Zou - The Night of Departure
The sky over Zou shimmered with the last glow of lantern light as the Nyx Pirates prepared to leave. The banquet had ended hours ago, yet the warmth and noise lingered in the air like the echo of a heartbeat. Minks passed by to offer one last farewell, brushing their fur respectfully against Ada as she walked.
Pedro and Carrot stood beside their packed supplies — still slightly overwhelmed from joining the infamous Nyx Pirates.
Carrot waved excitedly. "Are we REALLY going to see the world!? Like — the REAL world!?"
Pedro placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Calm down a little, Carrot… The world is dangerous."
Carrot grinned up at Ada. "That's okay! We're with YOU now!"
Even Mihawk smirked slightly at her confidence.
Perona floated behind him, arms crossed.
"Ugh. She's gonna be loud. I can feel it already."
Bullet cracked his knuckles. "She's got energy. Good for morale."
Mihawk didn't even turn his head as he spoke. "Perona… you are loud."
Perona gasped dramatically, clutching her chest. "EXCUSE ME!? I am elegant. I am refined. I am a delicate supernatural princess—"
Lilith cut in, flipping a page of her notebook.
"You scream every morning when someone wakes you up."
"That's because Mihawk BREATHES TOO LOUD!" Perona shot back.
Mihawk narrowed his eyes slightly. "I breathe exactly the same every day."
"THAT'S THE PROBLEM!!" Perona flailed wildly. "YOU EXHALE LIKE A GRUMPY OLD MAN!"
"I am not old," Mihawk replied, insulted in the most dignified way possible.
"You SO are!" Perona pointed accusingly. "You're practically fossil-aged!"
Lilith nodded thoughtfully. "He does have old-man energy."
Mihawk's brow twitched."…I am forty-one."
Perona floated higher, arms thrown wide. "SEE!? THAT'S ANCIENT IN NEW WORLD YEARS!!"
Bullet laughed so hard the deck shook. "Yeah, Mihawk, you ARE the grandpa of the crew now."
A long, suffering sigh left Mihawk's chest — the kind only someone ages beyond his years could master.
Then he spoke, calm as a winter blade. "Bullet… you are two years older than me."
The deck went silent.
Bullet blinked. "…Huh?"
Mihawk finally turned his head, eyes glinting with cold amusement.
"I am forty-one."
He paused.
"You are forty-three."
Bullet's smile froze.
Lilith snorted instantly. "OH. MY. GOD. He's right."
Hiyori covered her mouth, laughing. "Bullet-san, you're the REAL grandpa!"
Perona cackled. "HAHAHAHA! Grandpa Bullet! Grandpa BULLET!"
Even Okiku hid a polite smile. Pedro shook his head solemnly. "Truly… age comes for us all."
Carrot pointed at him dramatically. "OLD MAN BULLET!"
Bullet stepped forward, veins popping on his forehead. "HEY—CUT THAT OUT—!! I'm in my PRIME!"
Mihawk calmly slid a hand onto his hip. "Of course. A spry forty-three."
"STOP SAYING THAT LIKE I'M DYING!" Bullet roared.
Perona floated around him in circles. "Grandpa Bullet~ Grandpa Bullet~ do you need help walking down the stairs?"
Lilith tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Should we buy him reading glasses?"
"NO YOU DAMN DON'T—!!"
Ada walked by, sipping tea.
"Bullet," she said without looking at him, "you're older than Mihawk. Take the loss."
Bullet pointed at her, betrayed. "NOT YOU TOO—!!"
Everyone burst into laughter as Mihawk sheathed his smirk like a drawn blade.
Ada then walked past them without slowing.
"Also stop harassing Mihawk," she ordered.
Perona smirked. "But he's fun to bully!"
Ada didn't even look at her. "So are you."
Perona froze.
"…WAIT WHAT—"
The crew burst into laughter.
