounty on Luffy, dead or alive.

Having finished the paper, Luo Lan still didn't know if Luffy had actually reached the Grand Line, but he knew the kid was now firmly on the Navy's radar. Still, for that blockhead to dare destroy something he had built—the audacity was truly something else. The next time he saw him, he would have to drag him back and dump him on Garp so the old man could set him straight.