In this vast world of endless seas, maritime merchants were the most numerous. The profits they earned could be several times greater than those of land-based traders. But with greater profit came far greater danger. One moment, the sky could be clear and cloudless—next, hailstones the size of pigeon eggs might come crashing down.
Yet none of that was the greatest threat.
Pirates.
They were a product of the age—an existence that had endured since ancient times and would never truly vanish.
They roamed the seas, plundering as they pleased. If one was lucky, they might encounter a crew with some semblance of honor, who would spare their lives and leave them with a little food and water. But if fortune ran dry and they crossed paths with a vicious crew—especially one carrying criminals wanted by the World Government—then all they could do was pray.
"The Rocks Pirates?! Why would the rulers of the New World appear here?!"
In this frenzied era, the sea was divided by the massive Red Line into multiple regions—the East Blue, West Blue, North Blue, and South Blue. And then there was the Grand Line, the destination all pirates sought. Its first half was known as Paradise; its latter half, the New World.
The New World was where the strongest pirates gathered.
Among them stood the most fearsome of all—the Rocks Pirates.
Their captain, Rocks D. Xebec, was infamous across the seas. With a bounty exceeding 2,000,000,000 Berries, he was widely recognized as the most dangerous criminal in the world.
But why would such a man—who should have been battling other overlords in the New World—appear in the North Blue?
There was no time to analyze.
The three massive pirate ships were closing in fast.
Fortunately, the flagship of the Rocks Pirates—Xebec's vessel—was nowhere in sight.
Unfortunately, the ship leading the charge bore a vividly carved lion figurehead at its bow.
It belonged to the Second Division Commander of the Rocks Pirates—the Sky Conqueror who wielded the powers of the Float-Float Fruit.
"Golden Lion" Shiki.
He could literally make you fly.
With a bounty of 675,000,000 Berries, he was infamous for both brutality and overwhelming strength. Those who fell into his hands rarely met a good end.
Cannons roared.
Countless cannonballs tore through the air. Eighty percent splashed into the sea around the merchant fleet—but some struck true, slamming into the ships. Explosions erupted, smoke billowing into the sky.
Despite their numerical superiority, the slave-trading fleet was thrown into chaos.
The much-anticipated vice captain stood pale-faced. There were fighters aboard, even a few strong ones—but their strongest had a bounty of just over 30,000,000 Berries. Compared to a monster like the Golden Lion, they were nothing.
Worse still, their hired muscle was nowhere near the combat level of the vicious pirates under the Rocks banner.
Struggle was meaningless.
The pirate ships, harbingers of death, approached amidst manic laughter. As the distance closed, the merchant sailors could clearly see the cruel smiles on the pirates' faces—
And the man standing upon the lion-headed prow, identical to the portrait on his wanted poster.
His skin was a healthy tan. Though he wore a grin, violence simmered in his eyes. A thick cigar rested between his teeth. His long golden hair, reaching down to his waist, whipped wildly in the sea wind.
At a glance, the word "unruly" seemed to take physical form.
Two swords hung at his waist. They were not famed blades, yet in his hands they were invincible weapons. This man was widely acknowledged as a master swordsman of the Two-Sword Style.
An immense pressure swept across the sea.
The merchant fleet felt like prey locked in the gaze of a lion.
"Jahahaha! Look at what I've stumbled upon! A merchant fleet of this scale is a rare sight!"
Not only Shiki—every pirate behind him stared greedily at the ships.
Treasure and freedom were the emblems of pirates.
Brutality and greed were their creed.
Such a fat prize was rare indeed—more than enough to leave every one of them drenched in wealth.
"R-Respected Golden Lion Shiki!"
One merchant ship sailed forward alone. At its bow stood the leader of the fleet.
"We are the fleet of the Ubarnos Family of the Kingdom of Lunsen in the North Blue. We failed to anticipate your arrival—an unforgivable offense! We are willing to offer half our cargo, along with 100,000,000 Berries. Please, grant us safe passage!"
The Kingdom of Lunsen was well known in the North Blue. The Ubarnos Family was one of its three great noble houses—powerful and influential.
The fleet's cargo was worth no less than 500,000,000 Berries.
An astronomical figure for this era.
This was still the Old Era—before the Great Pirate Era had fully erupted. Back then, the value of a single Berry carried far greater weight than in later times. Even a legendary pirate like Golden Lion Shiki only had a bounty in the hundreds of millions.
In this age, a bounty exceeding 100,000,000 Berries marked someone as a true Great Pirate.
Losing 300,000,000 was better than losing 500,000,000.
They had made an enormous concession.
With another pirate crew, this offer might have sufficed.
But unfortunately for them—
Their opponent was Golden Lion Shiki.
Laughter exploded from the distant pirate ship.
Shiki threw his head back and roared with scorn.
"What kind of garbage kingdom is that? And that Ubarnos whatever family—I've never even heard of them! Everything on these ships is mine! As for you… I reckon you'll fetch a fine price sold off as slaves!"