Lilith, already scribbling something in her notebook, pushed her goggles up. "Actually… minks are good for field studies. Their biology is fascinating—"
Carrot's ears shot straight up. "DON'T start dissecting my people!!"
Pedro stepped protectively in front of her.
"We are not samples."
Lilith waved her hands. "I'm not going to dissect anyone! I'm just saying the combination of electro, fur conductivity, enhanced senses, and their transformation cycles—"
Carrot puffed up her cheeks. "YOU ARE MAKING IT SOUND WORSE!"
Perona pointed dramatically. "SHE'S GONNA CHOP YOU UP, CARROT! RUN!"
"I'M NOT—" Lilith sputtered. "IT'S JUST SCIENCE!"
Hiyori giggled behind her sleeve. "Lilith-chan, maybe choose your words more gently."
Even Mihawk hid a smirk. "Your phrasing could use improvement."
Bullet snorted. "Yeah, Lilith, maybe don't say 'good for study' while staring at the rabbit girl."
Carrot clutched Pedro's arm. "SHE WAS STARING AT ME LIKE A MAD SCIENTIST!!"
Lilith threw her hands up in exasperation.
"I WAS NOT! And I'm not a mad scientist! I'm a perfectly normal scientist!"
Ada passed by, sipping her tea like she had seen this chaos a hundred times. "Lilith, no experimenting on the minks without permission."
Lilith groaned. "I SAID I WASN'T—"
Perona floated over and patted her head condescendingly. "It's okay. We believe you."
"You absolutely do not," Lilith deadpanned.
The crew burst into laughter again, and Carrot peeked out from behind Pedro, still suspicious.
Ada then ignored their bickering with a faint sigh. The dark sky reflected in her eyes, the weight of future years pressing quietly behind them.
Hiyori sat on a low wooden bench, watching her crew with a soft expression. Her kimono fluttered in the night breeze, blue eyes shimmering with something like hope.
Okiku knelt beside her. "Lady Hiyori… you seem quieter than usual."
Hiyori shook her head gently. "No. I'm simply… watching. Trying to take everything in before the world begins to change."
"…Before we change it."
Ada turned to face them — her black coat flowing like ink over the wind. "It won't be an easy road."
Hiyori nodded. "I know."
Carrot hopped in place. "But we're not scared!"
Ada raised a brow. "You should be."
Carrot froze. "…Oh."
A tiny beat of silence.
Then Ada smirked just slightly, softening the blow, and Carrot exhaled loudly in relief.
The crew began loading the last of their supplies onto the Oro Jackson's deck. The ship groaned softly, welcoming them back.
Ada took one last look at the Minks gathered below.
Nekomamushi raised his hand. "TAKE CARE, ADAAAA!! COME BACK ANYTIME!!"
Inuarashi bowed deeply. "Lady Hiyori… may the gods watch over you on your journey."
Hiyori bowed back with perfect grace, though her eyes shimmered.
Carrot cupped her hands around her mouth.
"BYE EVERYONE!! I'LL WRITE TO YOU!!"
"YOU CAN'T WRITE!!" Pedro shouted.
"OH RIGHT!!" Carrot gasped.
Ada rubbed her forehead. "…Get on the ship."
The crew laughed, and the tension lifted.
As the anchor rose, Zunesha let out a low, ancient groan — a farewell older than nations.
The Oro Jackson pulled away from Zou, sails catching the first breeze of dawn.
And just like that…
Zou disappeared behind the mist.
——————
The world did not stop because the Nyx Pirates sailed from Zou.
The tides kept rising.
The skies kept turning.
History kept breathing.
And time — relentless, unstoppable — moved forward.
The seas whispered of shifts. Of rumblings beneath the surface. Of shadows gathering where sunlight once lingered.
Months passed.
Across the world, the wake of Ada's influence spread quietly and violently all at once.
