"Hey, Little Pei! What are you staring at?! This—this—is a real battle between men! Hurry up and charge in there and take them down for me! Don't embarrass me!"
Ulti glared at Page One beside her, jerking her chin toward the two fighters tangled together in the arena.
It had taken the kid three full years to barely squeeze into the bottom of the top ten at the tournament.
That result was still miles away from the true inner circle of core retainers—but unfortunately for everyone involved, he had an overprotective and violently short-tempered big sister who had forcibly dragged him into that circle anyway.
Now, hearing such an unreasonable demand from her all of a sudden, cold sweat poured down Page One's face. His expression went utterly lifeless.
"Big sis, please spare me… This isn't some 'battle between men'—this is gods fighting each other! If I go up there now, I'll just be delivering myself on a platter. What can I do besides get beaten senseless?"
"Little Pei…"
Ulti put on an expression of deep emotional devastation, even staggering back half a step. Then—like a volcano erupting—she exploded.
"You useless piece of trash! I'm so disappointed in you! Just as I thought—without me keeping an eye on you these past few years, all your manliness has practically evaporated!"
"No! Absolutely not! I need to make up for all the education you missed—and teach you a proper lesson!"
With that, Ulti lunged like a koala and latched straight onto Page One. Her arms locked tightly around her brother's neck, her face ferocious as she shook him back and forth like a madwoman.
Watching this pair of clowns start up again, everyone around them arrived at the exact same conclusion.
Sure enough—until a younger brother surpasses his sister in strength, beings like brothers are simply born to be bullied. Especially when said sister happens to have a sadistic hobby of tormenting him.
"What a lively bunch of kids."
Toki stood to the side, smiling gently as she watched the chaotic yet oddly heartwarming scene unfold.
Aside from the times she spent with Tenma, this was the kind of atmosphere she loved most—one that carried the unmistakable warmth of family.
Looking at this noisy crowd, she couldn't help but recall what they'd been like when they were younger, marveling at how quickly time had passed.
Back then, Nami had still been a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. Now she had grown into a graceful young woman.
And then there was Hiyori beside Tenma, quietly playing a melody.
That feeling only grew stronger.
The little tagalong who used to trail behind them had also blossomed into a radiant beauty, every movement carrying a gentle elegance.
As the princess of the Sky Kingdom, countless young talents were lining up, eager to court her.
Yet Hiyori's standards were sky-high. She was coolly indifferent to almost everyone—aside from a few of Tenma's retainers, she rarely even spoke.
Thinking about this, a hint of unease crept into Toki's heart.
She could tell that compared to her closeness with childhood companions like Law and Zoro, Hiyori's affection toward Tenma was… different.
Though Toki didn't want to dwell on that line of thought, Tenma's charm was simply too overwhelming—and his famously romantic lifestyle didn't help.
Even someone as proud and aloof as the former Admiral candidate Gion had ultimately fallen into his hands, hadn't she?
How could Toki not overthink it? Her thoughts drifted further and further away.
Tenma, of course, had no idea that his chief steward had already played out an entire family drama in her head.
At that moment, he was holding the latest newspaper Robin had just delivered, reading it with great interest.
"Oh? So it's happening already?!"
He raised an eyebrow, unable to stop himself from blurting it out.
Hancock and Yamato, standing nearby, immediately leaned in like two curious kittens, bumping heads as they tried to peer at the paper.
Behind them, Maria took advantage of her height, catching sight of the bold, oversized headline at a glance and reading it aloud.
[Top-Tier Logia — Flame-Flame Fruit Changes Hands!
The Spade Pirates Rise Out of Nowhere!
The Strongest Rookie King of the East Blue Is Born!]
Perhaps this was what people meant by the cycle of history.
Just like how Pirate King Gol D. Roger had been publicly executed in Loguetown of the East Blue—his final words throwing the world into chaos and ushering in the Great Pirate Era—
Now, as that era entered its nineteenth year, the man who carried the Pirate King's bloodline—the man destined to shake the world once more with that very blood—
Portgas D. Ace—finally stepped into the Grand Line in Sea Circle Calendar Year 1515.
Maybe it was the inheritance of the Pirate King's genes, but this kid's luck in the pirate business was enough to make anyone jealous.
Starting from the weakest sea, the East Blue, he'd taken less than a month to assemble a fairly decent crew—the Spade Pirates.
More ridiculously still, he'd stumbled upon one of the rarest Devil Fruits in existence—
A top-tier Logia: the Flame-Flame Fruit.
From that moment on, the Spade Pirates became an unbridled black horse, blazing their way into the Grand Line and firmly claiming the number one spot among this year's Supernovas.
When he first saw the news, Garp had been so furious he'd nearly flipped a table, grinding his teeth as he cursed,
"That damn brat! He actually went and became a pirate!"
And in just a few short months after that, Ace's reputation only grew louder and louder.
Relying on that utterly unreasonable Flame-Flame Fruit, he stirred up storm after storm across the seas.
And the Ace who had just been crowned "Strongest Rookie" truly lived up to the title.
Not only did he tear straight through the layers of Marine blockades set up in response to the Great Draft—
He even pulled off something earth-shattering:
He took down a Warlord of the Sea.
The Spade Pirates clashed head-on with the Warlord known as the "Swamp Fiend," Stella.
To everyone's shock, Fire Fist Ace incinerated the swamp-using Devil Fruit user into ashes with overwhelming flames—then went a step further, exposing all the sordid crimes hidden behind the scenes of the towns Stella ruled.
Once the newspapers got hold of the story and ran it through their sensational presses, Ace's name resounded across the entire world.
Marine Headquarters — Marineford
Creak—
An ear-grating sound echoed as the door to Garp's office was violently shoved open.
"GARPPP!!"
A roar filled with rage followed immediately.
Behind his desk, Garp—who had been happily munching on a huge basket of rice crackers—froze mid-crunch and stiffly turned his head.
As expected.
Standing at the doorway, face dark as the bottom of a pot, was none other than the Fleet Admiral—
Sengoku the Buddha.
Seeing Sengoku looking like he was ready to eat someone alive, Garp's heart skipped a beat. Guiltily, he thought,
Oh crap… did he find out I snuck those premium rice crackers from his drawer?
Sengoku strode over with a grim face and slammed a thick stack of documents onto the desk with a loud bang, jolting even the teacups into the air.
"Take a good look! Just see what kind of disaster your precious grandson has caused this time!"
"Huh? Hahahahaha—so it's about that kid Ace."
Realizing it wasn't about the crackers, Garp instantly changed faces. Not only did he feel no shame—he burst out laughing without a care in the world.
"You're actually laughing?! That's your own grandson—you raised him yourself! Such a promising seed, and you let him become a pirate?! How exactly did you teach him?!"
Seeing Garp's utterly shameless expression, Sengoku clutched his chest in fury, looking like he truly felt the pain of wasted potential.
Ever since learning that the infamous "Fire Fist" Ace—who'd recently stirred up so much chaos—was this old bastard's privately acknowledged god-grandson, Sengoku hadn't slept a single peaceful night.
He'd already chewed Garp out more times than he could count.
This wasn't just about becoming a pirate anymore.
The political ramifications behind it were far, far too severe.
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