Smoker's seastone jitte came down like a thunderbolt, shattering the deck of the Going Merry where Luffy had stood a heartbeat earlier. The ship rocked violently on the canal waters.
"STR—RAW HAAAAT!!" Smoker bellowed, smoke spiraling around him like the coils of a wrathful dragon.
"ROW, YOU IDIOTS, ROW!!" Nami screamed, already yanking at the rudder.
"I'M TRYING, I'M TRYING—MY ARMS ARE TOO BEAUTIFUL FOR THIS!!" Usopp wailed, paddling the oar like a man condemned.
Zoro stood between Smoker and the crew, blades drawn, muscles tight. "Tch… this bastard won't go down."
Chopper clung to the mast. "YOU CAN'T CUT SMOKE, ZORO!! THAT'S NOT HOW LOGIA WORKS!!"
And just as Smoker lunged again—
A burst of fire erupted on the water's edge.
Heat washed over the Merry like a desert wind.
A column of flame spiraled skyward and detonated, blasting Smoker backward with enough force to send him grinding across the stone dock.
When the light cleared, a young man stood on the Merry's railing—shirt open, freckles bright, fire curling lazily around his shoulders like living wings. A smile tugged his lips upward, calm and warm despite the chaos.
He lifted a hand.
"Yo."
Luffy blinked once.
"…Ace?"
Recognition ignited in his entire body, and he launched himself forward with a rubberized WHOOSH, wrapping both arms around the man's torso.
They spun once, laughing—Ace with quiet fondness, Luffy with pure explosive joy—before Ace set him gently back on the deck.
The Straw Hats stared, dumbstruck.
Chopper pointed. "Th-that man is ON FIRE. HE IS ACTUALLY ON FIRE. SHOULD WE DO SOMETHING?!"
Zoro lowered his swords but did not sheathe them. "So… that's Fire Fist Ace."
Sanji's cigarette fell straight out of his trembling lips. "Whitebeard's second division commander… here?!"
Vivi's eyes widened like plates. "Whitebeard… as in the Whitebeard? The world's strongest man?!"
Usopp toppled over the railing and scrambled back up. "W-we're doomed, we're doomed, WHY IS A DISASTER-LEVEL PIRATE ON OUR BOAT?!"
Ace ignored the panic entirely. He ruffled Luffy's hair and smiled.
"Long time no see, little brother."
The deck erupted.
"BROTHER?!" the entire crew shouted at once, voices cracking.
Nami nearly exploded. "LUFFY YOU HAVE A BROTHER?! AND YOU NEVER TOLD US?! AND HE'S A COMMANDER UNDER WHITEBEARD?!"
Luffy blinked, the picture of innocence. "Uh… you never asked?"
Zoro slapped a hand over his face and dragged it downward in pure exhaustion.
Usopp trembled violently. "I—I thought Luffy was already the peak level of chaos, but NO, he has FAMILY that's WORSE!"
Sanji shook his head, muttering, "What kind of genes produce two monsters like these…"
Sanji then pointed at Ace. "Wait, so YOU'RE the reason the Marines are going feral near Alabasta?!"
Ace smiled. "Sorry about that. I was chasing someone.
Chopper hid behind Vivi. "He's smiling while on fire! Vivi—he's SMILING while on FIRE—AUGH!!!"
Vivi bowed shakily.
"P-pleasure to meet you, Ace. I am Vivi, princess of Alabasta."
Ace waved casually. "Ah, Vivi, right? Nice to meet you."
But Nami narrowed her eyes. "Wait. You said you were chasing someone."
Zoro crossed his arms, expression sharpening. "A strong opponent?"
Usopp swallowed. "P-please tell me it's not some kind of mutant sea monster…"
Chopper squeaked, "Or a giant! Please not a giant!"
Ace's smile faded. Slowly. Quietly.
The fire around his body dimmed—not extinguished, but simmering low, like embers beneath ash.
