Kuke, in the eyes of the World Government and the Navy, was already dead.

Even though he showed power far beyond his bounty while facing off against the admirals at the Sabaody Archipelago, they believed he had died.

Naturally, his bounty didn’t increase after that.

Kuke’s bounty remained at nine hundred million Berries.

Gion’s case, however, was different.

The Navy and World Government knew Gion was still alive and assumed she was now the leader of the Sun and Moon Pirates.

Her bounty skyrocketed.

She was now the highest-bountied member of the Sun and Moon Pirates.

Within a year, she went from having no bounty to having a bounty of 1.2 billion Berries—a rarity seen only once in decades.

Even so, her bounty didn’t reflect her true power.

Kuke continued to examine the second crew member.

Intelligence Officer and Navigator: Shakky [Zoan-Type Bat-Bat Fruit, Mythical Vampire Form; Bounty: 560 million Berries; Power Level: 120,654]

The Sun and Moon Pirates had gained a new powerhouse.

Shakky’s bounty hadn’t changed.

Only Rayleigh knew she had joined the Sun and Moon Pirates—no one else.

Her bounty was still based on her activity decades ago.

Intelligence Officer and Sniper: Stussy [Logia-Type Rumble-Rumble Fruit; Bounty: 720 million Berries; Power Level: 143,251]

Among the crew, Stussy’s power was second only to Gion’s and slightly stronger than Shakky’s.

The Rumble-Rumble Fruit granted immense offensive power.

With her solid foundation in the Navy’s Six Styles and both Armament and Observation Haki, combined with almost three months of training with her new powers, Stussy had reached this level of strength.

It was only natural.

She was among the top-ranking commanders.

Her bounty also increased significantly.

To the general public, Gion was considered the leader of the Sun and Moon Pirates, and the infamous Queen of the Pleasure District, Stussy, was the second-in-command.

The rest of the crew was seen as insignificant.

Adding to that, Stussy had once been part of CP0, which made her a traitor in the eyes of the Five Elders.

Her bounty increased from over 400 million to over 700 million.

Yet, it still didn’t match her real power.

Quartermaster: Hancock [Paramecia-Type Love-Love Fruit; Bounty: 210 million Berries; Power Level: 51,632]

Compared to Stussy and Shakky, Hancock’s power was weaker.

However, she hadn’t recently acquired a top-tier Devil Fruit power like the others.

She had possessed the Love-Love Fruit for a long time.

In just a year, her power increased from around ten thousand to fifty tousand.

Her innate talent and effort led to rapid growth.

In the original timeline, she became a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Her greatest asset was her personal strength.

Hancock was still not yet fully grown, as she was half a year away from adulthood.

Her peak was yet to come.

As long as she didn’t stay isolated in Amazon Lily with no major battles, her future strength would far surpass her original self.

Currently, Hancock was not well-known across the sea.

More than anything, people knew her for her striking beauty and her affiliation with the Sun and Moon Pirates.

Her strength remained mostly unknown.

Compared to the current Warlords making waves across the sea, Hancock was at an above-average level.

Doctor: Belo Betty [Paramecia-Type Op-Op Fruit; Bounty: 40 million Berries; Power Level: 29,862]

Close to breaking thirty thousand.

A low bounty.

On the Grand Line, a bounty of 40 million was barely enough to attract the attention of stronger figures.

Belo Betty’s rise remained largely unnoticed.

The Op-Op Fruit had caused quite a stir across the seas, but no one knew that she had already eaten it.

Belo Betty had eaten the fruit about six months ago.

Her power level rose sixfold, reaching thirty thousand from an initial five thousand.

Thirty thousand was quite impressive.

Very few rookies reached that power level each year.

The Op-Op Fruit, a top-tier Devil Fruit, was the hardest to master initially, but once developed, her power would undoubtedly rise rapidly.

And Belo Betty had just reached adulthood.

Helmsman and Assistant Cook: Lily Enstomark [Paramecia-Type Mini-Mini Fruit; Bounty: 60 million Berries; Power Level: 32,154]

The advantage of her Giant heritage.

Coupled with Haki training.

The Mini-Mini Fruit was particularly suited to her as a Giant.

Lily’s power was formidable.

In the Navy, she was capable of the same feats as a Vice-Admiral.

She still wasn’t widely known.

She hadn’t had the opportunity to display her full power.

Historian: Nico Robin [Paramecia-Type Flower-Flower Fruit; Bounty: 84 million Berries; Power Level: 9,512]

Her initial bounty was close to eighty million.

The additional bounty came from joining the Sun and Moon Pirates.

Her power approached ten thousand.

When she first joined, her power level was less than five thousand.

Despite eating the Devil Fruit at a young age, Nico Robin had never fully developed the Flower-Flower Fruit’s powers.

