The air in Loguetown was thick with the scent of salt, sweat, and the burning anticipation of tens of thousands. They were a human sea, pushing and shoving in the stone-paved square, every eye—from the ragged beggar to the curious noble—fixed upon the towering wooden execution platform. Atop that grim structure, a man faced death not with fear, but with an arrogant smile stretched across his lips. The heavy iron shackles on his wrists could not contain the kingly aura that emanated from him. He was Gold Roger, the Pirate King, the only man in history to have conquered the Grand Line and seized everything the world coveted: Infinite Wealth, Resplendent Fame, and Absolute Power.
Two longswords, gleaming under the sun, were raised by twin executioners, crossing into a deadly "X" just before the king's throat. A strange silence fell over the crowd. Even the howling sea wind seemed to hold its breath. This was a moment of history, the end of a legend.
But before the cold blades could fall, Roger's voice boomed, as powerful and clear as thunder, drowning out all other sounds.
"My treasure?" He laughed, a hearty, unapologetic sound, the laugh of a man who had lived his life to the fullest. "You want it? You can have it! Go and find it! I left everything I own in that place!"
A silent flash. The blades fell.
Roger's death was not an end. It was a starting pistol, a spark thrown into the massive powder keg of human greed and ambition. His final words ignited an unquenchable fire in the hearts of millions, from young boys in remote fishing villages to seasoned pirates. A manic gold rush spilled across every ocean. The crowd, once silent, erupted into a chaotic sea of sound. They did not mourn; they cheered. In that human ocean, a young man with a skull-and-crossbones symbol on his hand watched, his eyes burning with a new, steely resolve. The world had officially entered the Great Pirate Era.
Ten years later. Foosha Village.
An east wind blew through Foosha Village, carrying the aroma of damp earth after a rain and the distinct, briny tang of the sea. The blades of the giant windmill, the village's namesake, turned with a steady rhythm, casting fleeting shadows over the peaceful, red-tiled roofs. It was a small, gentle hamlet, a place where life moved to the soft rhythm of white-crested waves caressing the sandy shore.
That peace, however, had been joyfully disrupted for nearly a year. The majestic pirate ship, the "Red Force," had dropped anchor in their port. The presence of the infamous Red-Haired Pirates, rather than bringing fear, had brought a boisterous, vibrant energy to the small village.
Atop the ship's figurehead, an exquisitely carved dragon, stood a scarecrow-thin boy with a mop of unruly black hair. His large, dark eyes shone with mischief. He wore a faded t-shirt with the word "ANCHOR" printed boldly across his chest. He planted his hands on his hips, puffing out his chest like a true captain.
"What are you doing up there again, Luffy?" A deep, warm voice, tinged with amusement, called up from the deck. It was Shanks, captain of the Red-Haired Pirates. His fiery red hair was like a flame, a stark contrast to the old, frayed straw hat he cherished and always wore. The three vertical scars over his left eye only added to his roguish, world-weary charm as a renowned pirate.
The boy, Monkey D. Luffy, spun around, his young face a comical mask of seriousness. In his left hand, a sharp dagger glinted in the sunlight. "I'm not kidding this time!" he shouted, his voice clear but full of determination. "I've had enough! I'm going to prove the courage of a man to you all!"
From the nearby Party's Bar, where the Red-Haired crew was gathered, a burst of laughter erupted. "Haha, what kind of funny stunt is the kid pulling now," chuckled Lucky Roux, a perfectly round pirate who was never seen without a large piece of meat in his hand.
Benn Beckman, the crew's first mate, a calm man with a cigarette perpetually dangling from his lips, merely quirked an eyebrow. He leaned against a wall, observing silently.
Shanks looked up at Luffy, a playful grin spreading across his face. He crossed his arms. "Oh? Is that so? Alright then. Show me what you're going to do to prove you're a man."
That was all the encouragement Luffy needed. He took a deep, fortifying breath, mustering all his courage. With a blood-curdling "Yaaaah!", he swung the knife. The sharp blade made a clean slice just below his left eye.
"Aaaaaaargh!"
Luffy's pained scream tore through the peaceful air. All activity on the ship and in the bar ceased. Every pirate, even the most inebriated, froze. Chunks of meat fell from hands; mugs of ale stopped midway to lips. Shanks's smile froze on his face, replaced by sheer, unadulterated horror. "LUFFY! WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" He leaped onto the figurehead, pure panic in his eyes.