When he spoke, his voice was calm. But it carried a weight that made the air colder, not hotter. "I'm hunting a pirate named Blackbeard."
The deck fell silent.
Ace continued, gaze distant—focused somewhere far beyond the horizon. "He was part of Whitebeard's crew. One of us. A brother, like family."
His jaw tightened. "Then he murdered one of our own… to steal a Devil Fruit."
Vivi gasped. "Murdered… his own crewmate?"
Sanji's cigarette snapped between his fingers. "That's unforgivable."
Zoro's eyes hardened. "Betrayal like that… It's the lowest thing a pirate can do."
Usopp paled several shades. "T–to kill your own nakama… that's— that's monstrous…"
Chopper shivered. "Why… why would someone do that just for a Devil Fruit?"
Ace stood a little straighter, fire curling around him once more—but now it felt colder, angrier, more controlled. "Because he believed that Devil Fruit would give him power worth killing for."
Nami whispered, "So you've been chasing him ever since…"
Ace nodded. "Whitebeard accepted me into his family. Saved my life. Gave me strength. I won't let betrayal like that go unanswered."
Luffy looked up at his brother, fists curled tight.
He wasn't angry. He wasn't yelling.
He was simply… serious. "You'll catch him, Ace."
Ace smiled softly, touched. "I will."
Then he looked back at the Straw Hats, the warmth returning to his expression. "But until then… don't worry. Blackbeard's my problem."
Nami stared at the flames dancing along his collarbone. "Somehow, that doesn't make me feel any safer…"
Ace then crouched to inspect them all with easy amusement. "So these are your friends, huh? You picked a good crew."
Luffy grinned with uncontainable pride. "Yeah! They're the best!"
Ace straightened, stretching casually, fire shimmering off him like heat mirages.
"Oh right," he said suddenly, as if remembering something important. "Luffy—when you get further into the Grand Line… you'll meet someone really interesting."
Luffy froze mid-grin.
His eyes stretched wide.
Then he leaned in like a child waiting for a secret. "WHO?!"
Ace smirked and tapped the side of his nose. "You'll find out when you meet them."
"WHAT?! Tell me!!"
"Nope."
"Ace!!!"
The Straw Hats surged forward.
Nami leaned so close her forehead bumped Ace's chest. "Is it an enemy?!"
Zoro eyed him sharply. "Strong? Dangerous?"
Sanji sparkled. "Is she beautiful?!"
Usopp clung to Chopper. "IT'S ANOTHER GIANT, ISN'T IT?!"
Chopper squeaked, "PLEASE DON'T SAY IT'S ANOTHER GIANT!"
Ace chuckled quietly, heat flickering from his body in a faint glow. "You'll know when it's time."
Vivi was the only one who didn't push forward. Her brows were drawn, her expression uneasy. "Ace… is this related to the tensions rising in the Grand Line? The rumors of… movements?"
Ace shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. But the world's shifting, Vivi. A storm's on the horizon."
Luffy pouted dramatically. "Ace always does this! He says cool stuff then doesn't explain anything!"
Ace ruffled his brother's messy hair again.
"That's because you're terrible at keeping secrets."
Luffy puffed his cheeks in outrage, and the crew collectively exhaled in a mixture of amusement and confusion.
Just who could Ace possibly mean…?
————————
The storm of sand raged around them—howling, violent, suffocating.
Far beneath Alubarna, in the collapsing mausoleum, Crocodile stood tall atop a pillar of sand, his poisoned hook gleaming. His coat fluttered wildly in the swirling winds he commanded.
"You're persistent, brat," Crocodile sneered. "But this is the end. This entire kingdom will return to dust—starting with you!"
Luffy glared up at him, blood dripping down his face, chest heaving. "You're not taking this country…"
He tightened his fists. "…and you're not hurting my friends!"
Crocodile's grin sharpened cruelly. "Let's see you stop me then—if you even CAN!"
He lunged, sand spiraling around his body like a living storm.
"DESERT LA SPADA!!!"
