"I don't care where in General's City I live—as long as it stays the same! But I have one condition: I have to live in the same district as Lord Tenma!"
Perona was the first to raise her hand, floating in midair and shouting at the top of her lungs, afraid that anyone might miss it.
The moment she spoke up, several of the younger kids below immediately joined in, clamoring one after another, all insisting they wanted to live closer to their lord.
…
The scene shifts to the East Blue, Goa Kingdom, Windmill Village.
Morning sunlight spilled over the open ground beside Dadan's bandit hideout. From two crude little wooden huts came the sound of voices.
"Hurry up already, Luffy! You're so slow!"
"Hey, wait a sec, Ace! I haven't finished my meat yet!"
Two black-haired boys burst out one after the other.
The one in front was about ten, freckles dotting his face, stubborn fire in his eyes.
Behind him was an eight-year-old wearing a straw hat, half a slab of meat still stuffed in his mouth as he shouted indistinctly.
The two ran all the way from deep within Mount Colubo toward Windmill Village.
Today was Ace's "etiquette training day," and for that, he'd even postponed their usual morning sparring.
"Creak—"
The old saloon's louvered door swung open, making its familiar sound.
"Makino! Ace and I are here!"
Luffy's booming voice instantly filled the entire bar, brimming with cheerful stupidity.
"Miss Makino, please take care of us again today."
Ace, on the other hand, seemed like a completely different person. He straightened his collar and spoke with exaggerated politeness.
"Oh, Luffy and Ace—welcome."
Makino's gentle voice was like a spring breeze. She stood behind the counter with a headscarf tied on, holding a freshly delivered newspaper in her hands.
"You must be thirsty. Want some juice?"
"I do!"
Luffy hopped onto a barstool and raised his hand high.
—Bam!
Ace unceremoniously punched Luffy on the head.
"Idiot! You're supposed to say thank you!"
After lecturing his brother, Ace's gaze fell on the newspaper in Makino's hands, his eyes lighting up.
"Is that the newest issue?"
"It is," Makino smiled, sliding the paper toward him. "And there's even news about Shanks."
"Really?! Shanks is in it?"
The moment he heard Shanks's name, Luffy forgot all about the lump on his head and practically sprawled over the paper.
Ace shoved his face aside in disgust.
"Move it! You can't even read! Let me look first!"
Makino returned with two glasses of juice and explained with a smile as the brothers bickered.
"The paper says Red-Haired Shanks went to visit the Whitebeard Pirates, but ran into the Flying Sky General Tenma on the way. It turned into a battle between emperors."
"Sea emperors? What's that?"
Luffy tilted his head, eyes full of curiosity.
Ace stared at him for several seconds, sighed helplessly, then curled his lips into a confident grin.
"Looking at how clueless you are, I guess it really will be me who becomes Pirate King first."
"Listen up, Luffy. In the second half of the Grand Line, the pirates who rule the seas like emperors are called Sea Emperors! That's my future goal!"
"Simply put, they're the ceiling of pirates—the strongest of the strong."
Luffy nodded, half-understanding.
"Then Shanks and his crew must be the strongest, right?"
After all, Shanks was the one who opened the door for him. In Luffy's heart, Shanks was invincible.
"Don't be stupid."
Ace shot him down mercilessly, his eyes returning to the paper.
"Shanks is strong, sure—but compared to that man, he's still a bit short. The truly strongest pirate crew belongs to the man who once rivaled Roger… the current world's strongest man, White—"
Ace's voice suddenly caught in his throat.
His pupils shrank violently as he stared at the bold black headline, fingers gripping the edge of the paper so hard it crumpled.
"T-this… how is this possible?!"
Ace's sudden shout startled Luffy, who had been noisily slurping his juice.
"That man… he actually lost?!"
In the photo, Whitebeard—towering like a mountain—was covered in blood, while the Tenma standing opposite him still radiated terrifying sharpness.
Especially that glaring line of commentary text—it struck Ace's chest like a hammer, again and again.
"Yes… Whitebeard lost."
Makino sighed softly, her tone filled with emotion.
"Now the Flying Sky General, Tenma, is the universally acknowledged strongest man in the world."
Even Makino, just a village tavern owner, understood what the name "Whitebeard" represented.
For a legend like that to be broken—it was unthinkable to anyone.
But what she didn't know was that the shock in Ace's heart was far greater than what showed on his face.
It was a thorn buried deep inside him—a heavy obsession.
He couldn't accept that Whitebeard had lost to Tenma.
That man was the only rival of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!
How could he fall so decisively?
And worse—how could the one who defeated him not be Ace himself?!
Ace clenched the newspaper, teeth grinding, a fierce sense of unwillingness surging in his chest.
He didn't care who was the world's strongest.
He didn't care about old eras ending or new ones beginning.
What he cared about was this—
The man who stood as Roger's nemesis, the goal Ace had sworn to surpass and defeat with his own hands, had been beaten first… by someone else.
…
That shock spread like a virus, rapidly infecting every corner of the Four Seas.
South Blue, in a country ruled by gangs.
There was no law here. Four chaotic streets were controlled by four delinquent groups.
In a ruined street corner piled with scrap metal, three children in studded leather jackets stood arguing around a newspaper.
"Never thought I'd see the day Whitebeard, that old monster, got dragged down,"
Killer said, shaking his head in awe.
The only girl among them had stars in her eyes.
"The Flying Sky General is so cool! That power is practically divine! If only I'd been born in Wano!"
"Tch! What's so great about him?!"
Hearing her praise Tenma, the red-haired boy with spiky hair immediately bristled, pouting in defiance.
"Just wait! One day I'll knock him flat too! I'm the future world's strongest man!"
The wildly overconfident declaration made the other two freeze for a second—then burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! Kid, you haven't woken up yet, have you?"
"Yeah! That's Lord Tenma we're talking about—power that can destroy the world! What are you gonna use to compete with him?"
Mocked so mercilessly by his companions, Kid's face flushed bright red.
Humiliated and furious, he jumped to his feet.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.Part One is officially complete — and it's now available
Go check it out and dive into the full experience.
Claim early access here: [email protected]/voidink08
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews unlock 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.