One Piece: The Arm of Fate

East Blue, Cocoyasi Village.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the small house in a warm orange-red hue.

Ajian pushed his bicycle past the gate. The little windmill on his hat spun in the breeze. He glanced at the empty house with some nostalgia.

It had been more than half a month since Bell-mère moved out. Was she doing well?

She should be. When she left, she was all smiles, saying she had worked hard in the orange orchard for over a decade, and now could finally enjoy a well-deserved vacation.

"Ah…"

Ajian sighed and turned to leave—when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

"Excuse me."

Two men in black suits and sunglasses stood at the door. One held a document. Both wore polite but distant smiles.

"Are you Mr. Ajian?"

Ajian was stunned. "Who are you?"

"I'm with the World Government, CP3. We're here to investigate something," the man on the left said. "Regarding Shano."

Shano?

Just as Bell-mère expected… or rather, just as Shano predicted on the phone.

That guy was truly far-sighted. When his bounty rose to 500 million Berries, he had Bell-mère move out. He didn't even tell her where she should go—he just said she needed to be gone.

Back then, Ajian didn't take it seriously.

He didn't think the Navy or World Government would stoop so low as to trouble a retired marine in a rural village.

But now…

Ajian's pupils shrank slightly, but he quickly composed himself. He snorted and put on a furious tone:

"That ungrateful brat? What do you want with him?!"

"Oh?" The CP3 agent raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem to like him very much."

"Like him?!" Ajian scoffed, stomping his foot. "That ungrateful wolf! Our village raised him for years, and what did he do? As soon as he turned of age, he became a pirate and started killing Navy soldiers! He's a disgrace to Cocoyasi Village!"

His voice grew louder, drawing in several nearby villagers.

"That's right! That bastard!"

"We should've kicked him out of the village earlier!"

"Yeah, he tore down all the mountains on the island—we have nowhere to hike in the spring!"

"He almost ate the village's white ox when he was a kid!"

The villagers crowded in, denouncing Shano with righteous anger. A large white dog even barked furiously, clearly harboring hatred for Shano too.

The CP3 agent narrowed his eyes and scanned the villagers' faces.

"You all hate him?"

"Hate? Of course we hate him!" Ajian shouted. "He corrupted two good girls, Nami and Nojiko. Even Bell-mère left because of the villagers' judgment! If he dares show his face again, I'll be the first to break his legs!"

"Yeah! Break his legs!"

"Don't ever come back to East Blue again!"

The crowd got heated. Some even picked up hoes like they were ready to fight.

The two agents exchanged glances, then nodded.

"Understood. Thank you for your cooperation."

Ten minutes later.

The two agents stood under a coconut tree outside the village, calling their superior.

"…We've completed the investigation, sir. Shano's adoptive mother has relocated, her whereabouts unknown. Both of his sisters are with him, and the villagers are extremely hostile toward Shano."

"In other words, there's nothing in Cocoyasi Village we can use against him."

"Understood. We'll return to base."

Back in Ajian's house.

Villagers gathered in the living room as Ajian concluded the meeting.

"The two men have left," he said, scanning the room. "But we can't let our guard down. That was just a surface check. They might come back disguised as merchants or travelers."

"In short, whenever outsiders are around, we stick to the plan."

"Got it, Ajian, don't worry!"

"Disguises won't fool us. Those government dogs stink no matter what they wear!"

Frost Moon Village, Isshin Dojo.

Cicadas chirped outside as the wind chimes jingled in the summer evening breeze.

"Dinner's ready!"

A warm voice called from the kitchen. The children in the dojo cheered, tossed their bamboo swords aside, and rushed toward the dining hall.

Zoro and Sanji, the two little troublemakers, raced to be first at the door.

"Outta the way, moss-head!"

"Get lost, curly-brows!"

As they shoved each other—

"Hey! You two brats!"

Bell-mère stormed out of the kitchen, cigarette in mouth, and grabbed both boys by the ears.

"You're still bickering at your age?! Seems today's training wasn't enough!"

"Ow, ow! Let go, Aunt Bell-mère!" Zoro grimaced.

Sanji struggled. "She's not an aunt! She's a beautiful big sister!"

"Smooth talker!" Bell-mère snorted. She dragged both of them to the front yard.

"As punishment, you each owe me 2,000 one-handed push-ups. No dinner till you're done!"

"Two thousand?!" both boys screamed.

On the tatami inside, Koshiro sipped tea and smiled.

Since Bell-mère arrived, the dojo had become far more orderly. The two kids who used to bicker non-stop were finally behaving.

Was it because of Bell-mère herself…

Or the terrifying big brother who could scare them into silence with a single glance?

His gaze landed on the wind-blown newspaper on the table.

One billion berries.

It had only been two months since Shano went to sea. And already, his bounty had soared to such terrifying heights.

Among all the people Koshiro had ever met, only one had a higher bounty.

In another year or two… just how high would this boy go?

He turned the page to the second wanted poster and looked at the image of a black-haired girl with a high ponytail.

