Sea Circle Calendar Year 1500, North Blue, Tobias Kingdom.
Knock knock knock—
A few sharp raps on the door broke the stillness, drawing the attention of a silver-haired boy leaning over the balcony railing. He turned his head toward the sound.
Moments later, the heavy oak door creaked open, its hinges giving a soft groan. An elderly man with white hair, dressed in a black tailcoat, stepped into the room. Two middle-aged maids followed behind him, and the old man cradled in his hands a Den Den Mushi roughly the size of a grown man's head.
"Cross-sama, your Visual Den Den Mushi has arrived."
The elderly butler gave a respectful nod, then gestured for the two maids to place the device somewhere suitable.
"Thank you, Henry-jiisan!"
Cross quickly turned from the balcony and stepped back into the bedroom.
With a warm smile, Butler Henry bent down and carefully aligned the Visual Den Den Mushi on the coffee table, angling it toward a blank wall. With a soft click, he pressed the activation switch.
The Den Den Mushi's eyes snapped open, and a bright beam shot forth, illuminating the wall. An image flickered into view.
The device had a decent vantage point. The projected image showed a crowded square packed with people of all ages. Among the masses were those with fierce or bizarre appearances.
Surrounding the area were rows of armed Marines, soldiers clutching rifles, officers brimming with authority, and impassive government agents in black suits. The air was tense, the security suffocating.
At the square's center stood a towering ten-meter-high execution platform. Sitting cross-legged at the top was a man with black hair, clad in a crimson coat lined with golden epaulettes. His hands were shackled with iron chains, clamped in wooden stocks. Behind him stood two executioners, each wielding a long blade.
There was no mistaking it, this was a live broadcast from Loguetown in the East Blue. The man atop the scaffold, known across the world as the Pirate King, Gold Roger, awaited his execution at the hands of the Marines.
"Hey! Pirate King! Where did you hide all the treasure you found? You got it, didn't you? That legendary treasure! That great treasure!! The One Piece!!!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out from the square. Someone had shouted the question to Roger directly.
"It's starting... this historic moment!"
Cross straightened up instinctively, excitement lighting up his face.
"Ahahahahaha!"
Roger burst out laughing, his voice bold and unrestrained. With a wide grin, he bellowed, "My treasure?"
"If you want it, you can have it! Find it! I left everything this world has to offer there!"
"..."
The world fell eerily silent.
Then, a furious roar erupted: "Roger, you bastard... Kill him!"
The executioners immediately raised their swords and drove them deep into Roger's body.
Shlick—
With a soft yet chilling sound, the blades pierced flesh. Blood sprayed.
And in that instant, the man who had conquered the Grand Line and earned the title of Pirate King was no more.
Cross sat frozen, eyes locked on the projection, his expression unreadable. The live broadcast echoed with the raw sounds of the square in Loguetown, giving him the feeling that he had truly witnessed history.
Though he hadn't been there in person, through the eyes of the Den Den Mushi, he had seen the Pirate King fall with his own eyes.
And he knew, at this very moment, Roger's final words were spreading like wildfire across the globe, infecting the world like a virus. Everyone would soon know of the legendary treasure known as the One Piece.
Thus began the Great Pirate Era.
"What a shame… I didn't get to see it with my own eyes," Cross murmured to himself. Even here in the North Blue, just watching through the live feed was enough to feel the magnitude of Roger's presence.
To face death so calmly, and to use one's final breath to ignite an entire era... such a man, even with blood on his hands, could not help but earn his respect.
The old butler shook his head and sighed. "I had hoped the Pirate King's death might calm these restless seas... but it seems stormier days are ahead."
Cross turned his gaze toward him, his sapphire eyes lingering on the old man's wrinkled face before shifting to the two maids, whose eyes brimmed with awe. His tone was calm but weighty.
"Henry-jiisan... a new era has already begun."
Across the world, countless people were rushing to the seas. The legendary treasure, One Piece, had driven the world into a frenzy.
"Hm?"
Henry blinked, surprised. "That doesn't sound like something an eight-year-old should say."
"Oh, come on, Henry-jiisan!" Cross scoffed. "Newborns don't normally break the midwife's fingers either, do they?"
The old butler chuckled. "Fair point. You are quite the little monster."
Cross gave a faint smile but said nothing more. He reached out and switched off the Den Den Mushi, then slowly rose from the sofa.
After a brief pause, he spoke quietly, "Perhaps... it's time to summon that father of mine who's never cared for me."
"Especially now, when the seas are crawling with danger…"
Pere pere pere pere…
Before he could finish, a Den Den Mushi began ringing, this time from Henry's pocket.
The old butler frowned and pulled out a compact Den Den Mushi. The moment he connected, the snail burst into sobs, tears streaming down its face as it wailed:
"Waaaahhh... Butler Henry… sob… Holland-san… he's dead!"
"WHAT?!"
The expressions on both Henry and Cross changed in an instant.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"SOMEONE HELP ME!"
"Please! I'm begging you, have mercy—!"
"AAAAAAHHHH!"
"Brothers! Take this ship! We're heading out to find the One Piece!!"
"I'll be the next Pirate King! Men—TO SEA!!"
The other end of the call was filled with chaos: gunfire, explosions, screams, shouts, sobbing, and crazed laughter. It sounded like a war zone.
"This isn't funny, Warwick!" Henrier barked into the Den Den Mushi, enraged and panicked. "Tell me clearly, what happened to Holland-san?!"
"This country… everyone in this country has gone insane!" Warwick's voice trembled. "The city is swarming with lunatics trying to become pirates. They're hijacking every ship at the harbor! Our cruise ship was attacked by a gang, we tried to resist, but most of us were killed... sob... I couldn't protect Holland-san... it's all my fault…"
The desperate sobbing of the Amphitrite Family's head of security, combined with the chaotic clamor from the Den Den Mushi, left Cross, Henry, and the two maids completely stunned. They could hardly believe what they were hearing.
"It's only just begun, and already…" Cross murmured.
"…The Great Pirate Era has arrived."