The early morning sun cast long, stark shadows across the office. A forgotten cup of coffee sat cold on the desk, its surface like black glass. From his chair, Vice-Admiral Garp stared down at the bounty poster, his face an unreadable mask of granite. He had been motionless for nearly an hour, a mountain of contained force.
His right hand, Commander Bogard, stood at ease by the door, his own presence a sharp, disciplined line in the suffocating stillness. He watched his superior without a word. This wasn't the familiar, booming rage that Garp was famous for—the kind that leveled buildings and terrified recruits. This was a pressure, a dense gravity that seemed to bend the very air in the room. It was the quiet fury of a man seeing a plan, decades in the making, burn to ash. Finally, Garp's fingers curled, the thick paper of the poster crinkling with a sound like dry leaves breaking. He spoke a single word, a low growl that was more curse than name.
"...Luffy."
__________
Sunlight streamed through the freshly cleaned windows of Partys Bar, illuminating swirling dust motes in the quiet air. Makino hummed softly to herself, polishing a glass until it shone. It was her favorite time of day—the peaceful hour before the village truly woke, before the first customers would arrive with their tales of fishing and gossip.
CRACK!
The front door flew open, slamming against the interior wall with enough force to shake the bottles on the shelves. Makino jumped, her heart leaping into her throat. Mayor Woop Slap stood framed in the doorway, heaving for breath, his face the color of old parchment. One hand was clutched to his chest, the other trembled as it held a newspaper and a single, crisp sheet of paper.
"Mayor!" Makino cried, rushing from behind the counter. "What is it? Are you alright?"
He stumbled forward, waving away her concern, his eyes wide with a frantic terror. He couldn't form words, only ragged gasps. He shoved the sheet of paper into her hands.
It was a bounty poster. For a moment, she saw only the face, and a fond, reflexive smile touched her lips. Luffy. He was alright. But then her eyes took in the rest. The bold, black letters: WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE. The name: "STRAW HAT" LUFFY. And the sum: $15,000,000—
Her breath hitched. Her gaze snapped back to the photograph. It wasn't a picture of the boy she knew. The wide, innocent grin was gone, replaced by a look of calm, unreadable confidence. And his eyes... they were flat. Cold. The eyes of a stranger.
"The Marines..." the mayor finally choked out, leaning heavily on the bar. "They were just here. A boat from Shells Town. Asking questions... about him."
The glass Makino had been holding slipped from her numb fingers. It hit the wooden floor and shattered, the sound unnaturally loud in the silent room.
CRASH!
She didn't look down. She couldn't tear her eyes from the poster, from the face of the boy she helped raise, now staring back at her like a predator assessing its prey. This wasn't a poster celebrating a grand adventure. It was a warning. A threat. The happy, reckless child was gone, and in his place was... this. A man with a gun and a price on his head.
__________
Aboard the Red Force, flagship of the Red-Haired Pirates, the mood was light.
"See any islands yet, Benn?" Shanks called out, leaning lazily against the mainmast.
His first mate, Benn Beckman, lowered a spyglass. "Not yet, Captain."
"Hah! The next one we find, we're staying for a month!" Shanks declared to the cheering crew. "We'll have a feast every single—"
"CAPTAIN!"
The shout came from Yasopp, who was sliding down a rope from the crow's nest, a grin splitting his face.
Shanks grinned back. "An island?"
"Even better! Look at this!" Yasopp landed deftly on the deck, shoving a bounty poster into his captain's hands. "Our little anchor got his first bounty!"
Shanks snatched the poster. On it, Luffy stood casually, one hand resting on the brim of his straw hat, the other on the grip of a flintlock pistol holstered at his hip. The pose had the relaxed confidence of a gunslinger, a world away from the rubbery idiot they remembered. Shanks threw his head back and roared with laughter.
"Bwahahaha! Look at him! Already making a name for himself!"
Just then, a voice bellowed from above. "Island ho! Ten points off the port bow!"
"Alright, men!" Shanks roared, his laughter echoing. "You heard him! We party when we make landfall!"
The crew erupted in cheers, their talk already turning to barrels of sake and roasted sea king. All except one. Benn Beckman took the newspaper from Yasopp, his expression hardening as he read the accompanying article.
"Shanks," he said, his voice low and serious, cutting through the celebration. The crew quieted.
Benn held up the paper. "It says here he used sleeping gas grenades on the 153rd Marine Branch. Infiltrated the base disguised as a bounty hunter and walked out with their armory funds and two prisoners." He tapped the photo on the poster, his gaze unblinking. "That isn't the boy we knew. That's not his style."
Shanks' laughter died. He looked down at the poster again, at the confident pose, at the cold, unsmiling eyes in the photograph. His own smile tightened, losing all its warmth. "People change, Benn," he said, though the words lacked their usual conviction.
