On a secluded island in the Grand Line, shrouded in thick fog, the going merry rested quietly in a natural cove.
Dense tree canopies cut the sunlight into fragmented patches, providing perfect cover for this secret base.
"Gum-Gum—!!!"
"Bang!"
From deep within the island came Luffy's characteristic roars and the loud thud of falling trees. Luffy was madly practicing against a rock wall, his arms already swollen to an astonishing degree.
"Third Gear... Third Gear..." Luffy bit his thumb, fine beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. "Again!"
On an open space not far away, Zoro was doing squats with specially weighted dumbbells, sweat glistening on his firm muscles. Sanji, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, drew fiery arcs with his legs in the air, each kick leaving deep indentations in the sand.
On the beach, Nami and Robin were leisurely lying under a sun umbrella.
Nami, wearing sunglasses, held a phone in her hand, engrossed in a Pirate King novel, occasionally letting out exclamations.
"I can't believe our adventure was actually written into a novel..." Nami flipped through the pages, suddenly widening her eyes. "Wait! Luffy, that idiot, actually awakened Gear Fourth in Dressrosa?!"
Robin elegantly sipped her black tea, smiling. "It seems our Captain has more potential than we imagined." Her gaze swept over the words describing Gear Fourth's form in the book. "Boundman... what an interesting form."
"Hey! Come look at this!" Usopp ran over in a panic, waving a newspaper in his hand. "The latest report from Water 7! CP9's strength is even greater than described in the novel!"
"This is tricky! According to the novel's plot, we almost suffered a total defeat."
As night fell, the Straw Hat held an emergency strategy meeting around a bonfire.
"According to the novel's intelligence," Robin pointed to the map she had drawn, "if we go to Water 7 now, our chances of victory are less than thirty percent."
"But once Luffy masters Gear Fourth..." Nami quickly worked her abacus, "the win rate can increase to over sixty percent!"
"Then it's decided!" Luffy, for once, showed a serious expression, his eyes under the Straw Hat gleaming with determination. "I will master Gear Fourth within a month! Everyone must also train twice as hard!"
Zoro wiped wado ichimonji, a battle-hungry smile forming on his lips. "Just in time to try out new moves."
Sanji exhaled a smoke ring. "Let those CP9 guys taste hell."
Though Usopp's legs were trembling, he still mustered his courage. "I-I will develop even more powerful weapons!"
Deep into the night, under the starlight, the going merry seemed to be infected by her companions' resolve.
The ship's spirit flickered faintly in the Moonlight, silently guarding these young dreamers.
On this unknown island, a fate-changing training was quietly underway.
What they didn't know was that, far away in a room in Mary Geoise, the Gorosei were deep in thought over the latest intelligence on the Straw Hat...
...
Mary Geoise, inside the Hall of Authority, the Gorosei were habitually gathered.
Beneath the dome inlaid with the World Government's emblem, the Gorosei's shadows flickered in the candlelight, and an unprecedented solemnity enveloped each of their faces.
"The latest intelligence shows that the Straw Hat is undergoing special training on an uninhabited island." The bald elder holding a sword slammed a stack of photos onto the table.
The photos clearly showed Luffy practicing Gear Fourth.
"Moreover, they have already finished reading the latest chapters of the 'Pirate King' novel."
"The worst part is..." The blond elder took off his glasses and wearily rubbed his brow, "according to the novel's plot development, this Straw Hat seems to really be the so-called 'protagonist'."
This word caused a suppressed stir in the council hall.
The long-bearded elder's scepter unconsciously tapped the ground: "Protagonist's aura... such an absurd thing actually exists?"
"Look at what the novel says!" The curly-haired elder angrily slapped the pages. "Impel Down, Enies Lobby, Marineford War, Dressrosa... he appears in every major event! And each time he manages to turn danger into safety in the most incredible ways!"
The eldest Gorosei slowly stood up and walked to the window, looking down at the Red Line below. "Gentlemen, we are not just facing a pirate crew, but an existence favored by 'the plot'."
His voice was low and dangerous. "Think of Roger, think of Rocks... these monsters who defied the era, ultimately succumbed to the arrangements of fate."
The council hall fell into a deathly silence.
Suddenly, the blond elder sneered. "But a novel is just a novel after all. In the real world, there is no such thing as a 'predetermined plot'."
"You mean?" The other four turned their heads simultaneously.
"Since we know the 'script'..." A cold glint flashed in the blond elder's eyes. "Why don't we rewrite the ending in advance?"
The Gorosei sat around the world map, each of their expressions so solemn that water could drip from them.
The candlelight stretched their shadows long, distorting them into grotesque shapes on the wall.
"We can't wait any longer!" The bald Gorosei with the sword slammed his fist on the East Blue's location. "That rubber brat's growth speed is too astonishing!"
"Seconded!"
"Better to make ten thousand mistakes than to let one slip away."
"Hmph, they're all just ants. Kill them if you kill them."
"Just bugs."
The blond Gorosei flipped through the latest intelligence, his finger unconsciously tapping the table. "According to the novel's plot, he will trigger the Celestial Dragons incident at Sabaody Archipelago, and then..."
"No, that's too long. To avoid prolonged complications..."
"Notify Fleet Admiral Sengoku!" The long-bearded Gorosei suddenly stood up, his white robe fluttering without wind. "Immediately organize a special task force to eliminate the Straw Hat before he leaves Long Ring Long Land!"
The curly-haired Gorosei added coldly: "Remember, it must be done cleanly and efficiently. We cannot let the outside world know that the World Government is making such a big fuss because of a novel's plot."
CP0: "Yes!"
....
Marineford, Marine Headquarters, the atmosphere in Fleet Admiral Sengoku's office was grim.
"Are the Gorosei overreacting?" Sengoku rubbed his temples, looking at the three Vice Admirals in front of him. "Just for a rookie pirate with a bounty of one hundred million?"
Staff Officer Tsuru pushed up her glasses. "But according to the novel's description, this 'protagonist's aura' indeed cannot be underestimated."
"Hmph!" Garp walked in, picking his nose. "My grandson doesn't need any aura!" But a subtle hint of worry flashed in his eyes. His grandson, with a mere one hundred million bounty, had actually caught the attention of the Gorosei?
What a joke!
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"