"Marco, haha, who keeps teasing Little Akira? When have you ever gotten the upper hand? Haha… But Marco, I'm also curious, who exactly let you out?"
Thatch, the future fourth division commander, repeats the phrase, and instantly, the entire ship erupts in laughter, including Whitebeard.
"Hahaha…"
Whitebeard's laughter fills the entire sea. Only Marco sits beside them, glaring at the little boy on Whitebeard's shoulder with fiery eyes.
The boy's name is Edward Akira Stone. He's an orphan Whitebeard rescued at sea six months ago. "Edward" is Whitebeard's surname, and "Stone Akira" is his original name.
That's right, Akira Stone is a time traveler, a common young man from Earth in another world. According to his deceased father, their family was an ancient lineage with a long history, possessing an ancient sword passed down through generations. However, for thousands of years, no one had ever been able to draw the sword.
Initially, Akira Stone was quite happy to learn about the supposedly thousands-of-years-old sword. It looked ancient and seemed to have a long history. The problem was, the sword was impossible to draw. The sword and scabbard were fused together, making it impossible to separate. Even if it was an antique, what good was a sword that couldn't be drawn? Akira Stone even suspected it might be a single piece, with the hilt and scabbard fused, lacking a blade entirely.
However, shortly before his time travel, he realized his deceased father wasn't exaggerating. Once, unable to resist his curiosity, he took the sword to an antique appraisal shop. The conclusion was that the sword was indeed several thousand years old, or even older. The expert was certain it had a blade, but the reason it couldn't be drawn was likely due to some mechanism or secret.
After this appraisal, a stranger offered a huge sum—tens of millions—to buy his sword. He almost accepted, but remembering his father's dying words, he inexplicably refused. Looking back, he still finds it unbelievable.
This refusal, however, set the stage for his future. Afterward, he was constantly harassed, culminating in an assassination attempt. If not for incredible luck, he would have been dead.
Akira Stone had never encountered such things before. Terrified, he tried to escape, but those seeking his sword were everywhere.
Desperately, Akira Stone bought a smuggled passage on a ship, hoping to escape overseas. However, he encountered a shipwreck. His last memory was the ancient sword emitting a bright light, then he lost consciousness.
When Akira Stone regained consciousness, he was shocked to find himself aboard Whitebeard's ship. According to the crew, he had been rescued from the sea.
Akira Stone was familiar with the One Piece manga; before his time travel, he was a devoted fan. However, he never imagined he would actually end up in the world of the anime.
He ended up on Whitebeard's ship and became one of his "sons." This dramatic change took Akira Stone some time to process. It made him realize that the sword he could never draw was an incredibly precious treasure, as it had traveled with him to this world.
"Little Akira, you've been on the ship for half a year now, and your body has mostly recovered. It's time to start training. Have you decided on a path? You seem to treasure your sword; are you planning to become a swordsman?"
Whitebeard took the ancient sword from Marco and handed it to Akira Stone, curiously asking.
Akira Stone took the sword, tried to draw it, failed, shrugged, and said to Whitebeard, "Pops, have you ever seen a swordsman who can't even draw their own sword? Am I supposed to use it as a club?"
"Guhahahaha…"
Whitebeard burst into laughter, followed by the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates. Vista, the fifth division commander, frowned. "Little Akira, I've never seen a sword as strange as yours. It's impossible to draw, yet indestructible. Even Haki doesn't work on it. I can't imagine what material it's made of."
Akira Stone scratched his head. "I don't know either. My father gave it to me; he said it was a family heirloom."
"Little Akira, you still haven't told us which village you're from," Marco interjected, looking at Akira Stone with disdain.
Akira Stone looked back with equal disdain. "Yeah, for a narrow-minded bird like you, besides peeing, you're probably useless, right?"
"I can't take it anymore, Little Akira. Let's duel!" Marco roared angrily.