__________
Atop the colossal deck of the Moby Dick, Ace, the newly-appointed 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, read the morning news. His brow was furrowed, his expression deeply disturbed.
"Yo, Ace. What's got you looking so serious?" Marco the Phoenix asked, landing softly beside him.
"Marco... come look." Ace held out the bounty poster. "My little brother. He finally set sail."
Whitey Bay, who was passing by, leaned in. "The one you're always telling stories about? Let's see."
Marco smiled. "Then why the long face? Shouldn't you be celebrating?"
"I should," Ace muttered, his gaze fixed on the article. "But it's what's written here. It says Luffy disguised himself, that he planned a heist, that he used bombs... but I know Luffy. He's not smart enough to think like that. He's an idiot. He'd punch the front gate down and demand they fight him. He's not... methodical."
Marco took the paper and scanned it, a small frown on his face. "Relax, Ace-yoi. The kid probably just got lucky. You know the Marines. They're always twisting stories to hide their own incompetence."
Ace just nodded, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
From the shadows of the mainmast, a deep, rumbling laugh echoed. "Zehahaha! Don't you worry about your little brother, Ace! A man's ambition can make him do unexpected things!"
Marshall D. Teach stepped into the light, a wide, unsettling grin on his face. "So, Commander," he rumbled, his eyes glinting, "since your brother is making waves, you'll be covering the drinks tonight, yes? A celebration is in order!"
The offer sounded less like a joke and more like a promise. Ace felt a chill run down his spine that had nothing to do with the ocean breeze.
__________
In the center of Orange Town, the Buggy Pirates' "feast" was a riot of noise and filth. Greasy plates were piled high on splintered tables, the air thick with the stench of stale ale and roasted meat. At the head of it all, perched on a gaudy, throne-like chair, Captain Buggy the Clown raised a stolen goblet.
"To us!" he bellowed, his painted smile stretching wide. "Now that we have the map to the Grand Line, our path to the One Piece is clear! And we'll get there in the flashiest way possible!"
A chorus of slurred, sycophantic cheers erupted from his crew. "Captain Buggy! The greatest in the East Blue!"
The praise was a drug. Buggy's chest puffed out, his ego swelling to fill the room. "Of course! But we can't just leave this miserable town. We need to give them a flashy farewell! A parting gift!" He pointed a gloved finger toward the street. "Mohji! Cabaji! Fire a Buggy Ball! Level that entire block!"
His subordinates scrambled to obey. The fuse on the circus-themed cannon sizzled. With a deafening roar, the iconic skull-and-crossbones projectile launched into the air. It arced over the rooftops before slamming into a row of clapboard houses, which disintegrated into a cloud of splinters and dust.
KABOOM!
The sound was absolute. A moment of ringing silence followed before the crew erupted again, howling with laughter and cheering for the pointless destruction. In the wreckage, a single curtain fluttered from a shattered window frame.
"Captain! A ship! Approaching from the east!" The voice from the lookout post was sharp.
Buggy scowled, the interruption souring his mood. "Marines?"
"No, sir! No flag!" the lookout shouted back. "It's... a pink ship. Sleek design. And the figurehead... it looks like a duck!"
One of the pirates at the table grunted. "Sounds like Iron Mace Alvida's ship, Captain. But she'd never sail without her colors."
Buggy's face twisted into a sneer of contempt. "Oh, that fat hag? She dares sail into my territory without paying respect?" He didn't consider the anomaly of the missing flag. He didn't weigh the possibilities. He saw only a perceived slight, an opportunity for more spectacle. An audience.
"Fire another Buggy Ball!" he shrieked, pointing a finger toward the sea. "Blow that piece of junk out of the water!"
The cannon was reloaded with practiced speed. The fuse was lit again. As the sphere of destruction flew toward the approaching vessel, Buggy threw his head back and laughed.
"Gyagyagyagya!"
The sound was sharp and metallic, like coins rattling in a tin cup—a sound of pure, grating arrogance.
"That's what you get for messing with the great Captain Buggy!" he crowed, already imagining the glorious, flashy explosion.
__________
Luffy Bounty Poster
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Author here :
Hello, I hope you are all doing fine!
We've just reached the first milestone I set for this story: Chapter 10!
To celebrate, and to make sure I can keep enriching the story and delivering the quality you deserve, I'm adjusting our schedule.
From now on, I will be releasing 3 chapters a week (instead of one every day). The new chapters will go live every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, starting today.
I know a slower schedule might be disappointing for those of you who read daily, and I'm honestly thrilled it means you're enjoying the story that much! This new pace will give me the time I need to make the upcoming chapters even better.
Thank you all so much for your support!