A short while later, inside the beautiful Makino's Party's Bar, the boisterous atmosphere had returned. The clatter of wooden steins, the roar of conversation, and the mouth-watering aroma of roasted meat filled the space. Lucky Roux was back to guzzling from his barrel of ale. In a corner, two pirates were wrestling on the floor, snarling over a rack of grilled ribs. "It's mine, you idiot!" "Shut up, I had it first!" Yasopp, the crew's sniper, was standing on a table, boasting about shooting the wings off a fly from a hundred paces, while the others cheered him on. The bar was a glorious chaos of joy and freedom.
Luffy sat on a barstool, the cut under his eye now carefully bandaged by the gentle Makino. He winced in pain but tried his best to look tough. "Didn't hurt a bit," he mumbled, though the rims of his eyes were red, tears threatening to spill.
Shanks, seated beside him, let out a long, exasperated sigh. He poured a full mug of sake and downed it in one go. "You're a terrible liar. Don't you ever, and I mean ever, do something that stupid again."
"But I'm not afraid of getting hurt!" Luffy shot back, his voice full of pride as if the wound were a medal of honor. "My courage has been proven! Take me with you on your next voyage! I want to be a pirate, too!"
Shanks slammed his empty mug down on the counter with a dry thud. He stared into the boy's clear, innocent eyes. "You're still just a kid, Luffy. Do you think being a pirate is a game? You can't even swim. Being unable to swim is a fatal weakness, a death sentence for a pirate."
"I'll be fine as long as I don't fall in the sea! Besides, my punch is as strong as a pistol!" Luffy held up his tiny fist, flexing with all his might to show off non-existent muscles.
Shanks gave the fist a dismissive, undisguisedly bored glance. He yawned. "Is that so..."
"What's with that tone?!" Luffy yelled, feeling utterly disrespected.
Shanks just smirked and poured himself more sake. That dismissiveness infuriated Luffy more than any scolding could have.
Seeing the boy's crestfallen face, Yasopp hopped down from a table and slung an arm around Luffy's shoulders. "Don't be sad, kid. The pirate life is the best. The sea out there is endless, you can go to any island you want, have countless adventures. There's nothing in this world greater than freedom!"
Those words were like a gust of wind fanning the flames in Luffy's heart. His eyes lit up, filled with dreams of strange islands, legendary treasures, and heroic battles. He was mesmerized.
"Hey, don't fill his head with those stupid ideas," Shanks grumbled, but a flicker of amusement danced in his eyes.
"But it's the truth, Captain!" said Lucky Roux, his mouth full of greasy meat. "We're the freest men on the sea!"
Luffy turned to Shanks with pleading, desperate eyes. "Please, just take me one time! What's the big deal?"
Shanks sighed, then a sly idea came to him. He stood up and announced to the whole bar, "Alright. The next time we set sail, one of you will have to stay ashore to make room for Luffy."
Instantly, an awkward silence descended. All the pirates who had just been preaching about freedom and adventure simultaneously turned away. One became fascinated by the bottom of his empty mug, another whistled a tuneless melody, and a third started a passionate debate about the weather. "Well, that's enough talk, let's drink!" one of them said quickly.
"WHAT KIND OF FRIENDS ARE YOU?!" Luffy screamed, feeling utterly betrayed.
Shanks laughed, ruffling the boy's messy hair even more. "Listen, the most important thing is, you're still too young. I can't take a child into danger. Wait ten years. When you're a tough young man, I'll reconsider." He pushed a glass of delicious-looking orange juice towards Luffy. "Here, drink this to cool off."
Still sulking, but unable to refuse the tempting drink, Luffy took it and drained it in one go. The moment he set the glass down, Shanks and the entire pirate crew exploded into uproarious laughter, laughing so hard tears streamed down their faces.
"See?" Shanks said between gasps of laughter, pointing at Luffy. "Still just a kid, easily tricked into drinking juice!"
Luffy's face flushed crimson with anger and shame. He felt like a complete idiot. He had stabbed himself in the face, yet in Shanks's eyes, he was still just a child to be teased.