A blade of compressed sand erupted toward Luffy—massive, lethal, slicing the air with a high-pitched shriek.
The sand blade hit the ground where Luffy stood—
—but Luffy shot upward at the last second, leaping through the widening cracks in the chamber.
Crocodile snarled. "Tch!"
High above him, Luffy's shadow stretched.
He had launched himself straight up the collapsing shaft. "HEY, CROCODILE!!!"
Crocodile looked up—eyes widening.
From the swirling sand overhead…
Luffy's fists multiplied.
Not dozens. Hundreds.
A storm of fists.
"THIS… IS THE END!!!"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Crocodile roared. "YOU CAN'T BEAT ME!"
He raised his hand, sand gathering into another deadly blade—
But Luffy's voice drowned everything out.
"GOMU GOMU NOOOOO…"
The air compressed. Wind tore through the cavern. Debris spiraled upward.
Crocodile's eyes widened—
"STORMMMMMMM!!!"
Luffy spun like a tornado, unleashing an endless barrage of rubber fists raining downward like meteors. Each blow cracked bone, shattered sand constructs, and pushed Crocodile higher and higher.
"W-WRRAAAGH—!!"
Crocodile tried to retaliate—
"DESERT—!!"
—but his attack was drowned in the cyclone of punches.
The force launched him upward—through the ceiling—
through layers of ancient ruins—
through the palace foundation—
through the streets—
—and finally, Crocodile exploded out of the ground, blasted into the sky like a broken spear.
His hook snapped. His body went limp.
Luffy, spinning in the air, yelled one final roar before falling back toward the ruins.
Crocodile crashed into the city far above with a thunderous, echoing BOOM.
Silence followed.
Dust drifted down.
Luffy collapsed to his knees in the underground chamber, panting, swaying—hat tipping low over his eyes.
"I said it," he whispered, breathless.
"I'm gonna… kick… your ass…"
Then he finally toppled forward, exhausted—but victorious.
————————-
Sand rained from the ceiling like a dying storm. The ancient underground chamber trembled, groaning under its own weight. Pillars cracked. Stone tablets shattered against the floor. Every second, the cavern sank deeper toward collapse.
Crocodile was nowhere in sight.
Not in the ruins.
Not in the collapsing chamber.
Not even on the shattered platform where he'd stood moments ago.
He had been launched—blasted straight through the ceiling—and somewhere high above the royal capital of Alubarna, the warlord's body now lay embedded in a crater of pulverized stone and swirling sand.
But down below, deep in the ancient mausoleum—
Luffy stood alone.
His chest rose and fell in ragged, exhausted breaths. His legs trembled. His fists were still clenched, knuckles cracked and bleeding from the sheer force of his final attack.
Dust rained around him, settling in his hair and on the brim of his hat as he stared up through the jagged hole Crocodile's body had carved on the way out.
He exhaled shakily. "…He's not getting back up after that."
The air was thick with heat, sand, and silence—the kind that followed a storm.
Robin, still kneeling where she had been thrown earlier, stared at him in disbelief.
This boy… this impossible pirate… had just defeated Crocodile. One of the Seven Warlords. A man she thought untouchable.
Nico Robin stared at his back—stunned, speechless.
"You defeated him and you… saved me," she whispered, disbelief leaking into every syllable.
Luffy blinked, looking over his shoulder with a simple frown, as if the answer were obvious. "Yeah. So?"
Robin's lips parted. "I don't understand. I was… your enemy."
Luffy tilted his head, confused. "You were trapped."
"That's not a reason," Robin said quietly.
"It is to me."
His voice held no hesitation, no judgment. He reached out a hand—dirt, blood, and willpower staining every finger.
"Everyone deserves to live," Luffy said.
Robin's breath caught.
"No one… has ever said that to me," she murmured, barely audible.
Luffy blinked, puzzled again. "Really? That's weird."
Robin let out a broken, breathless laugh. "Yes… I suppose it is."
