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New World – An Island on the Grand Line
Sitting atop a large rock, one of the Four Emperors, Red-Haired Shanks, held a freshly printed bounty poster in his hand.
His gaze drifted toward the endless blue sea, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
A faint smile formed on his lips.
"Is it finally your time, Luffy?"
Waves crashed relentlessly against the rugged rocks below, each one carving the slow, steady passage of time into the landscape.
New World – Aboard the Moby Dick
On the deck of the massive Whitebeard Pirates' flagship, a man with freckles and an orange cowboy hat ran toward the gathered commanders, his face brimming with excitement.
"Hey, hey! Did you guys see this!? Did you see!?"
Whoosh—
He waved a bounty poster in front of them, laughing as he pointed at the image.
"Look! Look!"
"This guy—he's my little brother! The World Government finally put a price on his head!"
"Your brother?"
A man with a pineapple-shaped hairstyle leaned in to check the bounty poster, clicking his tongue in mild surprise.
"The first time he gets a bounty, and it's already 50 million Berries? Damn, Ace, looks like your little bro is more of a menace than you were at the start!"
A burly man beside him crossed his arms and grinned.
"Hey, how about bringing him into the Whitebeard Pirates? Then we'd really be one big family."
"Hahaha, forget it, Jozu," Ace laughed. "There's no way Luffy would ever join someone else's crew."
"That idiot has been yelling about becoming the Pirate King since we were kids!"
"Oh? That sounds exactly like a certain someone we know," Marco teased, smirking at Ace.
Not long ago, Ace himself had been boasting about becoming Pirate King—right before storming in to challenge the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Oi! I thought we agreed never to bring that up again?!"
Ace lunged at Marco, catching him off guard and tackling him to the ground.
In the scuffle, the bounty poster slipped from Ace's grip.
A gust of wind carried the paper, fluttering through the air before landing in the hands of a tall, imposing figure.
"Ace's little brother, huh?"
Edward Newgate—Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world—studied the familiar straw hat in the bounty photo.
For a brief moment, his expression softened.
Then—
"Gurararara!!!"
His hearty laughter boomed through the sky, his sheer presence shaking the air around them.
Despite the IV tubes attached to his body, Whitebeard stood up, his powerful frame undeterred by time.
"Sons!"
"To celebrate the success of Ace's brother getting his first bounty… let's have a party!!!"
"OHHHHH!!!"
Instantly, the entire Moby Dick erupted into cheers.
No planning, no hesitation—just pure celebration.
As for who Ace's little brother was?
Did anyone in the Whitebeard Pirates really care?
They just needed an excuse to party.
However, in a shadowed corner of the ship, a man with a black beard chomped down on a piece of meat, his beady eyes locked on the [D] in Luffy's name.
"...Seems like an interesting one."
"Zehahahaha…"
East Blue – Orange Town
Inside the Buggy Pirates' hideout, Buggy the Clown was in the middle of a meeting when—
"CAPTAIN BUGGY!!! CAPTAIN BUGGY!!!"
A frantic pirate came running full-speed into the room, waving a piece of paper like his life depended on it.
Buggy raised an eyebrow.
"Huh?! What's with all the yelling!?"
"Captain Buggy, look!!!"
Buggy snatched the paper from the panting pirate.
The moment his eyes landed on it, they nearly popped out of his skull.
"W-WHAT!?"
"It's Lord Luffy's bounty poster!!!" The pirate shouted, his voice filled with awe.
"Lord Luffy has been officially recognized by the World Government with a 50-million Berry bounty!!!"
"As expected of Captain Buggy, your connections are truly legendary!"
The errand pirate never missed a chance to flatter Buggy.
Buggy, still staring intensely at the Straw Hat on the bounty poster, lowered his voice and nodded.
"Yeah..." He said, pretending to agree with the pirate's excitement.
But deep inside, his mind was already cursing in frustration.
'As expected of the guy Shanks took an interest in… He really is something else!"'
Buggy knew very well—
The person who shared a sworn drink with him was Luffy, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates.
But he and Luffy… were not the same kind of person.
The one he truly respected, the one he would take orders from without hesitation, was not Luffy.
It was Red, the Straw Hats' Vice-Captain.
That didn't mean he was disloyal to the Straw Hat Pirates.
He had sworn an oath, and by pirate law, that meant he would follow them until the end.
Buggy was a traditional pirate—he took those rules seriously.
But just like in any large pirate crew, different factions naturally formed.
And Buggy?
He had chosen his side.
He followed Vice-Captain Red.
The Grand Line – Unfazed by Luffy's Bounty
Luffy's 50-million Berry bounty barely made waves in the Grand Line.
It was a respectable sum, sure—but in a sea filled with monsters, there were countless people with similar or even higher bounties.
But in the East Blue…
It was a different story.
Many people were scared out of their minds just by looking at that number.
East Blue – Syrup Village
A tiny, unremarkable village tucked away on a remote island.
It had no large population.
No special resources.
No strategic value.
Even pirates didn't bother coming here.
It was a quiet, peaceful place—where villagers woke up with the sunrise and rested with the sunset, living the same routine year after year.
Well, except for one person—
A long-nosed liar who ran through the village every morning, shouting about imaginary pirate invasions.
As usual, that same long-nosed man had just finished another mad sprint across the village—chased, of course, by the very villagers he had just "warned."
Later That Afternoon – In the Forest Outside Syrup Village
Usopp, dressed in his brown overalls, stood among the trees, sniffing the air dramatically.
"What a beautiful day~"
He had just woken up from a nap, stretching his arms with satisfaction.
"Alright! Nap time is over! Time to visit Kaya and tell her all about my underwater adventure!"
"Before that… I should get some target practice in!"
Rolling his shoulders, Usopp adjusted his slingshot, ready to train.
But before he could even take his stance—
A loud shout came echoing down the dirt path.
"BAD NEWS—!!! SOMETHING TERRIBLE IS HAPPENING—!!!"
"CAPTAIN USOPP!!!"
Three tiny figures—all around 8 or 9 years old—came sprinting toward him, waving their arms wildly.
"Huh!?"
Seeing his three little subordinates, Usopp immediately straightened his posture, crossing his arms and nodding seriously.
"A pirate should never lose his composure!"
"As a pirate, you must always remain calm!"
"YES, CAPTAIN USOPP!!!"
The three kids immediately stood at attention.
But then, the one in the middle—Tamanegi—stepped forward, thrusting a newspaper and a bounty poster into Usopp's hands.
"But Captain… this time, it's really bad!"
"...What happened?"
Usopp, still calm, took the bounty poster and slowly unfolded it.
Then—
Silence.
One full minute passed.
"Uh… Captain Usopp?"
The three kids looked at each other in confusion.
Then, they moved closer to check on him.
And what they saw was…
Captain Usopp—usually so boastful and confident—was now drenched in sweat, his pupils shrinking with sheer panic.
"U-Uh… Ugh…"
The kids exchanged knowing glances and sighed.
Yeah.
This was pretty much expected.
The calmest of the group, Piiman, cleared his throat.
"Ahem… Captain Usopp, a big-time pirate has appeared in the East Blue."
"The newspaper says he attacked the 153rd Marine Branch two days ago."
"...Wait."
Usopp's voice trembled.
"153rd Marine Branch…?"
"Isn't that… really close to Syrup Village…?"