As night fell and the drunken pirates had mostly passed out at their tables, Luffy sat alone at the bar, poking at an ice cube in his glass. He felt hopeless. Benn Beckman sat in a dark corner, taking a long, slow drag from his cigarette, the grey smoke obscuring his calm features.
"You should try to understand the captain, kid," he said, his voice low and raspy. "He knows the pirate life is exciting, but it's also more brutal and dangerous than you can possibly imagine. He's not trying to mock your ambition. He's protecting you."
Luffy didn't listen. "He just thinks I'm a joke."
Just then, the bar's door, which had been haphazardly repaired after previous festivities, was kicked open with tremendous force.
CRASH!
The poor door flew inwards, slammed against the wall, and shattered into pieces. All noise—from the snoring of drunken pirates to the clinking of glasses from Makino—stopped dead.
A tall, brutish man with a scarred face and a contemptuous gaze stepped inside. He was dressed in the dusty, worn clothes of a mountain dweller. Behind him, a gang of about ten followers, all with vicious faces and hands on their swords and knives, fanned out.
"Pardon the intrusion," he sneered, his eyes sweeping across the bar. "So, these are pirates. They don't look like much. Just a bunch of weak, drunken fools." He strode directly to the bar where Shanks and Luffy sat. The foul stench of grime and cruelty emanated from him. "We're mountain bandits. We just want to buy ten barrels of sake."
Makino, though terrified, tried to remain composed. She bowed her head. "I'm... I'm so sorry, sir, but we're completely out of alcohol."
The bandit leader, Higuma, glanced at the bottles on the Red-Hairs' table. A malicious smile touched his lips. "Out? Then what are those pirates drinking? Water?"
"Sir... that's the very last of our stock..."
Shanks, who had been silent until now, smiled in a friendly manner. He stood up, holding the single, full bottle of sake from his table. "Sorry about that, friend. We seem to have drunk the place dry. Here, take my bottle to quench your thirst."
This act of peace seemed to be a grave insult to Higuma. He roared.
SMASH!
Higuma swung his hand, shattering the bottle right over Shanks's. Sake and shards of glass rained down, soaking Shanks's clothes and his red hair. The bar fell into a dead silence. Luffy shot to his feet, his fists clenched, his eyes blazing. Makino covered her mouth in fear.
"One bottle?" Higuma growled, shoving his face close to Shanks's. "You think one bottle is enough for me and my men? Do you have any idea who I am?" He pulled out a crumpled wanted poster, bearing his face and the number 8,000,000 berries. "I'm Higuma, one of the most wanted men in these parts. I've killed 56 people, you worthless sea scum. Don't mess with me."
Shanks showed no fear. He calmly looked down at the puddle of sake and glass at his feet. "Oh dear. Now the floor is all wet." He turned to Makino, still wearing that same easy-going smile. "Sorry for the mess, Miss Makino. Could I borrow a mop?"
Shanks's incredible calm seemed to drive Higuma into a greater fury. He let out a savage sneer. "So you like cleaning, do you?"
SWISH!
He drew his sword and, with a lightning-fast slash, cleaved the thick oak table in front of him clean in two. Plates and glasses shattered. "There! Now you have more to clean, you cowardly pirate!" He and his men roared with triumphant laughter and swaggered out, leaving behind a mess and a tense silence.
As the sound of their footsteps faded, Makino rushed to Shanks's side. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Shanks just waved a hand. And then, he tilted his head back... and let out a hearty, booming laugh. A moment later, Benn Beckman, Lucky Roux, Yasopp, and the entire Red-Haired crew joined in, their laughter shaking the entire bar.
"Haha! You looked so goofy, Captain!" Lucky Roux bellowed, slapping his large belly, tears of mirth streaming down his face.
Luffy couldn't take it anymore. The admiration in his heart shattered into a million pieces. He looked at his heroes, who were laughing at their own captain's humiliation.
"WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?" he screamed, his voice cracking with anger and disappointment. "WHAT'S SO FUNNY? THAT WAS DISGRACEFUL! YOU SHOULD HAVE FOUGHT THEM! A MAN WHO LETS HIMSELF BE HUMILIATED AND JUST LAUGHS ISN'T A MAN, AND HE'S CERTAINLY NOT A PIRATE!"
The laughter died instantly. Shanks looked at Luffy, his expression suddenly serious. He put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I understand how you feel, Luffy. But listen, it's not worth getting angry, or shedding blood, over a little spilled sake."
