Chapter 233 » The Bounty Was Quite—WTF, Did You Say How Much?

"That young man's name seems to be Gol D. Roger." Katchu closed its eyes and pondered before speaking the Pirate King's name.

The revelation sent a shock through Yusuke. His suspicions were confirmed — the young man wearing the straw hat was indeed Gol D. Roger in his youth.

If Katchu had succeeded in taking over Roger's body back then, would it have become the Pirate King?

Yusuke stared at the doll in his hands, stunned by the thought that it had nearly become the world's Pirate King.

He wondered about the doll's true age. No wonder it had called him a kid — he must seem like an infant in comparison.

"By my calculations, you must be over two hundred years old." He declared, studying the remarkably well-preserved doll before him.

Katchu nodded quietly, "I really can't remember how old I am anymore."

"Haha, you really are an old-timer!"

"Stop teasing me." Its little face turned as red as an apple, "My luck was terrible back then. If I had succeeded in taking over his body, I wouldn't be in this situation today. It was a complete failure."

It spoke dejectedly.

"Actually, it's fortunate you didn't succeed — though you'll be amazed to learn why. Would you like to know what became of the young man whose body you tried to claim?" Yusuke asked enthusiastically.

"What happened? After that failure... I came here and quietly hid away. Since then, I never concerned myself with matters of the sea." Katchu looked up curiously.

"That young man became none other than Gol D. Roger, King of the Pirates! Had your possession succeeded, with your Devil Fruit ability, you would have walked the path to becoming the Pirate King!" Yusuke declared, giving an emphatic thumbs up.

The young man it had tried to possess had become the Pirate King himself.

"Really? That young man became the Pirate King?" Katchu's eyes sparkled with excitement.

After all, it was a body it had valued — and clearly, its power was extraordinary.

"My eye for talent truly was the keenest. I knew it! That young man's body was extraordinary. An ordinary person's body I could have easily possessed, but with him... it proved incredibly difficult. That's what led to the accident. Tell me, is that young man still alive? Is he still the Pirate King? I'd love to see him in person! What has he grown up to be? Is he still as handsome and elegant as he was in his youth?"

Yusuke's expression turned somber as he looked at Katchu.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but Gol D. Roger... he's no longer in this world."

"What? What happened to him?" Katchu's eyes widened with concern.

"He contracted an incurable disease near the end of his journey. The doctors said there was nothing they could do. Rather than succumb to the illness, he chose to turn himself in to the Marines."

"Turn himself in? The Pirate King surrendered?" Katchu couldn't believe what it was hearing.

"Yes. He was publicly executed at Loguetown, his hometown. But before he died, he announced that he had hidden his greatest treasure, the One Piece, somewhere in the world. His last words sparked the Great Pirate Era."

Katchu sat in stunned silence, processing the fate of the young man whose body it had once tried to possess.

"If I had possessed him... would I have developed the same disease? Is there truly no one in the world who can cure his illness? Even with an incurable disease, there was no need to surrender to Marine Headquarters. Those Marines are nothing but lapdogs of the Celestial Dragons — mere tools to protect their interests. There's no justice in them at all. Why let such people strut around so proudly?"

Katchu couldn't understand why Gol D. Roger would surrender himself to the Marines.

To let them publicly execute him — even terminally ill, he could have lived out his days at sea. Wouldn't that have been better? To complete his life's journey on his own terms.

"You actually know about the Celestial Dragons?" This statement from it surprised Yusuke again.

"Of course I know about the Celestial Dragons! They're the supreme rulers of this world, but they're all just worthless trash." Katchu said matter-of-factly, "The Celestial Dragons have ruled this world for eight hundred years. How could I not know about them? They're extremely cruel, looking down on humans of other races like us. They treat us like their slaves for their pleasure, letting them abuse people as they please — the Celestial Dragons are truly despicable."

"If I had really obtained the body of this Pirate King, I would have been the first to stand up and overthrow the Celestial Dragons' authority. I absolutely wouldn't have let them lord over us common people and continue to trample over ordinary folks."

Its words were truly shocking — it actually harbored such a terrifying ambition to overthrow the Celestial Dragons.

"I understand your perspective, but let me be direct — challenging the Celestial Dragons would be extremely dangerous. They wield immense power and influence spanning generations. Even the Pirate King never dared to directly oppose their authority. While I respect your conviction, I must strongly advise discretion. Such talk, if heard by the wrong ears, would bring the full might of the Marines down upon you."

Yusuke spoke firmly to Katchu, emphasizing the need for caution when discussing matters involving the world's ruling class.

"Hmph. What's there to be afraid of? I had this idea even when I was young. I just never found a body with enough power. That's why I had my eye on that young man with the straw hat. Before him, I did possess another young man's body, but his strength was lacking. Couldn't overthrow those Celestial Dragons. Such a shame."

"But back then, I was already a pirate who could hold my own in the New World. It was so long ago that I've forgotten my name from that time. But I remember clearly the bounty the Marines put on me — ₿8,000,000,000."

When Katchu said this, Yusuke nearly fainted from shock.

"That's quite a bounty claim — ₿8,000,000,000 would surpass even the legendary Gol D. Roger himself. Since you're in a sharing mood, I'm genuinely curious to hear about these remarkable achievements of yours. What other extraordinary feats have you accomplished?"

"I'm actually very timid."

"Let me be clear about this — a bounty of ₿8,000,000,000 represents an almost unimaginable level of power in today's world." Yusuke stated decisively, taking a measured breath.

He was almost scared to death by this doll before him. It really dared to boast.

"I've been out of touch with the world for many years, so I don't understand anything about the current pirate world anymore. But back then, my head really was worth ₿8,000,000,000 on Marine Headquarters' wanted poster. That's what it said."