Pirates: A Family Massacre, a Vow to Kill Every Celestial Dragon!

They slaughtered his whole family, and he wasn't allowed to take revenge?

Besides, one of the Celestial Dragons was still alive.

Sengoku and Zephyr, standing nearby, said nothing.

They hadn't spoken up in support of Kong's decision. That alone made their stance clear!

Clearly, none of the three was happy with the outcome.

These three would someday carry the Marines on their shoulders, so Kong had no choice but to explain himself.

"Do you think I don't want to give Rono a chance? But the Marines answer to the World Government. Obeying orders is a soldier's duty!"

"If we turn on the World Government over this, who will uphold justice in this world?"

"And who can guarantee Rono isn't a heinous criminal? Don't forget, countless people across these seas are waiting for us to protect them!"

Kong's words persuaded Sengoku and Zephyr.

It was true. Rono had seized the Heavenly Tribute today. Who could guarantee he wouldn't take ordinary people hostage tomorrow?

If they let him go and he went on to seize civilians, wouldn't they have allowed evil to flourish?

"But..."

Dragon, still a recruit, couldn't help wanting to speak his mind. His father, Garp, held him back.

"Very well, Admiral Kong. I request this assignment. The East Blue is my home. I have a duty to rid it of this threat."

Garp stood and volunteered for the mission.

"Garp... This Execution Order came from the Five Elders themselves. There can be no mistakes." Kong narrowed his eyes at him. Was he planning to go easy on Rono?

Knowing Garp, he absolutely might.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

"Prepare a warship at once. Set sail for the East Blue as fast as possible!"

With that, Garp picked up his coat of justice, draped it over his shoulders, and left without looking back.

At the harbor, Dragon came to see his father off.

Before Garp departed, Dragon asked, "Father, are you really going to kill Rono?"

Garp gazed out at the distant sea. "We'll see. If he truly is a heinous criminal, I won't let him go."

"And if he isn't?"

"Hahaha! I know what I'm doing." Garp laughed heartily, and Dragon felt reassured.

He knew his father's character better than anyone.

"But Admiral Kong went too far today. What happened clearly wasn't what the World Government claimed." Dragon was still disappointed in Kong.

The background investigation was clear. Rono had obeyed the law since childhood and had only gone to sea to seize the Heavenly Tribute after his parents were killed.

Someone like that couldn't possibly be a vicious criminal.

"Don't blame Admiral Kong. He has his own difficulties," Garp said, comforting Dragon.

As an Admiral Candidate, Garp sometimes felt the constraints imposed by those above him. It had to be even worse for Admiral Kong.

Garp even felt that becoming an admiral might not suit him.

If he became one, could he still come and go as he pleased, free of interference from those old men in the World Government?

Garp had serious doubts.

"Father, the World Government and the Celestial Dragons have too much influence over the Marines. I'm going to change that."

Dragon spoke just as Garp was boarding the warship.

Garp raised an eyebrow. "And how do you plan to do that?"

"I... I'll become a Marine Admiral. No, the Fleet Admiral! When that day comes, the Marines will uphold true justice instead of serving as the World Government's puppets!"

Watching the surging waves crash against the shore, Dragon made his vow to the sea.

"Hey... Should he be saying that out loud?!"

The Marines nearby were stunned by the conversation between father and son!

The Marines, puppets of the World Government?

If word of that reached Mary Geoise, there would be hell to pay!

Garp didn't care in the slightest. He burst out laughing, pleased. "Hahaha! That's my son!"

"Keep up your training, Dragon!"

He gave Dragon a few encouraging pats on the shoulder. Garp had complete faith in his son's talent.

In a year or two, the kid could definitely become a Marine Admiral!

Garp soon boarded his distinctive Dog-Head Warship.

As Dragon watched his father depart, he resolved to train hard and become an admiral—or even Fleet Admiral—as soon as possible.

"Set sail!" The warship departed.

Alongside Garp's warship, wanted posters went out across the world.

Over a hundred thousand albatrosses scattered from Marine Headquarters, flying to every corner of the world.

Wherever the albatrosses dropped the posters, an uproar followed!

"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, millions, ten millions, hundred millions... Are my eyes playing tricks on me? This kid's first bounty is five hundred million!"

"How is that possible? Five hundred million Beli makes him a Great Pirate. Why has nobody heard of him before?"

"Hey, didn't you read it? He knocked out a CP0 captain with one punch, wiped out the other CP0 members, and robbed the Heavenly Tribute! He did all that!"

"He stole the East Blue's entire Heavenly Tribute! It had countless fine blades and rare Devil Fruits. He's set for life!"

"Yeah, he even got his hands on the Flame-Flame Fruit! If I had that, I bet I could become a Great Pirate too."

"That's not all. The paper says Rono, the 'Most Evil Criminal,' awakened the Three Types of Haki at just seventeen!"

