Legacy's Wake

The crew stood scattered across the ship's deck, Phoebe now among their ranks. Tarot sat slumped on a bench, one hand holding his rumbling stomach, the other tinkering with a crack in the ship's wood alongside Phoebe.

"Damn monkeys... I'm starving!" Tarot groaned dramatically, clutching his stomach like it was a life-or-death situation. "If Ralphie were here, he'd whip us up something legendary. But no, we've been reduced to eating scraps for days. Scraps!" He let out a theatrical wail that echoed over the sea.

Phoebe rolled her eyes, giving him a pat on the back as she adjusted a loose plank. "Relax. Just hang tight until we're through these waters, and then you'll have your precious feast. Honestly, you're worse than a child."

Meanwhile, Nathaniel leaned against the mast, watching Temoshí sulk in the corner like his world had ended. The captain crouched low, muttering incoherently to himself, his bounty poster crumpled in his trembling hands.

"They really did it…" Temoshí whimpered, his voice cracking as tears welled in his eyes. "They... reduced my bounty to zero. ZERO! How is that even possible?! I worked so hard to become a menace!" He flopped onto the floor, sprawled out like a defeated sea cucumber stranded in the sun.

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Guess that makes me the big shot now, huh?"

Before anyone could reply, Elliott erupted into uncontrollable laughter. "HAHAHA! How does someone LOSE their entire bounty in a single day?! And after all that chaos at Cerulean Tide? Oh, this is priceless!"

Temoshí shot a teary glare over his shoulder. "It's not funny, Elliott! My pride! My reputation! All of it—gone!" He sobbed as Kyora approached, shaking her head but holding back a grin.

"Well, look on the bright side," Kyora said, crouching next to him. "At least now we'll have fewer marine officials breathing down our necks. Maybe Elian put in a good word for us?"

Before anyone could speculate further, Joker interjected, sliding into the scene like he was on a mission. He pointed to the corner of Temoshí's poster, where a small, torn edge of paper fluttered in the wind.

"Uh... Captain? It's not actually zero," Joker said, tilting his head as his mechanical eyes zoomed in and whirred dramatically.

The entire crew froze mid-motion, their heads snapping toward Joker. Even Temoshí stopped crying long enough to glance up, his face still streaked with tears.

"What do you mean 'not zero'?!" Temoshí demanded, crawling over to Joker with a mix of desperation and suspicion.

Joker calmly peeled back the torn corner of the poster, his eyes swirling like a slot machine. A beat of silence followed as he adjusted his hat and paused dramatically.

"Your bounty... it's... malfunctioning!" Joker suddenly shouted, spinning in place like a broken wind-up toy before freezing in a stiff pose.

"Joker!" Kyora yelled, shaking him by the shoulders. "What's wrong with you? Spit it out!"

With a jolt, Joker rebooted, his hat falling over his face as he dramatically pointed at Temoshí. "Your bounty… is ONE BILLION!"

TEMOSHÍ, THE BLAZING INFERNO PIRATE

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE

1,000,000,000 BOLTS

The entire crew stood in stunned silence for a moment, their jaws collectively hitting the floor.

"One…" Tarot started, blinking rapidly. "Billion?!"

Temoshí's tears instantly dried as he sat bolt upright, snatching the poster from Joker's hand. "WHAT?! How?! When?!" He scrambled to his feet, frantically waving the bounty around. "This makes even less sense than a zero bounty!"

Elliott doubled over, wheezing with laughter. "From ZERO to ONE BILLION? Temoshí, you're like a walking marine anomaly!"

Phoebe just stared, utterly dumbfounded. "That's almost more than any of you combined. What kind of stunt did you pull to earn that?"

Temoshí scratched his head, his expression switching between confusion and pride. "I... I don't even know. But I guess that makes me the biggest threat on the crew again!" He struck a triumphant pose, holding the bounty high.

Tarot groaned loudly, flopping back onto the bench. "Great. Now he's never going to stop bragging. Someone find Ralphie. I need comfort food."

Temoshí stared at his wanted poster, bewildered by the image on it. "How did they manage to capture me in both forms—one as a man and one as a woman? This doesn't add up! And why is the paper so... refined?"

Nathaniel looked over at him, his tone calm but knowing. "The golden frame and white paper are a mark of a truly dangerous pirate. Anyone with a bounty over 1,000,000,000 gets this new type of poster. It's meant to signify how much of a threat you are to the territories. In short, we're about to attract a lot more attention from the marines."

Temoshí paused for a moment, staring at his wanted poster with a mix of indifference and quiet amusement, though deep down, he couldn't help but feel a rush at the thought of his name spreading through the Vast Expanse.

"But here's a question," he said, breaking the silence. "Why did they change my title? 'Blazing Inferno Pirate'? I've always been stuck with that goofy 'White-Haired' name, which was honestly a bit ridiculous."

Nathaniel crossed his arms, pistols shifting slightly in their holsters as he regarded Temoshí with a hint of seriousness. "It means they're finally taking you seriously. The marines assign those nicknames based on how they perceive a pirate's reputation. They gave you that one because they see you as a real threat now. Before, they just saw you as someone to capture, someone they could neutralize. Now, you're someone to fear."

Temoshí narrowed his eyes, eyeing the group with a mixture of disbelief and suspicion. "And now they've got your real full name, too? That's bound to cause some trouble."

Nathaniel sighed, resting his palm on his left hip, while the rest of the crew stood at a cautious distance, watching their captain.

Kyora, clearly distressed, muttered with a shaky voice, "In short, being stuck with him... means we're doomed. We're done for."

She buried her face into Phoebe's chest, her tears soaking into Phoebe's shirt. Phoebe, though clearly uneasy, tried to comfort her, offering a small smile. "I'm sure it'll all work out, Kyora. I know it will."

To be continued...