The sky was clear and cloudless, and the golden sunlight scattered across the sparkling sea, as if laying a layer of fine silver gauze over the water.
The morning sun was a bit chilly, and the salty sea breeze added to the sense of desolation, but the bustling crowd on the shore didn't feel any coldness at all, only looking eagerly at the sea.
The composition of the crowd was quite peculiar; there were snot-nosed children of four or five, and teenagers of sixteen or seventeen wielding iron swords. Such a combination should have been chaotic and noisy, but at this moment, it was silent, with only trembling bodies and disordered breathing proving that their hearts were not as calm as they appeared.
Suddenly, the sea was stained red with blood, the waves surged, and the tides churned, as if a monster from hell was crawling out from the seabed. Yet, this group of "child soldiers" didn't fear, but rejoiced, and the deafening cheers filled the shore.
The next moment, a clear-faced, shirtless young man emerged from the sea, holding a giant Sea King over dozens of meters long. Each step he took caused the ground to tremble and the seawater to surge.
"Wow! He defeated a Sea King in the sea with his bare hands! Big Brother Longinus is too strong!"
"Idiot, it's not the first time. What's so strange about that? The focus of your attention should be that Big Brother Longinus has once again broken his record, capturing a Sea King in just three minutes!"
"I wonder when I'll be as strong as Big Brother Longinus?"
"Wait until you can continuously dive into the deep sea every day to train your body like Big Brother Longinus, then come back and talk such nonsense!"
Not only the seven or eight-year-old kids, but even the sixteen or seventeen-year-old teenagers were completely convinced by Longinus, who was only twelve years old, calling him "Big Brother" without any embarrassment.
The young man named Longinus had a gentle smile on his lips, giving off a trustworthy impression at first glance.
"Buggy, move this Sea King meat over and distribute it to everyone!" Longinus leaped high, falling like a meteor in mid-air, and punched the Sea King's body, instantly "slicing" it into two balanced halves.
The young man whose name was called stood out as if injected with a stimulant, walking forward with his head held high, as if being assigned a task by Longinus was a great honor. The surrounding "child soldiers" also looked at him with envious and jealous eyes.
"Big Brother Longinus, I guarantee to complete the task!" Buggy walked to the half-cut Sea King, skillfully pulled out an iron hook and locked it into the Sea King's flesh, then, with the other "child soldiers," grabbed the rope, preparing to pull it back.
"Oh, Big Brother Longinus, this is today's newspaper. I almost forgot to give it to you." Buggy scratched the back of his head sheepishly, pulling out a carefully preserved newspaper from his chest and handing it to Longinus.
"Thank you for the trouble." Longinus thanked him with a smile.
"N-no trouble, not troublesome at all!" Buggy said, his face flushed and stuttering, then ran back to the team to move the Sea King with his companions.
...
Smoke curled along the coast, and the enticing aroma stirred up cravings, but Longinus remained unmoved. Only after completing the last physical training did he drag his leaden body to sit on a reef, grabbing a mountain-like giant roast meat for breakfast with one hand, and flipping through today's newspaper for information with the other.
At this moment, Longinus's face was indifferent. If Buggy and the others were to see him, they would definitely find it incredibly unbelievable. Could the Big Brother Longinus, who always wore a gentle smile, have such an unknown side?
Longinus gently closed the newspaper in his hand, and a smile finally bloomed on his indifferent face: "After three years in this world, I finally know what kind of era I'm in!"
Following Longinus's gaze, the first page of the newspaper was completely dominated by two large headlines.
"Pirate King Roger Executed, The Age of Pirates Completely Ends!"
"World Conscription"
"They say the age of pirates has completely ended, but it's just the last fig leaf for the Marines and the government. They actually see more clearly than anyone that a rampant Great Pirate Era is about to begin, otherwise, they wouldn't start a world conscription under such 'excellent circumstances'!"
Longinus calmly continued to devour the roast meat, secretly pondering, "I suspect that the small island I'm currently on should be in the initial part of the first half of the Grand Line. Although I don't know which of the seven routes it is, being in the midst of the opening wave of the Great Pirate Era, this place will soon become the center of the storm. The pirates that appear next won't be like the small-time pirates with bounties of ten or twenty million that occasionally came to cause trouble these past two years!"
"Staying here any longer, I could encounter powerful pirates I can't defeat at any time, not to mention the surrounding Sea Kings are already scarce. It seems it's time to leave this place!"
"To drift along and become a pirate, or to eliminate evil and become a Marine—for me, this isn't a difficult choice."
"With the talent of this body and the power brought by my soul, what I lack is simply systematic guidance and instruction. After all, not everyone can have a foundation built by Garp in childhood and then guidance on Haki from Silvers Rayleigh after setting sail, like Luffy. For me, joining the Marines allows my natural talent to be utilized to its fullest extent—that's one reason."
"If I want to establish a foothold on this vast sea, I absolutely cannot give up the help that thing brings me. Since I cannot avoid killing, it's better to choose the Marines, where I can openly kill pirates and also have something to rely on—that's the second reason."
"To resolve the former body's unresolved issues, utilizing the intelligence systems of the Marines and the government is also essential—that's the third reason."
"Moreover, what they call 'factions' are just pursuits of self-interest to me. If truly necessary, transforming into a dark persona and creating an alternate account is also a good option." Longinus's eyes drifted, after all:
When one drifts in the martial world, how can one avoid getting cut? To thrive, one must have many aliases—Hiroki.
"Big Brother Longinus, Big Brother Longinus, this is bad... this is bad!" A blue-haired teenager ran over in a hurry, out of breath.
The cold lines on Longinus's face quickly softened, instantly completing a change in persona: "Fitz, what's wrong? Calm down and speak clearly."
As if he had found his anchor, Fitz's anxious expression calmed down, but his trembling legs showed that his inner fear had not yet dissipated: "It's the Giant Rhino Pirate Crew! It's the great pirate Giant Rhino Aris, with a bounty of 37 million Berries!"