The sky was a clear, flawless blue without a single cloud in sight. Golden sunlight scattered across the shimmering sea, as though a thin veil of silver had been draped over the water.
The morning sun was still a bit cold, and the salty sea breeze only added to the chill. Yet the bustling crowd gathered along the coast felt none of it. Their eyes burned with excitement as they stared toward the ocean.
The composition of the crowd looked odd—runny-nosed children barely four or five years old stood beside teenagers of sixteen or seventeen swinging iron practice swords. It should've been a noisy, chaotic scene, yet the shore was eerily silent. Only their trembling bodies and ragged breathing exposed how restless they were inside.
Suddenly, the sea turned red with blood. Waves surged and crashed as though some monster from the depths of hell was about to break through the surface. But the gathered "junior recruits" were not afraid—in fact, they cheered wildly, their voices erupting like an explosion across the shore.
The next moment, a slender, shirtless boy strode out from beneath the waves, hauling behind him a massive Sea King dozens of meters long. Each step he took made the ground tremble and sent seawater rolling outward.
"Whoa! He beat a Sea King underwater with his bare hands! Brother Longinus is way too strong!"
"Idiot, it's not even the first time! What's amazing is that he broke his record again—he only took three minutes to catch a Sea King this time!"
"I wonder when I'll be able to get as strong as Brother Longinus…"
"Try diving into the deep sea to train your body every day like he does—then talk about your dreams!"
Even the older teens, already sixteen or seventeen, looked at the twelve-year-old Longinus with complete admiration. None of them felt the slightest embarrassment calling him "big brother."
The boy named Longinus wore a gentle smile that made people instinctively trust him.
"Buggy, help move the Sea King meat and distribute it to everyone," Longinus said calmly. He leapt high, falling like a meteor. His fist smashed down on the Sea King, slicing it cleanly into two evenly sized halves.
The boy called Buggy straightened up like he'd been injected with adrenaline. He marched forward proudly—as though being assigned a task by Longinus was the greatest honor imaginable. The other "junior recruits" watched with eyes filled with envy.
"Brother Longinus, I'll definitely finish the job!" Buggy hurried to one half of the Sea King. With practiced ease, he stabbed a metal hook deep into its flesh, grabbed a rope along with the others, and began dragging it back.
"Oh, right! Brother Longinus, here's today's newspaper—I almost forgot!" Buggy scratched the back of his head awkwardly and carefully pulled out a folded, well-protected newspaper.
"Thanks." Longinus smiled warmly.
"N-not at all! It's no trouble, really!" Buggy stammered, face red, before running back to help the others haul the Sea King.
Smoke from cooking fires curled up along the beach, and the delicious smell of roasting meat filled the air. Longinus ignored it completely. Only after finishing the last of his physical training did he finally sit on a reef, body heavy as lead. He grabbed a mountain-sized roasted chunk of meat with one hand and began eating while flipping through the newspaper with the other.
His expression now was cold and unreadable. If Buggy and the others saw him like this, they would be stunned. Brother Longinus, the boy who always wore a warm smile—had a side like this?
Longinus folded the newspaper shut. A faint smile finally appeared on that icy face.
"Three years since I arrived in this world… and I finally know exactly what era I'm in."
On the front page, two massive headlines dominated the newspaper.
Pirate King Roger Executed — The Age of Pirates Comes to an End!
World Government Launches Global Draft
"'The age of pirates comes to an end'? Please. That's just the Navy and Government trying to save face. They know better than anyone that a violent era of great pirates is about to explode. Otherwise, why start a global draft during such 'favorable times'?"
Longinus calmly continued devouring the barbecue, though his thoughts churned.
"If I'm right, this small island is somewhere in the first half of the Grand Line. No idea which of the seven routes… but with the Great Pirate Era beginning, this place will soon become the center of the storm. The pirates who show up next won't be the ten-million-bounty weaklings that occasionally drift by."
"Staying here means I could run into someone far beyond my current ability. And even the Sea Kings nearby are nearly wiped out. Looks like it's time to leave."
"Become a pirate and drift with the waves? Or join the Navy and cleanse the seas? For me, that choice isn't difficult."
"With this body's talent—and the strength my soul provides—what I lack is structured instruction. Not everyone gets a childhood trained by Garp or post-voyage tutoring from Rayleigh. Joining the Navy would let me fully develop my potential. That's one."
"And if I want to carve out a place for myself in this ocean, I can't give up the… thing that gives me power. If I cannot escape killing, I might as well choose a profession where killing pirates is legal—and backed by the system. That's two."
"To resolve the unresolved trauma of this body's past, the Navy's information network is essential. That's three."
"And as for factions… they're just tools for pursuing interests. If needed, I can always operate in the shadows and run a 'small account' on the side."
His gaze drifted as he muttered:
"In this world… if you want to survive, you always need another identity."
"Brother Longinus! Brother Longinus! Something's wrong! Something's very wrong!" A blue-haired boy sprinted toward him, nearly tripping over his own feet.
Longinus' cold expression melted instantly as he switched personas.
"Fizz, slow down. What happened? Speak clearly."
Finding his pillar of support, Fizz steadied his breath, though his legs were still shaking.
"It's… it's the Giant Rhino Pirates! It's the 37-million-berry pirate , Giant Rhino Alex!"