A thunderous crack split the ceiling.
"—We must move!" King Cobra limped toward them, coughing through the dust cloud. "The chamber won't hold!"
But before he could reach them—
Luffy suddenly staggered, clutching his skull.
"A—AAGH—!!"
Robin lunged forward, grabbing his arm. "Luffy?! What's wrong?!"
Cobra froze, eyes widening. "What happened?!"
Luffy's breathing turned ragged. His knees buckled for a moment.
"I hear… something…"
Robin's grip tightened. "Something?"
"Voices…" Luffy hissed, teeth gritted. "They're… calling out. Loud…"
Robin's blood turned cold.
"Voices…?" she repeated.
"Yeah," Luffy winced. "From… that."
He pointed shakily toward the towering black monolith—the Poneglyph.
Robin's throat closed.
"It's the stone," she whispered. "You're hearing… the Poneglyph."
"Pone—what?" Luffy muttered, still wincing.
Cobra went completely still.
His expression twisted into shock… then fear… then awe.
"So you hear it too," he breathed. "I thought… I would never witness it again."
Robin turned sharply. "Again?! King Cobra—someone else heard it?!"
Cobra nodded slowly, memories flickering in his eyes like ghosts.
"Years ago… a pirate came here. A woman who walked these ruins alone. She placed her hand upon the ruins and claimed she could hear its voice." Cobra's voice trembled. "I thought it was madness. Or a miracle. But now—"
He looked at Luffy, truly looked at him. "You are the second person I have encountered in my lifetime with that ability."
Robin felt the world tilt.
"Luffy… do you understand what this means…?" she whispered.
"Nope," Luffy said instantly.
Robin stared at him, dumbfounded. "B-but—this ability… it's beyond scholars. Beyond history. Even I can't—"
Luffy cut her off with a shrug. "It was just loud."
Robin almost choked.
Cobra shook his head, overwhelmed. "Impossible… a man who can hear a stone's voice…"
A massive chunk of the ceiling slammed into the ground, spraying sand across them.
"THERE IS NO TIME!" Cobra shouted, snapping back to urgency. "RUN!"
Luffy steadied himself, the headache fading.
"Right—let's go!"
He grabbed Robin's hand without a second thought. She stiffened—eyes wide—before allowing herself to be pulled along.
Cobra followed, clutching his wounds.
The chamber roared, cracking open behind them.
As they sprinted through the collapsing corridor, Robin glanced back at the ancient Poneglyph—its carved surface glowing faintly through the dust, as if it were watching.
As if it were waiting.
As if it recognized him.
The stone's voice faded into silence as they escaped into the blazing Alabasta sun.
————————
The palace courtyards bustled with relief.
Citizens laughed, cried, and embraced as the civil war came to a close.
But Vivi stood apart—near a fountain, hands trembling as she clutched a bundle of newspapers and freshly printed bounty posters delivered by the News Coo.
Igaram hurried over. "Princess Vivi! What has you so pale—?"
Vivi swallowed.
"It's… their bounties."
Pell landed beside them, wings folding tightly.
"Bounties? For the Straw Hat Pirates?"
Vivi slowly lifted the first poster.
WANTED
MONKEY D. LUFFY
100,000,000 BELI
DEAD OR ALIVE
The paper fluttered in her trembling hands.
Igaram's jaw dropped so hard his wig flew off. "ONE HUNDRED MILLION?! That boy is practically a walking natural disaster!"
Pell's eyes widened behind his mask."He surpassed Crocodile's old bounty… in a single arc of time."
Vivi clutched the poster to her chest. "Luffy… you're already carrying such a weight…"
She lifted the next.
WANTED
RORONOA ZORO
60,000,000 BELI
DEAD OR ALIVE
Pell inhaled sharply. "That swordsman… he defeated Mr. 1 who is worth millions as if swatting a fly. The Marines must be terrified of him."
Igaram sniffed dramatically. "To think the princess traveled with such fearsome criminals—!!"
