The night the Grey Terminal burned would forever burn itself into Lucian's memory.
The flames roared like a living beast, consuming wood, flesh, and hope. Yet against that inferno, wings of light had cut through the darkness.
When the last of the smoke cleared, the survivors—covered in ash, eyes hollow from loss—gathered in silence. They looked not at the fire, nor at the corpses, but at him.
A boy no older than ten, standing with soot-stained clothes and bloodied hands, white feathers still drifting around him like embers.
"...An angel…" one whispered.
"No… a devil…" another muttered, trembling at the sight of the broken guards at his feet.
"Divine… divine angel…"
The words spread like fire through dry grass. By morning, the entire Grey Terminal whispered of him. By noon, the rumor reached the noble district. And by nightfall, even the Marines stationed in Dawn Island had heard:
A boy with wings of judgment had punished the nobles' men.
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Lucian sat apart from the crowd, his body ached, his lungs burned, but his eyes remained sharp. He had saved dozens, maybe hundreds, but it wasn't enough. Too many had perished.
Sabo sat beside him quietly, his expression conflicted. "Lucian… you saved them. Without you, everyone here would be dead."
Lucian's jaw tightened. "And yet… I couldn't save them all."
Ace kicked the dirt nearby, scowling. "You did more than any damn noble or Marine! Don't start whining about what you couldn't do." His voice cracked with anger. "If you weren't here, those bastards would have gotten away with it!"
Luffy plopped down between them, wide-eyed and grinning despite the soot still smeared on his cheeks. "You had wings! Real wings! That was so cool! Can you fly again? Can you carry me next time?!"
Lucian exhaled slowly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Even in tragedy, Luffy's innocence was unshaken. "One day, Luffy. But wings aren't toys. They're a responsibility."
The small boy pouted, then nodded solemnly as if he understood.
Sabo leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Lucian… you really mean it, don't you? About your justice."
Lucian's eyes flicked toward the smoldering ruins of the Grey Terminal. His golden irises gleamed faintly in the dark.
"Yes. This world lets the strong crush the weak. Nobles, Marines, Pirates… it doesn't matter what they call themselves. If they abuse their power, they're the same. I'll punish them all."
Ace snorted. "Then you'll be enemies with everyone."
"Maybe," Lucian admitted softly. "But I'd rather be the enemy of the corrupt than their accomplice."
The three fell silent. Even Ace had no comeback to that.
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The next day, the ground shook under heavy footsteps.
"Gwahaha! You brats sure stirred up trouble this time!"
Garp appeared at the edge of the ruined terminal, his white Marine coat fluttering behind him. Survivors whispered fearfully, some bowing, others glaring. To them, Marines were part of the system that had abandoned them.
Garp's eyes scanned the devastation, then fell on Lucian. The boy stood calmly and feathers drifting faintly around him.
"You," Garp growled, walking over. His fists clenched. "What the hell did you do?"
Lucian met his gaze evenly. "I saved them. When the Marines turned their backs, I acted. That's what justice means."
For a long moment, silence stretched between them. Then Garp barked out a laugh, though it lacked his usual carefree tone. "Gwahaha! You're a bold one, brat. Talking like that to a Vice Admiral."
But his eyes… his eyes were sharp.
"You've got power now. That Devil Fruit makes you dangerous. The higher-ups won't ignore this."
"I don't care what everyone thinks," Lucian replied coldly. "If they're afraid of justice, then maybe they're not worth serving."
Garp's grin widened, but there was a flicker of pride in his expression. "Hah! You remind me of someone I know… reckless, stubborn, a pain in the ass. Fine! You want to play Marine? I'll train you until you can back up that big mouth of yours."
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Weeks later, Lucian found himself wearing the simple uniform of a Marine recruit. It felt heavy on his shoulders, not from the fabric, but from the expectations it carried. But Lucian didn't flinch. He wore the uniform for his justice.
Ace mocked him endlessly. "You look ridiculous in that coat! You'll never be free like this!"
Lucian smirked. "Freedom without justice is just chaos, Ace."
Sabo watched quietly, torn between admiration and unease. Luffy simply tugged on Lucian's sleeve, asking if he could try the hat.
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It didn't take long for the mask of the Marines to slip.
Lucian accompanied a small squad to the Grey Terminal to "assist survivors." What he saw sickened him.
Marines standing idle as nobles barked orders. Soldiers turning away hungry children, hoarding supplies meant for the poor. A petty officer pocketing coin purses from corpses.
Lucian's hands clenched. His wings itched beneath his skin.
