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East Blue, Goa Kingdom, Foosha Village
Under the soft light of the early morning sun, the voices of two boys echoed from the huts near Dadan's hideout.
"Let's go, Luffy!"
"Wait! I'm not done eating yet, Ace!"
Two black-haired boys were dashing down from Mount Colubo toward Foosha Village. One, a ten-year-old with a slight scowl and freckles on his face, and the other, an eight-year-old wearing a straw hat, bounded along the path with infectious energy.
Today is a day for Ace's lesson in manners.
After waking up early, eating breakfast, and skipping their usual training, the two quickly made their way to the village tavern.
Creak—
The wooden shutter door of the tavern swung open.
"Makino, I'm here with Ace!" Luffy shouted with a grin as he barreled inside.
"Miss Makino, I'm in your care today," Ace added politely, a contrast to his younger brother's boisterous entrance.
"Welcome, Luffy, Ace~!"
The soft, melodic voice of Makino greeted them. Behind the bar, the tavern owner smiled warmly at the two. Her emerald green hair was tied back under a simple scarf, and in her hand was a freshly delivered newspaper.
"Would you like something to drink?"
"Sure!" Luffy exclaimed, plopping himself in front of the bar.
Smack!
"Say thanks, Luffy!" Ace scolded, delivering a light punch to Luffy's head.
While keeping Luffy in line, Ace's attention shifted to the newspaper Makino held. "Is that today's issue?" he asked, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.
"That's right. It just came in, and there's news about Shanks~," Makino replied, sliding the paper toward Ace before turning to prepare drinks for the boys.
"Really?! News about Shanks?" Luffy leaned in eagerly, only for Ace to shove him away.
"Don't be so impatient! I haven't even read it yet—and can you even read?"
As Makino returned with two drinks, she chuckled at their antics. "It's about Shanks meeting Whitebeard's pirates—and crossing paths with the Flying General, Alex. Their encounter led to a battle between emperors of the sea."
"The Emperor of the Sea? What's that?" Luffy asked, tilting his head in confusion.
Ace gave him a long stare before sighing. "You don't know anything, huh? Looks like I'll be the first of us to become the Pirate King!"
He smirked, then leaned closer as if to teach something profound. "Listen up. The sea we'll sail in the future is called the Grand Line. It's divided into two parts: the first half and the second half, also known as the New World. And in the New World, the most powerful pirates—those at the very top—are called the Emperors of the Sea."
Luffy blinked, half understanding. "So Shanks' crew is the strongest pirate crew now, right?"
Admiration sparkled in his eyes as he mentioned Shanks, the man who had inspired him to become a pirate.
Ace snorted, shaking his head. "Not even close."
Flipping through the newspaper, he shot down Luffy's assumption without hesitation. "Shanks is strong, but he's still just starting out compared to the strongest pirate crews. The strongest crew… that title belongs to the group that once fiercely competed with Roger himself. They're also led by the man known as the World's Strongest Man."
Ace's voice trembled as he stared at the newspaper, his narrowed pupils fixated on the shocking headline.
"How is this possible?!"
His shout startled Luffy, who had been losing interest in the conversation, and drew his attention.
"What's wrong, Ace?" Luffy asked, tilting his head curiously.
"That man... lost?!" Ace's voice was filled with disbelief as he scanned the page again, unwilling to accept what he was reading.
The article vividly described the battle between Whitebeard, battered and scarred, and the Flying Admiral Alex. The image accompanying the story—Whitebeard in defeat—felt like a sledgehammer striking Ace's chest repeatedly.
"That's right," Makino said gently from behind the bar, her voice tinged with disbelief. "Whitebeard lost. And now, Alex is the strongest man in the world."
Even Makino, who didn't usually pay much attention to such news, couldn't help but be moved by the story. Whitebeard had held the title of the world's strongest for as long as anyone could remember. To see such an established figure overtaken was startling.
For Makino, this was merely the passing of an era. The Flying General's victory marked the rise of a new king of the seas and the dawn of a new age.
But to Ace, the news struck a far deeper chord.
His hands trembled as he gripped the newspaper tightly, his freckled face a mixture of disbelief and anger.
This wasn't just about Whitebeard losing—it was about what that loss meant to him.
Whitebeard had always stood as a towering figure, even during the age of Roger. To Ace, it was unthinkable that anyone, much less Alex, could so decisively defeat him.
"This doesn't make sense! Whitebeard his rival! How could he lose now, and not to him!?" Ace shouted, his voice shaking with frustration. His knuckles turned white as the paper crumpled in his grip.
He didn't care about titles like "World's Strongest Man" or the emergence of a new king of the seas. What gnawed at him was the memory of his father—the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger—and the unspoken rivalry that had defined their generation.
For Ace, this loss wasn't just Whitebeard's; it was a blow to Roger's legacy, to the unfinished contest that could never be resolved.
Elsewhere in the World
The shocking news of Whitebeard's defeat spread far beyond East Blue, reaching the corners of every ocean.
In South Blue, in a lawless nation ruled by bandit clans, three children huddled together in a dilapidated house, poring over the day's newspaper.
"I can't believe it," said a blond boy, his tone a mixture of awe and disbelief. "Whitebeard's title as the world's strongest man… gone, just like that."
The only girl in their group gazed at the image of Alex in the paper, her eyes filled with admiration. "The Flying Admiral is so incredible. Imagine being born in Wanokuni! It must be amazing to grow up somewhere like that."
"Tch, what's so great about him?" said the red-haired boy, his voice carrying a mix of irritation and defiance. He crossed his arms and scowled, hiding the flush in his cheeks. "I'll beat him someday! Just wait and see—I'm going to be the next strongest man in the world!"
The other two turned to him in disbelief, then burst into laughter.
"Are you still dreaming, kid?!"
"Yeah, right! That's Alex we're talking about—the Flying General! The king of the new era! He has the power to destroy entire worlds!"
The red-haired boy's cheeks burned at their teasing, and he clenched his fists in frustration. Unable to let it slide, he jabbed a finger toward the horizon and shouted, "Laugh all you want, but I'll show you! I've already got the power to become strong!"
As his voice rang out, something remarkable happened. A pile of scrap steel lying nearby suddenly trembled and lifted into the air as if drawn by an invisible force.
The metal streaked toward the boy, forming a makeshift armguard around his forearm.