"What? All three types? What kind of monster is this guy?"

"And every type is advanced! Don't forget, he's only seventeen. Another terrifying figure is about to emerge on the seas!"

"His crewmate Roger is about as strong as he is, too! Looks like things are about to get lively!"

Rono's exploits drew attention everywhere.

A first bounty of five hundred million Beli was enough on its own to leave everyone stunned.

This was still the early age of piracy, before inflation had grown so severe. A bounty of five hundred million was more than enough to make someone a Great Pirate.

Then there were Rono's exploits: seizing the Heavenly Tribute, obtaining countless treasures, and showing talent and potential that bordered on terrifying!

The whole world knew a fearsome new monster had appeared on the seas.

Rocks Takes Notice; Kaido and Jinbe Look Up to Rono

"Boss Fisher Tiger! Boss Fisher Tiger! Is this the 'Hero' Rono you told us about?"

Meanwhile, ten thousand meters beneath the sea, on Fish-Man Island...

Several young Fish-Men raced over with a newspaper and handed it to Fisher Tiger, the leader of Fish-Man District.

One of them, about seven or eight years old, had blue skin and was a Whale Shark Fish-Man.

Another was even younger, only two or three by the look of him: an Octopus Fish-Man with six tentacles.

The third was a Sawshark Fish-Man of about five or six, with a mouth full of sharp teeth.

They were, of course, future members of the Sun Pirates: Knight of the Sea Jinbe, Hachi the Octopus Fish-Man, and Arlong!

"Yes, that's him. He saved us from the Celestial Dragons."

After reading the wanted poster in the paper, Fisher Tiger smiled and gently patted the young Fish-Men on their heads.

"Wow, he's amazing! Lord Fisher Tiger, I want to be like Rono the 'Hero' when I grow up!"

"Me too! I want to be as strong as him and save our people!"

Young Jinbe, Hachi, and Arlong gazed at the paper with admiration. Rono had already become the hero they wanted to follow forever!

"That's the spirit. In that case, you'd better train hard!"

"Huh? Is it starting again? Boss Fisher Tiger's brutal training?"

The young Fish-Men's faces filled with dread.

Similar scenes were unfolding on islands far and wide.

Fish-Man Island, Zou, Tainakaina Kingdom of the Longarm Tribe, and elsewhere...

Every slave Rono had freed, regardless of race, was back home telling others of the great deeds of Rono the "Hero"!

Their stories inspired countless young hearts.

Many came to see Rono the "Hero" as their idol and vowed to work hard so they could become heroes like him!

Even Rono himself probably hadn't expected events to take this turn.

Word of Rono's deeds also reached the Vodka Kingdom on the Grand Line.

"Rono... He's the one who saved a lot of our Oni brothers?"

Young Kaido picked up a newspaper and was immediately drawn in by its contents.

"He robbed the Heavenly Tribute... My country's always at war because of the Heavenly Tribute too, isn't it?" Kaido muttered, remembering what the adults had told him.

His homeland was constantly at war because it needed to defeat enemies and seize money to pay the Heavenly Tribute.

"That's incredible. If I could steal the Heavenly Tribute from somewhere else like Rono did, maybe there'd be no more war back home."

Kaido murmured to himself, a little envious of Rono.

Just then, a huge net dropped from the shadows and engulfed him.

"Kaido! You've been sold to the Marines! Our country can't keep you anymore!"

More than a dozen of the king's guards appeared at once and joined forces to capture Kaido.

"Damn it! Don't treat me like a political tool! I don't want to be the World Government's lapdog!"

Kaido roared and struggled, but the net was made of special rope. He couldn't exert his strength at all.

"We have no choice! If you join the Marines, we'll be able to attend the Reverie!"

Ignoring Kaido's objections, the guards threw him onto a warship.

In the New World, on the pirate island of Hachinosu...

This was the infamous base of the Rocks Pirates.

"Big news! Something huge has happened!"

"What is it?"

"Haven't you read the news? A newcomer named Rono seized the Heavenly Tribute, and his first bounty is five hundred million Beli!"

"What? Five hundred million Beli? You're making that up! Captain Golden Lion and Captain Charlotte Linlin only have bounties a little over six hundred million. How could some newcomer get five hundred million?"

"I'm not making it up. Read today's paper if you don't believe me."

A dozen or so members of the Rocks Pirates gathered around, growing more astonished with every detail they read.

"What's all this noise?"

A towering, muscular man appeared. Luxurious golden hair fell to his shoulders, but his most striking feature was his crescent-shaped mustache, curving upward on either side of his face.

He was none other than Whitebeard, who would one day become the famous "World's Strongest Pirate" and dominate nearly an entire era!

His mustache was still golden at the time, but he already liked people calling him "Whitebeard"!

"Captain Whitebeard!"

The pirates greeted him respectfully.