The Day the Legend Began

"Why did you take so long? I made a whole table full of burgers," Aaron complained slightly to Nami and Usopp.

"Huff... huff... huff! Aaron... don't make so much. We... we can't finish it," Usopp said, bracing his hands on his knees as he panted heavily.

He had just hauled the Elephant Tuna aboard, and that thing weighed nearly five hundred pounds. It had practically crushed the breath out of him.

He had originally wanted Aaron to help, but then he thought about Aaron's height and strength.

Forget it. If Aaron helped, the result would probably just be an extra bit of weight.

"No, no, I can eat it all by myself," Aaron said with a smile.

"You?" Usopp looked at Aaron's flat stomach. "Don't make me laugh!"

"It's true! I only get full, but I never get stuffed! No matter how much food there is, I can cram it all into my mouth!" Aaron said, bouncing up and down.

"...Are you a garbage can?" Usopp said helplessly. The more he got to know Aaron, the more strange things he discovered about him. Who knew what seemingly useless, actually useless bizarre skill would pop up next?

After a moment of silence, Usopp scratched his head and said awkwardly, "Um... Aaron, sorry."

"Hm? What are you apologizing for?" Aaron asked, puzzled by Usopp's bowed head.

"About your parents... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Please forgive me!" Usopp said, bending deeply toward Aaron and raising his voice.

"Uh... alright, I forgive you." Aaron had just vented his emotions and was already back to his usual energetic self, so the matter of his parents had once again been tossed into some forgotten corner of his mind.

"Really? You really forgive me?" Usopp abruptly raised his head, seemingly unable to believe he had been forgiven so easily.

"Yep!" Aaron nodded hard, his lips curling into a sweet smile. "But next time, please eat a few more of my special maggot burgers."

"...Yes," Usopp said miserably.

"Hehe, thank you!" Aaron patted Usopp around the waist and smiled happily with narrowed eyes. His white teeth reflected the lightning, flashing across Usopp's face.

Damn it, so he really is still angry! He looks terrifying when he's angry! Usopp stared at Aaron's ghostly figure under the lightning, his face pale.

"But why haven't Luffy and the others come aboard yet?" Feeling that was enough, Aaron put away his smile and asked curiously.

"They've been tied up by the Marines. A huge storm is coming, so we need to furl the sails quickly, or the Going Merry will be destroyed!" Nami, who had been silent at the side the entire time, finally spoke up seriously.

"What? Then we aren't waiting for Luffy and the others?"

"There's still some time, but if they don't get aboard soon, the Going Merry will have to leave." Nami looked up at the sky, sniffed the air, and continued in a grave tone.

"Then I'll go help them!" Aaron said, about to jump off the ship.

Nami grabbed Aaron and scolded him, "What are you going down there for? It's full of Marines! You'll only make things worse!"

"It's fine, Nami." Aaron tried hard to shake off Nami's hand, but he was too weak to pull free. He could only say helplessly, "I'm not afraid of slashes or blunt attacks. They can't do anything to me."

"That still won't do. Those three monsters aside, what if you don't make it back in time?" Nami continued to refuse.

"Uh... I can just swim back," Aaron said as if it were obvious.

"Swim back? Do you know how powerful a storm is? It can make the Going Merry race across the sea like a carriage on land. You won't be able to catch up!" Nami shouted.

"No, no. In the sea, I've never seen any creature that could swim faster than me," Aaron said confidently. Tilting his head, he added, "Not even Fishmen."

"But from that far away..." Nami said furiously.

"Alright, Nami. Aaron isn't as fragile as you think. Just let him go." Unlike Nami, who had only seen Aaron fight a few times, Usopp had a deep understanding of Aaron's weirdness. Maybe Luffy and the others would need Aaron to get out safely, so he tried to persuade her as well.

"Usopp, even you... Fine, I don't care about you anymore!" Nami angrily let go of Aaron. "Get back early!"

"Got it!" Aaron rubbed his shoulder, rolled up his sleeves, and jumped into the water.

Splash!

"Usopp, hurry and furl the sails! Raise anchor and prepare to set sail at any moment!" Nami ordered.

"Stop! Don't move!" At the dock, the Marines trying to intercept the Going Merry saw Aaron climb out of the sea and warily aimed their guns at him.

"Um... I'm in a hurry, so sorry about this." Aaron gripped the index finger of his right hand with his left and pulled upward hard. A drop of water fell to the ground.

Then Aaron took off running to the side.

"Stop! Take another step and I'll shoot!" the sergeant leading them shouted.

But Aaron did not obey. Instead, after hearing the sergeant's furious yell, he ran even harder.

"Hey! I can't handle a brat like you?" the sergeant roared. "Everyone, fire at that kid!" Then he lowered his voice and added, "Don't actually hit him. Shoot beside him and scare him."

"Sergeant..." the soldier beside him swallowed. "Maybe you should look in front of us first."

