## One Piece Chapter 96: WORST IN THE EAST - Chapter: 96 - Pages: 0-17 - Characters: Morgan, Helmeppo, Nami, Usopp, News Coo, Luffy, Sanji, Zoro, Unidentified Marine officers, Brannew, John Giant, Tashigi, two unidentified thugs, unidentified crowd members, Dracule Mihawk, unidentified pirates, Shanks, Red Hair Pirates members, Woop Slap, Makino, Fusha Villagers ### Summary Page 0: The title page for Chapter 96, "WORST IN THE EAST", features a cover story titled "COBY AND HELMEPPO'S DIARY OF THEIR HARSH STRUGGLES 'MORGAN ESCAPES'". The illustration shows former Marine Captain Morgan escaping on a small wooden boat, holding his son Helmeppo hostage by the collar. Morgan wields his large axe-hand, looking back aggressively, while Helmeppo cries out in panic. In the background, a large Marine ship is visible on the ocean. Page 1: On the deck of the Going Merry, Nami is negotiating with a News Coo, a seagull that delivers newspapers. She holds up a coin and complains, "DON'T YOU THINK IT'S GETTING A BIT TOO EXPENSIVE? ANOTHER PRICE-INCREASE?" In the background, Usopp is busy mixing something in a bowl and tells her, "WHAT'RE YOU GETTING SO RILED UP ABOUT? IT'S JUST A NEWSPAPER." Nami glares at the bird and threatens, "RAISE THE PRICE AGAIN AND I WON'T BE BUYING YOUR PAPERS ANYMORE." The bird drops the newspaper into her hands and takes the coin with a "CLINK" and a "CAWW...". Usopp continues his work, warning, "OK, OK. I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF DEVELOPING MY SECRET TABASCO STAR SO KEEP AWAY! AN ENEMY WHO GETS THIS IN THEIR EYE," while Nami walks past and scolds him, "DON'T BE STUPID. FROM NOW ON, I'M GOING TO BE SAVING UP MONEY FOR NO ONE BUT ME ALONE. THERE'S NO WAY I'M GOING TO BE A PENNILESS PIRATE!" Usopp asks, "I THOUGHT YOU WERE DONE WITH SAVING UP MONEY?" Nami, holding the newspaper, replies matter-of-factly, "DAILY EXPENSES ALL ADD UP, DON'T YOU KNOW!?" as the News Coo flies away. Page 2: Luffy sits on the deck, reaching out towards Nami's tangerine trees. "OH COME ON! CAN'T I JUST HAVE AT LEAST ONE?" he asks. Nami refuses, "ABSOLUTELY NOT!" and Usopp, still working on his Tabasco Star, warns that anyone hit in the eye by it "WILL BE RENDERED COMPLETELY HELPL..." Suddenly, Sanji delivers a fierce kick to Luffy's face, sending him crashing backward with a loud splash and a scream of "GYAAAAAA!". Sanji yells, "AGHH! KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF!" Sanji then stands guard in front of the trees, declaring, "THESE ARE NAMI'S BELOVED ORANGE TREES! I WON'T ALLOW ANYONE TO LAY EVEN A SINGLE FINGER ON THEM!" Nami smiles sweetly and says, "THANKS A LOT, SANJI! <3", causing Sanji to swoon and reply, "NAMI! REST ASSURED, MY DEFENSE POWERED BY LOVE IS INFALLIBLE! <3". Luffy, sitting on the deck with a bruised cheek, smiles and concedes, "OH WELL. I'M IN A GOOD MOOD SO I'LL DROP IT THEN." Meanwhile, Nami reads the newspaper, noting, "ANOTHER COUP D'ETAT IN VILLA...? THE WORLD'S IN SUCH TURMOIL." Sanji brings a tray of drinks, announcing, "WE'RE FINALLY ON OUR WAY TO GRAND LINE!" In the background, Luffy suddenly screams "GYAAAAA!" as he looks at a piece of paper that fell from the newspaper. Sanji looks over and mutters, "WHAT A TOOL...". Page 3: Luffy holds up the piece of paper that fell from the newspaper, saying, "IT'S A FLYER." Nami, relaxing in a lounge chair with the paper, says, "HM?" Sanji, smoking a cigarette, says, "OH?" Zoro is shown sleeping soundly with a "ZZZZ". Suddenly, Luffy's eyes bulge out in shock as he yells, "AH!". Usopp also looks completely shocked, screaming, "AGHH...". Nami looks surprised, uttering, "AH...". A wide shot shows the Going Merry sailing peacefully on the ocean, while a massive, jagged speech bubble erupts from the ship, screaming "AHHHHHHHHHH!". A narration box in the corner reads: "THE SHIP NOW HEADS OUT FOR GRAND LINE." Page 4: The scene shifts to Marine Headquarters. A large, traditional Japanese-style building is shown with a sign above the entrance that reads "Marines" (海軍). Inside, a massive meeting room is filled with high-ranking Marine officers seated at long tables that stretch far into the back. A voice addresses the assembly: "SO IN SHORT, OUR BRANCH FORCES, ARE UNABLE TO DEAL WITH THIS PARTICULAR PIRATE CREW...?" Another voice simply answers, "YES." Page 5: Three wanted posters are displayed on the wall. The first is for Arlong: "THE FISHMAN PIRATE'S ARLONG THE SAW, 20 MILLION BELI!". The second is for Don Krieg: "PIRATE FLEET ADMIRAL DON KRIEG, 17 MILLION BELI.". The third is for Buggy: "BUGGY THE CLOWN, 15 MILLION BELI.". Marine Headquarters Commander Brannew, a man with dark curly hair and sunglasses, addresses the room. "HERE IN EAST BLUE, WHERE THE AVERAGE BOUNTY IS 3 MILLION, THESE 3 PIRATE CREWS HAVE MANAGED TO LABEL THEMSELVES AS THE TOP-DOGS, EACH LED BY CAPTAINS WITH BOUNTIES OF OVER 10 MILLION. YET EVEN THEY HAVE ALL BEEN CRUSHED." Brannew then slams a new wanted poster onto the table with a loud thud. It is a poster of Luffy, smiling broadly, with a bounty of 30,0...