Vivi elbowed him. "They're not criminals. They're heroes."
As she gazed at the posters, her eyes softened. "Please… wherever you are… be safe."
————————-
Back on the Going Merry, the Straw Hats were blissfully ignorant of their skyrocketed prices.
Luffy snored loudly on deck.
Zoro napped upside-down.
Sanji flirted with Nami.
Usopp bragged.
Chopper panicked.
Nami plotted world domination via treasure.
They had no idea the world now recognized them as monsters.
and deep inside the Going Merry, hidden behind a stack of crates and old barrels…
sat a quiet figure.
Long raven-black hair.
Calm eyes.
A soft smile as she listened to the Straw Hats argue above deck.
Nico Robin.
She sat with one leg crossed over the other, gloved fingers brushing the brim of her cowboy hat.
The ship creaked gently.
Footsteps echoed overhead.
Luffy laughed.
Nami yelled.
Usopp screamed about something that didn't exist.
Robin closed her eyes, leaning back against the wooden wall.
"…Lively people," she murmured.
Her voice was gentle, amused. Almost… warm.
She looked down at the folded newspaper on her lap.
Luffy's new bounty stared back at her.
100,000,000.
Robin traced the edge of the paper thoughtfully. "Monkey D. Luffy… you truly are a dangerous man."
She smiled faintly. "I wonder… what will you do next?"
For now, she remained hidden.
Listening.
Waiting.
Waiting for the right moment
—to walk out and introduce herself to the pirate who saved her life.
In the quiet of the cargo hold, Robin whispered. "I suppose I'll be joining you… Straw Hat Pirates."
And above her, the crew continued being their usual reckless selves—
completely unaware
that a future nakama
was already aboard their ship.
————————
The sky above the New World churned in black spirals, lightning spidering across twisted clouds.
Cutting through the storm like a phantom was the Oro Jackson.
Below deck, the crew lounged in the long cabin—lit by lanterns.
At the center of the table, a News Coo fluttered in, dropped a newspaper, and flapped away as if fleeing the very ship.
Bullet grabbed the paper first, ripping the twine with two fingers.
"Oi. Big headline."
His voice rumbled. "Crocodile Defeated in Alabasta.'"
The room stirred.
Carrot's ears shot straight up. "EHH?! That Shichibukai guy?!"
Pedro narrowed his eyes. "That is no small feat…"
Perona floated upside down, pink hair dangling. "Who even BEAT him? Some loser Marine?"
Lilith leaned forward, glasses glinting. "Statistically, a Marine captain shouldn't be able to defeat a Logia-class Warlord unless—"
Bullet's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, would you look at that—"
He turned the next page over. "They're sayin' it was Captain Smoker."
Perona snorted. "That chain-smoker marine? Lies."
Carrot jumped onto the table. "Maybe it was ACTUALLY a strong pirate! Like—like—like…!"
Bullet stared at the paper again. His eyebrow twitched. "Oh. Well. Speak of the damn devil."
Carrot leaned in. "WHAT? WHAT DOES IT SAY?!"
He slowly lifted the paper.
The crew swarmed behind him.
He flipped it to the bounty section.
And the crew froze.
WANTED
MONKEY D. LUFFY
100,000,000 BELI
DEAD OR ALIVE
Perona gasped loudly. "NO WAY—he actually pulled something off?!"
She slapped both palms onto the table, leaning over the bounty poster as if it might vanish. "HOW did THAT rubber idiot pull something off like this?! We JUST saw him in the East Blue! He was a moron with a big smile and a tiny boat!"
Lilith nearly broke her glasses adjusting them. "A bounty increase of this scale indicates a level of combat efficiency far exceeding initial projections. But defeating Crocodile—a former Shichibukai—within a month? Statistically improbable. Almost impossible."
Okiku knelt beside the table, eyes soft with awe. "So the Captain's son truly toppled a Warlord… The heavens favor his journey."