"Hm?" The sergeant leaned over, then jumped in fright at the sight before him. "What the hell is that?!"

Right in front of the Marines, where Aaron had been standing, the drop of water he had left behind expanded in the rain. A massive bubble spread rapidly outward, immediately swallowing the nearby soldiers.

"What is this thing?! Open fire! Hurry, open fire!" the sergeant cried in terror.

Everyone fired at once, but the powerful bullets froze unnaturally the moment they touched the bubble, then clattered to the ground.

The bubble swelled when it met water, slowly swallowing the soldiers at a constant speed. The feeling of death closing in made them deeply uncomfortable.

Hah... since bubble water was Aaron's bodily fluid, he did not actually need to keep it in bottles and blow bubbles. The water he squeezed out with a flick of his hand was bubble water.

As for why he usually put it in bottles and blew it out...

Well... it was only because Aaron thought blowing it from a bottle looked cooler.

This was Aaron's unique bubble-blowing technique.

Its name was: Aaron's Bubble Technique!

And this move was called: Dirty Bubble!

Ahem, don't worry about the name.

"Sorry, I'll let you out later," Aaron said as he ran away. Even without looking back, he knew the Marines behind him had already been completely swallowed by the bubbles.

These special bubbles could trap Marines inside. As the air was slowly used up, the people within would gradually suffocate to death. Some might even suffer hallucinations from oxygen deprivation and do certain suggestive things, making the bubbles "dirty." That was where Dirty Bubble got its name. It was an extremely cruel bubble.

Of course, Aaron would not use this bubble lightly, because it did not fit Aaron's character setting...

But speaking of letting them out, Aaron vaguely remembered that he seemed to have forgotten something...

Meanwhile, in Cocoyasi Village.

"Mr. Genzo, there's another Fishman that slipped through the net!"

"What? Hurry and send him to the Marines!"

"We can't! His whole body is covered in bubbles!"

"They're just bubbles. Can't you pull them off?"

"But... these bubbles explode! And they explode in a chain reaction. They've been exploding for days already. The villagers had only just finished rebuilding their homes and came here to plant crops when they found this Fishman."

"What?!" Genzo stared at the villagers in shock. "Then that Fishman is still alive?"

"He's alive. When we threw him a bun, he ate it!"

"...Why did you give him a bun when you had nothing better to do?" Genzo said helplessly. "So that place has become extremely dangerous?"

"Yes, we have no idea what to do!"

"..." Mr. Genzo thought for a while. "How about we do this..."

And so, several years later, Cocoyasi Village became famous across the world because of a tourist attraction.

The name of that attraction was: Fishman Pearl Play.

Yes, don't complain about the name either.

"Who exactly are you?" Roronoa Zoro asked solemnly as he looked at Smoker, who calmly continued smoking despite having been cut in half.

"My name is Smoker. I ate the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, making me a Smoke Man," Smoker said lightly. Looking at the three Straw Hats watching him warily, he said arrogantly, "Come at me together. Otherwise, you might not even have the slightest chance."

"No way! Bleh!" Luffy made a face at Smoker, then turned to Sanji and Roronoa Zoro with a grin. "Zoro, Sanji, run!" With that, he took off first.

Roronoa Zoro and Sanji followed close behind.

"It's useless. You can't escape the grasp of White Hunter Smoker," Smoker said indifferently around his cigar as he watched their retreating figures. A moment later, his entire body turned into white smoke as he moved to chase after Luffy and the others.

Whoosh! A huge boulder suddenly flew in, blocking Smoker's path.

"Hm?" He turned to look, only to find a broad-shouldered, muscular pretty boy wiggling his eyebrows at him with an utterly provocative expression.

"You are... Copperfield Aaron?" Smoker said in surprise as he looked at that childish face. "I didn't expect you could turn into something like this. In that case, I don't need to hold back."

With that, Smoker turned solid, drew his jitte in a backhand grip, and charged at Aaron.

But Aaron did not move at all. He continued staring at Smoker with a mocking grin.

He looked incredibly punchable.

Smoker closed in on Aaron and swung his jitte down with all his strength!

Slash! The instant the jitte touched him, "Aaron" shattered without warning, turning into bubbles that vanished into the rain.

"!!" The sudden loss of balance nearly made Smoker lose control, but in the next moment, he twisted his waist with force, regained his footing, and stood steadily. Looking at the fragments of bubbles scattered through the air, his expression darkened.

"An illusion...?"

"Whoa! Aaron, you have such an awesome skill? I've never seen you use it before!" Luffy swung his arms exaggeratedly, his eyes full of stars as he looked at Aaron.

"I've always known it. It just needs the right weather conditions. Foosha Village is always sunny, so of course you never saw it," Aaron explained while running hard. "Actually, I just blow a human-shaped bubble, then use the current unique to thunderstorms to control the bubble's color and dye it. That's how it becomes like that. It's a very simple move."

