Chapter 4
The morning after the wedding, Amazon Lily was draped in golden light. Sunlight poured through the emerald canopy, touching everything with warmth and serenity. The island, usually strict and battle-ready, now felt softer, happier.
Inside the Empress's palace, Luffy stirred beneath silk sheets. His arm was draped lazily over Hancock's waist, their bodies wrapped together in peaceful slumber. For once, there were no enemies, no chaos, no sudden invasions.
Only peace.
Until...
Boom.
The entire island shook.
Luffy sat up instantly, eyes narrowed, instincts flaring.
"What was that?" Hancock asked, wrapping her robe around her quickly.
Before Luffy could answer, a Kuja warrior burst into the room, panting.
"Luffy-sama! Lady Hancock! Ships approaching—five of them. No flags. And… one of them bears the Blackbeard symbol, but it's... twisted."
Luffy's jaw clenched. His eyes darkened, and he stepped out of bed with a speed that startled even the warrior.
"Tell the crew," he said firmly. "Wake everyone. And get Robin."
In less than five minutes, the Straw Hats were assembled on the eastern cliffside, gazing at the black ships cutting through the sea. The air grew heavy.
"They're not here for blessings," Zoro said coldly, hand resting on his swords.
Sanji adjusted his tie, flames licking the soles of his feet. "Let 'em come. I was hoping for a post-wedding brawl."
Robin's eyes narrowed as she examined the strange emblem—a dragon wrapped around a broken crescent moon.
"That's not just any pirate crew," she whispered. "That's a message."
Luffy stepped forward, eyes locked on the approaching vessels. "It's him."
"Who?" Nami asked, her voice tense.
"The Heir of Blackbeard."
A hush fell over the crew.
They had heard rumors. Whispers in the New World of a new force rising from the ashes of Teach's empire—a boy born from hatred, raised in shadow, wielding darkness more vile than his father's. They called him Gravemind.
And he had come to test the Pirate King.
The ships docked, and the sea grew eerily still. No cannon fired. No voices shouted. Only one figure stepped onto the shore.
He was tall, lean, and cloaked in a coat made from the skin of sea beasts. His hair was long and tangled like seaweed, his face pale with eyes the color of ink. In one hand he held a massive black cleaver, pulsing with dark energy.
He smiled at Luffy, his teeth shark-like.
"So it's true," he said. "You really did it. The One Piece. The crown. The girl."
Luffy stepped down from the cliffside and stopped just a few feet from him. "Who are you?"
The man grinned wider.
"Name's Gravemind. Son of Marshall D. Teach. And heir to everything you took from him."
"You're late," Luffy said casually. "The war ended years ago."
Gravemind's eyes gleamed. "Wars don't end, Pirate King. They just change names."
And then he moved.
Faster than expected.
His cleaver swung, dark Haki flaring like black flame. Luffy barely dodged, his feet skimming the ground as he flipped back, landing in a crouch.
From the trees, the Straw Hats burst into motion.
Zoro drew his swords. "You came to the wrong island."
Sanji launched forward in a blur of blue fire.
But they were met by Gravemind's crew—beasts clad in sea prism armor, wielding weapons made to kill even Logia types. One of them blocked Sanji mid-air with a shield made of obsidian, while another, a giant covered in tattoos and barbed chains, swung at Zoro with monstrous force.
The clash began.
Chopper transformed into Monster Point, roaring as he tackled a spiked beast with ten arms. Franky unleashed his Radical Beam. Usopp took cover in the trees, sniping with Seastone bullets. Nami summoned a storm cloud that split the sky in two. Robin summoned a giant hand from the earth that crushed one of the invaders into the soil.
Luffy and Gravemind clashed again, fist against cleaver, Haki cracking the air like thunder.
"You don't deserve this peace," Gravemind growled, pressing him back. "My father died chasing it. You just got lucky."
Luffy pushed back with a burst of Conqueror's Haki, the pressure blasting trees apart around them.
"Your father died chasing power," Luffy said, his voice low. "I chased freedom."
With a yell, Luffy's fist grew massive—imbued with Armament Haki and the weight of his will—and slammed into Gravemind's cleaver, sending a shockwave across the island.
The enemy reeled, but didn't fall.
"We're not done," Gravemind hissed, vanishing into the shadows as his crew retreated behind him. "This is just the first warning. I'll be back. And next time, I won't be alone."
The ships vanished into the mist as quickly as they came.
Silence returned.
But the damage was clear. The island bore scars now. The warning had been delivered.
Luffy stood still, fists clenched. The weight of fatherhood, of being a husband, of being Pirate King—felt heavier than ever.
And far above, unnoticed by all, a strange cloud shifted.
Hancock appeared beside him and slipped her hand into his.
"Even now… do you regret it?" she asked softly.
Luffy looked at her, then at his crew behind him—still standing, still ready.
"No," he said. "Let them come."
A storm was brewing.
And this time, the Pirate King wouldn't be sailing alone.
End of Chapter 4
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The Straw Hats prepare for a new era of war and legacy. But as Hancock reveals her greatest secret to Luffy, the future of the Pirate King's bloodline takes a surprising turn. And across the sea, a forgotten weapon awakens beneath the ruins of the Void Century.