With the release of naval intelligence, news spread like wildfire across every major and minor newspaper – the legendary pirate, “World’s Destroyer,” Bonnie Waldo, had been hunted down and killed by the Marines in the North Sea.

The news, like a heavyweight bomb dropping onto a placid lake, sent ripples spreading outward.

A new world, somewhere at sea.

The sky was filled with white, flowing clouds. The azure expanse of the sky met the deep blue sea seamlessly.

A colossal pirate ship lay motionless on the surface of the sea, resembling a white whale from afar.

A white, curved-blade skull flag with a beard emblem fluttered at the top of the towering mast, level with the gulls slicing through the sky.

"Dad!! Something terrible has happened!!"

A golden pineapple-haired boy ran towards the bow of the ship, his face full of shock as he let out a startled cry, holding aloft a freshly printed newspaper.

A figure sat listlessly on the deck, a bottle of liquor in hand, reeking of alcohol.

"Marco, I've told you so many times, stay calm when something happens."

The man slowly stood up.

With this action of his, the aura surrounding him seemed like a majestic mountain rising from flat land, constantly ascending, as if without end.

Beneath the colossal pirate ship, the tranquil sea surface suddenly churned like a pot of boiling water. Circles of ripples and bubbles appeared as if dotted with raindrops.

"Sorry, Dad!"

The boy named Marco suddenly stopped, bent down and bowed, his expression anxious.

But you have to see this!

A towering man, as big as a giant, slowly turned to face them.

The sun blazed fiercely.

A man clad in a wide, captain’s cloak, his exaggeratedly large naginata standing beside him, sported a head of boisterous golden hair that rippled gently in the sea breeze.

Legends of the pirates who sail the Grand Line, traversing the vast world! They are seen as the "greatest enemies" by the Marines.

"The Strongest Man in the World" … Whitebeard Edward Newgate!!

Whitebeard looked down at the boy before him, his domineering eyes suddenly showing a soft smile.

"Tell me, what happened?"

With labored breaths, Marco took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and said loudly:

"Bondy Waldo... he got canned by the Navy!"

As soon as these words were uttered, the other sailors on deck were taken aback. They involuntarily stopped what they were doing and gasped in astonishment.

The sound of waves crashing and surging came.

"Oh? That Waldo fellow was taken out by the Navy?"

A look of surprise flashed across Whitebeard's face.

As a renowned pirate captain, the Whitebeard Pirates had clashed with the Ward Pirates led by "Bandit" Vander Decken before, so they had some understanding of Vander Decken's strength.

That was just a probing engagement, after all, the two sides didn't have too much animosity, there was no need to fight to the death.

And both Whitebeard and Bandy Valdo were wary of each other's Devil Fruit's destructive power. To avoid causing widespread casualties among their crews, they only exchanged a brief "clash" at a distance.

To be precise, it was Whitebeard's punch that shattered Bandy Waldorf's "100-Fold Cannon".

Who made the move, Sengoku or Garp?

Whitebeard asked in a low voice.

... None of them ...

Marco shook his head.

"He's a fellow I've never heard of before. Seems to be a colonel stationed in the North Sea with the Navy, name of Rogers Darren!"

Whitebeard narrowed his eyes.

He took the newspaper from Marco's hand and glanced at it.

The headline across the top of the front page was prominently displayed.

"The King of the North Sea, Rogers Daron!! Successfully defeated the legendary pirate, Bondi Waldo!!"

"The strongest admiral in the North Sea!! 'The future general of the Navy'!?"

"World Destroyer' Bondi Valdo, dies in the North Sea?!"

"Shocking!! The supernova from the Navy who was sent to fight against Bandy Waldo, is actually a notorious scoundrel!? Is this a distortion of humanity, or the downfall of morals!?"

“...”

The news report also included a photograph of Darren standing amongst countless pirate corpses after a military operation, with smoke billowing in the background.

"Seems like an ambitious young man..."

Whitebeard stared at the photo of that rebellious, grinning black-haired Marine, and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Haha! You guys will have a worthy opponent from now on!!"

The hearty laughter, like a great gong resonating through the heavens and earth, shook everything in its wake.

On the distant sea surface, giant waves surged and rose without wind.

Layer upon layer… like a dragon’s roar.

The sea, it is shaking!

……

At the same time.

The Grand Line, a certain sea.

Rip!

Thousands of streaks of ghastly white lightning tore through the pitch-black sky, and the roaring thunder illuminated the torrential downpour.

