The faint morning light filtered through the wooden slats of Oden Castle, spilling across the floor of the great hall. A mountain of parchment sat before Kozuki Oden, ruler of Kuri, his thick fingers tracing the words scrawled in black ink. The smell of old paper mixed with the faint aroma of ink and pine smoke.
Denjiro's reports were laid out before him detailed records from Kuri's patrol units, town chiefs, and merchants. Every word he read only stoked the fire already simmering inside him.
Abductions in the Ringo and Hakumai regions.
Missing families in Udon.
Young women and men taken without trace.
Rumors of Kaido's Beast Pirates spreading across the countryside like a disease.
Oden's hand trembled slightly as he turned another page. "Damn them…" he muttered under his breath. His jaw tightened. In Kuri, abductions were almost nonexistent everyone knew that as long as Oden ruled, no one dared cross his line however outside kuri, the suffering grew worse by the week.
He could almost feel his blood boiling, like lava under stone. A thousand impulses surged inside him to storm out, to take up Enma and Ame no Habakiri, to bring down justice himself but he forced himself to stay calm. Recklessness won't save anyone. He told himself.
He drew a long breath and set the parchment down. The faint sound of rustling came from across the room. Mamoru sat near the corner, cross-legged and patient, waiting quietly for Oden to finish his morning work.
Oden smiled faintly at the boy's discipline. He was used to seeing Mamoru restless always eager to train, always pushing himself harder than anyone expected. But today, he sat still, completely absorbed in something.
"What are you reading, Mamoru?" Oden asked, leaning back against the wall behind him.
Mamoru blinked, realizing Oden was watching him. "Ah" he held up a folded sheet of paper, yellowed at the edges. "It's something I found beside your desk. I think it's from beyond the land of wano."
Oden raised an eyebrow. "From the outside?"
Mamoru nodded, his eyes scanning the print. "It says here… 'The Economic Newspaper , The Execution of the Pirate King, Gold Roger.'"
The room went silent. The name lingered in the air like a ghost. Oden looked at the boy, eyes distant and unfocused, the fire in them softening into memory.
Mamoru continued reading aloud, his young voice echoing faintly in the hall.
"The Pirate King's Treasure , The One Piece. His death marks the beginning of a new era . The Great Pirate Era."
Oden's lips curved into a broad grin. Then, as if the words had pulled him through time, he threw his head back and laughed deep and thunderous, full of nostalgia. "I still can't believe even now . You really did it Roger."
Mamoru blinked in confusion. "You… knew him?"
"Knew him?" Oden chuckled again. "I sailed with him, didn't i mention this ! Roger was… he was something else. A man of freedom, a man who burned like the sun itself." His gaze grew distant again, remembering the roaring waves, the golden ship, the laughter of men unchained by the world. "We found things that would shake your soul. He wasn't just the Pirate King , he was the freest man alive."
Mamoru's eyes widened. "Then he was… the man you spoke of before. The one who showed you the world beyond Wano?"
Oden nodded slowly, his smile turning wistful. "Yes . Him and Whitebeard, two men who carried the seas on their backs. I was lucky to see that era with my own eyes."
The faint sound of the wind whistled through the sliding doors, stirring the edges of the scattered papers. Mamoru carefully folded the old newspaper, but something else caught his attention near the bottom of the page . A smaller article, almost hidden beneath the bold headlines.
"Captain of the Freedom Fighters… Monkey D. Dragon." he read softly. "The man who fights for people's freedom."
He stared at the printed image a young man. His face was stern, determined, with long black hair flowing behind him and eyes that seemed to burn through the ink itself. What stood out most were his features sharp, calm, but coldly resolute and the faint shadow under his brow where eyebrows should have been. Mamoru could feel his intense gaze even though it was on paper.
Mamoru's eyes lingered on the caption again.
"The man who fights for people's freedom."
He repeated it quietly under his breath, tasting the words. Something about them struck deep inside him, that phrase freedom, that conviction , to protect. It felt like a call to something he couldn't yet name.
Across the room, Oden was scribbling notes again, but paused to glance up when he heard Mamoru murmur.
"Something on your mind?" he asked.
Mamoru looked up at him, the paper still in his hand. "Do you think… people like him really exist, Lord Oden? People who fight for freedom , for others . Not for power or gold or fame but just so others can live freely from injustice?"
Oden smiled softly, his gaze heavy with memories. "They do. We came across them at sea , some who could even rival Roger in power ." He nodded at the paper in Mamoru's hands. "Maybe this Dragon fellow is cut from the same cloth."
Mamoru folded the newspaper neatly and placed it back on the desk. "The world outside must be huge," he said quietly. "I wonder if… someday, I'll get to see it."
Oden chuckled, standing up and stretching his arms. "If you train hard enough, maybe you will. But for now ..." he grinned, that wild spark returning to his eyes, "...we've got our own battles to fight. Let's go. I've kept you waiting long enough."
Mamoru stood quickly, determination flashing in his eyes as he followed Oden toward the door. The wind picked up, fluttering the paper once more. The faint inked words — The Great Pirate Era — trembled on the page before settling again, the world holding its breath.
And as they left the room, the last thing Mamoru's eyes caught was that name —
Monkey D. Dragon.
The man who fights for people's freedom.
He didn't yet know why, but that name would stay with him for a long time to come.