Carrot practically hopped onto the table."HE REALLY DID IT! HE ACTUALLY DID IT!"
Pedro folded his arms, nodding gravely. "Still to liberate a kingdom and defeat a Warlord so soon into his voyage… That boy's destiny is unavoidable."
Hiyori hid a soft smile behind her fan. "What a troublesome man he must be."
Bullet snorted, smacking the table. "Hah! Figures. Kids of monsters become monsters. But DAMN—this fast?"
Perona spun toward him, angry and flustered. "No! Seriously!! I was THERE! Mihawk and I met him on the East Blue! He wasn't strong like THIS! He wasn't Warlord-level! HOW DOES HE JUMP LIKE THAT IN A MONTH?! That's not normal!"
Lilith scribbled equations desperately. "Actually, if one factors in lineage from two global anomalies—"
Perona cut her off with a groan. "YES, YES, he's Ada and Dragon's kid, I KNOW! But still! Bodies don't just level-up that fast!"
The room swelled with argument, disbelief, excitement—
Voices overlapping in chaotic, rising waves.
Bullet then barked a laugh. "Strong brat. He's making waves."
Perona pouted, crossing her arms. "Tch… but he's still loud and annoying."
The room buzzed with voices—
Until the door eased open with a slow creak.
Instant silence.
Ada stepped inside, brushing a bit of sea mist from her coat as she walked in. Her short black hair trailed behind her like smoke, her expression was tired, amused, the face of a captain who knew her crew well.
She blinked at the chaos.
Carrot was bouncing on the table, Perona was floating upside down in shock, Lilith had three pencils tucked into her hair by accident, Bullet was laughing loud enough to shake the walls.
Ada raised an eyebrow, planting a hand on her hip.
"…Alright," she said, half-laughing. "What's got all of you in a bunch? I could hear you from the deck."
The crew froze—then Lilith stepped forward instantly, almost tripping over her own boots.
"Captain! Your son—Monkey D. Luffy—has defeated a Warlord of the Sea!"
Ada blinked. "…He what?"
Lilith shoved the newspaper into her hands before she could even process it.
Ada took it, lifting it calmly—but her eyes widened a fraction the moment she read the headline.
She let out a soft whistle. "Luffy, huh?"
She grinned—not the dangerous grin of a pirate, but the surprised, proud grin of a mother who just learned her kid punched way above his weight.
"I didn't expect him to grow that fast."
Carrot practically exploded. "RIGHT?! HE'S AMAZING—HE TOOK OUT A WARLORD!"
Ada laughed, ruffling Carrot's hair. "That boy never did know how to take things slow."
Bullet crossed his arms, smirking. "Your kid's a monster, Ada."
"Of course he is," she shot back.
Ada looked back down at the bounty poster—Luffy's huge grin staring back at her.
Her expression softened into something warm and proud.
"He really did it…" she murmured. "He actually beat Crocodile."
Then—
A small, affectionate sigh. "That boy's gonna give me gray hair."
Okiku smiled. "He's truly growing into his own."
Hiyori nodded behind her fan. "He has the spirit of someone meant for greatness."
Pedro bowed respectfully. "He has already begun shaping the world."
Ada placed the poster down, shaking her head with a soft, fond laugh. "He's moving fast… too fast."
She was proud. Surprised. And just a little worried.
Her crew felt it too.
Perona then lifted a trembling hand. "BUT—HOW?! He was NORMAL when I saw him! Annoying, dumb, smiling—NORMAL!"
Ada's smirked faintly. "Perona. My son has never been normal."
Bullet barked a laugh. "HAH! Ain't that the damn truth."
The tension broke.
The room released its held breath.
And then—
Rattle.
Footsteps.
The door opened again, letting in a sweep of cold rain.
Mihawk stepped inside—dripping coat, boots echoing softly, wine glass completely untouched as always.
Ada looked over, smirking lightly. "Well, Mihawk. What dragged you inside? The shouting?"
