The moment he shouted those words, the entire dock slipped into a dead silence, even quieter than when Zoro had declared his dream moments before. Every eye in the place went wide, fixed on that young figure.

It wasn’t the dream itself that shocked them.

It was the sheer audacity.

"That idiot! Marine Branch 16 is right next door!" Sanji buried his face in his palm. "Announcing you want to be a pirate in front of this many people?"

He looked at Luffy, who had drawn every gaze yet showed no trace of fear. His face still held that grin, his eyes clear, his gaze unshakable.

He always held firm to his dream.

"The man who will become the Pirate King?" Sanji produced a fresh cigarette and let it dangle from the corner of his mouth. A thoughtful look settled on his features. His eyes flickered, a faint gleam passing through them. "A dream, huh? My dream is..."

Before the words could even finish and lighter flame touched the tip of his cigar rate.

A figure appeared behind Luffy and slammed a fist into his head.

"Talking about becoming Pirate King right in front of your own grandfather! I’m on leave, not retired! Behold, my Fist of Love!"

"That hurts, grandpa!"

Sanji watched the kid clutch his head and bounce around under the old man’s knuckles. There was no trace of that bold, heroic presence left.

Sanji stared, the hand holding his lighter freezing in midair.

And that wasn’t the end of it.

"Ahoy, you getting on or what? Done with the whole dream speech?" The ticket collector leaned over the ship’s railing, tickets in hand. "Seriously, who picks now to make a speech about their dreams? Are you finished? Then get on the ship. We’re setting sail! You’re the only one who’s done yelling and still hasn’t stepped aboard. Weren’t you all heading to the islands near Goa Kingdom for work? Are you ditching the job or what?"

"Ah, almost forgot! Still too early to set out to sea. Right, right! I’m going to work!" Luffy snapped back to reality, grinning as he adjusted his hat and bounded onto the ship. "I’ve gotta save up to buy a ship and set sail!"

Once aboard, he waved cheerfully down at Sanji.

"Sanji! When the time comes, I’m gonna invite you to join my crew!"

Sanji turned his head away, put the cigarette back, and pretended he didn’t know the kid.

After Garp and Kuzan boarded as well, the ticket collector barked, "Anyone else not on yet? Get a move on, ship’s about to leave! No refunds on tickets!"

Seeing no one answer, he was about to notify the captain to set sail.

"Wait for me! Me too!" Usopp panted, sprinting onto the ship. "I need passage."

"You, huh?" The ticket collector glanced at Usopp. "Well? Anything you wanna say?"

"Say what?" Usopp blinked. But catching sight of Luffy grinning and waving at him, something clicked. He puffed out his chest, his long nose tilting up proudly. "What dream does Usopp have? I am Captain of the Usopp Pirates, commander of eight thousand men, the mightiest warrior on the seas, and I have one million, "

"Enough! I asked about your ticket, not for you to spout nonsense!" The ticket collector scowled. Each young man who’d boarded was proving less reliable than the last. "So, ’Captain Usopp’, where’s your ticket?"

"...I don’t have one. Can I buy one now?"

"That works." The man nodded. "What kind of ticket does Captain Usopp need?"

"I heard..." Usopp leaned in, lowering his voice to a whisper. "You guys offer deck economy seating?"

He sighed. He’d actually come on Kaya’s father’s ship, but Matt said he had business to handle and wouldn’t head back anytime soon. He had told Usopp to find his own passage.

"Truth is, I don’t normally ride these kinds of ships. They really don’t suit my status as Captain Usopp. But today... do you still have one? One ticket, please."

Not only unreliable, but a show-off too. Still, the ticket collector didn’t give Usopp a hard time. He just hollered toward the back, "One deck economy seat! Go on in and find yourself a spot!"

He turned back to the dock. "Anyone else? Ship’s about to sail!"

"Captain, the ship is ready to depart!"

As the ticket collector’s voice faded, the transport bound for Goa Kingdom waters slowly began to move.

A fresh round of farewells erupted from the deck and the dock.

"Goodbye, Sanji!"

"Sanji, wait for me to set sail! I’ll definitely come find you!"

"Curly Brows, don’t appear before me again!"

"I don’t want to see you either, Mosshead, but I should be the one saying that!" Sanji stomped out his cigarette, shot a glare at Zoro, then looked at Luffy and shook his head with a small laugh. "You’d better not come looking for me!"

"Looks like you’ve made quite a few interesting friends this time."