"..." Roronoa Zoro and Sanji, following behind Aaron and Luffy, said nothing, but both rolled their eyes.

Simple my ass!

"But we need to run faster. My bubble has already burst... and the bubbles I blew around us are telling me Smoker is heading this way. He'll be here soon," Aaron said with a smile.

"..." The area suddenly fell silent.

"Then why the hell didn't you say so earlier?!" everyone roared at once.

"Uh..." Aaron stopped, scratched his head, and smiled sheepishly. "Well, he's here."

The moment he spoke, white fog enveloped the area, and they could no longer see the road ahead.

"I didn't expect you to have tricks like that, Aaron. You really can't be underestimated..." Smoker's voice came from all around them. "But this ends here!"

The white fog began to surge violently!

"Dodge left!" Aaron shouted, throwing himself to the left.

"...Just as I thought." Seeing Aaron evade his attack so easily, Smoker slowly took human form and walked forward step by step, staring at Aaron. "Devil Fruit powers don't work on you!"

"Luffy, you guys go first. I'll hold him off!" Aaron said, staring straight at Smoker without looking away.

"Okay!" Luffy answered. "Zoro, Sanji, hurry up and go!" With that, he ran off first.

"Can you handle this, Aaron?" Sanji asked uncertainly as he watched Aaron.

"Don't worry, Sanji." Though he kept his eyes fixed on Smoker, Aaron still broke into a smile. "I'm the person Grandpa Garp called the bane of ability users!"

"The bane of ability users? That old man Garp described you that way?" As a Marine captain, Smoker knew who Luffy's grandfather was the moment he saw his surname.

His grandfather was a Marine, his father was the leader of the Revolutionary Army, and his grandson was a pirate. Well... that was really something.

"Uh..." At Smoker's question, Aaron's serious expression instantly collapsed. He scratched his head and grinned foolishly. "I don't actually know what it means. That's what Garp said."

"..." Smoker suddenly did not know what to say, so he silently tightened his grip on the jitte and rushed toward Aaron.

"Come on!" Aaron's expression sharpened as he watched Smoker charge at him.

The battle was about to begin!

Then it ended in an instant!

"...Are you joking?" Smoker could not help rubbing his forehead as he looked at Aaron, whom he held in one hand.

He had not expected the kid to be this weak. He was only as strong as an ordinary child... no, probably an ordinary child recovering from a serious illness.

Why did it feel like he was bullying someone? Watching Aaron punch and kick helplessly without being able to hit him, Smoker felt a little embarrassed.

Forget it. He should take him back first. Thinking this, Smoker moved to sling Aaron over his shoulder and carry him back like a human trafficker.

Smack! A hand suddenly appeared and grabbed his wrist. The sudden pain made him loosen his grip involuntarily. Aaron fell, seized the chance to run away, and sprinted off like a cat that had just snatched some food.

But Smoker had no time to pay attention to Aaron now. He stared intently at the person who had suddenly appeared, cold sweat sliding down his face. "You are..."

"What reason is there to stop a man from setting out to sea?" he said calmly.

"Luffy, can Aaron really catch up?" Usopp asked worriedly as he looked at the sea, black as ink.

"He will. He'll definitely make it," Luffy said firmly.

At this point, the Straw Hats had already boarded the Going Merry, but because the storm was so fierce, they could only set sail immediately.

Everyone waited on deck for Aaron's arrival. No matter how the violent wind battered them, they remained unmoving.

A quarter of an hour...

Half an hour...

Just as everyone was about to lose patience, Aaron's voice suddenly came from behind them.

"Whoa! I didn't expect the Going Merry to get so far away. I almost couldn't catch up!"

Everyone turned around and saw Aaron wringing the water from his clothes.

"Hahahaha! I knew you'd be fine, Aaron!" Luffy laughed as he walked over and patted Aaron's shoulder. "Come on! We've prepared our departure ceremony, on the greatest sea of all!"

At that moment, Roronoa Zoro brought out a barrel and placed his foot on it.

Nami and Usopp placed their feet on it too, followed by Sanji.

"Hehehe." Luffy walked over as well and put his foot on it.

"...You people are seriously trying to make me laugh." Aaron rolled his eyes at the barrel, which barely reached his navel.

"Hurry up, Aaron! You're the only one left!" Luffy urged.

"Honestly, couldn't you find a smaller barrel?" Aaron complained, though he obediently placed his leg on it.

"Our goal: King of the Pirates!"

"For All Blue!"

"To become the world's greatest swordsman!"

"To draw a map of the whole world!"

"To become a brave warrior of the sea!"

"To become a bubble-blowing master, burger king, and jellyfish-catching expert!"

"Set sail for the Grand Line!"

"Yeah!"

Amid towering waves and raging seas, the Going Merry slowly sailed toward the Grand Line. The distant lighthouse shone like a beam of hope, steadily guiding the dreams of the boys and girls onward!

.