“Monkey D., huh…”

Sakazuki’s contemplative voice echoed.

Then he quickly dismissed the thought.

He nodded slightly, allowing him to deal with the remnants of the pirates as he saw fit.

There was no particular reaction upon meeting the future rebel leader.

Right now, Dragon was just a highly talented young man—after all, his father was Garp.

In terms of talent and strength, he far surpassed others of his generation.

Other than that, he was just a qualified Marine soldier. Aside from his strong background, there was nothing particularly special about him.

With Dragon’s arrival, the Marines crushed the enemy with overwhelming force. He directed the others in cleaning up the battlefield and gathering the wounded.

Meanwhile, Sakazuki’s warship finally arrived and he headed toward it.

Dragon was just about to approach, but only caught sight of Sakazuki’s back. He raised a hand and gave a brief wave.

Then he boarded the warship.

…

Six months later…

In the waters around Jaya Island, a Marine warship headed in its direction discovered something unusual.

“What is that? A pirate ship?”

“So much debris…”

“All rotted. Must’ve been soaked in the sea for years.”

“Should we salvage some of it and take a look?”

“There’s a small boat over there—looks like there’s someone on it.”

The Marines on deck were all discussing the heap of wreckage ahead.

They were very old remnants of pirate ships, looking like they’d been adrift for years.

“Vice Admiral Sakazuki, we’ve spotted wreckage up ahead. Should we retrieve it?”

“Go take a look.”

“Yes, sir!”

As the warship approached, a small figure beneath the sea saw the looming shadow above.

Cautiously covering their mouth, the figure swam upward, arriving beneath the small boat.

They poked their head out slightly to catch a breath, then quietly looked up at the approaching warship.

Upon seeing it was a Marine vessel, they let out a deep breath of relief.

Then they hid behind the small boat, waiting for the warship to leave.

Sakazuki had already sensed the presence of the boy swimming up to the surface.

He cast a glance over but didn’t pay much attention. Meanwhile, Marines on the warship one by one grabbed ropes and dove into the water, tying them around various pieces of wreckage.

The adjutant examined some of the salvaged crates and compared them, picking up a flag and saying:

“These must be ships from around 170 years ago. This flag is the national emblem of the Kingdom of Derlick, which fell 170 years ago.”

“After the fall of the Kingdom of Derlick, it split into two nations, both inheriting most of Derlick’s traditions, even their flags resemble it.”

“They became the nations of Endless War and Galsburg.”

“The two countries have been at war ever since and maintain no contact with the outside world.”

“Because of the ongoing conflict, hardly anyone visits such war-torn lands.”

“This ship must’ve been carried into the sky by an upward current near Jaya Island.”

“It must’ve drifted in the White Sea for who knows how many years before falling back down due to some unknown cause.”

Just then, a Marine surfaced holding a golden artifact and shouted with excitement:

“We salvaged gold!”

“Whoaaaaa!!!!!!!”

“Seriously!!!”

“That’s a huge chunk!!!”

“Get me a rope!!!!”

“Hahahahahaha!!!!”

Behind the small boat, the boy stared in shock at the golden object, murmuring to himself:

“There’s no mistake…”

“There’s no mistake…”

“Our ancestor wasn’t lying… It’s real!!!!”

“!!!!!!!”

He tried several times to rush out, but reason held him back. Still, he stared at the golden item, unwilling to give up.

Sakazuki noticed the boy’s unusual behavior.

And the source of that behavior was clearly the golden artifact the soldier had handed over.

Sakazuki looked in that direction and spoke:

“Come out, kid.”

“Stop staring. There’s no one around.”

“Yes, you—the one behind the little boat.”

At that moment, the boy behind the small boat hesitantly emerged.

All eyes on the ship turned to him. For a moment, he froze under their gazes.

Sakazuki then shook the golden artifact in his hand and said to the boy:

“You seem to recognize this.”

“Care to tell us about it?”

“Y-Yes!”

The boy seemed to suddenly snap out of it and stammered his reply.

Sakazuki looked slightly helpless. Was he really that scary?

He nodded at a nearby soldier.

The soldier used Geppo, darting through the air and landing on the small boat, scooping up the boy and bringing him back aboard.

The boy still looked a little nervous.

Sakazuki handed him the golden artifact. Holding it seemed to calm the boy considerably.

He took a deep breath, then began explaining the artifact’s origins to everyone.

“I’ve seen this thing in our family’s records. Based on the patterns and how our ancestor described it…”

“This is a ceremonial plate used by the Shandia tribe on Jaya Island four hundred years ago.”

“Eh!!!”

“Four hundred years ago?!”

“Incredible!”

“Whoa!”

The surrounding Marines all exclaimed in surprise. The adjutant, now intrigued, asked:

“Can you tell us your ancestor’s name?”

“My ancestor’s name is…”

“Mont Blanc Noland…”

Some of the Marines from the North Blue found the name familiar but couldn’t quite place it.

“Why does that sound so familiar?”

“Where have I heard it before?”

“You feel that too?”

“Who was it again?”

“Ahh, let me think!!”

At that moment, the adjutant, deep in thought, suddenly said:

“Your ancestor must be the legendary trickster of the North Blue—Noland.”

“Whoa!”

“That’s right! Noland!!!”

“That’s why it sounded familiar.”

“Yeah, I used to hear stories about him all the time when I was a kid.”

“You too? Hahahaha.”

Hearing the discussion around him, the boy’s eyes burned with anger. He shouted loudly:

“He’s not!”

“My ancestor is not some trickster!”

“My ancestor never lied!”

“This thing proves it!”

“My ancestor was framed!!!!!!”

His reddened eyes shimmered with tears.

His flushed face was full of rage.

The item in his hand was only the beginning.

He would prove it.

That his ancestor…

Did! Not! Lie!!!

Even if it took a lifetime, he would prove it!!!!

The Marines around him all fell silent.

Awkward expressions surfaced.

They didn’t know what to say.

Nor could they understand why the boy was so emotional.

A large hand landed on the boy’s head. He was about to brush it off—

But a deep voice full of recognition said:

“I believe you.”

The boy froze under that big hand.

Tears welled up in his eyes, and he could no longer hold them back.

“Uwaaah!!!”

“Uwaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!”

—

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