A Decade Later
The fires of the Grey Terminal were long since ash. The four boys who once swore brotherhood had all chosen their paths—and the world had begun to tremble beneath their steps.
Portgas D. Ace had set sail years ago, his freckled grin and burning fists becoming known across the seas.
Sabo vanished into the unknown, though whispers of a revolutionary with piercing blue eyes sometimes reached Dawn Island.
Monkey D. Luffy, still young, still reckless, still dreaming, trained endlessly to one day set sail himself.
And Lucian—the Angel of Pure Justice—stood tall within Marine Headquarters.
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The white coat of justice now hung from his shoulders, its insignia marked not with arrogance but with purpose. The rank of Rear Admiral was hard-earned, forged through years of brutal campaigns, countless battles against pirates, and perhaps more often—against corruption within the Marines themselves.
Among his peers, Lucian was both respected and feared. Respected for his brilliance in strategy, his overwhelming combat power, and his incorruptible heart. Feared because he never turned a blind eye. Petty officers who extorted villagers, Captains who "taxed" supplies, even Vice Admirals who abused their power—all had felt the sting of his judgment.
Some whispered he was reckless, others that he was dangerous to the system. But the people he protected called him something else: The Angel of Dawn.
At his side, the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Divine Angel had blossomed. His wings now stretched wide and radiant when summoned, able to lift him into the skies. His strength rivaled monsters of the sea. His Observation Haki had sharpened into terrifying clarity, and under Garp's relentless fist, his Armament Haki had been tempered to steel.
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Late at night, standing on the balcony of Marineford overlooking the ocean, Lucian often thought of his brothers.
Ace—so hotheaded, so stubborn—was now a pirate carrying Roger's blood. The irony burned.
Sabo—his twin—was somewhere out there, fighting a hidden war against the same world government Lucian now wore the symbol of.
And Luffy—still a boy—was destined to sail one day, chasing a dream that could only clash with the law Lucian upheld.
He touched the brim of his cap, eyes shadowed.
"I swore I'd support them, even if I had to punish them. That oath… hasn't changed."
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One crisp morning, reports flew across Marineford like wildfire. A new pirate crew was carving a name into the Grand Line. Their captain was reckless, fearless, and wielded fire itself.
Portgas D. Ace, captain of the Spade Pirates.
Lucian's grip tightened on the paper. Ace's grinning face stared back at him from the wanted poster, flames curling around his fists.
Garp's booming laugh echoed down the hall. "Gwahaha! That damn brat actually did it!"
Lucian's eyes remained unreadable. He folded the poster neatly, slipping it into his coat. "So it begins."
That very day , the Fleet Admiral summoned him. Sengoku sat behind his desk, papers stacked high, eyes sharp as ever beneath his goat-like hair.
"Rear Admiral Lucian," Sengoku said, sliding a report across the table. "Your record is… exemplary. Too exemplary. I've had more complaints about you from our own officers than from pirates."
Lucian met his gaze calmly. "Because I punished them."
Sengoku's jaw tightened. "You punished Marines."
"I punished criminals," Lucian corrected, golden eyes steady. "Marine, pirate, noble, Celestial Dragon—it makes no difference. Justice is not a title. It is an action."
For a long moment, Sengoku said nothing. Then he leaned back with a sigh. "Your ideals are dangerous. But so is your strength. Until you overstep, I'll allow you to continue."
Lucian inclined his head. "I don't need your approval. Only my own."
That night, alone in his quarters, Lucian unfurled the wanted poster once more. Ace's carefree grin stared back at him, a reflection of the reckless boy who once swore brotherhood in the woods.
A whisper of feathers drifted to the ground as Lucian summoned his wings, white as moonlight.
"Ace… you're free. But freedom without justice is fire without control. And fire burns everything."
His eyes hardened.
"If the day comes when your fire threatens the innocent… I'll be the one to put it out."