As newspapers flew off the stands across the seas, the names Liam Ross and Nico Robin spread like wildfire.
Their story had become the world's newest legend an outlaw pair who had defied the World Government itself.
But it was Liam who drew the most attention.
A first-time bounty of five hundred million berries was unheard of. It was the kind of figure that belonged to emperors of the sea, not unknowns. That number alone told the world everything it needed to know: whoever this "Emperor of Earth" was, he wasn't ordinary.
And so, within days, countless pirates began whispering his name some with awe, others with ambition.
Far away, on a deserted island in the West Blue, Liam sat quietly atop a weathered boulder, the salty breeze brushing his hair. He had no intention of changing his current base of operations.
This recent journey had taught him something crucial: he was still not strong enough.
No matter how overwhelming his power seemed, the world was far larger than he had imagined. He had crossed paths with admirals, fought legends, and glimpsed the true weight of the word "justice."
Now, with Robin safely by his side, Liam planned to find her a safe haven then return to Marine Headquarters and continue growing stronger in secret.
The question was: where could he leave her?
The thought alone gave him a headache.
After all, Robin now carried a seventy-nine million berry bounty. For many, that kind of money was enough to betray their own family. Hiding her wouldn't be easy.
Liam sifted through his knowledge of the West Blue's power structure crime families, pirate crews, kingdoms, and underground brokers. One by one, he dismissed them.
Then, a certain name surfaced in his mind.
A faint grin tugged at his lips. "You'll do nicely."
Robin, who had been silent for hours, suddenly looked up at him. Her large brown eyes were clear and unblinking.
"Where are you taking me?"
Her small voice carried a calmness that startled him.
Since leaving Ohara, she had barely spoken a word. She followed him like a puppet, lost and fragile. Perhaps grief had silenced her. Or perhaps, with the cautious brilliance of a child far too clever for her age, she was quietly trying to decide whether Liam Ross was friend or foe.
Liam blinked, then smiled softly. "So, you finally decided to talk, little one."
"Who are you?" Robin asked. "And why did you save me?"
"You can call me Emperor Ten," he replied, the name rolling off his tongue with practiced ease. "I was a friend of Saul. He asked me to protect you."
Robin's eyes widened. "You knew Saul?"
Liam nodded without hesitation. It wasn't exactly a lie he and the giant had met briefly, and that was enough for him to claim the bond.
"Yes. He saved my life once, and I promised to return the favor by saving yours."
Robin's voice trembled as she asked, "Then… can you take me back to Ohara?"
Liam's expression darkened. He gently shook his head. "I'm sorry, Robin. Ohara no longer exists."
At those words, the little girl's shoulders fell. She lowered her gaze, and the silence that followed was heavy enough to crush the air itself.
Liam watched her for a long moment. "It's all right to cry," he said softly. "You've lost so much."
But Robin shook her head, tears glimmering in her eyes as she forced a small smile.
"Saul said that when I feel sad, I should laugh instead. If I laugh, the sadness can't win. Claugh… Claugh… Claugh…"
The strange sound of her laughter a broken imitation of the giant's pierced straight through Liam's heart.
He exhaled quietly. "Then keep smiling, Robin. Come on, I'll take you somewhere safe. A place where no one will call you a demon, and no marine will ever find you."
And with that, the two set sail once more.
Their small boat drifted for days before crossing paths with a pirate ship.
"Who goes there?"
A dozen rough voices shouted at once. Blades glinted in the sun, rifles cocked, and a ring of pirates quickly surrounded them.
A hulking man in a red captain's coat stepped forward, grinning through gold teeth. "Well, well. What do we have here? A grown man and a kid waltzing onto my ship? You've got guts, I'll give you that."
His eyes narrowed as he studied them. "Wait a second… you two look familiar."
"Boss!" one of his crewmen blurted out. "They're in today's paper! That's the guy worth five hundred million!"
The captain froze, then fumbled for the crumpled newspaper in his coat. As he unfolded it and compared the faces, his grin widened into pure greed.
"Five hundred and seventy-nine million berries!" he roared. "Ha! We've struck gold, boys!"
Liam tilted his head, his voice calm and faintly amused. "You seem very happy about something."
"Of course I'm " The pirate's words cut off abruptly as the realization hit him like a cannonball. His laughter died. His color drained.
Five hundred million.
He looked up at Liam the very man whose bounty could buy a small kingdom and every instinct in his body screamed at him to run.
His knees buckled before he could even think.
"P-please, sir! Don't kill me! I I'll serve you! I swear my loyalty!"
Liam's eyes gleamed behind his mask. "Relax. I'm not going to kill you. Just answer one question."
"Anything, sir!"
"Do you know Capone Bege?"
"Y-yes! Everyone in the West Blue knows him!"
"Good. Take me to him, and you'll live."
"Yes, sir! Right away! Bege's based in Gangster City I can get you there!"
Liam nodded. In truth, Bege was precisely the man he'd been thinking of. The ambitious crime lord who dreamed of ruling the entire West Blue underground.
With Liam's current power, subduing him would be easy. And once under his control, Bege's vast network of influence spanning pirate crews, royal families, and even naval branches would make the perfect safe haven for Robin.
Yes. That would do nicely.
Hours later, their ship approached the fog-shrouded port of Gangster City, a lawless hub of smugglers, pirates, and assassins.
"W-we're here, sir!" the pirate captain stammered, sweat dripping down his temples.
Liam stood, stretching his shoulders, then took Robin's hand. "Good work."
He turned his gaze toward the trembling man and, without a flicker of hesitation, drew a gleaming flintlock pistol from his dimensional storage.
A single gunshot cracked through the air.
The pirate captain crumpled to the deck, eyes frozen in disbelief.
Liam exhaled quietly, lowering the weapon. He didn't take lives needlessly but this man's hands were already drenched in innocent blood. Along their voyage, Liam had learned enough: the pirate had raided villages, slaughtered sailors, even torched civilian ships for sport.
Justice, sometimes, was best delivered cleanly.
The rest of the crew screamed and scattered in panic. Liam didn't bother chasing them. Each pull of the trigger ended another life, until silence reclaimed the ship.
Five minutes later, not one pirate remained.
"Let's go," he said quietly.
Robin followed without a word, her small hand clutching his.
Together, they walked down the gangplank and onto the crowded streets of Gangster City.
The town buzzed with danger. Men in suits with pistols at their belts loitered outside smoky bars. Women with sharp eyes and sharper knives whispered deals in the alleys. Every corner reeked of power and betrayal.
Yet as the pair walked calmly through the chaos one tall, masked figure and one small child people stepped aside instinctively, sensing an aura that silenced even the rowdiest drunk.
Their destination loomed ahead: a massive stone fortress in the city's heart.
And within it waited the man called Capone Bege the ruler of the West Blue underworld, soon to learn that a new power had arrived.