◉◉◉◉◉
The marine officer stepped to the bow of the warship.
Behind him stood a line of well-trained sailors, hands clasped behind their backs none of them carried weapons.
The officer's sharp gaze landed on Aero and the Hurricane Pirates standing on the deck of the Dove.
"I am Vice Admiral Momonga, Marine Headquarters."
Aero said nothing he knew the next sentence was the important one.
Even the crews of the ships behind the Dove held their breath, leaning forward to listen.
Many of them were too far to hear the words—but still instinctively fell silent.
"Aero of the Hurricane Pirates by order of Marine Headquarters, you are hereby granted the title of Warlord of the Sea."
At that, the entire fleet erupted.
Cheering rose up from every ship hundreds of pirates shouting in unison:
"Captain! Captain! Captain!"
The roar of voices rolled across the sea like crashing waves.
Momonga took one last look at the black-and-white Hurricane flag fluttering above the Dove.
"Do not forget," he warned, "the duties of a Warlord."
Aero gave a small nod, maintaining a polite tone.
"Please inform Fleet Admiral Sengoku that I will faithfully fulfill my responsibilities."
Satisfied, the Vice Admiral turned and gave the order to withdraw. The three Marine ships slowly pulled away.
---
Once they were well out to sea, Momonga retrieved a Den Den Mushi from his coat and spoke in a low, displeased voice:
"Intelligence was off. Aero commands at least a thousand men under the Hurricane banner."
"…Is that so?" came a cold reply from the other side. "Sounds like the commander of the East Blue branch needs to be disciplined. How could such a vital report be wrong?"
---
Aero watched the retreating Marine ships disappear over the horizon.
Then he turned back toward the endless sea and exhaled softly.
Now… the real voyage begins.
With a single wave of his hand, the officers moved.
Sails were raised. Anchors lifted.
The Dove and her fleet began to move once again.
---
Sea Calendar Year 1519 – August
A major event shook the world not unlike the day Fire Fist Ace joined the Whitebeard Pirates.
Aero, commanding more than a thousand men under the Hurricane banner, officially joined the ranks of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
With his addition, the Warlords were now at full strength their collective power reaching its peak.
All across the Grand Line, pirates and nations alike were thrown into debate:
"Who is this Aero?"
His combat record wasn't particularly flashy. In fact, many in the Grand Line had never even heard of him. Compared to his predecessor, Fire Fist Ace, he seemed… ordinary.
Some pirates simply scoffed.
"Hah! A kid with a bounty lower than mine? The Marines must be blind!"
Others, more cautious, quietly took note of the name Hurricane Aero.
But in the New World, the impact was far greater.
---
On Onigashima — the territory of Kaido
A massive horned figure lounged in a giant wooden building, a barrel of alcohol in hand. He squinted at a tiny bounty poster between his fingers, blew it away with a breath, and took another drink.
"Hmm… Sengoku must be getting senile. A brat like that… a Warlord?" He promptly forgot the matter and slammed the empty barrel in anger.
"HEY! Bring me more booze! NOW!!"
All the horned subordinates scrambled in panic.
---
Whole Cake Island – Big Mom Pirates Headquarters
In a castle made of cake and candy, the towering Charlotte Linlin devoured a plate of macarons.
Her eldest son, Perospero, nervously delivered the news.
"Mama, the Marines have appointed a new Warlord… a boy named Aero…"
"Don't interrupt me while I'm eating," Big Mom growled in a low, thunderous voice.
"Y-Yes, Mama!" Perospero fled the hall, drenched in cold sweat. Outside, he glanced again at Aero's wanted poster and sneered.
"Lick lick… doesn't look like anything special."
---
Moby Dick – Whitebeard Pirates' Main Ship
Whitebeard looked at the bounty poster in silence. Then he glanced toward the shirtless young man laughing with the other "sons" on deck.
"Ace… seems the East Blue has produced another interesting man."
"My hometown…?" Ace turned, hearing his father call. "What about it, Pops?"
Whitebeard simply smiled. "Gurararara… looks like you're not the only wild one from that sea."
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access Patreon normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!