A bounty (懸賞金 Kenshōkin?, literally meaning "prize money") is a government-issued reward placed on an individual and awarded to whoever can capture or kill that person.

Becoming Wanted Normally, a bounty is issued by a government official or by the police. The idea is to tempt others to aid with the capture of the criminal so they can be brought to justice quickly. Bounty hunters make careers trying to find and capture these wanted people. Bounties are issued with a "Dead or Alive" disclaimer, meaning the reward will be paid so long as the threat gets eliminated, but Baroque Works agents state that bounties are usually only paid in full if the criminal is captured alive; up to 30% of the bounty money may be lost by bringing in someone dead, since no public execution can be held.[1] The amount of a bounty is determined in response to the perceived threat level of the criminal in question; the greater the threat to the world, the greater the bounty. In the eyes of a pirate, high bounties are thus usually seen as a sign of strength. After all, having been assigned a bounty means that the World Government as well as the Marines acknowledge the threat of the person to whom it is assigned. Luffy expresses enthusiasm over his first bounty, and Sanji likewise expresses disappointment when his own bounty poster fails to properly identify him (being a crude artist's rendering). This is not universal, however; Kuro resented his bounty due to the unwanted attention it brought him. A bounty in excess of 100,000,000 indicates that the person to whom it was assigned has committed unlawful acts of catastrophic degrees. Earning a large bounty in a quick time also gives the pirate notorious attention and a global reputation. After earning a bounty of 80,000,000 in a single campaign, the World Government offered Boa Hancock a position in the Shichibukai. Blackbeard believed he could become a Shichibukai member if he defeated Monkey D. Luffy, whose bounty had jumped from 30,000,000 to 100,000,000 following the defeat of Baroque Works and their leader Crocodile. Blackbeard would settle for achieving his goal by turning in Portgas D. Ace instead since Ace had caught up with him and Blackbeard emerged victorious.