"Those guys aren’t my friends." Seeing Zeff appear beside him, Sanji pursed his lips and lit another cigarette. "They’re just a bunch of idiots."

"Idiots, huh? They certainly look the part. But interesting idiots." Zeff let out a loud laugh, clasping his hands behind his back. "And you? What about your dream? Not going to say it? Have you already forgotten?"

Sanji pressed his lips together.

A moment later, he took a fierce drag and exhaled a cloud of smoke. The corner of his mouth curved up, carrying a trace of quiet amusement. "My dream..."

--**--**

Elsewhere.

After seeing everyone off, Dante headed back toward his office.

Mihawk had been sent off as well. Though his ship differed from the one Luffy and the others took, he departed today too. By his own account, he still needed to show his face on the Grand Line before heading home.

As for Smoker and Tashigi, they had left yesterday, lugging their bags aboard a warship.

One by one, everyone was leaving. Dante had to admit it, he felt a touch of loneliness.

He turned to Viola beside him. "Where’s Mock?"

"Still at Romance Dawn!"

Dante stared at her, then shook his head in resignation. "Everyone’s off working, and this punk is still enjoying the baths at Romance Dawn? Send someone to tell him his vacation’s over. Time for him to get back to the New World and get to work!"

Grand Line Calendar, Year 1519.

The pirate who had vanished for several days, Hargon D. Mock, reappeared before the public and made his declaration once more.

He was still going to find Laugh Tale, explore the Will of D, and study history!

During that time, Mock’s sudden disappearance had actually let Marine HQ breathe a small sigh of relief. They chalked his earlier declaration of war up to youthful arrogance. Fresh out of the East Blue, he simply didn’t grasp the true terror of the World Government or the sea.

After all, judging by the days that followed...

Other than that initial broadcast to the entire sea, the bombshell about his bloodline, and the suspected contact with the Whitebeard Pirates, the man hadn’t done much else.

His lineage meant he was destined for the gallows. But as long as he wasn’t causing constant trouble, the execution date could wait until they actually caught him. In the meantime, Marine HQ didn’t need to stay on high alert. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

However, now it was clear: Mock was dead set on making himself the World Government’s enemy.

Even if Marine HQ wanted to put the matter on the back burner, the World Government would not let someone that brazen bounce around unchecked.

Every so often, another declaration rang out. He was going to find Laugh Tale, uncover the Will of D, and study forbidden history.

What was he playing at? He was slapping the World Government right across the face! Even the Four Emperors didn’t flaunt things this openly. The Emperors might want to become the Pirate King, but none of them acted like this blockhead.

He kept shouting from the rooftops, turning the World Government’s forbidden territories into his personal catchphrase.

Even Ohara hadn’t had a death wish this blatant. If he was set on doing all that, couldn’t he conduct his research in the dark like everyone else? Driven by pressure from the World Government, Marine HQ scrambled. They ordered the New World branches to tighten their defenses and look for any opportunity to arrest him.

--**--**

After the new year, when Vice Admiral Shawn called his old friend Dante to catch up, Shawn spent a good while griping about the situation. He complained about the pirates flooding the New World, and about how maddening Marine HQ’s orders could get. In the end, he sighed heavily. ’East Blue, now that was comfortable.’

After the former G-5 Base Commander Vergo fell from power, Shawn had seized control of the Vergo-loyal faction within G-5, preventing a large-scale mutiny. He preserved the base’s strength and kept the region stable. For that, he earned recognition from Marine HQ, skipping directly from Rear Admiral to Vice Admiral as the new Base Commander of G-5.

Shawn had become a rising star among the branch bases. In just a few short years, he had rocketed up the ranks. Shawn was no young man back in his East Blue days, yet here he was, climbing higher than ever.

He’d become a beacon of hope for plenty of other older Marine officers.

To Shawn himself, however, this was just a series of fortunate accidents. The promotions had simply landed in his lap. He carried on the same as always.

He minded his own base diligently. If pirates didn’t step too far out of line, he turned a blind eye. If they got too bold, he caught them when he could. When he couldn’t, he reported it to Marine HQ.

On the side, he ran his little business ventures. His plan was to serve until he reached retirement age, then head back to the East Blue to enjoy his twilight years.

In this era, pirates were unavoidable. As long as he could protect his own small corner of the world, he felt he had stayed true to his justice.

He was a man who saw things clearly. Back when Dante was running wild in his early days, Shawn had simply pretended not to notice.

===============

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