"You don't understand!" Luffy slapped Shanks's hand away. He turned, feeling deeply wounded. "Let me go! I don't want to see your face again! You coward!"
As Luffy wrenched his arm away to leave, Shanks quickly grabbed his wrist to stop him. "Wait, Luffy!"
"Let go!" Luffy yelled, pulling with all his might.
And then, something impossible happened.
As Luffy pulled his body forward, his arm, still held by Shanks, didn't slip free. Instead, it began to... stretch. The skin and bone elongated like rubber, the arm growing longer and longer while his torso remained several feet away.
The entire bar, for the third time, fell into absolute, profound silence. The laughter was gone. The anger had vanished. Every single eye, from Shanks, to Benn Beckman, to Lucky Roux with meat hanging from his mouth, was fixed on Luffy's unnaturally long arm in utter, disbelieving horror.
Silence fell over Party's Bar.
A thick, heavy silence, louder than any scream.
The chicken leg slipped from Lucky Roux's fingers, hitting the floor with a dull thud.
A lit cigarette dropped from Benn Beckman's parted lips.
The Red-Haired Pirates, men who had faced storms, the Marines, and the most terrifying monsters of the sea, were now frozen solid. Their eyes were wide, not with fear, but with utter, stupefying disbelief at the absurdity unfolding before them.
Luffy's arm.
It was still held at the wrist by Shanks, but the boy's torso had retreated several meters away. The arm, made of flesh and bone, had stretched like a rubber band.
"What... what in the hell is that?" Yasopp stammered, the first to break the silence.
Luffy was just as shocked. He stared at his own elongated arm, then back at his body, his face pale. "My... my arm..."
CRASH!
Lucky Roux suddenly flipped over an old treasure chest in the corner of the room. He rummaged through its contents, sweat pouring down his round face.
"It's not here!" he yelled, his voice laced with panic. "It's gone!"
"What's gone?" Shanks asked, his eyes still locked on Luffy's bizarre limb.
"The Devil Fruit! The Gum-Gum Fruit we took from that enemy ship!"
Lucky Roux grabbed a piece of paper, holding it out with a trembling hand in front of Luffy. On it was a drawing of a strange, purple fruit with swirl patterns.
"Luffy! Did... did you eat this?"
Luffy blinked, trying to remember. "Oh... that weird-looking fruit? I saw it in the chest, I thought it was dessert..." He grimaced. "It tasted absolutely horrible!"
A horrifying realization dawned on Shanks. He let go of Luffy's arm. With a "snap," the boy's limb retracted, returning to its normal length as if nothing had happened.
Shanks lunged forward, grabbing Luffy by the shoulders and shaking him hard. His usually smiling face was now pale and deadly serious.
"Luffy! Did you eat the Gum-Gum Fruit?!"
"Gum... Gum?"
"It's a Devil Fruit!" Shanks yelled, his voice no longer teasing, only filled with utter exasperation and dread. "One of the cursed treasures of the sea! Whoever eats one gains a special power, but in exchange..."
He paused, looking directly into Luffy's eyes.
"In exchange, they become hated by the sea itself. They are cursed by the sea!"
"A Devil Fruit user becomes a hammer in the water. They can never swim again!"
Luffy was dumbfounded. "Never... swim again?"
The boy, who loved the sea more than anything, who dreamed of adventures on the vast ocean, who had just declared he would learn how to swim...
Would never be able to swim again.
Shanks looked at Luffy's stunned face, and his anger subsided, replaced by a weary sigh. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
"YOU IDIOT!"
In the days that followed, Foosha Village became much livelier.
Luffy's new ability became the main topic of conversation. The boy could stretch his cheeks into a smile that reached his ears, elongate his arm to grab an apple from a high branch, or inflate his stomach like a balloon after a big meal.
The village children were fascinated. They surrounded Luffy, cheering every time he performed a goofy rubber stunt. To them, Luffy was cool.
But the adults did not think so.
"What a useless power," the Mayor grumbled, watching Luffy stretch his neck to peek into a bird's nest. "He'll ruin our village's reputation. A rubber boy who wants to be a pirate. It's unthinkable!"