Fisher Tiger moved like a force of nature. Entire islands woke to their chains broken, their prisons emptied, their slavers fleeing in terror from a towering fish-man whose compassion was as fierce as his strength.
The stories spread so quickly that even the Celestial Dragons flinched at the mention of his name.
Enel's presence streaked across the heavens in blinding arcs. Sky islands trembled when he appeared — and fell silent when he vanished.
The people spoke in awe of the "Storm Herald" who carved new thunder routes across the atmosphere, rewriting the map of the skies themselves.
Down in the gilded underbelly of the world, Tesoro's empire grew stronger. Gold ran like rivers under his control, infiltrating nations, black markets, entire underground economies. Kings bowed behind closed doors. Brokers whispered his name like a warning.
And far, far north, atop frozen peaks and ancient forests, Loki's Giant Pirates rallied the forgotten. Titans who once slumbered beneath snowdrifts rose again under his banner. Exiled warriors returned, gripping weapons older than entire kingdoms. The world had not seen giants march like this in centuries.
Crew by crew, island by island, rumor by rumor—
Nyx D. Ada's unseen empire tightened around the globe.
Not loud.
Not flashy.
Not like the other Emperors.
Hers was a shadow empire.
One that moved in silence.
One that seeped into the cracks of the world's foundation.
Because Ada was preparing.
Preparing for war.
Preparing for the storm she knew was inevitable.
Preparing for the moment the seas would ignite, and the world would tilt off its axis once more.
The last great calm before the dawn of chaos.
——————
Sea Circle Calendar Year 1522
The year the seas would tremble.
The year the world would shift.
The year that would carve legends into eternity.
The winds smelled different this year —saltier, sharper, carrying the tang of something new.
As if the entire planet was holding its breath.
The era of giants, warriors, revolutionaries, pirates, and kings was colliding.
The stage was aligning.
The players were moving.
And somewhere in the vast stretch of the East Blue—
a boy with a straw hat and a smile wide enough to swallow the sky climbed into a tiny boat.
He did not know about the emperors gathering armies.
He did not know about the shadows spreading across the New World.
He did not know about the war that was inching closer with every tide.
He did not know the weight of his blood.
He did not know the truth of his name.
He did not know that the woman preparing for war in the New World—
the one the world would one day curse and fear and revere—
was his mother.
He simply knew one thing. That he would become the Pirate King.
Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1522.
The year a legend was born at sea.
The year the world would never forget.
The year Monkey D. Luffy began his journey.
Unaware of the empire waiting for him.
Unaware of the blood calling to him.
Unaware of the storm he was destined to meet—
and the mother standing at its center.
——————-
Sea Circle Calendar Year 1522
Fushia Village — East Blue
Morning sunlight spilled across the cliffs of Goa, washing the sleepy fishing village in soft gold.
The ocean was calm.
Too calm.
As if the entire East Blue was holding its breath.
A small, worn pier stretched into the waves — the same pier where a red-haired pirate once laughed, drank, and changed the fate of a child.
And at the end of it stood that child.
Straw hat on his head.
Red vest fluttering in the wind.
Eyes bright with an almost violent amount of hope.
Monkey D. Luffy.
He tugged the brim of his hat, a simple motion filled with reverence — touching history, touching Shanks, touching a promise older than he understood.
"All right…"
He stepped into the tiny dinghy, the wood creaking beneath his weight.
"…I'm setting sail!"
His voice boomed across the quiet village, startling the seagulls into flight.
From the dirt road leading to the pier, Makino froze — a basket of fresh bread in her hands.
Her breath hitched. "Luffy… he's really going."
Behind her, Mayor Woop Slap stomped forward, but this time his voice wasn't angry — just… overwhelmed.
"Garp is going to lose his damn mind…"
Makino blinked. "Mayor?"
Woop Slap rubbed his temples, exhaling like a man facing a storm he'd seen coming for years. "That brat… setting sail at seventeen… of course he is."