A soft smile formed.

With him, you'll definitely become the world's greatest swordsman.

Come back and prove me wrong, Kuina.

Let your foolish father apologize for his harsh words that night.

"Kuina…"

Go for it.

Grand Line, Jaya Island.

On the half of the island left grounded after the Knock-Up Stream cut it apart, lies Mock Town—a gathering place for lawless pirates.

Inside a noisy tavern, rum flowed and voices roared.

"Hey, did you see the news? That monster Shano rejected the Warlord invite, and now has a one billion bounty!"

"That's old news! Every pirate on the Grand Line's heard it!"

"Axiong, you're always behind!"

Pirates laughed and argued.

"One billion… I wonder if all the pirates on this island combined are worth more."

"No way!"

"Yeah! That's one billion! All of us in the first half of the Grand Line still wouldn't add up to that!"

"Huh? Idiot, it'd be over a billion, at least!"

"Who are you calling an idiot?! You can't even read!"

Tension rose again, pirates choosing sides.

But one thing was clear:

A bounty of one billion was beyond their comprehension.

Then—

Creeeak—

The tavern door opened.

The noise died instantly.

All eyes turned to the man who entered—

A black coat. Hawk-like gaze. A black cross-shaped sword on his back.

"Hawkeye" Mihawk!

Someone screamed in shock. Glass dropped and shattered.

Those who didn't recognize him soon followed others fleeing out the back.

Hawkeye ignored them all. Behind him followed a nervous Dashigi.

"A glass of tequila. With ice," he ordered, then added, "And a cherry pie for her."

They sat in a quiet corner. Dashigi slowly calmed down.

"Mr. Mihawk," she whispered. "Do you really think Lord Shano will come here?"

"Trust me," Mihawk said coolly. "If he doesn't come within three days, I'll read my own name backward."

He was confident.

From Whiskey Peak, to Little Garden, to Alabasta—the next destination was obviously Mock Town.

"…You've been quiet since we arrived," he said. "Last time you were happy. Why not now?"

"I… I'm happy for Lord Shano, but…" Dashigi lowered her head. "He's growing so fast. I feel like I'm falling further and further behind."

"…"

Mihawk didn't comfort her.

In truth, her swordsmanship talent was average, far behind the black-haired girl beside Shano.

But her dedication and spirit—those he respected.

Still, what a pity.

If only he had trained her personally…

But their agreement was clear. He was only a temporary teacher.

Once Shano arrived, they would part ways.

There was no need to worry about a passing traveler.

At the same time.

On the End—

Shano walked out of the training room, rubbing his sore fists.

"I still don't get Conqueror's Haki infusion."

He sighed.

He had watched Garp's moves carefully during their spar. The old man's technique was a rare opportunity.

But even after two days of focused practice, he still couldn't apply it.

"I guess it's not that easy."

Still, not all was lost.

Garp's precise control of Armament Haki—especially how he compressed it to increase its strength—had inspired Shano a lot.

He'd been practicing nonstop with the Poneglyph as a training target.

Soon, he believed, his Armament Haki would rise to another level.

"Phew…"

He stretched and headed to the deck.

There, Nami was excitedly waving a newspaper. "Hey everyone! Our new bounties are out!"

"You got today's paper?" Shano walked over.

"Look, brother!" Nami's eyes sparkled. "You're the front-page headline! Your bounty hit one billion berries!"

Shano chuckled. "Looks like we pissed off the World Government good."

This bounty was just below top-tier New World figures. For the new generation—he was already number one.

"What about the others?" he asked. "They got raises too, right? And Gin—did the Navy stop blaming him for the flames?"

"I-I haven't read the rest yet…" Nami mumbled. "I was waiting for everyone…"

"We're all here," Nojiko smiled, holding a glutinous rice cake and petting Nuomici, whose white body had turned light yellow with a fluffy tail.

They guessed the desert sun in Alabasta caused it.

Still adorable, though.

"Alright, I'll read—wait!"

Nami threw the paper to Smoker. "You do it. I'll just listen."

Smoker looked confused. "You're always the first to read it…"

"Who cares!" Nami huffed, blushing.

"Whatever." Smoker flipped the pages.

"Kuina—yours jumped a lot. You're the first below Shano to break 200 million."

Kuina silently wiped her sword, unreadable.

"Nojiko, you're at 130 million, titled 'Fist of Winter.'"

Nojiko cheered. "I'm no longer at the bottom!"

"What about me!" Nami finally blurted out.

Smoker continued, "Gin stayed the same. They know the flame power isn't his now… Zeff and I are here… and this last one should be yours. The bounty is…"

Nami held her breath.

"One hundred million berries!"

"How much?!"

"Congrats!" Smoker handed over the poster.

But when everyone saw the photo, they froze.

It showed Nami, yes—but only half her head.

The rest of the image was dominated by…

A white glutinous rice ball with a fluffy tail, sitting on her head, smiling sweetly.

Below it read:

[Flame White Ball · Nuomici — Bounty: 100 Million Berries]