A fleet that made its fortune trading slaves had now become merchandise in someone else's eyes.
Tragic.
Powerless.
Though they outnumbered the enemy, the three pirate ships effortlessly encircled the dozen merchant vessels.
Watching the pirates close in, the fleet leader sank into utter despair.
Even if he survived this ordeal, returning home after ruining this deal would mean certain death at his family's hands.
"Move! Loot everything!"
The pirates' carnival began.
The three ships rapidly grappled onto the merchant vessels. At the forefront, Shiki himself rose eerily into the air.
Drawing his twin swords, he swung casually.
A pale-blue slash screamed forward, cleanly severing a ship's mast.
The hired guards aboard the merchant ships had no will left to resist. Sensibly, they tossed their weapons aside and knelt on the deck, enduring the pirates' kicks and blows in silence, gritting their teeth.
"I—I don't want to die!"
No one knew better than they did what it meant to be sold as slaves.
Some tried to flee—but the pirates' strength far exceeded their imagination. Before they could even leap into the sea, a gunshot rang out. A bullet pierced straight through a man's chest. His body twitched twice before dropping into the ocean, disappearing without a trace.
The plundering was swift—and thorough.
An eyepatch-wearing pirate, saber in hand, approached the entrance to a ship's hold.
"Heh! Let's see what treasures are hiding in here!"
With one swing, he shattered the lock and eagerly yanked the door open.
A thick, metallic stench of blood poured out.
As someone long accustomed to life and death, the pirate instinctively frowned.
Then—
A shadow flashed before his eyes.
A massive, blood-soaked figure lunged at him with astonishing speed. Years of surviving on the edge saved his life; he twisted aside just in time. But before he could sigh in relief, a huge hand seized his shoulder.
An overwhelming force followed.
For a brief, surreal instant, he experienced what it felt like to fly like Captain Shiki—
His body was hurled skyward.
A disturbance in such a smooth raid quickly drew attention. Many pirates turned toward the commotion, including Golden Lion Shiki himself, who hovered in midair, surveying the battlefield like a king.
"Die! All of you deserve to die!"
The blood-drenched figure was Roldy.
Clearly, he had mistaken these pirates for the slave traders from before. In his fury, the innate physical gifts of the Mink Tribe erupted forth. That monstrous strength—enough to send a seasoned New World pirate flying in the blink of an eye—
And this was the power of an eight-year-old child.
"Well, well! Someone's daring to fight back!"
A larger pirate stepped forward—over four meters tall, even bulkier than the last. He wielded a massive spiked club. His already-protruding jaw jutted out even further, giving him a brutish appearance. He eyed Roldy with malicious amusement.
The surrounding pirates watched with entertained expressions.
The reason was simple.
The man standing before Roldy was no nobody—he carried a bounty of over 1,000,000 Berries and was considered one of the stronger fighters in Shiki's ranks.
But what followed defied everyone's expectations.
The brute lifted his spiked club and brought it crashing down, clearly aiming to crush Roldy's skull. The wind pressure from the swing brushed across Roldy's face.
Yet he did not panic.
Though he had never received formal training, his body displayed astonishing instinct. Twisting at an extreme angle, he narrowly evaded the blow—the spikes of the club missing his nose by mere millimeters.
At the same instant, his right fist clenched tight.
Like a cannonball, it smashed upward into the brute's jaw.
Bang!
The four-meter-tall body was sent flying into the air.
The onlookers froze.
There was someone like this hidden among the merchants?
And judging by the broken shackles hanging from his limbs—he was clearly a slave!
Still, the brute was no amateur. Midair, he forcefully stabilized himself before landing heavily on the deck. His expression turned ugly.
Being knocked away by a slave—worse, in front of his comrades—was humiliating. His rivals would never let him forget it.
"You brat… I'll kill you!"
He roared as his body began to change.
His already-protruding jaw extended even further. Two coarse tusks pushed out from his lips. His skin grew rough and thick.
Clearly—
He was a Devil Fruit user.
"Brat! As a mere slave, you should feel honored to witness my Devil Fruit powers before you die!"
Like a rampaging beast, he swung his spiked club again.
This time, both speed and strength far exceeded the previous blow.
Roldy was only eight years old. Dodging was far more difficult now—let alone counterattacking. Endless evasion would eventually fail.
The club struck his chest squarely.
A violent pain exploded through him. He staggered back several steps.
Yet the brute frowned.
That hit… should have shattered the boy's ribs.
Pain breeds fear.
But Roldy did not know fear.
And without fear, pain only fueled something purer—
Rage.
His fist tightened further.
From above, Golden Lion Shiki watched, thoroughly entertained by the spectacle.
Then—
His smile froze.
His pupils shrank.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
On the boy's right fist, a layer of black substance had formed—gleaming with a metallic sheen.
Shiki knew that sight all too well.
"Haki…? Armament Haki?!"