He jabbed a finger toward the sea where Luffy's tiny boat drifted. "This is the Monkey family we're talking about! Three generations of unstoppable lunatics!"
Makino laughed softly. "You make it sound like a force of nature."
"Because it IS," Woop Slap grumbled.
"Garp became a Marine hero by punching mountains. Dragon became the world's most wanted man before he was even thirty…"
He lowered his hand.
His voice softened — almost reverent.
"…and now Luffy."
Makino watched the boy on the water, smile trembling.
Woop Slap sighed deeply, shoulders slumping with a mix of awe and resignation.
"And with the blood he got from both sides, well…"
He hesitated, lowering his voice even further.
"…add his mother into the mix, and it was bound to happen. Sooner or later that kid was gonna chase the world."
Makino's breath caught.
The mayor rarely acknowledged Luffy's mother.
No one in the village but them knew of her being Luffy's mother — but they felt her shadow in him.
Her strength in his eyes.
Her fire in his laugh.
Makino whispered, "So you're not trying to stop him?
Woop Slap shook his head. "No… what's the point? You can't cage a storm. Garp tried. Dragon tried. Even fate tried."
He watched the straw hat glint in the sunlight. "That boy was born to take to the sea."
His voice dropped to a quiet, accepting murmur. "…Just like all the others before him."
Makino's eyes softened. "Then we should trust him."
Woop Slap nodded — not in defeat, but in understanding. "Aye… we should."
Makino whispered, "Shanks believed in him. So should we."
A rustle echoed from the treeline.
Someone else was watching.
Dadan.
Arms crossed.
Cigarette dangling from her lips.
Eyes red — though she would sooner die than admit she was crying. "That little punk…" she muttered, voice shaking. "I'll miss him…"
Her hand trembled as she wiped her nose.
Next to her, Dogra sniffed loudly. "Boss… are you…?"
Dadan kicked him straight into a tree. "I'M NOT CRYING! SHUT UP!"
But she didn't look away from the boy.
Not for a second.
—————-
The boat drifted farther from the pier, rocking gently in the calm sea breeze.
Luffy spread his arms wide, face split in a grin larger than life.
"I'M GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES!!!"
Makino's breath caught.
Woop Slap stopped talking.
Dadan pressed her hand to her heart.
That voice…
That dream…
It hit them like a shockwave.
As if the whole future had been carved in those words.
Makino whispered, "Go, Luffy… make the world see you."
Then the Sea Begins to Stir
The waves shifted.
Just slightly.
Then again.
Then more violently.
Luffy blinked. "Huh?"
A shadow rose beneath the surface.
Huge.
Long.
Serpentine.
The very same Sea King that once rose from the depths to devour Shanks' arm.
It broke through the water with a roar that sent the tiny dinghy flying.
Makino screamed from the shore.
Woop Slap fell backward.
Dadan grabbed Dogra and hid behind Magra.
The Sea King towered above Luffy's tiny boat, maw open wide.
"WRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!"
Luffy didn't flinch.
He grinned. "Well, well… you again."
The Sea King blinked.
Confused.
As if recognizing the hat.
As if remembering a red-haired man who stood between it and a crying child.
Luffy crouched down.
"Gomu…"
His arm snapped back, rubber stretching meters and meters.
Makino gasped. "What—what is he doing!?"
Dadan's jaw dropped. "Since when could he—!?"
Woop Slap screamed, "LUFFY YOU IDIOT STOP—"
Luffy's arm tightened like a coiled spring.
"Gomu no…"
The Sea King lunged.
"…PISTOL!!!"
His fist rocketed forward with explosive force.
THWAAAAAAM!!!
The Sea King's head snapped to the side, the shockwave blasting water in every direction.
The monstrous creature flew back, crashing into the sea with a roar before sinking beneath the surface, defeated in a single punch.
Silence.
Then—
Makino dropped to her knees. "Luffy…"
Woop Slap's jaw hung open. "What… what did that brat EAT!?"
