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Time flies, and ten years pass in the blink of an eye.
It's now the year 1520 of the Sea Calendar—the year Luffy sets sail.
In Windmill Village, East Blue, the sun shines brightly, and the wind blows gently. All the villagers have gathered on the shore.
"Hey, Luffy! Your boat's too small, it'll sink for sure. Want me to lend you mine?" one of the villagers teased from the shore.
"No! I'm starting just like this!" Luffy replied confidently, then muttered to himself, "Sabo was the first to go to sea, and Ace was the second. Even though I'm last, I won't lose. Wait for me, Ace! I'll catch up soon!"
"Luffy, what are you mumbling about?" someone called out.
"Nothing! Just my challenge to Ace! I'm leaving! Goodbye, everyone!" Luffy shouted, ignoring the villagers' reactions as he untied the boat's rope and began rowing away.
"Who's Ace?" one villager asked.
"How should I know?" another replied.
As the villagers watched Luffy depart, the village chief and Makino exchanged glances.
"Luffy's finally gone to sea, village chief. The village will probably be quieter now," Makino observed with a soft smile.
"It's for the best! He was always causing trouble around here! And now he's gone off to become a pirate, shouting about becoming the Pirate King. What a disgrace!" the village chief grumbled, though his tone was full of affection for the young man.
Out at sea, Luffy rowed his boat, watching the seagulls flying above with a smile on his face. "The weather's great—a perfect day to start an adventure!"
Before he had gone far, the water began to churn, and the massive body of the Sea King rose up behind the boat. The villagers on shore grew nervous, sweat beading on their foreheads, but Luffy remained calm.
"Sea King, you're finally here. I've been waiting for you! Let me show you a move I've been practicing for ten years!" Luffy declared.
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
With a mighty punch, Luffy's fist collided with the Sea King's head, sending a shockwave through the air. The creature, which had terrorized the coast near Windmill Village for years, was defeated in an instant, its blood staining the sea.
The villagers erupted in cheers, even the Dadan family who were secretly watching from afar.
"Luffy's amazing! He took down the Sea King with one punch!" someone exclaimed.
"Yeah, he's gotten a lot stronger!" another agreed.
Luffy, standing tall on his boat, waved his arms triumphantly. "See how strong I am, you stinking fish! Next, I'm going to gather my crew—10 people! And Jason is one of them! He promised me a long time ago! Hehehe! I wonder where he is now. But I'll find him! And I'll design our pirate flag too! No other questions for now! Let's go! I'm going to be the Pirate King! Hahahaha!"
Meanwhile, in the first half of the Grand Line, on an unknown island...
Jason stood atop a cliff, gazing silently at the distant horizon. Now 30 years old, he had matured significantly over the years. Suddenly, a pair of small hands reached out from behind and gently pinched his ears.
"Dear Jason, what are you thinking about? Where are we going next?" came Robin's playful voice. They had been on this island for several months.
"Hey, hey, Robin! Don't pull on my ears!" Jason chuckled, turning to face her. "I'm not planning to take you anywhere this time!"
"Really?" Robin asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Absolutely! More real than pearls!" Jason assured her.
"Then why haven't you taken me to the second half of the Grand Line? We've almost covered the first half!" Robin pouted, though her annoyance was playful.
Indeed, over the years, Jason had taken Robin across five of the seven routes in the first half of the Grand Line. They had found a few Poneglyphs, but there were still places they hadn't visited—like Sky Island, which Jason had avoided because he couldn't remember exactly how to get there.
Luffy was supposed to set sail this year, and Jason planned to join him for the trip to Sky Island. He had his eye on the Thunder Fruit that Enel possessed and wanted to claim it for himself.
"Ahem, didn't I say before? The second half of the Grand Line is very dangerous. Without more crewmates, we won't get far. And don't you want to see Sky Island—the island that floats in the sky?"
"Of course! But does Sky Island really exist? Is it like what the books describe?" Robin asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Absolutely. I heard from Rayleigh that the Pirate King, Roger, also visited Sky Island and left important information there about history!" Jason said confidently.
Sorry, Rayleigh, you'll have to take the blame for this, Jason thought to himself.
"Well, I believe you! But how do we get to Sky Island? And where are our crewmates?" Robin asked, still eager.
