Sea Circle Calendar, 1464.
The first half of the Grand Line.
"Peh, peh, peh."
A ragged youth who looked more like a wild man sat on a deserted island roasting fish. But after only one bite, he spat it out in disgust.
"What the hell is this?"
Still, no matter how foul it tasted, he had to eat. Without food, he wouldn't have the strength to swim to the next island, nor to reach the next human settlement.
That's right—swim.
It had been more than half a year since Rocks left Sphinx.
At first, when he left, he'd felt uncertain.
But once away, his heart was full of ambition, convinced he would grow stronger.
The first step, naturally, was to get his own ship.
As a crewmember of the White Wolf Pirates, he'd had wealth of his own. But when he left them, he hadn't taken a single coin.
Magnus had trained him, raised his strength—and he'd run away. By pirate law, that usually meant being carved into pieces.
But Magnus had simply let him go.
Rocks never thought of himself as a good man, but he still had his own sense of honor.
No money? So what?
He could always take what he needed.
So he stowed away on a merchant ship bound for the New World's edge, robbed a few bandits, and switched ships until he reached the first half of the Grand Line.
At first, everything went smoothly. He thought he would soon reach his goal—Water 7's shipyard.
Magnus had told him that the greatest shipwrights in the world were there.
Even Dean, who built ships at Sphinx, had always modeled his work after Water 7.
Rocks's plan was simple: go to Water 7, steal a fine ship, recruit crewmates, and set out.
As for becoming stronger, he only knew what Magnus had said: ordinary Haki could be trained, but Conqueror's Haki could only grow through real battles.
And the strongest pirate on the seas was Magnus.
No one else could compare.
But then the World Government announced the Shichibukai system.
Rocks finally had a target.
Get a ship from Water 7. Recruit men. Challenge the Shichibukai.
Each one was worth over 200 million, near the top tier of pirates. Against them, his odds weren't good.
But that made it worthwhile.
Having slim odds was different from having no chance.
Against Magnus, he had none at all.
So Rocks set his path: defeat the Shichibukai, then fight an Admiral.
Only after beating an Admiral would he be qualified to challenge Magnus.
With this ambition, he had spent half a year making his way from Sphinx to Water 7.
He was nearly there—
When disaster struck.
A storm smashed the merchant ship he was on, forcing him to swim to the nearest island.
Now he regretted it.
Why hadn't he learned navigation from Magnus?
Or at least how to tell edible fish from poisonous ones?
With his power, he had thought he was ready.
But alone at sea, he realized the truth—he had always lived in comfort.
Magnus had been a master navigator, able to guide ships through the New World's chaos. He could identify sea creatures, cook, and perform first aid.
Back then, Rocks hadn't thought much of it.
Now, apart from Magnus's overwhelming strength, he saw him for what he was—an all-round king.
The gap between them was greater than he had imagined.
And he had only ten years.
Thankfully, it was ten.
If he'd set himself five, he doubted he could even gather enough crewmates.
Now, his most urgent problem was clear—
"I need a navigator!"
He was too used to the monsters aboard the White Wolf Pirates. Ordinary navigators wouldn't do. But where to find one with both talent and skill?
"Looks like there are people on that island."
Catching sight of buildings on a small island a few kilometers away, Rocks shoved the last of the fish down, then dove into the sea and swam toward it.
He didn't know.
He thought he was heading for Water 7.
But after the storm, he was far off course.
He was nearly in the first half of the first half of the Grand Line.
This was the Magra Kingdom.
A small, nondescript World Government ally, made up of one large island and several dozen smaller ones, with a population under one million.
The tremors of Mary Geoise had spread far.
Though the White Wolf Pirates had withdrawn, the fact that over a hundred kings had fainted at the end was taken as proof that Magnus had nearly breached Pangaea Castle itself.
And doubts had begun to grow.
Kings were questioning whether the World Government still held its old strength after eight hundred years.
But the first to stand out would be struck down.
Unlike pirates, kingdoms couldn't just sail away. Any nation that openly broke from the Government would be targeted.
Unless… they could ally with the White Wolf Pirates.
The Magra Kingdom wasn't poor, but it wasn't rich either.
It was remote, rarely visited by pirates.
They didn't need Marine protection.
But the Heavenly Tribute never lessened.
For Magra, it was a crushing burden.
Ten billion Berries a year, for a nation of less than a million.
If it could be halved—or even cut by a third—they wouldn't care who collected it.
Envoys had already been sent to the New World, but who knew if an answer would come?
As the nobles of Magra argued, Rocks landed on the outermost of their islands.
And thus, his story began.
(End of Chapter)
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