Survival had been her main concern; she had no time or motivation to train.

After joining the Sun and Moon Pirates, her safety was ensured, giving her both motivation and powerful mentors like Gion.

Her power increased significantly.

In the original timeline, Nico Robin’s strength gradually increased over time, but her major growth spurt came during the two-year timeskip.

Two years later, her strength had doubled, and she had developed new forms for her powers.

Kuke estimated that two years later, she would possess strength similar to her role in the Wano Country arc.

She was still very young.

Kuke looked forward to her future potential.

General Hand #1: Boa Sandersonia [Zoan-Type Anaconda Fruit; Bounty: 50 million Berries; Power Level: 9,762]

General Hand #2: Boa Marigold [Zoan-Type Cobra Fruit; Bounty: 45 million Berries; Power Level: 8,513]

Hancock’s two younger sisters.

Their power growth was slower compared to the others.

They still had solid talent, possessing notable Zoan-type abilities.

Yet, compared to the rest of the crew, they lagged behind.

Both of their power levels approached ten thousand, with a potential limit of twenty or thirty thousand.

They were well aware of their limits.

They willingly took on general duties aboard the ship.

Quiet and non-competitive.

Kuke often checked in with them, afraid they might feel overshadowed by the others.

Though they had limitations, in any other group, they would be among the core fighters.

In the original timeline, they were, after all, the second and third strongest members of the Kuja Pirates.

Cook: Makino [Non-Devil Fruit User; Bounty: 10 million Berries; Power Level: 98]

Just an ordinary person.

Makino didn’t have the talent to become powerful despite her efforts.

If they found a suitable Devil Fruit, Kuke intended to let her eat it to at least have some means of self-defense, so she wouldn’t be harmed by the aftermath of battles.

Apprentice: Koala [Non-Devil Fruit User; Bounty: 1,000 Berries; Power Level: 458]

Koala was still very young.

She was not quite eleven yet, with her body not fully grown.

However, she showed considerable talent, especially in intelligence, strategy, and command, earning Shakky’s and Stussy’s approval.

Apprentice Swordswoman: Kuina [Non-Devil Fruit User; Bounty: 100 Berries; Power Level: 1,892]

Just a few months older than Koala.

At eleven years old.

Her power was impressive—few could match her at that age.

Her power level grew quickly.

Even with her still-growing body, her progress was visible daily.

Her talent was remarkable.

Gion was her mentor, and even Gion admitted Kuina could one day catch up to her.

In Kuke’s eyes, Gion had the potential to become one of the strongest Yonko Commanders.

Kuina’s potential was even greater than Kuke initially expected.

It wasn’t impossible that she could one day vie for the title of World’s Strongest Swordsman.

Reserve Member: Princess Shirahoshi [Mermaid Princess; Bounty: 0; Power Level: 168]

Shirahoshi’s identity: Poseidon, one of the Ancient Weapons.

Her potential.

In Kuke’s view, it was the highest.

Kuke looked at each member.

There weren’t many—only a dozen or so.

A relatively small pirate crew by the sea’s standards.

But their overall strength, especially the number of top-level fighters, had already surpassed those of the Yonko crews.

Kuke then looked at his own status.

Kuke: Power Level: 714,532

He had surpassed 700,000 in power.

At the time of the Sabaody Archipelago incident, his power level was around 600,000.

Back then, Kuke estimated that his overall strength was close to Admiral Akainu’s, but only slightly.

He had managed to seriously wound Akainu because of his reckless fighting style and Akainu’s unwillingness to go all out.

But now, with a power level of over 700,000.

Kuke was confident that he could challenge Whitebeard for the title of World’s Strongest Man.

Moreover.

All his attributes had grown.

Agility, charisma, and the like were still improving.

But the Rumble-Rumble Fruit’s control over lightning.

And having Zoan crew members with enhanced physiques.

The physical boost had a major impact on combat.

Previously, Kuke’s physique stat was at 55.

After Shakky obtained the Mythical Vampire Form, his physique stat increased by 20.

Kuke’s physique stat now stood at 75.

He was close to the theoretical maximum of 100, which was considered the strongest physique in the world.

Across the seas, Kuke figured that he could now rival Big Mom’s endurance.

After reviewing the Sun and Moon Pirates’ collective strength.

Including the abilities gained from achievement points.

Kuke was confident that soon, he would make the Navy regret crossing them.

He was even more excited for the crew’s future.

Not one member of the Sun and Moon Pirates had awakened their Devil Fruits yet, and that in itself was terrifying.

“Let’s go. It’s time to prepare a big gift for the Navy.”

Kuke gave a grand wave of his hand.

The World Government and the Navy had made countless attempts to strike them—now it was time for the entire Sun and Moon Pirates to strike back.

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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 144+ at patreon.com/Emik01.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep