Ozz Dotor fell silent.
He had gone to university, sure, but there was absolutely no way he had a giant son.
The reason Sadgeo called him that was simple. His Lineage Factor had been preset before his birth.
Seeing Old Gick's barely concealed curiosity, Ozz had no choice but to compromise.
He casually promised that he could try finding the old man a giant bride someday.
...
Meanwhile, at the Sabaody Archipelago's official harbor.
Because it was an official port, whether pirate ships, noble vessels, Marine warships, or World Government ships, anything docked here was under protection.
Of course, that protection came at an outrageous price.
Unless absolutely necessary, almost no one chose to dock here.
"What?!"
"Five hundred million Beli?!"
"Yes."
The staff member replied with a strictly professional expression.
"You remained docked here for an extended period. During that time, multiple attacks were attempted on your ship, so we charged additional service fees."
"Five hundred million is already the discounted price."
"If not for Mr. Rayleigh's guarantee, your ship would have been auctioned off long ago."
"How is that possible..."
Nami looked like she was about to cry. Her eyes darted around nervously.
She was already considering escaping.
"Hey... should we just quietly take the ship and run..."
"Once things calm down, we can come back for Luffy..."
"Yeah, no way we're paying this."
The coward trio whispered their plan.
But the staff member remained calm.
"If you refuse to pay, we will report this upward. Considering your bounties, the matter may reach Lord Ozz Dotor."
"We'll pay!!!"
With tears streaming down her face, Nami handed over their hard-earned treasure.
Her heart shattered.
He was already the richest man in the world, so why was he still squeezing their few hundred million Beli?!
At that moment
Three figures suddenly appeared in midair and dropped straight onto the Thousand Sunny.
"Ow, ow, ow..."
"Luffy?! Zoro?! Sanji?!"
"It's been so long... but why did you fall from the sky?!"
Chopper and the others were thrilled at first, then confused.
Zoro pushed the others aside and sat up.
"Yeah... after we met Luffy, we ran into a strange giant."
"He's strong."
"We were about to fight when Master showed up... and sent us flying."
"Master?!"
"You mean..."
Everyone's faces turned pale instantly.
Even Usopp, who had grown a lot, still went weak at the mention of the world's strongest.
"W-We need to leave now! Sabaody is way too dangerous!!!"
...
Elsewhere at another port.
A pirate ship preparing to head into the New World was suddenly attacked.
"What the hell?! We just set sail!!!"
"Where did this giant come from?!"
Zooming out
A massive figure forced his way onto the coated ship.
"Hehehe!!! Sorry, I'm borrowing this ride."
In just a few moves, the crew of the flagship collapsed.
Grinning, Sadgeo forcibly boarded and headed toward Fish-Man Island.
At almost the same time, two ships sank into the depths.
At the shore, a lone figure sat calmly, writing in a small notebook.
"Well then... let's see."
"Is destiny decided by the individual... or by conditions?"
On the page
A large stick figure faced a smaller one.
"No matter what happens... it'll be interesting."
...
After many twists and turns, both parties descended deeper toward Fish-Man Island.
The deeper they went, the darker it became.
"Our king is coming."
"The time is near."
"This time... it will succeed..."
Strange whispers echoed through the deep sea.
Voices that normal humans couldn't hear or understand.
"Who's there?!"
"Who's talking?!"
"Don't you hear that?!"
Luffy looked around in confusion.
"That's impossible. We're thousands of meters underwater!"
"You must've imagined it, Luffy."
"No... someone is definitely speaking."
He was certain.
But he couldn't find the source.
His reaction caught the attention of the colossal Sea Kings.
"Did you notice?"
"That human... he heard us."
"Twenty years ago, there was another human like that."
They didn't think much of it.
Their lives were too long. They had seen too many things.
Soon, another ship passed.
"Who's talking?!"
Another voice echoed.
The Sea Kings were already used to it.
"More and more humans like this are appearing."
"Yes... there are too many monsters among humans now. That man in black who often passes Fish-Man Island..."
They spoke casually.
Until
One Sea King turned its gaze toward a ship.
Then suddenly
Its massive eye widened.
Blood vessels spread instantly.
"...What's wrong?"
"That is "
The others looked as well.
Then all of them froze.
"Why...?!"
"JOY BOY!!!"
"That presence... it's him! But didn't he die?!"
"Did he lie to the Mermaid Princess?!"
"What kind of joke is this?!"
"Then why is Noah still here?!"
Their emotions exploded.
The ocean floor churned violently.
Currents surged wildly.
"H-Hey!!! What's happening?!"
Ships were dragged downward into chaos.
"Find him!!!"
"Was the apology a lie?!"
"Go to Fish-Man Island!!! Find Joy Boy!!!"
The deep sea descended into complete turmoil.
Amid the chaos
A small figure walked calmly.
Unaffected.
Watching everything, he nodded slightly.
"Perfect..."
"With identical appearance, the Nika fruit... and the lineage factor of the true inheritor of Nika's will..."
"It really can pass as the real thing."
A faint smile formed.
"Now... let's see if it can fool Imu."
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The tides are shifting, and secrets linger in the dark... Step into the shadows early on P@treon, where the next chapter awaits before the world sees it.
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