"'Evil Ghost' Barn, a bounty of 17 million Beli?"
The moment Brook said that, everyone burst out laughing. Brunn even walked up to Barn and patted him on the shoulder.
"Well done, brother! You've only been on the ship for a short while, and you've already made a name for yourself before me—the 'Butt Crusher'!"
The laughter grew even louder. Brook tapped Barn on the shoulder with a pleased smile.
"You've officially become a proper pirate now!"
Yorki happily chimed in, "Haha! Barn, you're amazing! First time out and you already have a 17 million Beli bounty!"
Barn gave a bitter smile. This was one of the quirks of the One Piece world—who actually gets happy about their bounty increasing? And who even congratulates you for being wanted? But, well, he did feel a little excited inside!
"17 million Beli... I guess it's some recognition of my strength. After all, I'm Ashura, a grand transmigrator—I'm not exactly weak! But from now on, I'm officially a pirate. Honestly, it's kind of exciting."
A smile gradually spread across Barn's face. He started joking around with Brook and the others.
The bounty poster lying on the ground showed Barn's striking figure—silver-white hair and coat dyed blood-red, eyes shut tight, brows furrowed with a deadly determination. A close-up of the second-generation Onikiri featured a red, eerie flame-like blade pattern that sent chills down anyone's spine.
Overall, the bounty poster was a big success. But Barn couldn't see any of it—after all, he was blind.
Fitz was quite happy, hopping and pecking at the poster every now and then, because it recognized the bird claw on Barn's head as its own...
Since the battle against Plank started one year ago, Barn's reputation skyrocketed. After defeating Plank, Barn found his level had risen from 25 to 26. Turns out, fighting gave you experience points!
Plus, the Rumba Pirates had three members with Marine bounties, including Barn himself, which put them on the Marine's hit list. Over the year, dozens of battles raised Barn's level to 30. He finally mastered his long-awaited signature skill, Ashura's Evil Light Slash, and the "Killing Intent Wave" — a lethal aura that intimidated enemies. Unlike the "Haki" of this world, it was pure killing intent, creating a deadly field around him that affected foes nearby.
In one fight, Barn charged a full-powered Evil Light Slash and cut two Marine warships in half. After that, his bounty jumped to a whopping 130 million Beli, far surpassing Captain Yorki's 58 million.
Before the Great Pirate Era began, having a bounty over 100 million was extremely rare. Barn even broke the record for the highest newbie bounty, a record that wouldn't be beaten for at least fifty years.
Well, maybe not fifty years — with that crazy guy Luffy around, once the Great Pirate Era starts, any new pirate heading out will have a bounty in the tens of millions. That's just impossible now.
A 130 million Beli bounty was the Marine's huge acknowledgment of Barn's strength.
Brunn kept complaining that Barn had stolen his spotlight, which was why his "Butt Crusher" nickname hadn't earned him a bounty.
Now Barn had grown into a fifteen or sixteen-year-old young man. His old Kanopi fur cloak was replaced by Mab's tailor-made jacket. He wore a pure black thin ribbon tied in an X over his eyes, his snow-white hair and coat made him look sharp and spirited, especially with his sometimes furrowed brow and handsome features.
Fitz had also grown, now about the size of a pigeon, and Barn's head was its exclusive perch — it didn't even bother his shoulders anymore.
Today, Barn was fishing at the stern, just like always. Fitz was also its usual cheeky self, openly stealing bait.
Barn had been on the ship for over two years, fishing every day. Yet in all that time, he hadn't caught a single fish. Mab and the crew teased him constantly, telling him to just stop fishing if he couldn't catch anything.
Barn was frustrated but could only claim, with a straight face:
"I fish for the joy of fishing, not for the catch!"
Fitz stood on Barn's head, flapping its wings like tiny fists and chirping indignantly.
Probably thinking, If Barn stops fishing, so do my extra meals!
Just as everyone was joking and chatting, Brook's voice rang out.
"Hey, come look! There's a little guy following us!"