Only Makino treated Luffy the same as always. She would smile when he accidentally let a glass snap back into his hand because it retracted too quickly. She would still listen to his stories about his dream of becoming the Pirate King.
The Red-Haired Pirates went out to sea again on a short voyage. Party's Bar became unusually empty. The silence made Luffy restless. He missed the loud laughter, the stories of adventure, and though he wouldn't admit it, he missed Shanks.
"I overestimated him," Luffy told Makino one quiet afternoon, swirling an ice cube in his glass. "I thought Shanks was a great, brave pirate. But he just let that bandit humiliate him and did nothing."
Makino polished a glass, her eyes gentle. "I think the ones who can stand tall after being mocked are the truly brave ones, Luffy."
"You don't get it!" Luffy insisted. "There are times when a man has to fight!"
"Yes, perhaps I don't," Makino smiled.
Luffy nodded seriously. "Exactly."
Just then, the loosely shut door creaked open.
Higuma and his gang of mountain bandits walked in.
"Oh," Higuma sneered, looking around the empty bar. "So the cowardly pirates are gone? Good."
He and his men plopped down onto chairs, kicking their feet up on the tables rudely. Their eyes fell on Luffy.
"The pirates' little pet is still here."
"You were giving us some nasty looks the other day, weren't you, kid?" one of the henchmen said.
Luffy remained silent, but his fists clenched.
Higuma gestured to his men. "Take care of him."
But before they could move, Luffy spoke, his voice cold.
"Take it back."
"Huh?" Higuma raised an eyebrow.
"What you said about Shanks," Luffy said, standing up from his stool. "That he's a coward. Take it back now!"
A moment of silence. Then the entire gang of bandits burst out laughing.
"Ha ha ha! Did you hear that? The kid is defending the pirate who abandoned him!"
"A coward defending another coward! How touching!"
Rage exploded within Luffy. He couldn't control it. He charged at Higuma.
He was, of course, no match.
Higuma easily grabbed the boy by the collar, lifting him off the ground. "You like to cause trouble, don't you, brat."
"Let him go!" Makino cried out.
"Shut up!" Higuma growled.
He slung Luffy over his shoulder and walked out of the bar.
"We're going to teach him a lesson about meddling in adult affairs."
Makino ran frantically to find the Mayor. By the time they returned to the village square, it was too late.
Higuma was holding Luffy hostage, one foot on the boy's head, pressing his face into the dirt.
"This brat is about to die," Higuma declared, raising his sharp sword, the steel glinting coldly in the sun.
"Stop!" the Mayor yelled.
But Higuma just laughed. His blade began its descent.
Just then.
A figure appeared at the end of the road into the village. Then two, then three. The entire Red-Haired crew had returned.
They said nothing. Shanks strode forward, his face devoid of any smile. It was as cold as ice.
"I warned you," Shanks said, his voice low and even, but each word landed like a hammer blow. "You are not to lay a hand on my friend."
A trembling bandit pointed a pistol at Shanks's head. "D-don't come any closer!"
BANG!
A single, dry, definitive gunshot rang out. The bandit crumpled to the ground, a small, smoking hole in his forehead.
In the back, Lucky Roux casually blew the smoke from the barrel of his flintlock, a chicken leg still in his other hand.
Higuma and his remaining men were frozen in shock.
"You... you dare..."
"We're pirates," said Benn Beckman, stepping forward, his long rifle slung over his shoulder. "Not saints."
"GET THEM! KILL THEM ALL!" Higuma ordered frantically.
The remaining bandits charged toward the Red-Haired Pirates with savage yells.
It was not a fight. It was a slaughter.
Benn Beckman barely moved. He simply appeared where he needed to be.
A bandit swung a sword. Benn leaned aside. The rifle in his hand swept out, the butt cracking against the man's temple. He fell like a sack of dirt.
Two others charged from either side. He didn't even look. He used his rifle like a staff, one end smashing into the jaw of the man on the left, the other ramming into the gut of the man on the right. Both collapsed.
In less than ten seconds, Higuma's entire gang was lying on the ground, groaning in pain.
Only Higuma was left standing.
He trembled, sweat pouring down his face. He looked at the pirates before him, the men he had mocked as "weak and drunken." He had been wrong. Terribly wrong.
In a desperate act, he threw a smoke bomb on the ground.
BOOM!