Perona shot forward, pointing dramatically at him. "MIHAWK! TELL THEM! Luffy was NOT Warlord-killing material when we saw him in the East Blue! Right?! RIGHT?!"
Mihawk paused at the table, studying Luffy's poster.
"…No," he said simply.
"He was not."
Perona threw both hands up. "FINALLY! I've been screaming for five minutes—he was loud, stretchy, and stupid—NOT warlord material!"
But Mihawk continued calmly. "However… capability and achievement are not always aligned."
Perona blinked. "Huh?"
"He has the instinct," Mihawk said. "The kind that sharpens under pressure. The kind that grows every time he refuses to stay down."
Bullet raised a brow. "So he's a freak of nature."
Mihawk's eye slid toward him—sharp, uninterested, but cutting all the same.
"I'm saying," Mihawk corrected, "that he has not yet shown his true ceiling. That is what makes him dangerous."
Ada laughed quietly. "Oh? Praise, from you? That's rare."
Mihawk didn't deny it.
He set the wine glass down gently… then tapped another bounty poster lying on the table.
WANTED
RORONOA ZORO
60,000,000 BELLI
DEAD OR ALIVE
Ada shifted her gaze. "Is this the boy you've had your eye on, Mihawk?"
Silence.
Then Mihawk nodded once. "Yes. That one."
The crew froze.
Completely.
Even Bullet stiffened.
Lilith's glasses nearly slipped off again.
Okiku's lips parted in surprise.
Carrot's tail puffed up like a snowball.
Pedro blinked slowly, as if confirming his eyesight.
Hiyori let out a soft gasp.
Because Mihawk—Dracule Mihawk—never complimented anyone.
Perona put her hands on her hips, floating in the air. "SEEE?! Even I was shocked! He never praises anyone. Ever. Not even me. Or the trees. Or the castle. Or—"
"Perona," Mihawk muttered, "stop talking."
She puffed her cheeks but obeyed.
Ada leaned back and said. "So the swordsman impressed you."
Mihawk answered without hesitation. "He grows faster than most. His ambition does not waver. His blade seeks the summit… even if it kills him first."
He looked back at Zoro's wanted poster, a faint spark in his eyes—a swordsman's anticipation. "I intend to cross blades with him again. And this time… he may actually survive."
The crew erupted.
Bullet slapped the table. "No way! You're saying that idiot could KEEP UP with you someday?!"
Mihawk did not flinch. "He has potential."
The entire room froze a second time.
Perona clapped dramatically. "THERE IT IS! The biggest compliment Dracule Mihawk has given anyone in a decade!"
Ada watched all of them, amused, proud, and thoughtful.
Then her gaze lowered back to Luffy's poster.
Her expression softened—warm, fierce, knowing. "Well… my son is full of surprises."
She exhaled, half a laugh, half a sigh. "Didn't expect him to grow that fast."
Perona nodded rapidly. "To be fair, neither did we!"
Carrot hopped. "He's AMAZING!"
Pedro bowed. "He is changing the course of history."
Okiku smiled gently. "He truly has the spirit of a great leader."
Hiyori closed her fan with a soft snap. "And your blood runs strong in him, Captain."
Ada's crimson eyes glowed faintly.
"He's ready," she murmured. "For the world to see him."
Then she looked up—her aura rising like a storm behind her smile.
"And the world," she said softly, "should be terrified."
—————————
Author's Note
Sorry for the late chapter, guys! I had a hard time figuring out how to bridge the story with Luffy's current adventure, especially while keeping the pacing smooth. I don't want ada and the others to intervene too much with the strawhats adventure but I think it's inevitable due to Luffy being her son. Next arc will be Skypiea.
Some arcs like Drum Island weren't included because they played out pretty much the same as in canon, and I didn't want to drag the story with unnecessary repeats.
But I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the buildup to Luffy's growing reputation! More chaos, more reactions, and more world-shaking moments are coming soon. Thanks for sticking with this story!