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The year is firmly set at Sea Circle Calendar 1522.
In this turbulent era, the conscription effort led by the World Government has temporarily stabilized the world. However, this calm seems to be the prelude to a sudden, inevitable explosion.
Unlike previous years, the Grand Line has witnessed a surge of ruthless newcomers, hailing from seas across the world and rapidly building infamous reputations.
It is during this time that our story begins.
East Blue
The afternoon sun bathed the warm coastline of Foosha Village in a golden glow.
This small village, nestled in the Goa Kingdom, stood as both a symbol of humble beginnings and a fateful launching point for the era's next great saga.
A crowd had gathered on the shore to see off a boy with an infectious grin and an even bigger dream.
"Luffy, come on!!"
"Be careful out there!"
"Take care of yourself—don't catch a cold!"
The villagers clamored over one another, shouting their well-wishes to the straw-hat-wearing boy standing aboard a small boat.
This was the hometown of Marine hero Garp, and as his grandson, Monkey D. Luffy was cherished by the simple, kind-hearted villagers who had watched him grow.
"Oh! I got it, I got it!" Luffy called back cheerfully.
He stood tall, dressed in his red shirt, blue knee-length shorts, and straw sandals, his straw hat perched proudly on his head. Waving goodbye, he grinned wide, his optimism shining brighter than the afternoon sun.
With the rope released, the boat drifted away with the current, carrying Luffy toward his grand adventure.
"Hey, Sabo! I'm heading out to sea too! You were the first, Ace was the second, and now I'm the third! But just you wait—I'll catch up to Ace in no time!"
Luffy's shout echoed across the waves as the boat moved farther from shore.
Suddenly, the tranquil sea stirred. The gentle waves grew fierce, and the water churned violently.
A massive, snake-like Sea King burst from the depths, towering over Luffy's small boat. Its sharp fangs glinted in the sunlight, and its glowing eyes locked onto the boy.
"It's the Lord of the Coast!!"
"Luffy, watch out!"
"Come back, Luffy!"
The villagers' frantic cries filled the air. The stark contrast between Luffy and the monstrous Sea King left them trembling with fear.
But Luffy didn't flinch.
"It's you!" he said with a calm determination, his voice cutting through the chaos.
Standing firmly on the boat, he adjusted his straw hat with a steely expression and stretched his arms.
"Gum-Gum…"
With his right arm pulled back far, the rubbery limb extended to an incredible length before snapping forward with explosive force.
"Pistol!"
Luffy's punch collided with the Sea King's head, the impact echoing like a thunderclap. The massive creature was sent hurtling backward, crashing into the sea with a tremendous splash before retreating to the ocean depths.
The villagers stood frozen in awe, their mouths agape.
"He defeated the Lord of the Coast in one hit…"
Dadan and her gang, watching secretly from the forest's edge, were just as shocked as the villagers.
Triumphant, Luffy raised his arms and clenched his fists, a wide grin on his face.
"I'm gonna be King of the Pirates! Just you wait!"
With those words, the boy of destiny set sail.
The tides of the era were rising, swelling like an unstoppable tsunami.
The Grand Line – First Half
At Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Marine Admiral Sengoku sat at his desk, flipping through a thick stack of reports with a deeply troubled expression.
'With great power comes great responsibility.'
As the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, Sengoku was inundated with an endless stream of documents nearly every day of the week. Reports flooded in from across the seas, detailing the activities of pirates, Marines, and everything in between. The New World alone—the gathering ground for the most dangerous pirates of the era—generated enough intelligence to account for half the paperwork on his desk.
But this wasn't just a normal workload. This particular headache could be attributed, in part, to one infuriating detail: Garp's grandson.
His actions seemed to ripple across the seas, causing chaos wherever he went.
What made it worse was his current status—captain of the second division of the Whitebeard Pirates. A pirate with such a rank traveling alone was bizarre enough to warrant intense scrutiny. Wherever Ace appeared, dozens of reports followed, each filled with emotional analysis, speculation, and rising concern from Marine intelligence.
To make matters worse, it wasn't just Ace wreaking havoc. Across the Four Blues, an unprecedented number of rookie pirates were rising to prominence.
There was the notorious gang leader from West Blue, stirring up trouble with his band of young misfits. And then there was the particularly vexing case of Princess Jewelry Bonney, who had turned her back on her royal roots to become a pirate.
Princess Bonney's actions were a thorn in Sengoku's side for multiple reasons. Not only was she from an allied kingdom, but her father, Kuma, is more than a Warlord.
Sengoku slammed his palm against the desk and let out an exasperated groan.
"I told you promotions only bring trouble. And now, look at this mess!"
The sound of Garp munching loudly on senbei filled the room. The old Vice Admiral, sitting nearby with a relaxed demeanor, seemed utterly unaffected by Sengoku's frustrations.
Sengoku's patience finally snapped.
"It's all because of your grandson, Garp!" he roared, standing abruptly and slamming his hands on the desk. "If you could just convince him to become a Warlord of the Sea, I'd have half as much work to deal with! Instead, he's running around as the second division captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, causing chaos everywhere he goes. Do you have any idea how much trouble he's causing us?!"
Garp, who had been pretending not to listen, suddenly turned his head and looked away, feigning innocence.
Before Sengoku could continue his tirade, the door opened, and Vice Admiral Tsuru entered, her calm demeanor a stark contrast to the chaos in the room.
"Garp's here too? Good, saves me the trouble of looking for him."
She carried several newspapers under her arm and regarded the scene with a raised eyebrow.
"What is it now, Tsuru?" Sengoku asked, his tone softening slightly as he addressed his longtime comrade.
"We've got another rookie pirate making waves on the Grand Line," she replied, placing the papers on Sengoku's desk. "And, unsurprisingly, it has something to do with Garp."
Sengoku groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"This year's been nothing but trouble," he muttered.
He picked up the top newspaper and glanced at the image. His eyes narrowed as he recognized the boy wearing a familiar straw hat.
"Hmm?" Sengoku frowned. "That hat… it looks like the one Roger and Shanks wore."
Then his gaze dropped to the name listed in the report.
"Monkey D. Luffy."
Sengoku froze. His face turned a deep shade of crimson as the realization hit him.
From the depths of the office came another furious roar.
"GARP, YOU B*****D! THIS IS THE SECOND ONE!"
Meanwhile, Garp, clutching his head, shouted back in equal frustration, "LUFFY, YOU B*****D!"