The first half of the Grand Line.
Baltigo.
This was the island known as the White Soil Island.
Because of its geography, the entire island was often swallowed by storms of flying sand, making it look as though everything on it had been bleached pale white.
The wind howled.
Dust and sand filled the sky.
The whole island was covered in yellow earth and jagged rock, giving it the appearance of a desolate ruin.
And yet—
what no one knew was that this barren island, Baltigo, was actually the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army.
At this moment, inside Revolutionary Army headquarters, the high-ranking officers had just finished discussing an important matter under the leadership of Monkey D. Dragon.
Just as Dragon was about to leave, Ivankov personally handed him a report.
"Dragon, this is about the latest uproar your son Kai has caused."
"I figured…"
"you ought to know."
"Kai?"
Dragon looked puzzled.
"What has that brat gone and done this time?"
It had already been more than a year since he had last heard any real news about Kai.
He hadn't expected that after just one year, the boy had already stirred up something enormous.
"Let me see…"
"What exactly has that kid done now?"
Dragon slowly opened the report and began reading it carefully.
After a while, his face froze in shock.
"Kai has already reached the level of a Marine Vice Admiral?"
"And more than that…"
"he personally captured a great pirate whose combat power was worth several hundred million berries?"
"That kid's only been gone for one year. How could he possibly have become this strong already?!"
Dragon was dumbfounded.
He knew very well how monstrous Kai's talent was.
But even he had never imagined it would be this absurd.
In just one year—
Kai had gone from a child who hadn't even mastered Armament Haki and Observation Haki to someone with power on par with a Marine Vice Admiral, someone capable of capturing a major pirate with his own hands.
It all felt unreal.
Too fake.
Too outrageous.
Kai was only five years old.
"A five-year-old with Vice Admiral-level power?"
"That kid really is a monster."
Dragon couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath, his mind shaking violently.
Beside him, Ivankov was no less stunned.
"As hard as it is to believe, it's true."
"Right now, your son Kai has genuinely made a name for himself across the sea."
"Even on the far side of the Red Line…"
"in the New World itself, people have already begun spreading his name."
"They've even given that monster a title."
"Fist Demon."
"Fist Demon Kai."
Dragon's heart would not calm.
He was stunned.
Kai's rate of growth had far exceeded even his own expectations.
At first, Dragon had thought that no matter how talented Kai was, it would still take at least ten years before he could truly make his name known across the sea.
But reality had slapped him hard across the face.
What he thought would take ten years—
Kai had done in one.
One year to reach Vice Admiral-tier combat power.
One year to make his name known across the sea.
From now on, the whole world would know it:
the Marines had produced a terrifying five-year-old monster—
Fist Demon Kai.
A freakishly powerful child.
A top-tier powerhouse of the sea at only five years old.
Such a thing had never existed before.
It was completely unprecedented.
"Fist Demon…"
"That kid has really grown to this point."
"He's already become strong enough for the sea itself to grant him a title."
Dragon naturally understood what that meant.
On these seas, the people who received titles were all top-tier monsters.
Especially among the Marines—
those with titles were generally at least Vice Admiral class or above.
And Kai, at just five years old, already had a title of his own.
That alone showed how rare and absurd this was.
"Fist Demon…"
"Looks like that kid is walking the old man's path after all."
"No Devil Fruit."
"No swordsmanship."
"Just fists—trying to beat his way through the whole world."
"In that sense… Fist Demon is actually a very fitting title."
Dragon sighed in amazement.
At that moment, Ivankov shook his head with visible regret.
"Dragon, if only you'd been more determined back then and brought your son into the Revolutionary Army…"
"Then right now…"
"the Revolutionary Army would have gained a fighter with Vice Admiral-level strength."
"That's top-end power on the sea."
"And the most terrifying part is that Kai is only five."
"Give him a few more years, and calling him a future Admiral wouldn't even sound exaggerated."
"He was perfect material for that level."
"What a shame we let the Revolutionary Army miss out on him."
A fighter who could one day reach Admiral level—
if someone like that had joined the Revolutionary Army, the future of the entire organization would have changed.
Hearing that, Dragon only shook his head.
