One Piece: Legacy of the Pirate King

Chapter 21

One Piece: Legacy of the Pirate King

A storm unlike any before surged over the Grand Line—unnatural, violent, and oddly… silent.

Lightning forked between clouds shaped like skulls.

And in the center of that chaos, the Thousand Sunny sailed toward the most elusive island in the world.

Laugh Tale.

But what lay ahead was no longer the same island Gol D. Roger once wept upon.

It had changed.

Evolved.

And something ancient now waited.

Cymos stood at the bow, eyes locked on the compass.

"The Sixth Pillar is here. But it's no longer stable. Time itself has collapsed inward—folded so many times that Laugh Tale exists in dozens of versions of itself, all overlapping."

Robin placed her hand over an old page of Roger's journal.

"He said it once felt like the island was laughing with them."

Zoro muttered, "Doesn't sound like it's in a laughing mood now."

Sanji narrowed his eyes.

"And we're not alone."

From the mist rose dozens of ships—ancient, ghostly, some bearing flags from hundreds of years past.

Pirates lost to time.

Each one pulled into this pocket storm.

And in the center, standing on the island shore…

Shanks.

The Sunny docked quietly.

Luffy stepped off first, no hesitation in his stride.

"Shanks."

The red-haired Emperor smiled, one hand on Gryphon's hilt.

"You made it, kid."

Luffy's expression was unreadable.

"You died years ago."

"I did." Shanks nodded. "But this place remembers people stronger than death. Joy Boy… Roger… even the old me. That's why I stayed. Because someone needs to guide you through this."

He pointed behind him.

To the ruins of the old Laugh Tale temple.

Where the Sixth Time Pillar pulsed, splintered into seven shards, each buried in a different timeline.

And beneath it all…

The Will of D.

Shanks led them through the ruins.

Statues of giants, Lunarians, and ancient sea kings towered beside broken walls. Glyphs glowed faintly—some in a language even Robin didn't recognize.

"Laugh Tale wasn't just an island," Shanks said. "It was a vault. A last laugh. A place where the truth of the world was hidden in the only thing the Celestial Dragons couldn't understand—joy."

Robin traced her hand along one glyph.

"This predates even Void Century script."

Shanks nodded.

"They called it the Voice of Dawn. The original language of D."

Then came a roar that split the air.

From the ruined temple, a crack widened—and time spilled out.

A timeline beast emerged.

Not a creature of flesh—but of moments.

Its body was made of memories, its eyes of forgotten dreams. Every time it moved, parts of the crew flickered between ages.

Zoro's hair turned white for a second. Chopper's voice deepened.

And Lian—

He vanished entirely.

Inside the Time Abyss, Lian floated between timelines.

He saw dozens of versions of himself.

A marine, branded a traitor.A pirate emperor, feared across the seas.A boy who never left Amazon Lily, still afraid of thunder.A child… raised by Imu.

One by one, the Echo Child appeared beside each version.

"Do you see now? Every future without him—your father—ends in pain. Joy Boy failed. Luffy will too. And so will you."

Lian closed his eyes.

"No."

He summoned their memories—the good ones.

And called out.

"I'm not afraid of my future anymore. I choose who I become."

A light erupted from his chest.

A shard of the Sixth Pillar.

He grasped it.

And returned to the real world.

Outside, the Straw Hats battled the timeline beast.

Robin summoned memories of the original scholars.

Zoro sliced through seconds with each blade.

Sanji fought alongside an echo of Zeff.

And Luffy—

He unleashed Gear Fifth: Dawn Rhythm, dancing between moments, twisting fate with every rubbery grin.

The beast roared.

And was finally destroyed by father and son—Luffy and Lian—combining their Haki into one strike that split time itself.

The Six Shards of the Pillar floated upward… and reformed.

The Sixth Pillar stabilized.

After the battle, Lian walked to the inner chamber.

Inside, on a pedestal, was a scroll sealed in golden chains.

Robin read the glyphs carved into the floor.

"This scroll contains the final prophecy of Joy Boy.

It may only be opened… by one who has worn the hat, died once, and smiled anyway."

Luffy stepped forward.

He touched the scroll.

It unraveled.

And revealed only one line.

"The Will of D… is the will to dream, no matter the death."

Suddenly, the sky above Laugh Tale cracked.

And the sea turned black.

Ships disintegrated in the distance.

Cymos gasped, grabbing the compass.

"The final Pillar is collapsing!"

Robin looked up.

"Where?"

And from the clouds descended a floating island unlike any other.

Massive, made of bones and crystal.

The End Realm.

The sky wept fire.

And at the highest spire of the island stood…

The Echo Child.

Eyes closed.

Arms raised.

And floating beside him, merged with time itself—

Imu.

End of Chapter 21

Next Chapter Preview:

The Final Time Pillar lies in the End Realm—where time, truth, and destiny collapse. The Straw Hats must ascend the Seven Trials, each one stripping away memory, identity, and will. And in the final chamber, Luffy will meet a version of himself that never smiled.