A Boy with Silver Hair and Blue Eyes

January 5th, Sea Circular Calendar 1520.

Grand Line, Kingdom of Ye.

The waves smashed against the pitch-black reefs like an enraged beast, the splashed droplets instantly freezing into tiny ice crystals in the cold wind, stinging faces like knife cuts.

An upright figure stood by the coastline, long silver hair whipped into a mess by the sea wind and plastered against a sweat-dampened temple, deep blue eyes resembling stars.

The boy named Lucas gripped the katana that had accompanied him for many years tightly with both hands, slashing at the air in front of him.

"9997."

"9998."

"9999."

The monotonous counting was swallowed by the sea waves, sweat dripping down his jawline and hammering out dark marks on the rocks beneath his feet.

"10000!"

The final slash fell, and the air emitted a muffled boom.

Lucas slowly exhaled a wisp of white vapor and sheathed his Katana.

According to his usual routine, physical training followed the sword swings.

He dropped the Katana onto the ground, casually stripped off his upper garments to reveal smooth-lined yet explosive and lean muscles, and plunged headfirst into the freezing seawater.

The bone-chilling cold instantly swept over his entire body, feeling as though countless needles were piercing his marrow.

Accustomed to it, Lucas swam toward the distant sea area shrouded in dark clouds using a standard freestyle stroke.

The island where the Kingdom of Ye was located, an isolated island forgotten by the world, was shrouded in fierce gales and heavy rain year-round.

The surrounding sea was thick with hidden reefs and towering giant waves, a one-way trip to hell for ordinary people, but for Lucas, it was the finest natural training ground.

Using Geppo lightly with his feet, he stepped out in perfect concentric circles on the sea surface, his speed as fast as an arrow leaving a bow.

The howling wind wrapped around waves several meters high and smashed fiercely against him, yet it failed to slow his speed by the slightest fraction.

Suddenly, a dazzling pink flying slash tore through the heavy dark clouds, splitting the dim sky in two.

Lucas's movements paused slightly, a trace of imperceptible gentleness flashing in the depths of his eyes.

On the horizon, a warship painted white sailed over slowly, the naval flag symbolizing "absolute justice" on its side fluttering vigorously in the gale.

The warship stopped a few hundred meters from the coastline, and the next moment, a tall figure stepped on Geppo, leaped from the deck, and darted toward the island.

The young woman wore a justice coat, her long black hair dancing in the wind, and the beauty mark at the corner of her mouth added a bit of allure to her cold and detached face.

She really is persistent...

Lucas muttered to himself, then withdrew his gaze, continuing to swim toward the deep sea as if he had seen nothing at all.

The cold moonlight pierced through the cloud layer, spilling onto the turbulent sea surface.

Having retrieved his Katana, Lucas swam to the other side of the island and came ashore from the edge of a dense forest.

His damp hair dripped water. The moment he stepped onto land, a deafening roar echoed from deep within the forest.

A house-sized brown bear lunged out from the bushes abruptly, its crimson eyes staring fixedly at this uninvited guest, its sharp claws scratching deep gullies into the ground.

Lucas looked expressionlessly at the charging giant bear, raising his right foot sharply and whipping up the surrounding air.

A condensed vacuum slash, sharp as the keenest blade, instantly sliced through the giant bear's thick neck.

Fresh blood gushed out, staining the earth beneath his feet.

The huge bear head rolled a few times on the ground, its eyes still retaining incredulous terror. Its massive body collapsed with a crash, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Lucas bent down to heave the giant bear's corpse onto his shoulder, walking toward the slum district under the moonlight.

Across this vast ocean, there were over three hundred affiliated nations.

And among these countries, ninety percent of them—regardless of size, wealth, or poverty—had administrative divisions that were astonishingly consistent: the wealthy district, the slum district, and the royal palace.

The Kingdom of Ye was one of them.

This was the birthplace of Golden Lion Shiki and Silver Axe.

The two renowned, great pirates who shook the seas had, before taking to the sea, been merely two inconspicuous gang bosses in this chaotic land, having respectively established gangs named the Flying Group and the Silver Axe Group.

The feud between the two organizations had lasted for decades.

On the streets of the slums.

Flying Group members wielding katanas and Silver Axe Group members brandishing giant axes were brawling together, the cries of battle, screams, and clashing of weapons endless.

Blood stained the muddy streets, and everywhere lay mutilated corpses and snapped weapons.

When Lucas appeared at the end of the street carrying the giant bear's corpse, all fighting came to an abrupt halt.

The gang members, who had just moments before been blinded by bloodlust, stopped what they were doing in unison like ducks choked by the neck, silently making way and clearing a path down both sides.

No one dared to meet his eyes.

In the Kingdom of Ye, Lucas was a living taboo. He belonged to no faction, yet possessed the absolute strength to crush everyone.

Anyone who dared to provoke him would end up as food for the fish by the shore the very next day.

Lucas walked through the crowd expressionlessly, the bloody water beneath his feet making a squelching sound. It took him less than ten minutes to arrive in front of his dilapidated wooden shack.

The moment he prepared to step across the threshold, his Observation Haki keenly captured that familiar presence inside the house.

The wooden door shattered in response.

A longsword imbued with Armament Haki to pitch-blackness burst through the flying wood chips, slashing straight at his face.

TO BE CONTINUED

(PS: Knowledge points need to be supplemented in the first chapter; the World Government represents absolute justice, while Sakazuki represents thorough justice—the two are frequently confused.)