A thick cloud of smoke enveloped the area.
When the smoke cleared, Shanks and his crew realized two things.
Higuma was gone.
And so was Luffy.
"DAMMIT!" Shanks roared, panic finally breaking through his cold demeanor. "FIND THE KID, NOW!"
Out at sea, on a small boat, Higuma laughed wickedly. He had escaped.
He looked at the tightly bound Luffy. "I lost all my men because of you. Now it's time to get rid of you, brat."
He lifted Luffy up and threw him straight into the sea.
SPLASH!
Luffy sank like a stone. He struggled in desperation. Water filled his lungs. He couldn't swim. The curse of the sea.
Suddenly, a massive shadow blotted out the sun.
The water churned violently, and a monstrous Sea King, the lord of the local bay, emerged. Its hideous head was bigger than the boat, with dull yellow eyes and a maw of dagger-like teeth.
Higuma screamed in terror from his boat. The Sea King ignored him. It opened its massive mouth and swallowed the boat and the bandit whole in a single gulp.
Then it turned to the small, struggling target in the water. It looked at Luffy.
Just as its jaws were about to snap shut, a red blur shot past like a lightning bolt.
Shanks!
He grabbed Luffy in one arm. With his other, he faced the monster.
He said nothing. He just looked at it.
A sharp glare, an invisible pressure, a wave of pure willpower radiated from him, so powerful it seemed to make the air itself thicken. It was an unspoken command, an assertion of absolute dominance.
The giant Sea King, the apex predator of the bay, froze. For the first time in its life, its dull yellow eyes showed fear. It whimpered, then turned and fled, diving deep into the dark abyss.
When everything was quiet, Luffy finally realized he was safe in Shanks's arms.
But then he saw it.
He began to sob, hot tears mixing with the cold seawater.
"Shanks... your arm..."
Shanks's left arm... was gone. Blood from the wound spread out, staining the water red.
"It's alright," Shanks smiled, though his face was pale from pain and blood loss. "It's just an arm."
He looked at Luffy, his eyes gentle.
"I'm glad you're safe, Luffy."
In that moment, Luffy understood. He understood everything. Courage wasn't about being fearless. Courage wasn't about winning every fight. Courage was being willing to sacrifice a part of yourself to protect what you loved.
The day of the Red-Haired Pirates' departure finally arrived. The sky was clear, the sea was calm.
At the docks, Luffy no longer begged to go with them. He stood there silently.
"I'm not going to ask you to take me anymore," he said, his voice firmer now. "I've decided. I'm going to become a pirate on my own!"
Shanks smirked. "Oh? You think you have what it takes?"
Luffy looked up, meeting his hero's gaze. He took a deep breath and yelled with all his might, with all his soul. His voice echoed across the harbor, louder than the waves and the gulls.
"I'M GOING TO BECOME A PIRATE! I'LL FIND A CREW THAT'S EVEN STRONGER THAN YOURS! I'LL FIND THE WORLD'S GREATEST TREASURE! AND I'M GOING TO BECOME... THE KING OF THE PIRATES!!!"
At this defiant, proud declaration, Shanks smiled. A genuine, proud smile. He knelt down on one knee, took off his precious straw hat, and gently placed it on Luffy's head.
"Is that so..." he said. "In that case, I want you to keep this hat safe for me."
"When you've become a great pirate, bring it back to me."
Tears welling in his eyes, Luffy clutched the hat. It was no longer just a hat. It was a promise. A legacy.
Ten years later.
A seventeen-year-old young man with a scar under his left eye and a straw hat on his head stood in a small boat. He waved goodbye to Makino and the Mayor.
"I'm off!"
As his boat reached open water, the same Sea King from his childhood appeared, as if to settle an old score.
Luffy just grinned. "Still hanging around, huh."
He stretched his right arm far, far back.
"Gomu Gomu no..."
His arm snapped forward like a spring-loaded cannon.
"PISTOL!"
A single punch. The giant monster was taken out in an instant.
Luffy placed a hand on the brim of his straw hat, looking toward the horizon, where the rising sun painted the sea in shades of gold.
"Alright!"
"First, I need to find about ten crewmates!"
"Then a cool pirate flag!"
"Let's go!"
"For the world's greatest treasure, and the title of Pirate King!"
The world's greatest adventure had officially begun.