News of the Arlong Pirates' defeat spread rapidly across all the villages.
Overjoyed, the villagers wasted no time in organizing a grand celebration in Cocoyasi Village, honoring the heroes who had saved them.
As preparations for the banquet were in full swing, Marine Captain Nezumi arrived with a squad of Marines, intent on causing trouble. Without hesitation, he declared the Straw Hats criminals and demanded that they hand over Arlong and all the stolen money.
Predictably, both Nezumi and his Marines received a brutal beating.
Carl, however, didn't bother with such trivial matters.
He was at the coast, calling down a News Coo that was selling newspapers. After purchasing one, he slipped a piece of film and a note into the bird's pouch.
Just then, Nojiko approached.
"Hey! Brother Carl, what are you up to? The banquet's about to start!"
Carl watched as the News Coo flew off. "Oh, hey Nojiko. I just bought a newspaper and sent photos of Luffy and the others to Big News Morgans. I bet the Straw Hat Pirates will shake up the world before long!"
"Hehehe, I can't wait to see that article."
Nojiko smiled brightly, but soon, her expression turned serious. She informed Carl about Nezumi's interference, believing that Carl was the most reliable member of the Straw Hats. Even though he hadn't been in the spotlight much, he always had a firm grasp of the bigger picture.
Carl thought for a moment before pulling out a Den Den Mushi and making a call.
"Moshi, moshi! You little brat, you still dare to call me?" came Garp's boisterous voice.
Carl chuckled. "Old man, how have you been?"
"How have I been?! You and Luffy are driving me crazy! Both of you went off to become pirates—if I catch you, I'll make sure you feel my Fist of Love!"
"Heh, then I guess you're out of luck. Even if you're a Marine hero, if I team up with Luffy, you wouldn't stand a chance!"
"Keep dreaming! You're still a hundred years too early to take me on!"
"Well, if you don't believe me, come test it yourself!"
The two bickered back and forth for a while before Carl finally got to the point—telling Garp about Nezumi's corruption. Upon hearing it, Garp flew into a rage, cursing up a storm and vowing to take care of the matter personally.
Satisfied, Carl hung up without a second thought—completely ignoring Garp's reaction.
Nojiko, watching the exchange, asked curiously, "Brother Carl… were you just talking to Vice Admiral Garp?"
Carl nodded. "Yeah, I know the old man pretty well."
"Are pirates and Marine heroes really on such familiar terms?"
Nojiko found it amusing, but knowing that Garp was the one handling the situation, she felt reassured. There was no doubt that Nezumi would be taken care of. It was definitely the right choice to tell Carl—he immediately pulled out such a powerful connection, putting everyone's minds at ease.
"Brother Carl, I'll leave my troublesome little sister in your hands."
"If you're worried, why not come with us, Nojiko?"
"No, I want to stay and take care of my adoptive mother's tangerine orchard. Nami is chasing her dream, but she'll come back one day. I'll be here, waiting for her to come home."
"Well, by then, you might already have a husband and kids."
"Hehe, that's true. Just imagine Nami's face when she finds out she has a brother-in-law and a nephew. But marriage still feels like a long way off. If I were to consider it, though, Brother Carl isn't a bad choice. What do you think? Interested?"
"..."
Carl froze on the spot. It was the first time someone had openly flirted with him.
He could tell Nojiko was joking, but his face still burned with embarrassment. In the end, he ran off blushing. He never expected that, despite having a thick skin when teasing Kaya, he was actually weak to being teased himself.
If he had played along, he wondered—would Nojiko have taken it seriously?
The celebrations lasted for three days.
Luffy ate as much meat as he wanted, Zoro drank his fill, Usopp bragged non-stop, Sanji flirted with every girl he could find, and Jango danced the night away with Liki.
As for Carl, he simply played the drums, keeping the rhythm for the festivities instead of joining the dance.
Maybe it was because Nojiko was watching, but he felt a little self-conscious.
Three days passed in a flash. Early in the morning, the Going Merry was stocked with supplies, and everyone stood on deck, waiting for Nami.
Nami, of course, had her own way of saying goodbye—stealing money from all the villagers on her way to the ship before flashing them a cheeky grin.
There was no need for a tearful farewell. Cocoyasi Village was finally free, so why not part ways with laughter instead?
Meanwhile, Nojiko occasionally threw flirtatious glances at Carl, making him feel slightly uneasy.
At some point, he found himself rolling with it. After all, Nojiko wasn't bad at all.
But it was too late to dwell on that now—the ship had already set sail.
With no real threats left in the East Blue, nearly all the crew gathered, and the Grand Line's sea chart secured, there was only one thing left to do.
It was time to set sail for the graveyard of pirates.
Next stop—Loguetown, the entrance to the Grand Line.
That day, the Going Merry sailed slowly across the sea.
As a news bird passed overhead, Carl habitually called it down and bought a newspaper. When he unfolded it, several bold headlines immediately caught his eye:
[East Blue's New Overlord! The Straw Hat Pirates' Sniper Completely Defeats Krieg!]
[Shocking! Pirate Hunter Challenges the World's Strongest Swordsman! Straw Hat Luffy Fights Hawkeye to a Draw!]
[Unbelievable! The Arlong Pirates Ruled Over Twenty Villages for Eight Years—Marines Exposed for Colluding with Them!]
[The Straw Hats Annihilate Arlong's Crew! The True Overlords of East Blue!]
Carl smirked. As expected of the News King, Morgans—he truly didn't care about protecting the Marines' so-called reputation. With reports like these, Luffy's bounty was bound to be sky-high.
Thud!
A stack of bounty posters landed on the deck.
The first one displayed Luffy's signature grin.
"Luffy, here's your bounty poster," Carl called from atop the figurehead.
Luffy's eyes lit up, and he rushed over. The rest of the crew immediately dropped what they were doing and gathered around.
"Ohhh! It's really Luffy's wanted poster!" Usopp exclaimed. "Monkey D. Luffy—bounty: 100 million Berries?! My god! A hundred million before even leaving the East Blue? That's insane!"
The crew was completely stunned.
Meanwhile, Luffy was grinning from ear to ear, clearly delighted.
Nami snatched the newspaper from Carl's hand, scanning the headlines before narrowing her eyes.
"Mr. Carl… what did you do?"
"Oh, nothing much," Carl said casually. "Just took some pictures of everyone, wrote down what happened, and sent it all to the News Bird. Morgans is a fearless guy—he'll print anything. Once the news got out, the Marines naturally took notice, and that means higher bounties for everyone."
"Hehehe… Mr. Carl, you're so amazing," Nami said, twitching slightly.
She clearly wasn't thrilled. A higher bounty only meant more trouble—she was still worried about being chased by the Marines.
The rest of the crew, however, were full of praise for Carl.
"Huh? There are bounties for the rest of us too!" Usopp suddenly exclaimed, flipping through the stack.
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