Thirty-eight years earlier, in the West Blue, the Celestial Dragons prepared something so grotesque that even by their standards it stood out as pure cruelty.
It was called a Triennial Game.
Called The local hunting competition.
On a luxurious viewing platform overlooking a terrified island, the Celestial Dragons gathered in celebration. They laughed, drank, and spoke excitedly among themselves as if preparing for a festival rather than a massacre.
The island they had chosen was not affiliated with the World Government.
It stood outside their direct jurisdiction.
Which meant that what they were about to do would leave no official record.
Many people would eventually recognize the name of this place for a very different reason. Years later, the island would become the battlefield where the legendary Rocks Pirates finally met their end.
But long before that moment—
It was already doomed.
This place was God Valley.
And the first step of the event was tradition.
The customary human hunt.
Once the hunt ended, the government would simply seize the entire island afterward. The inhabitants would be erased, the territory absorbed, and the slaughter quietly buried beneath official reports.
The Celestial Dragons announced the rules gleefully.
The people of the island would be released across the land.
Then they would be hunted.
For sport.
Their lives meant nothing.
The king of God Valley tried to protest.
He stepped forward in front of his people, shouting angrily, demanding that the Celestial Dragons leave his land.
His courage lasted only seconds.
A blade flashed.
The king fell immediately.
The man who struck him down stood tall before the crowd.
One day, he would become the Commander of the Holy Knights.
Saint Figarland Garling.
But at this time, he was younger.
His golden hair rose upward in a strange, sharp shape that almost resembled a banana. Yet despite the almost comical hairstyle, the aura around him was suffocating. The kind of presence that made most people instinctively lower their heads and pray he never looked their way.
There was something else about his appearance, too.
His youthful face bore a striking resemblance to a pirate who would one day become one of the Four Emperors of the sea.
Red-Haired Shanks.
The similarity was unmistakable.
Whether they were connected by blood—or whether it was merely coincidence—remained unknown.
But the resemblance lingered like an unanswered question.
The preparations continued.
The Celestial Dragons had not only brought the island's population to hunt.
They had also transported slaves—individuals considered troublesome or disposable.
Criminals.
Runaways.
Anyone who had displeased their masters.
They would all be released onto the island as additional prey.
Among them was a child.
Kuma.
He was still young, but his Buccaneer blood made him unusually strong for his age. Even in chains, his size and strength stood out among the other captives.
Still—
He was only a child.
When Kuma tried to flee, the other slaves eventually caught him again.
They dragged him back toward the designated hunting grounds.
Their expressions were heavy with guilt.
They didn't want to do it.
But they had no choice.
If even one slave escaped, every single person in the group would be executed.
Their pity couldn't outweigh their fear.
Then—
Two figures appeared atop a large rock overlooking the scene.
One was a flamboyant boy with a massive head of purple hair and dramatic gestures.
A young Ivankov.
Beside him stood a girl with short pink hair who seemed completely absorbed in devouring a massive slab of meat, tearing it straight off the bone with enthusiasm.
Her name was Ginny.
Both of them looked down at Kuma with interest.
Ivankov's sharp eyes sparkled with excitement.
Ginny continued chewing loudly while studying the situation.
Then the truth emerged.
The two children had a plan.
A plan to create a miracle.
The surrounding slaves stared at them in disbelief.
Their situation was simple.
There were only two possible outcomes now.
Die.
Or be free.
And somewhere in the distant future—
Ivankov.
Kuma.
Ginny.
All three of them would meet a man named Monkey D. Dragon.
Together, they would one day form the Revolutionary Army.
And that's a wrap
I was going to make this longer, but this was too good of a place to end
