"Huff…"
Luffy drew back his fist and let out a long breath of white vapor.
The black Armament Haki coating his knuckles slowly faded, returning his skin to its original color.
By now, the Marines in the plaza had completely lost the will to fight.
Watching the monster who had defeated even Colonel Smoker, their hands trembled as weapons clattered to the ground. No one dared to step forward again.
"Luffy!!"
In the distance, Ronan, Zoro, and Sanji—having already cleared out every Marine blocking the way—stood at the street leading to the harbor, waving at him.
Nami and Usopp were soaked to the bone, but their faces were filled with the exhilaration of surviving a catastrophe.
Luffy picked up his straw hat from the ground, brushed the rainwater off, and put it back on.
He turned around, cast one final glance in the direction where Smoker had fallen, then faced his crew—faced the raging storm and the sea beyond.
A brilliant smile spread across his face, bright enough to pierce the darkness.
"Everyone—!!"
"We're setting sail!!!"
"BOOOOM—!!!"
At that instant, a massive silver bolt of lightning tore through the sky, illuminating all of Loguetown in blinding white—and lighting up six young faces drenched in rain.
In that fleeting flash, their eyes shone brighter than the thunder itself.
"OHHH—!!!"
Ronan, Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and Usopp roared in unison, their voices overflowing with fearless longing for the adventures ahead.
...
Off the coast of Loguetown, at the heart of the storm.
It was as if the heavens themselves had been ripped open.
Fierce winds howled. Rain poured like a deluge.
Black waves rose like moving mountains, crashing wildly against the tiny Going Merry.
The snapping of ropes cut sharply through the wind.
"Hold on tight!!"
Ronan gripped the railing with one hand, his feet rooted to the deck like iron stakes. No matter how violently the ship pitched, he stood unmoved.
Within his Observation Haki, the sudden, violent gale—though ferocious—carried an odd, escorting force, pushing the Merry steadily toward the distant north.
And atop the highest point of Loguetown—
The towering clock tower.
A figure cloaked in a dark green coat stood there like a god amid the storm.
Rain slid away the moment it came within three meters of him, as if even nature itself dared not touch this man.
Monkey D. Dragon.
Leader of the Revolutionary Army—the most mysterious and dangerous man on the seas.
Yet in this moment, he was simply a father watching his son depart.
His face, marked with red geometric tattoos, showed no expression. But in his deep, unfathomable eyes, the receding sails of the Going Merry were reflected—along with a faint, unspoken pride and expectation.
"Luffy…"
Dragon's voice was deep and resonant, carrying through the thunder across the empty tower top.
"You've grown up. It seems… you no longer need my help."
He slowly spread his arms, and the raging wind answered his will, surging even harder.
"Go!"
"If this is the path you've chosen!"
"The world is waiting for an answer… and there is no reason to stop a man from setting sail!"
"BOOM—!!"
A lightning bolt like a silver serpent split the sky, casting Dragon's silhouette as though he were the master of the storm itself.
And far out at sea, the Going Merry rode that divine wind, bursting free from Loguetown's waters and charging into the unknown abyss.
...
The Going Merry — Deck.
Having left Loguetown's coastal waters behind, the storm showed no sign of weakening. If anything, it grew even more violent.
The sea boiled like a cauldron.
The Merry was hurled between wave crests and troughs, each plunge making hearts leap into throats, each rise accompanied by the groaning protest of the ship's frame.
"WAAAH—!! We're going to flip over!!"
Luffy clung tightly to the sheep figurehead, his whole body swinging with the ship, a grin of wild excitement plastered across his face.
"Everyone! Look!!"
Nami, who had been watching their course without blinking, suddenly pointed toward the distant darkness of the sea and cried out in delight:
"Look at that light ahead!!"
Everyone followed her finger.
Deep within the storm, at the very edge where sea met sky, a faint yet unwavering light pierced through layers of rain like a sword splitting chaos, shining straight toward them.
"That is…" Usopp wiped rain from his face and squinted. "Is that a lighthouse?"
"No."
Nami shook her head, her voice trembling with excitement.
"That's the Guiding Light! The entrance to the Grand Line… it's at the end of that light!"
"The Grand Line… we're almost there."
Ronan stared at the glow, his grip on the black staff tightening slightly.
After all this time—he was finally about to step into that legendary sea.
A stage for the strong.
A graveyard of dreams.
And the inevitable road toward the pinnacle of his martial path.
Luffy slowly straightened his body. Despite the violent rocking of the ship, he stood firm at the bow.
One hand pressed down on his straw hat to keep it from being torn away by the wind, his gaze locked on the distant light.
"The Grand Line… it's right there, isn't it?"
His voice was low, yet brimming with barely contained fervor.
"What do we do, Captain?!" Nami shouted over the storm, waiting for the final command.
"Isn't it obvious?!" Luffy grinned.
"N-no! But we don't have to go in during a storm like this—!" Usopp clung desperately to the mast, trembling as he made a last attempt at resistance.
But when he looked up, he realized something.
Aside from himself—
Everyone else's eyes burned with the same blazing fire.
Luffy's ambition.
Zoro's resolve.
Sanji's romance.
Nami's determination.
Ronan's yearning.
That look… could not be stopped.
"Heh…"
Sanji chuckled softly, turning toward the galley before returning with an empty wooden water barrel.
He slammed it down in the center of the deck, rain pounding against its surface.
"Alright! Since the moment's perfect!"
Sanji adjusted his soaked suit and was the first to step forward, planting his polished leather shoe firmly atop the barrel. A smile both elegant and unrestrained curved his lips.
"To celebrate our ship entering the greatest sea—let's hold a launch ceremony!"
"I… for the sake of finding ALL BLUE!"
"Alright!"
Luffy followed, slamming his sandal onto the barrel and declaring with the voice of a future king:
"I… will become the Pirate King!"
Zoro's eyes were sharp as a hawk's as he stepped up:
"I… will become the world's greatest swordsman!"
Nami brushed back her rain-soaked orange hair and placed her foot on the barrel:
"I… will draw a map of the entire world!"
Usopp stared at them, the fear in his heart finally burned away by their passion.
His legs trembling, he walked over, took a deep breath, then stomped down hard and shouted:
"I—I… will become a brave warrior of the sea!"
At last, everyone turned their eyes toward Ronan.
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