Akira Stone nonchalantly cleaned his ears. "Mangy bird, do you know what shame is? Oh, right, for someone shameless like you, bullying a child like me is nothing. I feel sorry for you; you haven't even found a wife yet, and you've already lost your face."
The Whitebeard Pirates roared with laughter at Marco and Akira Stone's banter. The lower-ranking pirates, however, could only stifle their laughter out of respect for Marco, though their trembling shoulders betrayed their efforts.
"Haha, Little Akira hasn't even grown his full hair yet, and he's already thinking about wives, hahaha…"
The Whitebeard division commanders pointed and laughed at Akira Stone; even Whitebeard couldn't help but chuckle.
Akira Stone scoffed. "Ignorant fools."
Whitebeard said, "Little Akira, that sword is useless for now. Should I find you a Devil Fruit? You absolutely need strength on the sea."
Whitebeard was serious; he genuinely liked Akira Stone. While he had many "sons," none were as young as Akira Stone. More importantly, Akira Stone was different from the others, his words and actions setting him apart, making Whitebeard feel closer to him, hence giving him his surname.
Akira Stone felt helpless. When he first arrived, perhaps due to the method of his time travel, he had transformed from an adult into an eight-year-old child, looking like he'd reversed his aging.
"Pops, a Devil Fruit would be nice, but as you said, they're rare. And I don't want any random Zoan-type Devil Fruits. A Logia-type would be great. Definitely nothing worse than Marco's Devil Fruit." Akira Stone said dreamily.
"Hey, Little Akira, do you think Logia-type Devil Fruits are everywhere? There are fewer than five known Logia users in the world. Even Zoan-type fruits are rare, and you're complaining?" Jozu, the future third division commander, pointed out. He himself didn't have a Devil Fruit yet.
"Yeah, yeah, Little Akira, you've got quite the big heart," others laughed.
Marco laughed, "Little Akira, I think you should eat a Zoan-type, like the Cat-Cat Fruit or Dog-Dog Fruit. They'd suit you perfectly."
Ignoring Marco, Akira Stone proudly declared to everyone, "A sparrow cannot understand the ambitions of a swan. Of course, I know Logia-type fruits are rare, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. I definitely don't want a Zoan-type. Eating a Zoan-type is less useful than training my body and swordsmanship. Once I master Haki, it will be far stronger than any Devil Fruit power."
"Oh, Little Akira, you know about Haki?" Thatch asked, smiling.
Akira Stone said, "I'm not stupid. I've seen you all training Haki. Pops told me there are three types: Observation, Armament, and Conqueror's Haki. Conqueror's Haki is innate, while Armament and Observation Haki can be trained."
Hearing this, Marco scoffed, "Little Akira, I think you should forget it. With your physique, Haki? You'd be lucky to become a cook."
Because Akira was a time traveler, his physical condition was far inferior to those in the One Piece world. For the past six months, Whitebeard had been feeding him Sea King meat to improve his physique. Now, at the age of seven or eight, he could lift over a hundred pounds, something unimaginable in his previous world, but barely passable in the One Piece world.
Akira Stone scoffed, "That's why, mangy bird, your vision is so limited. Someone like me, let alone Armament and Observation Haki, Conqueror's Haki is naturally mine."
"Haha…"
Marco laughed exaggeratedly, followed by the other commanders, and even Whitebeard couldn't help but chuckle.
Thatch said, "Little Akira, Conqueror's Haki is extremely rare, a king's trait. No one has ever dared to claim they possess Conqueror's Haki before awakening it. Don't say things like that next time."
Akira Stone didn't refute him. He wasn't blindly arrogant as Thatch thought, but he had a feeling, a sixth sense, that he definitely possessed Conqueror's Haki.
Marco sneered, "Little Akira, I think you should forget it. You? Conqueror's Haki? I think you…"
"Marco!"
"Marco!"
Two angry shouts rang out—one deep, one sharp. The deep, angry shout came from Whitebeard; the sharp one from Akira Stone.
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