Chapter 43 — The Little Devil, Ator
In the year 1484 of the Sea Calendar, a series of major events once again shook the oceans.
The World Economic News, which had grown into a formidable publication, was becoming known across all Four Seas. Seagull couriers had begun replacing the old news ships, delivering headlines to every corner of the world.
"Ten-Year-Old Arms Dealer—The Son of the Sky Island in East Blue!"
"A Bodyguard Wielding the Power of an Ancient Zoan—Who Is He, Really?"
"The Secrets Between the Nasdaq Family and the Navy—What They Don't Want You to Know."
In the latter half of that year, these stories swept through the seas, landing in the hands of everyday people and quickly becoming the talk of every port and tavern.
Most dismissed it all as the elaborate show of some powerful adults humoring a child. But a few recognized the real significance beneath the spectacle.
After all, to have an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit user as a personal bodyguard… Such a privilege was usually reserved only for the Celestial Dragons themselves.
Even in the hands of an absolute nobody, an Ancient Zoan Fruit was enough to make someone unchallenged across the Four Seas.
And so, they asked—was a mere child truly worthy of such power if there wasn't something extraordinary about him?
Meanwhile, attention from far beyond the East Blue turned toward the mysterious, unapproachable Sky Island. Countless spies and agents tried probing its secrets—but no matter how they reached, their hands always came back empty.
The constant appearances of "Sky Island" in the papers also piqued the curiosity of many royal families and nobles. Some even risked long, perilous journeys just to catch a glimpse of it for themselves.
"Marine Base Established at Reverse Mountain—Have Pirates Lost All Passage Through the North and South Blues?"
"Dark Tides Beneath the Sails—Transoceanic Routes Complete, Little Devil Ator Bares His Fangs!"
"Meeting in the South Blue—The Little Devil Ator Seals Arms Deals with Four Major Companies!"
"The Little Devil of War! He Alone Drove the Already Drowning North Blue Deeper into the Abyss!"
One major event after another erupted.
As 1484 gave way to 1485, a string of headlines once again set the seas ablaze.
Ator had officially earned his notorious title: The Little Devil.
As a boy—just ten years old—he had stepped onto the world stage as an arms dealer.
And in an exclusive interview, his words shocked every common citizen to their core:
> "The North Blue has always been in chaos. Only a war to the death can truly secure lasting peace. All I've done is give the stubborn fools a little…encouragement. I've accelerated this pointless struggle."
"Call me evil? I'm simply carrying out a more radical justice. If a brighter, more peaceful future for the North Blue requires these trivial sacrifices…so be it."
"Isn't it the Navy's duty to protect civilians? And isn't that exactly what they're doing? Protecting tomorrow's children is protection too. They matter far more than the rotten North Blue of today. They're the seedlings that deserve to grow up in paradise."
"Excuses? There are always excuses. The ones condemning me are simply those lucky enough to be born in peaceful waters. Just look at the North Blue now: gangsters, pirates, warlords. Ordinary people can only scrape by in the cracks between them, terrified for what tomorrow might bring."
"And I—Nasdaq Ator—will give their children a better place to grow up."
Again and again, Ator's declarations sent shockwaves around the world.
Some proclaimed he was the North Blue's savior—a hero working hand in hand with the Navy and the Nasdaq family to pacify the region's endless conflict.
Among his supporters, none were louder than the people of the North Blue itself and many in the South Blue.
For the North Blue locals, they were living through the nightmare. They too wanted their children to be raised in the sunlight—not in an ocean where you had to fear for your life every day.
And in the South Blue, many cheerleaders had their own motives. After all, Ator was now their single largest customer. The monthly profits from selling him weapons easily surpassed ten billion Berries—an entire ocean's worth of business.
Meanwhile, in the East Blue and West Blue, opinions about Ator were completely polarized. "Little Devil" was actually one of the milder names people called him.
In the East Blue, people mostly saw Ator as born wicked—a troublemaker by nature, a spoiled young heir who thrived on chaos and only got away with it because of his powerful backing.
But in the West Blue, the disdain was more absolute—and mixed with fear. They outright condemned this sort of cross-sea interference. After all, the underworld here was no less entrenched than in the North Blue.
The only difference was that there weren't any outright "war states." Pirates, squeezed between syndicates and kingdoms, had an even harder time surviving. And most crucially, those two forces maintained a delicate balance.
Neither side wanted the other to gain access to weapons flowing in from the South Blue.
Because now, the only person who controlled the lifeline of transoceanic transport…was a not-quite-eleven-year-old Little Devil.
It was terrifying.
And the worst part was that he was constantly accompanied by an absolute monster of a bodyguard—and a small army of protectors.
Even elite snipers couldn't touch him. The Devil Fruit user by his side could move fast enough to literally catch bullets out of the air.
Because of this, the entire West Blue underworld put a massive bounty on Ator's head. At one point, it soared all the way to two billion Berries—
comparable to the bounties of legendary pirates known across the world.
"Ambush! Infamous pirate with a 140 million bounty executed on the spot!"
"Identity Confirmed—Devil Hound Roel Rechristened as Evil Dragon Roel!"
"Navy's Future Superstar—Secretly a Vassal of the Nasdaq Family, Courtesy of Ross Nasdaq!"
In the early days of Sea Calendar 1485, a meticulously planned assassination unfolded on an island in the South Blue.
It was there that Roel, who had always hidden his identity, finally revealed himself as an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit user.
A colossal spined dragon—six meters tall and over fifteen meters long—swept through the invading pirates. In the fierce battle against the infamous captain, Roel's disguise was torn away.
On camera, he stood tall, his body scarred, his expression cold and unyielding.
The lens then captured a close-up of Ator, utterly composed. Behind him loomed the monstrous spined dragon bodyguard, radiating such overwhelming force it seemed to overflow the frame itself.
He was still just a boy.
Yet that single close-up shot, published by Morgans, completely transformed his public image—
…or at least, among the women.
That day, princesses and noble ladies from several World Government member nations flocked to Sky Island in East Blue. All just to see Ross in person—and to negotiate betrothals with Ator.
Just from accepting their gifts, Ross raked in over two billion Berries.
Rumor had it that not long after, Sky Island held an enormous banquet—
and every expense was covered by those lavish tribute payments.
They even had money left over.
...
"Tch. The net profit only barely broke even. That old bastard Sengoku really knows how to squeeze every last Berry—if it weren't for him, I could have earned another twenty percent on top."
Ator flipped through an account ledger spanning nearly five months since he'd first started turning a profit.
After subtracting all the payoffs to the Navy and the cost of weapons, the total net gain was just eighty billion Berries.
Far less than he'd hoped for.
He'd been planning to haul the whole pile back home during the New Year and dump it in front of his father, demanding a good dose of praise.
But at this rate, he'd have to wait until next year.
Otherwise, if he showed up with so "little," his father would probably think he was trying to fob him off like a beggar.
"Brother Roel—thank you for everything the other day. Are you recovering well?"
"Nothing serious now, Young Master Ator. The Navy's medical equipment is extremely advanced."
Standing straight beside him, Roel spoke in his usual cool, indifferent voice.
He'd thought he might have to retire and lay low for a while.
But in the end, it hadn't been long at all before the stakes shot up to a level rivaling the New World.
It felt…fantastic.