North Blue, an unnamed island
Sunlight, sea breeze, cooking smoke, and laughter intertwined.
The once ruined village, trampled by pirates, seemed to have been reborn in barely a dozen days.
Wooden houses stood once more, drainage ditches flowed freely, simple watchtowers had risen along the shore, and even the children's laughter was brighter and crisper than before.
At the center of all these changes was the boy sitting cross-legged atop a roof, fixing tiles while using tiny lightning bolts to drive nails.
Rock lightly tapped a roof tile with his finger, and a faint spark shot from his fingertip with a crack, precisely embedding the nail.
The old man below stared in amazement, unable to close his mouth. "Brother Rock must truly be one of the heavens... Even lightning listens to him..."
The children below raised their heads and shouted, "Big Brother Rock is the Thunder God!!!"
"Big Brother Rock can fly!!!"
"Big Brother Rock is our village's hero!!!"
Rock could not help but smile awkwardly as he listened. "Hey, hey, saying it that dramatically is going to embarrass me~"
Yet he could not hide the trace of warmth and satisfaction in his voice.
Meanwhile, Sakazuki gripped a wooden beam tightly, frowning as he watched every move Rock made.
Though he never admitted it aloud, he had gone from being "wary and hostile" to wanting to memorize every single movement Rock made.
He followed Rock everywhere, helping the villagers with work—repairing roofs, hunting wild boars, carrying firewood, keeping watch at night...
He was always half a step ahead of Rock, like a wolf cub that refused to leave his side.
The days passed one by one.
Rock taught the villagers how to dig drainage ditches;
He taught the children to identify wind directions, tides, and sea beasts;
He helped the elderly nail their broken doors and windows back into place;
At night, gathered around the campfire, he spoke of his experiences on Sky Island: the City of Clouds, the Sea of Light, the Thunder Behemoth...
The children listened with eyes that shone like stars, while the elders listened in rapt attention.
And as Sakazuki watched it all, watched Rock casually mend everyone's broken lives...
For the first time, the boy truly understood:
Strength was not merely for killing.
Strength was for protecting.
In the chaotic, bloody North Blue, almost no one had ever told him that.
Until one day, as the setting sun fell over the broken stone path, Rock had just finished working and was about to take a drink when Sakazuki suddenly stopped in front of him, his fists clenched so tightly they had turned white.
"Rock..."
"Can you... teach me how to become stronger?!" His voice was low, yet stubborn as flame.
"Not for any other reason."
He raised his eyes, and the laughter of the village children reflected in his dark pupils.
"I know I'm weak right now, but I—"
"I want to protect everyone!!!"
Rock paused slightly, then the corners of his mouth slowly lifted—
"Of course I can."
"But training will be very hard."
"I'm not afraid!!!"
And so, the strange pairing of the "Thunder God master" and the "stone disciple" was officially born.
Rock taught him the most basic fighting techniques, evasive movements, and shifts in balance;
He taught him how to use strength rather than relying on brute force alone;
He even used low-voltage lightning to stimulate his nerves and temper his body.
It went something like this:
"AAAAAH—!!! It hurts!!!"
"Endure it!!!"
"Are you a demon?!!!"
"Keep yelling and I'll increase the voltage!!!"
"I'll shut up!!!"
The villagers watched from afar. "Sakazuki got blasted away again..."
"That kid can really take it."
"Those two... why do they work together so strangely well?"
Although Sakazuki rolled around the ground in pain, his eyes grew brighter and firmer.
It was the look—
Of a boy who had finally glimpsed the "future."
On the eighth night, the sea breeze drifted gently as moonlight spilled over the wilderness clearing.
Rock and Sakazuki had just finished training. The boy was exhausted and gasping for breath, yet he stubbornly remained standing, using the short blade planted in the ground to support himself.
The campfire crackled, casting their shadows in its glow.
In that subtly quiet atmosphere, Sakazuki suddenly spoke. "Rock..."
The boy lowered his head and clenched his fists, his voice pressed extremely low.
"I... I want an ability like yours too..."
He looked up, and flame-like desire trembled in those dark, sharp eyes.
"That... ability to shoot lightning!"
"I want it too!!!"
Rock had been drinking water from his flask. Sakazuki's sudden blunt request startled him, then made him burst out laughing.
"Haha, well—"
He spread his hands, helpless yet teasing. "I can't give it to you."
Sakazuki's face immediately darkened like the bottom of a pot.
"Why?! How am I supposed to get stronger if you won't give it to me?!"
Rock was greatly amused by his righteous indignation, but he still sat down beside the campfire and patted the spot next to him, signaling for Sakazuki to sit as well.
Then he grew serious. "This is an ability called a Devil Fruit."
Sakazuki froze.
Rock continued explaining, "In this world, there are fruits that grant special abilities when eaten, like my power to control lightning."
"But—"
He raised a finger.
"Once you eat one, you'll become a landlubber. If you fall into the sea, you're as good as dead."
Sakazuki's pupils contracted sharply. "Something like that exists??"
Rock nodded and continued, "Besides the fruits, there are two other powers that can be cultivated through training."
He pointed at Sakazuki's chest, his tone deep. "Armament Haki—a power that strengthens the body, turns it into a weapon, and makes it hard enough to shatter steel."
"Observation Haki—a power that enhances the five senses, perceives the presence of living beings and emotional changes, and predicts danger."
As Rock spoke, Sakazuki listened in a daze, his mouth slightly open.
It was the first time he realized that the world he lived in was countless times grander than he had imagined.
And the pain, rage, obsession, and killing he had experienced in the past... were nowhere near enough to stand at the true heights of this world.
Rock's words were like a door opening before him, and beyond it lay a sky he had never seen.
But when Rock finally said, "Still, if you want an ability like mine right now... you can't manage it yet."
The boy visibly froze. The light in his eyes dimmed slightly, and he lowered his head as though afraid someone might discover his weakness.
Just then—
"Smack."
Rock raised a hand and gently patted his head.
"Idiot."
"Everyone's opportunities are different."
"Maybe one day, you'll gain an ability even stronger than mine."
Sakazuki froze and looked up at Rock.
Moonlight fell across his face, making him look like a child reaching toward the sky for the first time.
"Can I... become as strong as you too...?"
Rock looked deeply into his eyes.
He saw a man who would one day become the Navy's greatest military power,
A son of absolute justice who would turn countless pirates into magma ash, a monster capable of contending with the Emperors of the Sea.
So he nodded without hesitation. "Of course you can!"
"But the premise is—" Rock reached out and tapped Sakazuki's chest.
"You have to build a solid foundation first."
"No matter how strong the ability is, it's useless if your body is weak."
"If you want to become strong, you first have to become someone who can bear that strength."
Sakazuki clenched his fists, and light returned to his eyes.
"I'll work hard."
"I'll definitely become stronger!!!"
Rock looked at him and smiled softly. "Come on, let's keep training."
"Your era is still a long way off~"
Before you continue