"Emm, let's head to Alabasta in a few days! We'll get a crewmate there, and then we'll find our way to Sky Island!"
"Really?!" Robin's excitement returned.
"Definitely!" Jason assured her.
Robin didn't fully understand why, but she had always trusted Jason without question.
For Jason, the most satisfying event over the past ten years was winning over Robin when she turned twenty, about two years after they first set sail together. Since then, he hadn't been shy about expressing his affection, and their relationship had deepened into something akin to an old married couple. However, they hadn't yet discussed having children, nor had they held a wedding.
Jason wasn't a saint. The girl he had practically raised from childhood was now his partner, sharing a bed with him daily. Resisting temptation until Robin turned twenty had been a challenge, but Jason cherished her more than anything.
Robin had started playfully tugging on Jason's ears back then, though it never went beyond that. It was a simple, affectionate gesture between the two of them.
The pair had continued their adventures across the sea, and their wanted posters were regularly updated with new photos. However, since Jason avoided killing Marines, their bounty amounts hadn't changed much. Most bounty hunters no longer pursued them—the weaker ones knew they were outmatched, and the stronger ones, like the Marine Admirals, were too busy to chase them down. Besides, unless all three Admirals came together, capturing them was nearly impossible.
During one of their stops, Jason had even taken the time to sneak back to Cocoyasi Village. He confirmed that Bellemere was doing well, and though Arlong was still extorting the villagers, the stage was set for Nami's inevitable showdown with him.
A week later, Jason and Robin arrived in Alabasta, a kingdom suffering under Crocodile's rule, with half the country turned into desert. After docking their ship, the Devil, they settled in and immediately began exploring the town, enjoying the local food.
"Baby Robin, let's just wait here for a while. It shouldn't take too long," Jason said between bites.
"Who are we waiting for?" Robin asked, her curiosity piqued.
"You know them—Luffy and his crew!" Jason replied casually.
"Hmmm, I remember now. That little brother of yours from East Blue? The one you promised to sail with? Wasn't that just to humor him?" Robin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course... yeah, you're not allowed on the ship. I don't want to lose face! But it wouldn't hurt to have him tow us along, huh?" Jason smirked, trying to play it cool.
Robin couldn't help but smile at Jason's childish behavior. Despite everything, his mindset hadn't changed much over the years—he was still the same boy she had known.
Meanwhile, Luffy was at the Baratie, the floating restaurant in East Blue. He had already recruited Zoro, the swordsman, and Usopp, the sniper, to his crew. Sanji, the cook, was about to join them as well. Zoro had recently dueled Dracule Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman. Jason had no interest in watching; a rookie like Zoro, who didn't even know how to use Haki, challenging Mihawk was an insult to the swordsman. Even a casual strike from Mihawk could have killed Zoro if Mihawk hadn't held back.
Fortunately, Zoro had the mentality of a true warrior, challenging Mihawk with a willingness to face death. His courage earned Mihawk's respect, even in defeat.
After Sanji joined the crew, Usopp informed everyone about Nami's apparent betrayal, leading the group to head toward Cocoyasi Village. Upon hearing the truth from Bellemere, Luffy and the others decided to help Nami.
Bellemere, tired from keeping up the act, finally confessed to Nami, telling her everything Jason had taught her during the past three years about Haki and the harsh realities of the world. When Arlong came to collect his tribute, Bellemere's mere mention of Jason's name was enough to make him back off. Though Arlong never failed to collect his money, he had never forgotten the fear he felt years ago when Jason had defeated him with a single blow.
At that moment, Colonel Nezumi appeared and confiscated the money Nami had saved, pushing her over the edge. With the support of her friends and Bellemere, Nami agreed to help Luffy and his crew take down Arlong and his Fish-Man Empire.
Bellemere, still concerned, quietly followed them to ensure Luffy could handle Arlong. To her surprise, Luffy successfully destroyed Arlong's empire with a powerful Gomu Gomu no Gatling and took Nami out to sea, just as in the original story. As they departed, Nami, true to her nature, stole everyone's wallets.
As the villagers grumbled, Bellemere and Nojiko reassured them with relieved smiles. "We're sorry, everyone. Nami's been a troublemaker since she was a child. Nojiko and I will return the money she took," Bellemere promised.
"No need! We all know Nami's a good kid. We just left our wallets where she could find them to make her happier about going to sea!" said the village policeman, Kensuke, with a warm smile, making Bellemere feel even more guilty.