"Some things can't be forced."
"But seeing him become this strong…"
"I can finally stop worrying."
"Before this, I was still concerned he might run into serious danger out there."
"But now, with the strength he possesses, there are very few people left on this sea who can truly threaten him."
"He has already become a top-tier powerhouse."
"One of the monsters standing at the top of the sea."
…
East Blue.
The sea known as the weakest of the Four Blues.
Among the four oceans, East Blue had the weakest overall level of power.
And yet—
this same weak sea had given birth to one top-tier monster after another.
The Pirate King Roger.
The Hero of the Marines Garp.
The Revolutionary Dragon.
And now—
the most terrifying prodigy in Marine history:
Fist Demon Kai.
On this day, the news spread all the way to Foosha Village.
The villagers who heard it were all smiles, talking excitedly among themselves.
"I knew it from the start. Kai was never ordinary."
"Told you! I could tell at a glance that the boy was different."
"He's only five years old, and he already defeated one of the sea's top pirates. He's brought real honor to Foosha Village!"
"I heard people saying outside that Kai has the greatest talent the Marines have seen in hundreds of years!"
"He's the pride of our village!"
"Good! So good!"
Including the village chief, everyone wore expressions of pride and satisfaction.
But there were a few women among them who could only sigh softly.
Their eyes were full of concern and affection.
"I just wonder what that poor little boy had to go through…"
"to become such a towering powerhouse at only five years old."
So while most of the villagers were overflowing with pride, a smaller number instead felt heartache for Kai.
At the same time, the news traveled from Foosha Village into Mt. Colubo.
Before long, the entire Dadan Family heard about it too.
"W-what?!"
"Kai's only been gone from Foosha Village for a year, and he's already this strong? On par with a Marine Vice Admiral?"
"And he even brought down a pirate worth over a hundred million berries?"
"Seriously?"
"That kid is way too monstrous!"
The entire Dadan Family exploded into uproar.
Even Dadan herself was shaken.
The moment she heard the news, the cigarette hanging from her mouth dropped right out.
Her face was full of shock.
She didn't have a perfect sense of how strong a Marine Vice Admiral really was—
but she definitely understood what it meant to defeat a pirate worth over a hundred million berries.
And that was exactly the kind of monster Kai had brought down by himself.
You didn't need any more explanation than that to realize how terrifying he had become.
"Ace!"
"News came in about your big brother!"
Not long after, as the mountain bandits buzzed with excitement, Ace—who had been about to head out to train—was called over too.
Standing beside him was a tiny little child.
A very small boy, no taller than Ace's waist.
His face was innocent and bright.
He looked barely over a year old.
Tiny.
Fragile.
As if a strong breeze could blow him over.
"So, it's my big brother?"
"You mean Kai?"
Ace snatched the report from Dadan's hand.
After reading it, he fell silent for a long while before finally shaking his head with a bitter smile.
"I've been training this hard…"
"So why does the gap between me and that monster only keep getting bigger?"
"That freak is only five, and he's already at Vice Admiral level?"
"He even captured a pirate whose strength was worth several hundred million berries?"
"That guy…"
"is way too terrifying."
Ace sounded helpless.
Ever since Kai left, Ace had trained day and night without rest.
And his growth had indeed been obvious.
But compared to five-year-old Kai, whose power had already reached Vice Admiral-tier, Ace's strength naturally looked insignificant.
At that moment, Kai once again left Ace with a deep sense of frustration and powerlessness.
No matter how hard he chased.
No matter how desperately he tried to catch up.
He could never close the distance.
He couldn't even see Kai's back anymore.
"The gap between me and that monster… is really that huge?"
"That's so damn frustrating."
Ace sighed.
Then he turned toward the little boy beside him and rubbed his small head.
After that, he lowered the report in front of the child's eyes and spoke with complete seriousness.
"Luffy."
"You'd better get a good look."
"That terrifying monster in this photo…"
"is your real big brother."
Barely over a year old, Luffy blinked his big eyes and stared at Kai's picture.
"My big brother?"
Visit my patreon for more chapters
Advance 60+ Chapters Available
patreon.com/ZeusOp