Sea Calendar, Year 1499...
The Sunagakure Pirates—a super-rookie force that had risen to prominence along the Grand Line—had completely vanished from the world for over a year.
Factions everywhere that had expected the Sunagakure Pirates to throw the oceans into chaos were utterly mystified as to why the crew had suddenly gone silent.
Although Marine Headquarters and World Government intelligence agencies launched sweeping investigations, they ultimately traced the crew's last known location to Jaya. After undergoing a massive ship overhaul, the crew had sailed toward an unknown destination.
Fleet Admiral Kong was thoroughly perplexed regarding where the Sunagakure Pirates were operating. However, as time ticked away, Gol D. Roger reached the pinnacle of the New World's second half, crowning himself the Pirate King and instantly commanding the world's absolute attention.
After three long years, Roger had finally fulfilled his dream of conquering the Grand Line, becoming the legendary Pirate King whose name echoed through the ages.
Before his departure, Roger shared a private drink beneath blooming cherry trees with Edward Newgate—"Whitebeard"—captain of the Whitebeard Pirates and his frequent rival. There, Roger revealed the truth of the Will of D to the puzzled Emperor before issuing a final order to officially disband the Roger Pirates.
Whitebeard pondered Roger's revelations for a long time, remaining deeply intrigued by the implications.
"At the final island... beyond the truth of the world, there are other incredible secrets. I never imagined this world was so vast."
Roger's meaningful words hinted that his discovery at the final island went far beyond what met the eye.
"Don't go dying on me, Roger..."
"Ghahahaha! Rest easy, my friend—I'm not dying!"
Watching Roger's receding back, Whitebeard raised a massive cup and guzzled down his sake.
For the past year, Shiraishi's crew had resided high above the clouds on Sky Island. After securing the backing of Birka's priesthood, the Sunagakure Pirates spent a month preparing before launching a direct campaign to subjugate Upper Yard.
Unlike Enel's brutal tactics, the Sunagakure Pirates employed a moderate, diplomatic approach. Although they defeated Gan Fall, the ruler of Sky Island, they did not banish him; instead, they reinstated him to govern Sky Island alongside Birka's priesthood.
The Shandians continued their restless insurgencies, but confronted by the overwhelming power of the Sunagakure Pirates, they were forced to fall back and bide their time.
Over the year, while Shiraishi focused primarily on expanding his hold over Sky Island, he never severed contact with the Blue Sea. The White Sea exploration fleet reached Weatheria—a small artificial sky island that was the only floating structure capable of descending freely to the Blue Sea.
Leveraging Weatheria's unique mobility, Shiraishi re-established communications with the Germa Kingdom six months later.
Sky Island's rich local specialties, paired with Upper Yard's abundant gold reserves, forged an even tighter alliance between Shiraishi and the Vinsmoke Clan.
On a massive combat stage in Sky Island, Ace and Uchiha Madara were engaged in a fierce spar.
Wielding his Kaishūtō, Madara unleashed a terrifying Armament-infused slash. Bathed in the blinding blade aura, Ace instantly transformed into a soaring bird of fire, narrowly dodging Madara's lethal strike.
While Haki served as an effective counter to Logia users, Ace had never neglected his training with the Flame-Flame Fruit (Mera Mera no Mi). Even when faced with Haki-infused attacks, he could execute precise partial elementalization to dodge incoming blows.
Comparing himself to the Admirals during the Paramount War—who had mastered blending absolute Haki with seamless elementalization—Ace was acutely aware of the gap he still needed to bridge.
Madara was equally satisfied with Ace as a sparring partner. Through the continuous awakening of his Dark Nine-Tails Fruit, he had mastered various Nine-Tails abilities. Combined with Observation Haki, Madara's perception and spatial insight had reached a terrifying domain.
A red gleam flashed across Madara's eyes as his Kaishūtō swept forward once more. Ace instantly condensed a spear of flame between his palms, thrusting it forward to block the crushing blow.
The two clashed relentlessly for hours, triggering a series of violent explosions. Watching from the sidelines, Moyard and the crew felt a lingering dread, terrified that the two monsters might shatter their ship to splinters.
Seeing the two get increasingly reckless, Retsu Unohana stepped forward gracefully. With a subtle flash of her Zanpakutō, a massive arc of sword-light sliced between them, forcing both fighters apart.
"That is enough for today. If either of you still feels an itch to fight... I would be delighted to keep you company..."
Unohana's soft tone carried the terrifying chill of a demon straight from hell. Although Madara and Ace were eager to continue their duel, neither had any desire to engage a bloodthirsty sword demon like Unohana.
Far from the sparring ground, Shiraishi sat inside a massive command center, holding a private transmission with Vinsmoke Judge, patriarch of the Vinsmoke Clan.
"Roger... has turned himself in to the Marines."
Judge's news caused Shiraishi's brow to rise: "The Pirate King, surrendering to the Marines? What an ironic piece of news."
"No one knows what Roger is thinking, but the Marines are ecstatic. They are already preparing a massive public execution for him."
Though the Vinsmoke Clan were not pirates, Judge paid close attention to shifting power dynamics across the Grand Line and routinely relayed high-level intelligence from the Blue Sea back to Shiraishi.
There was still some time before the public execution. Once Roger died, the Great Pirate Era would officially ignite—and there was much to prepare before that tide washed over the world.
"Prepare the ship," Shiraishi ordered quietly. "We return to the Blue Sea."
Over the past year under Shiraishi's governance, Sky Island had seen dramatic structural improvements. Because Shiraishi rarely interfered in mundane administrative matters—leaving them largely in the capable hands of Gan Fall—the former Sky God had gradually grown accustomed to the reality of pirate rule.
"Ace... do you want to come with me to Loguetown?"
Shiraishi's question plunged Portgas D. Ace into a long silence. The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was his biological father. Although Ace had always revered Whitebeard, he harbored a deeply complex, unspoken emotion toward the Pirate King.
Dadan, the mountain bandit who raised him, once described Roger as a man who could be recklessly impulsive and stubborn when angered, yet possessed a heart as earnest and simple as a child's.
In truth, Roger treasured his crew above all else, earning their absolute trust. Unwilling to let enemies pursue his fleeing comrades, he never ran from a fight—no matter how formidable the foe. Nor would he tolerate anyone insulting his friends, once annihilating an entire nation's military over a single derogatory remark.
Roger's stubborn, unyielding nature flowed through Ace—and Luffy as well. Perhaps this was the true essence of the Will of D.
Yet Ace could never bring himself to forgive Roger. Because of his father's infamy, his mother Rouge had been forced to hold his birth for twenty long months to protect him, ultimately dying of exhaustion right after bringing him into the world.
"I..."
Clenching his fists tight, Ace raised his eyes with unshakeable resolve: "I want to witness the arrival of that era with my own eyes!"
The twenty years following Roger's death would mark the most chaotic era in Grand Line history. It was the age when the Four Emperors would rise, forcing the World Government to institute the Seven Warlords of the Sea (Seven Warlords) to preserve the fragile balance of power.
Thinking of this, Shiraishi slowly pulled on his glove.
Unlike a year ago—when his gauntlet bore merely two gems—a third gem now gleamed brightly embedded in the leather...