Nami's money-grubbing tendencies and her skill as a thief had been cultivated by Jason and Bellemere. Poor Nami had been misled by her adoptive mother, who was closer to her than anyone, and by her older brother Jason, whom she outwardly scorned but inwardly respected. Seven or eight years of deception—it was enough to bring tears to anyone's eyes.
As Luffy and his crew rested in Loguetown, preparing to enter the Grand Line, their wanted posters were already being circulated everywhere. Jason was no exception to this notoriety.
"Hey, Baby Robin, look! Luffy's made it!" Jason said, excitement in his voice.
"Hmm? What are you talking about?" Robin leaned over to see what Jason was looking at—a wanted poster.
"Well, is this your little brother? Not many pirates start off with a 30 million beli bounty on their first wanted poster!" Robin remarked, noticing Luffy's face. He hadn't changed much since childhood, just scaled up in size, making him instantly recognizable.
"Yeah! And he's still smiling like an idiot, even more than us!"
"What's an 'idiot'?"
"Well... it's a very cute animal!" Jason deflected with a grin.
"Oh!" Robin didn't press further. She was used to Jason's odd expressions.
"He'll be here soon. We'll meet him then, but for now, we have other business to take care of. Come with me!"
"Alright," Robin agreed, following Jason.
Jason vaguely remembered that there was a Poneglyph in Alabasta. While he wasn't certain of its exact location, there was someone who surely knew—Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Crocodile's organization, Baroque Works, was also well-known in Alabasta. After all, he had set himself up as the country's hero.
Jason and Robin wasted no time. They stormed directly into Crocodile's base, with no one able to stop them.
Eventually, the two of them stood before Crocodile, who was seated in his grand chair, facing away from them. His henchmen, trembling with fear, muttered, "Boss, we're sorry, we couldn't stop them!"
Crocodile didn't turn around. His voice dripped with arrogance. "You've got some guts showing up here. Are you ready to be fed to my banana gators?"
Jason was unimpressed. He couldn't understand why Crocodile was so famous. "I'm afraid you're not qualified to threaten me," he retorted, letting his Conqueror's Haki burst forth. Instantly, every one of Crocodile's henchmen collapsed, unconscious.
Crocodile's body stiffened, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead. He was terrified. This level of Conqueror's Haki in the first half of the Grand Line? It was something he would expect only from the top dogs in the New World.
After taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, Crocodile slowly turned around, his movements stiff. "It seems… there really is a great... Nicole... Nicole Robin? And Portgas D. Jason!?"
Seeing them clearly, Crocodile froze. His main goal in Alabasta was to conquer the kingdom and decipher the Poneglyph in the royal cemetery to obtain information on the Ancient Weapon, Pluton. However, he knew he couldn't read the Poneglyph himself. That was why he had been searching for Robin, the last survivor of Ohara who could read the ancient text.
In Crocodile's mind, with their combined bounties of just 79 million and 50 million beli, these two should have been no match for him. His plan had been simple—capture Jason, kill him for the bounty, and force Robin to decipher the Poneglyph. But now, with Jason's overwhelming display of power, the situation was far from what he had imagined.
A bounty of 50 million beli should not come with such a terrifying level of Conqueror's Haki! In fact, even 500 million wouldn't be too much for someone this strong!
"Oh? So you know who we are! That makes things easier," Jason said, his tone casual.
Crocodile wasn't one to back down easily. He quickly regained his composure. After all, he had once challenged even Whitebeard. There was no way he would think Jason was stronger than Whitebeard. It was clear the duo had other intentions since they hadn't attacked immediately.
"Of course, I know who you are. But what brings you to my territory?" Crocodile asked, trying to mask his unease.
Jason tilted his head, looking at Robin with a smirk. "See? He didn't attack us right away because he's curious. How foolish!" Robin chuckled in response, completely at ease with Jason by her side.
A vein popped on Crocodile's forehead. He barely restrained himself from lashing out. Just as he was about to retort, Jason continued.
"We're here to propose a cooperation."
Crocodile was caught off guard. "Cooperation?"
"Of course! What, you think we came all this way to visit one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea just for a chat?" Jason replied with a sly grin.
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If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 80+ chapters at patreon.com/Phoenizbeelze
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