Between Two Worlds: Nen and Haki

The new alloy, unlike memory metal, cannot self-recover.

In addition to its basic toughness, it possesses an extraordinary ability to absorb impact.

In other words, the force of every punch Zane threw was completely absorbed by the new alloy.

Due to the excellent properties of the new alloy.

Zane planned to not only use it for new weapons but also develop it into training equipment.

After all, for him, Manlong, and the others.

As their power increased and their abilities grew stronger.

Ordinary training methods were no longer suitable for use on a warship, as they could easily cause damage.

With the new alloy, these issues were perfectly resolved.

If it could withstand his fists, it could certainly handle anyone else's.

"A bounty? I've been given a bounty?"

"This World Economic Journal is so unreliable. We've been spreading news the whole way saying we're a hunting team, so why do they keep labeling us as a pirate group?"

"Hahaha, that's just how the world works. As long as you oppose the Marines or the World Government, no matter what you're actually doing, you'll be defined as a pirate."

"Not bad, not bad. I'm finally being hunted too."

"Tch—my bounty is so low? Dammit, I have to work harder to show off next time."

As the bounty posters and newspapers were distributed throughout the Hunting Team, they immediately sparked heated discussions.

Although Zane defined them as a hunting team, much like many pirates, the members didn't resist the bounties; instead, they viewed them as badges of honor.

Those with high bounties bragged, while those with low bounties were indignant.

Those without any bounty at all looked on with faces full of envy.

'My bounty increased so much probably because the Captain's strength has made the World Government feel threatened,' Nico Robin thought secretly as she looked at her own bounty poster.

From her first bounty until now, the amount had never changed.

Now that it had suddenly increased by a massive margin, Nico Robin didn't think it was because the Marines valued her individual strength or threat level more.

She was now a member of the Hunting Team.

In other words, with her, Zane possessed the ability to decipher Poneglyphs even if he hadn't awakened the special abilities of the Three-Eye Tribe.

Being able to read Poneglyphs wasn't terrifying on its own; what was terrifying was having enough strength to back it up. That was enough to draw special attention from the World Government.

Deducing this, Nico Robin suddenly smiled.

Being noticed was good. The more the World Government paid attention, the more nervous they were.

Nico Robin didn't complain about her bounty rising significantly due to Zane's influence; instead, she was exceptionally happy.

She was a member of the Hunting Team now. The more her Captain made the World Government nervous, the greater her chance for revenge against them.

She was now a member of the Hunting Team.

The more her Captain made the World Government nervous, the greater her chance for revenge against them.

'...Should I reward the Captain somehow?'

'Anyway, Baby 5 is always guarding against me like I'm a thief. If I don't actually act like one, wouldn't that be a waste?'

As she thought, Nico Robin's mind wandered off to who knows where.

It was just as Zane had expected.

The World Government had suddenly hiked his bounty from 500 million berries to a staggering 2 billion berries.

This was partly because of the status of Gion, an Admiral Candidate, and partly to set Zane up for a fall by over-inflating his reputation through a massive bounty.

One had to realize that even the second-in-commands of the Four Emperors, like King of the Beast Pirates or Katakuri of the Big Mom Pirates, only had bounties slightly over 1 billion.

Zane's bounty jumping to 2 billion berries might still be a distance away from the Four Emperors themselves, but it was enough to attract the attention and jealousy of countless pirates.

And so.

As the new bounties spread across the world via the World Economic Journal, the New Riding the Wind and Waves was attacked by various pirates almost every day during the following period.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ferocious cannon fire erupted.

Even without using the strongest Lightning Beam Cannon, the powerful firepower equipped on the New Riding the Wind and Waves easily and quickly sank a pirate ship that had just opened fire from a distance.

"Salvage team, move out!"

Having been promoted to an officer, Wyper watched the wreckage of the pirate ship sinking into the sea and skillfully commanded dozens of Hunting Team members to dive for treasure.

Along the way, they were also to capture any surviving enemies.

"Do these people have no brains? They don't even stop to think why our Captain could be given a 2 billion berry bounty. They just keep coming one after another to die."

Standing with Wyper, Kamakiri, who had also been promoted to an officer, complained with a helpless look on his face.

It would be fine if powerful pirates were the ones showing up.

But unfortunately, the pirates who had come knocking lately were all ordinary fools who hadn't even ventured into the New World.

The strongest among them had bounties of only a few tens of millions of berries.

At this level.

Let alone challenging Zane, even the officers of the Hunting Team couldn't muster much interest.

"People's horizons are limited by their knowledge. These people can only see the high bounty, but they can't see the weight behind it," Bones said as he walked up from behind, crossing his arms and looking at the sinking ship.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

On the other side of the deck, while Wyper and the others were still focused on the attacking pirates, Manlong didn't even bother to glance at them. He continuously threw punches at the massive new alloy target to hone his fists.

Since he had invented something good, Zane naturally wouldn't keep it to himself.

Using the new alloy as a material, in addition to the new weapons, punching targets were also distributed throughout the Hunting Team.

As the muffled sounds of punching echoed, Wyper and the others, who had been discussing the enemies, were soon drawn over.

"Time to train!"

"Today, I'm going to complete a thousand-punch training session!"

"Just another group of low-level pirates. It's better to train instead."

Seeing Manlong, the second-in-command, training so diligently, how could the other officers dare to slack off? They quickly began their own training sessions as well.

Some went to the other three sides of the punching target Manlong was using, hammering away with their fists to temper them.

Others practiced the Six Powers or worked on developing their Devil Fruit abilities.

"A promising future!"

Standing before the window, Zane looked down at the lively training scene on the deck, a faint smile appearing on his face.

The trivial harassment from pirates brought about by the bounty was naturally not worth his concern.

On the contrary, the diligent and hard training of his subordinates was what truly satisfied him.

After watching his subordinates train for a while, Zane also began to attend to his own matters.

He arrived at the deck on the stern of the ship.

"Captain, I was just about to look for you. As per your request, everyone on the escort ship has been evacuated."

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