The raging storm churned up monstrous waves, like the unseen giant's hand relentlessly flinging a high-speed pirate ship.

"Captain Roger!! Big Event!!"

In the midst of a downpour, a little imp with a red nose and a hood ran wildly across the deck.

"Hahahahahaha!! Bucky, watch out for a slip!"

A man with rebellious and domineering black hair, radiating an aura of arrogance, stood on the bow of the ship, laughing in the face of the raging storm.

The crimson captain's coat billowed in the wind, sending sheets of rain flying.

Gold D. Roger!!!

"Let me go!! I found it first!! Baku!!"

Another red-haired imp ran out of the hold, clinging tightly to Bucky with his red nose.

"Damn it! Shanks, who let you run so slow!!"

Two little imps tumbled and grappled on the deck, their youthful faces contorted with gritted teeth as they squeezed each other.

Sitting at the bow, bathed in the howling wind and driving rain, Roger smiled and looked toward the man in the shirt and wire-rimmed glasses not far away.

"It's really full of energy, isn't it? This is the passion and youth of it all. It makes me think back to when we first set sail... Don't you think so, Rayleigh?"

Reily heard this, rolled his eyes impatiently, and thought to himself, "Only you would still have that youthful passion."

If it weren't for this bastard's relentless pursuit, I probably would have retired by now.

"You two, Baku and Shanks, speak together."

Reily waved his hand.

Yes! Mr. Rayleigh!!

Shanks and Buggy glared fiercely at each other, then straightened their bodies obediently and shouted out the latest headline in unison:

"The King of the North Sea, Rogers Daren!! Successfully defeated the legendary pirate, Bandy Waldo!!"

Roger and Rayleigh were both taken aback.

"King of the North Sea? That's a nickname I've never heard before..." Rayleigh took the wet newspaper, looking at the blurred words on it caused by the rain, and frowned.

Yet a glimmer of excitement shone in Roger's eyes:

That nickname sounds like someone who's really tough…

Reilly twitched the corner of his mouth, helplessly saying:

He seemed to be only a boy in his twenties.

"Hahaha!! So what?!"

Roger laughed dismissively.

Boom!

A column of water suddenly exploded on the side of the Oro Jackson, sending a spray of salty seawater flying.

"It's an artillery bombardment!"

"Captain Roger!! The Marines!! They're catching up!!"

Boom!

Boom!

Black cannonballs tore through the rain, streaking across the sky in parabolic arcs as they relentlessly rained down upon the pirate ship.

Clink!

The sword light was dazzling, like flowing water scattering flowers.

Several cannonballs plummeted from the sky, but Rayleigh sliced them in half with his sword. They exploded above their heads, sending billowing smoke into the air.

The flickering flames cast a grim expression on Reilly's face.

"Roger!! You can't escape!!"

A deep, powerful roar came from the surface of the sea far away at the stern of the ship.

In the hazy vision, a bare-chested sailor with muscular physique could be faintly seen. He was standing on the bow of a dog-headed naval ship and kept throwing cannonballs at them with his bare hands!

"Ahhh!!! Here it comes again!!!"

Barry clutched his head and screamed, his face full of terror.

This jerk keeps haunting us!! This time we're really going to die!!

"Shut up!!" The redhead covered Bakki's mouth with her hand and said fiercely.

Although his face was pale, it betrayed the turmoil within him.

"Hahaha, Kaido, I'm not in the mood to play with you!!"

Roger made a mischievous face at Cap, grinning like a child.

"Let's get out of here! That guy is the "Strongest Marine"!!"

"Good!!" The sailors cheered in unison.

Under the helmsman's command, the Oro Jackson's sails strained full and taut, its speed surging with the fury of the storm.

"Damn it!!"

Karp, seeing this, gritted his teeth. The speed of the grenade he threw in his hand increased, his hands almost whirling into phantoms. He roared angrily, " "

"Don't run away, Roger!!"

"You really have a nerve, Kapu!!"

Boom boom boom!!!

"Don't run!"

"Then don't chase after me!"

……

Similar things are happening in every corner of this vast ocean.

Looking at the headline news in the newspaper, some people sneered, some mocked, some remained silent, some cheered, some were angry, some were indifferent, and some were restless…

One thing that can be certain is,

Today,

"King of the North Sea," Roger Daren, this name officially graced the stage of this vast ocean!

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Volume One, "The King of the North Sea," has ended. The setup was a bit much, but overall it was quite satisfactory.

Well, good to you.

As for everything, gratitude is endless.