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Perhaps this is the cyclical nature of an era. Just as the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was publicly executed in Logue Town, sparking the Great Age of Pirates with his final words, his son, Portgas D. Ace, was destined to walk a similar path.
When a man reaches the age to set sail, no reason can hold him back.
The year Ace took to the sea marked the intersection of the old and new eras. For Arthur, the Thunder Emperor, it was the perfect moment to ignite a world-spanning war—to personally bury the remnants of the old world and usher in his own.
But before the final curtain call, Arthur had a task: he needed to "help" the World Government clear the distractions that divided their focus.
The main distraction? The Revolutionary Army.
..............
In truth, the Revolutionary Army's raw power was negligible compared to the sheer scale of the World Government. The only reason they remained a persistent thorn was the Government's own indecisiveness and hesitation to commit to a total purge.
The true extent of the World Government's power remained a mystery. Setting aside the enigmatic Imu and the Five Elders, the collective might of the Navy alone was enough to threaten the Revolutionaries with extinction. Furthermore, there was CP0—the highest level of the Cipher Pol.
According to the late Mother Carmel, CP0 housed powerhouses whose strength rivaled that of Marine Admirals, known as the "Strongest Shield of the Celestial Dragons." However, Cipher Pol AIGIS-0 answered directly to the "World Nobles," not the Government itself.
The parasites of the Holy Land were unlikely to commit their personal guard to "meaningless" external conflicts—at least, not until a blade was pressed against their own throats.
Arthur's plan was to force their hand, making the Government consolidate its scattered might.
While the Thunder God Pirates were the strongest crew on the seas, they were still a step behind the total weight of the World Government. This was why the Thunder God Legion—the army of thousands of clones currently growing in the lab—had to be perfect. They were designed to counter the Navy's "Pacifistas" and the elites of AIGIS-0.
..............
Stepping out of the underground lab, Arthur stood on the beach of Raijin Island. He looked toward the horizon, where his massive Golden War Fortress was nearing completion. It loomed like a fallen star, gargantuan and shimmering.
Once finished, the Thunder God Pirates would no longer be tethered to islands or the ocean—they would be a sovereign nation soaring through the skies.
Arthur narrowed his eyes at the distance. He felt a rare, quiet calm. Perhaps it was the silence before the storm.
"Arthur..."
Stussy descended the golden stairs, her graceful silhouette followed by the young secretary, Kalifa. Soon after, Jessica, Hancock, and Shiryu arrived as well, as if by a prearranged signal.
"What is it?" Arthur asked tonelessly.
"Captain," Shiryu said with a smirk, "do you remember the duel promised nineteen years ago? The one between you and Red-Haired Shanks?"
"I remember. But he never seemed ready."
"Well," Shiryu replied, "the challenge has finally arrived."
Arthur's lips curled into a wide, predatory smile. "Heh... Hahahaha! Is that so? It seems I haven't waited twenty years in vain!!"
"The location?"
..............
Fire Island.
Located precisely at the boundary between the territories of the Thunder God and the Red-Haired Pirates, this island was perpetually shrouded in volcanic clouds. Flames licked the earth year-round, fueled by a super-colossal active volcano in its center. It was a desolate, life-less wasteland.
Because it sat on the border, it was a frequent site for skirmishes. To the Division Captains of both crews, these small-scale battles were seen as "training exercises" for the rookies—as long as no major names died, the Emperors rarely intervened.
"Lucky-san! Why are we letting them step onto our turf without a fight?" a tall, dark-skinned man with a red afro shouted. He wore a loud, purple-patterned outfit and carried a long blade at his waist.
The man he addressed was Lucky Roux, who was currently busy with a chicken leg that seemed to never end. Roux adjusted his striped shirt, his chubby fingers nimbly tinkering with a flintlock pistol.
"Puh-hahahaha! Rockstar, you little rookie, you don't get it," Roux said, spraying bits of chicken meat as he laughed. "This isn't a playground game in the East Blue where you just start swinging at everyone."
"Besides," Roux added, "Shanks hasn't even agreed to let you join the crew as an intern yet!"
"But...!" Rockstar looked incensed, as if his very faith was being insulted. "Even if no one lives here, the Red-Haired flag is planted on this soil! Fire Island is not a place where the Thunder God Pirates can just come and go as they please!"
Behind Lucky Roux, a seemingly "innocuous" and ordinary pirate from the new batch of recruits suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"Hey, hey, hey! Is this the 'Red-Haired' rookie?"
Glug, glug, glug—!
Vasco Shot, the "Heavy Drinker," staggered forward, clutching his sake jug. His eyes were hazy with booze, but his presence was undeniable. He was followed by a dozen arrogant pirates from the Thunder God fleet.
"Quite a temper..." Vasco remarked, sticking out his tongue after a long swig. "My Captain says that everything on the map within the Thunder God Sea belongs to us. When exactly did the 'Red-Hair' flag get permission to fly here? Hic!"
The atmosphere turned electric.
"Drunken big-nose... the Thunder God Pirates are way too overbearing," Rockstar growled, unable to stand any insult to his idol.
"If you don't like it, fight us!!" shouted the innocuous pirate behind Roux, and the other new recruits immediately joined in the shouting.
"Ah?" Vasco Shot's hand paused on his jug, his drunken haze vanishing instantly.
"Well then," Lucky Roux shrugged, picking a warm rock to sit on, seemingly unbothered by the volcanic heat. "Old rules, then? Let the newcomers settle it."
He looked at the red-haired rookie. "Rockstar, you want to be an intern, right? If you lose, we aren't taking you!"
"Then let me see," Rockstar snarled, drawing his blade, "exactly what makes the Thunder God Pirates so damn arrogant!"
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