Magna whispered, "He really… he really punched a Sea King…"
Dadan covered her trembling mouth.
"That's… that's Ace's brother alright…"
Back on the dinghy, Luffy dusted off his hands like he'd swatted a fly. "That's what you get for eating Shanks' arm! Dummy!"
He grinned and faced the horizon again. "Now then! GRAND LINE, HERE I COME!"
And with that, the current carried him away — toward adventure, danger, glory, and fate.
Toward the world waiting for him.
Toward the era he would help shape.
Toward the mother and father he didn't know he had.
——————
The Grand Line — The Oro Jackson
Ada leaned over the railing of the Oro Jackson as the waves rolled gently beneath her. Night covered the sky — a velvet dome scattered with stars. The lanterns on deck swung softly with the movement of the ship.
She didn't feel anything unusual.
No strange pull.
No connection humming in her veins.
But the air tonight felt…
Different.
Mihawk stood beside her, arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the stars.
"You keep staring at the horizon," he said quietly. "Expecting something?"
"No," Ada replied.
A lie — but Mihawk didn't press.
Perona floated up behind them, hair bobbing. "Captain, the others are playing cards. Carrot is cheating."
"I AM NOT!" Carrot shrieked from the background.
Pedro sighed deeply. "She is cheating."
Bullet laughed loud enough to shake the ship. "That's my bunny!"
Okiku approached with tea. "Captain, would you like some—"
Ada raised a hand. "Not now."
Okiku blinked but bowed respectfully.
Lilith approached next, holding a notebook.
"Ada, can I ask about your Conqueror's Haki—"
"No."
Lilith stopped mid-step. "…Okay."
Mihawk eyed Ada carefully. "You're restless."
"Maybe."
"You're thinking about the war."
Ada didn't answer.
But it wasn't war on her mind.
It was a feeling she couldn't name — something shifting somewhere far away.
Something beginning.
——————
Back to Luffy
The tiny boat bobbed in the calm East Blue. Luffy lay back on the wood, staring up at the sky, hands behind his head.
"Hehehe… I finally did it…"
The sea breeze played with the brim of his hat.
"Shanks… just wait…"
He sat up suddenly, grinning wide.
"I'll get an amazing crew! The best crew EVER!"
He pointed to the horizon. "And then I'll find the One Piece!"
His laughter echoed across the waves — pure, wild, and free.
A whirlpool formed ahead.
Luffy blinked.
"Oh."
"THAT'S BAD."
The boat spun into the whirlpool instantly.
Luffy flailed. "Aaaaaaahhhh I just started!!!"
The ocean swallowed him whole.
Somewhere far away, fate laughed.
——————-
And just like that…
A boy set sail.
A boy who would shake history.
A boy who would change everything Ada had built.
A boy who would free nations, destroy tyrannies, topple empires, and smile while doing it.
A boy born of two storms—
Dragon's will.
Ada's fire.
Though he did not know either truth.
Though he had never met the woman who brought him into this world.
Though she did not feel him…
The world itself responded in her place.
Winds shifted.
Tides pulled.
Destiny awakened.
The Great Pirate Era — Roger's Legacy — Ada's prophecy — began again.
And from this moment on…
Nothing in the world would ever be the same.
———————
Author's Note
I'm finally back!!!
Finals are over (thank the seas), and I can breathe again which means updates are returning!
Thank you so much to everyone who stayed patient these past weeks. Seriously, your support kept this story alive while I was buried in schoolwork.
To everyone who's been reading, liking, commenting, or silently following. Thank you. And to everyone who left comments… you have no idea how much motivation that gives me.
A special shout-out to Noctis123_3581 for all the suggestions! I've read everything you commented, and I'll definitely try to incorporate some of your ideas in the future chapters when they fit the story's direction.
Thanks for being so active and supportive!
Thank you again guys for being amazing. More chapters coming soon!