Before lunch, Nami, who had left early in the morning, hurried back from town with a merchant caravan in tow, transporting many large crates of goods.
It was the new furniture for the ship.
When the ship was delivered, the public areas had already been simply furnished, but the rooms on the third and fourth floors were completely empty. Allen had entrusted her with purchasing furniture and other necessities to fill them.
Especially large sofas and mattresses—he insisted they be standard in every room.
Leaving the installation to the craftsmen sent by the sellers, the crew gathered in the second-floor dining hall for their first meal on the new ship.
Having just bought fresh ingredients, the kitchen went all out to celebrate the new vessel, using plenty of high-end provisions. The pirates cheered excitedly as they drank to their hearts' content.
"Buying the ship cost 700 million Berries, the new weapons and ammunition were 400 million Berries, plus the furniture, and factoring in the small return from selling the old ship..."
Allen and the division commanders sat together around a luxurious, long stone table.
Nami calculated their expenses over the past two days on a piece of paper, listing every single transaction, big and small, for both the development fund and the ship's public funds.
Allen usually got a headache just looking at these things, but they had to be calculated. He really didn't understand how Nami could enjoy doing this.
He had originally planned to find an opportunity to dump this job on Sanji, but now it worked out perfectly—someone had stepped up to take over.
"In total, the development fund should have 2.32 billion Berries left, and the ship's public funds have 110 million Berries."
Nami handed the ledger to Allen. "Check it over."
"Yeah, I'll look at it later when I have time," Allen replied in a serious tone, accepting the ledger with the full intention of tearing it up and throwing it in the trash later.
Nami finally started eating. After taking just one bite, she looked up at him and mentioned, "By the way, I checked this morning and it was supposed to be sunny today, but I just noticed the wind has picked up out of nowhere. The weather feels a bit off."
"Off? Is it going to rain?" Allen asked, puzzled.
Nami pondered for a moment, her tone a bit uncertain. "It's hard to say for sure, but judging by the current humidity, it's very likely to turn overcast."
"Overcast? Seriously? It's still perfectly sunny out right now."
Sham was a bit skeptical, glancing outside through the window.
The sun was shining brightly in a cloudless sky. How could it rain without any clouds?
Allen knew about Nami's keen sense for the weather, so after a moment of thought, he said, "We've finished everything we needed to do, so there's no point sticking around. Let's get ready to set sail after we eat, before the weather turns."
Suddenly, a pirate on guard duty outside rushed in, his tone anxious yet excited.
"Captain! This is huge, you have to see this!"
Thud!
Just as he reached them, the pirate tripped on the steps and fell flat on his face. The two wanted posters he was clutching flew into the air and slowly drifted to the floor.
One landed face down, hiding its contents, but the other clearly displayed a picture of Allen!
Nami's eyes widened in shock. "Allen got a bounty?!"
At those words, every pirate in the dining hall whipped their heads around to look.
"Considering everything that's happened, it's only natural he'd get a wanted poster."
Sanji smiled faintly as he bent down to pick up the two posters. Beneath his calm demeanor, a hint of anticipation gleamed in his eyes. "I just wonder how much the bounty is. Could the other one be mine?"
The two wanted posters were spread out on the table.
Staring at the long string of numbers at the bottom, Allen couldn't suppress the grin forming on his lips. He had never seen so many zeros in his life.
"Demon Lion Allen, a bounty of 45 million Berries! How is it so high?" Nami covered her mouth in panic.
Gin and the Nyaban Brothers also leaned in to look, utterly astonished.
Only Sanji stood there clutching the other wanted poster, his expression looking rather grim.
Grinning widely, Allen picked up his wanted poster to admire his own heroic portrait, then leaned over to look at Sanji. "What's wrong, Sanji? Is the bounty too low? Don't worry, it'll go up eventually..."
"Oh, it's not you."
Seeing the poster, Allen's smile abruptly vanished, his gaze slowly turning to disdain.
The photo printed on it clearly showed Luffy, wearing his straw hat and grinning like an idiot.
"How could this happen...! I didn't get one!" Sanji gritted his teeth in anger.
At this rate, apart from Miss Nami who had just joined, wasn't he the only one at the table without a bounty?!
*Damn it!*
"It's fine, Big Bro Sanji. Bounties are something that just take time."
"Buchi is right. My brother and I had to make several moves before we got our 7 million Berry bounties."
The Nyaban Brothers consoled him in a somewhat boastful tone.
Gin chuckled silently and said, "Then again, the captain really is incredible. To get such a high bounty on his very first wanted poster."
Allen didn't think much of it.
The Marines issued bounties based on a multi-faceted assessment. In terms of strength, his combat record spoke for itself, and he also had Gin and the Nyaban Brothers under his command—fighters who had already made a name for themselves in the East Blue.
However, managing to get such a high amount for his first bounty was likely tied to two specific incidents: attacking a Marine Headquarters warship and wiping out Captain Nezumi's entire crew.
The latter, in particular, was considered a heinous crime in the eyes of Headquarters and would heavily influence the bounty evaluation.
After thinking it over for a moment, Allen felt that the bounty Headquarters had issued was fairly reasonable.
...
A short while later.
After finishing lunch, Allen gave the order to set sail. The crew members of the Third Division began bustling about under Nami's command.
On the third floor, Allen stood on the balcony, leaning against the railing. The once-clear sky had grown overcast at some point, and the previously calm sea was gradually beginning to churn.
Suddenly.
As if drawn by something, Allen turned his head, his deep gaze fixed on Loguetown in the distance.
A brilliant flash of light erupted in the sky as a bolt of lightning suddenly struck the island!
BOOM!!
The thunder seemed to explode right next to their ears. The massive commotion startled the pirates on the deck, who whipped their heads around, their faces filled with lingering fear.
Fine threads of rain began to fall from the vast, gray sky. The waves grew turbulent, and the wind howling across the sea intensified.
"A storm... is coming..."
Beside him, Nami frowned slightly as she looked up at the sky.
Allen glanced upward, the corners of his mouth curling into a smirk as he said, "Come to think of it, we haven't named our new ship yet. How about the *Freewill*?"
"The *Freewill*, meaning free will, huh..." Nami muttered under her breath before her lips curled into a smile. "It sounds pretty good."
"Then it's decided. Later, we'll have the shipwrights modify the *Freewill*'s exterior and install a more imposing figurehead," Allen said with a toothy grin.
Soon, all preparations were complete, and the crew gathered on the deck to wait.
Allen waved his large hand and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Boys! Set sail for the Grand Line!!"
"YEAH!!"
The *Freewill* slowly pulled away from the shore, like a slumbering beast finally awakening.
Upon the turbulent sea, the pirates' cheers were even more passionate and fierce than the approaching storm!
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