One soldier, sneering at a beggar, kicked the man aside. "Filthy trash. Be grateful we're even here."
Lucian moved before he realized it. His fist connected with the Marine's jaw, sending him sprawling. Gasps erupted.
"Recruits don't strike officers!" the petty officer snarled, scrambling to his feet.
Lucian's golden eyes blazed. "Officers don't steal from the dead."
The squad fell silent. Even the petty officer stepped back, fear flickering in his eyes. For a moment, they saw not a boy, but something greater—something terrifying.
Lucian didn't kill him. Instead, he stripped the stolen coin purse from his hands and returned it to the beggar. His voice was calm, cold, absolute.
"Marine. Pirate. Noble. I don't care who you are. If you abuse your power, you will be punished. That is my justice."
The beggar wept. The Marines whispered. And in that moment, the legend of the Angel of Pure Justice began to take root.
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Days slipped by after the fire of the Grey Terminal. The flames had died, but their echoes lingered in the hearts of those who survived. For Ace, it was fuel to grow stronger. For Luffy, it was a shadow he pretended not to see, grinning through his tears.
And for Sabo, it was a wound that would never close.
The nobles, his own family, had ordered the massacre. His blood, his name, tied him to the monsters who saw human lives as nothing more than trash to be burned away.
One evening, beneath the canopy of Mt. Colubo, the four brothers sat together. The fire crackled, their meager dinner roasting on sticks.
Sabo's voice broke the silence. "I've decided. I'm leaving."
Ace stiffened. "What?"
Luffy's skewer dropped. "Leaving?! But you're our brother!"
Lucian stayed quiet, golden eyes watching his twin.
Sabo took a deep breath. "I can't… I can't stay here and pretend it didn't happen. Our parents, the nobles—they'll keep doing it again and again. If I stay here, I'll just be another piece of their system." His fists clenched, knuckles white. "I want to see the world. I want to be free."
Ace growled, his pride wounded. "You're running away? After all we've been through?"
"No," Sabo said firmly. "I'm running toward something. Toward freedom."
Luffy's lip trembled. "But… but we're brothers."
Sabo's expression softened. "We'll always be brothers, Luffy. But this is my path."
Lucian finally spoke, his voice calm but heavy. "You're choosing to fight your own battle, then."
Sabo looked at him, eyes searching. "You won't try to stop me?"
Lucian shook his head. "No. Because I know your heart. Just as I'll walk my path in the Marines, you'll walk yours in the world outside. Different roads, same blood. Same oath."
Sabo's eyes glistened, but he smiled. "Thank you, Lucian."
They raised their cups once more—this time, with a weight far heavier than their first oath. And that night, Sabo departed Dawn Island under the stars, chasing a freedom he could no longer deny.
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Lucian, meanwhile, faced a different destiny.
Garp, aware of the boy's growing power and dangerous ideals, decided to crush or temper him before he grew into a threat even to the Marines themselves.
"Tonight," Garp barked, hauling Lucian into the depths of Mt. Colubo, "you're going to survive. Or you're going to die. Marines don't need weaklings!"
He left Lucian in the heart of the forest, surrounded by beasts whose roars shook the earth. Their glowing eyes pierced the dark.
Lucian drew a slow breath, wings flickering faintly behind him. His heart pounded—but his mind sharpened.
The first beast lunged, claws slashing. Lucian rolled aside, every movement precise. He didn't see with his eyes alone. He felt the shift in the air, the killing intent, the heartbeat of the creature.
For the first time, the world whispered to him.
He moved before the beast struck, sidestepping, countering with a flash of golden feathers. The creature fell, stunned.
Another attacked, then another. Lucian fought with everything he had—fists, wings, willpower. Each blow honed him, each dodge sharpening his awareness. Hours blurred into dawn, his body screaming in pain but his senses alive like never before.
When Garp returned, he found Lucian standing amid the unconscious beasts, battered but unbroken, his golden eyes glowing faintly.
"Observation," Garp muttered, a grin spreading across his face. "The brat's awakened it."
Lucian staggered but stood tall, feathers drifting from his shoulders. "This is only the beginning. If this is the path of justice, I'll walk it until the end."
Garp threw back his head and laughed. "Gwahaha! Fine, brat! Then I'll forge you into the strongest damn Marine the world's ever seen!"
And so, as Sabo sailed toward freedom, Lucian marched deeper into the hell of Marine training. Two brothers, two paths—destined to clash against the same corrupted world in different ways.
The dawn of Pure Justice had begun.