"Red-Haired Brat Shanks"
Age: 12
Bounty: 50 Berries
Joined the Roger Pirates two years ago, participated in the last battle between Roger and the Flying Pirates.
The bounty poster showed a picture of Shanks holding his broken little knife and poking a random pirate's backside—it was as crude as it could get.
"Ha-ha-ha! No way! No way! Is there really someone whose first bounty is only 50 Berries? Shanks, don't tell anyone you know me from now on. I don't have friends worth only 50 Berries!"
The nickname, "Red-Haired Brat," was spot on; that red hair was certainly eye-catching! As for the bounty... Who would've thought that Shanks, who would one day rule the New World as one of the Four Emperors, would have a first bounty of only 50 Berries? Chronos remembered that in the anime, only the adorable Chopper had that kind of value, but later Chopper became a reindeer worth 100 Berries.
It seems Shanks isn't even worth as much as Chopper...
All the Roger Pirates, except for Shanks, were clutching their stomachs and rolling on the deck with laughter. For pirates, the amount on their bounty poster was a direct reflection of their strength. Even in retirement, they could brag to kids about how amazing they were on the seas, being wanted by Marine Headquarters for x, x, x, x Berries!
But for Shanks, his first bounty poster would probably be his lifelong dark history! When he becomes an Emperor and is bragging to his subordinates, imagine one of them suddenly pulling out Shanks's first bounty poster... The scene was too hilarious for Chronos to even imagine. The Navy News Department guy was a true talent too, ignoring countless battle scenes just to snap a photo of Shanks poking someone's backside.
"Hahahaha, Shanks, you're safe now. 50 Berries isn't even enough to buy a bottle of sake. I bet no Marines or bounty hunters will come looking for you..." Buggy furiously pounded the deck with his fists, his red nose looking even bigger.
"Navy, you %&￥#& you #￥%...￥"
From this outburst, Chronos could fully sense Shanks's fury but didn't know how to comfort him. However, as Lu Xun once said: "One should not celebrate too early, lest they get slapped in the face!"
"Chronos, here's your bounty poster!" Buggy pulled out a bounty poster and waved it at Chronos.
"Quick, let's see how much Chronos is worth!"
"Chronos fought so fiercely before; he should have a good bounty, right?"
"Hmph! If mine is also 50 Berries, I'll pull out my... Fleet Admiral Kong! You son of a b—!"
Chronos hadn't even finished his boast when he saw his bounty poster. He immediately offered a warm and friendly greeting to Fleet Admiral Kong, including but not limited to Kong's mother and grandmother.
"Four-Eyed Kid—Marshall D. Chronos"
Age: 12
Bounty: 50 Berries
Joined the Roger Pirates four years ago as an apprentice. In the last battle between Roger and the Flying Pirates, he fiercely cursed "Golden Lion" Shiki...
The accompanying image on the bounty poster showed him standing at the ship's bow, spewing insults at Shiki, his frog-like glasses glinting white in the sunlight.
Chronos + Shanks = Chopper?
"Four-Eyed Kid?"
Boom!!!
"Norse, what's wrong, Norse? Get up, Norse!"
"Ahahahahaha! It's 50 Berries too! Chronos, you and Shanks really are a perfect match!"
"Chronos, cheer up. At least you're a man with a bounty now."
The Roger Pirates crew were all amused by the Navy's ridiculous actions. The lowest bounty on their ship was in the hundreds of millions, and now they had these two "Sleeping Dragons, Phoenix Cubs"—Chronos and Shanks. The Navy really was something...
Shanks, who had been sulking in a corner drawing circles, instantly felt much better. At least he had someone to share his misery with.
"Shanks, your photo is so vulgar, but mine is so dignified! That means I'm a notch above you in the Navy's eyes!"
"Damn it, Norse! We're both 50 Berries, what's there to compare?"
"That's different! I'm the man who cursed Shiki!"
Whitebeard's Reaction
At the Whitebeard Pirates' base:
"Pops, Pops! Someone else from Roger's crew has a bounty now!"
On the Moby Dick, a young man with yellow pineapple-shaped hair ran to Whitebeard, who was chugging sake.
"Newbies on Roger's ship?"
"Another strong one emerging from Roger's crew?"
A group of "sons" drinking with Whitebeard also gathered curiously. Roger was a great pirate on par with their Pops. Other pirate crews, including their own Whitebeard Pirates, usually consisted of one super-giant leading a bunch of rookies. But Roger, that shameless guy, had formed a "Big Three" and recruited many "All-Star" members. And now, another strong one was appearing...
"Gurararararara! cough, cough These little brats... not bad!"
Whitebeard coughed a few times after seeing the posters, then burst into laughter looking at the two posters, whose combined value might not even be his change. He came from a poor hometown and went to sea as a pirate after reading only a few books...
If it weren't for Chronos, decades later, a reindeer named Chopper would have set the record for the lowest pirate bounty in history. But Chronos forcefully moved that timeline up by decades. He truly was a talent!
"50 Berries, these two brats are something else! Marco, they're the same age as you. You better work hard and aim for a first bounty of 51 Berries!"
Several division commanders on the Moby Dick also laughed upon seeing the two bounty posters. They'd seen funny things, but never anything this funny...
"Gurararararara! These young kids nowadays, they've got guts! Especially that four-eyed brat named Chronos, who even dared to curse Shiki! He's got a promising future, a very promising future!"
While Whitebeard's "sons" were laughing at Chronos, Whitebeard himself fell into thought. Although he hadn't read many books and wasn't highly educated, having fought on the seas for decades and risen to the top ranks of pirates, his mind was still very sharp.
An ordinary twelve or thirteen-year-old kid would still be helping their parents at home! Even a young kid who ventured out onto the Grand Line would be considered incredibly brave just for not peeing themselves when encountering someone of his caliber. But this kid not only wasn't scared but even dared to openly insult Shiki in front of tens of thousands of people.
Based solely on that courage, Whitebeard could conclude that as long as this kid could train his body and encounter another powerful Devil Fruit, he would absolutely become a key figure in the future.