One Piece: Lightning's Heir

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Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

The bells for a high-level meeting rang out.

Once again, the Admirals and Vice Admirals were gathered—a rare sight—joined by the recently returned Sengoku, Garp, and Kuzan from the New World.

The highest echelons of the Marines convened, and the topic of discussion was, once again, Arthur!

"EVERYONE!" Kong crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping across the room. He then lowered his hands and tapped the table, instantly silencing the somewhat rowdy conference room.

"You've all seen the news. Any thoughts??" He tossed the newspaper onto the table.

The pirates were growing stronger, and the birth of a new Pirate King, Roger, would throw the seas into disarray. The public would lose faith in the Marines, sparking widespread panic.

This was a massive headache for the Marines, whose sole mission was to maintain peace...

"Fleet Admiral Kong, if I may... Arthur is a force that can no longer be contained," said Vice Admiral Tsuru, the headquarters' chief of staff, from her seat in the front row.

Arthur's power was undeniable now. Anyone with eyes could see it. He was just like Red the Aloof—a single man the entire Marine force was powerless against.

"That damn brat Arthur is impossible to catch..." Garp chimed in from the second row, picking his nose.

Arthur was becoming a real powerhouse, gradually entering the fray for supremacy in the New World.

The Marines could pay a heavy price and still not succeed in capturing him.

"Could we replicate the strategy from Sabaody Archipelago, using a barrier to trap him??" Sengoku asked in a low voice.

"Highly unlikely. The Sabaody Archipelago is in the first half of the Grand Line, just a stone's throw from Marine Headquarters. That's why we were able to set up an inescapable trap. But the New World... our influence there is limited. Even if we could get in, our movements would be instantly detected by the pirates' endless network of spies,"

Vice Admiral Tsuru said, rubbing her temples.

The territories of the New World were almost entirely controlled by the emperors. The Marines had only a handful of bases there, their forces stretched thin, and any significant action would be immediately noticed.

"So you're saying we just let him run wild and allow the pirates to grow even stronger??" Fleet Admiral Kong asked, his voice laced with anger.

"For now, we have no better option. That's the reality of it."

Every strategy proposed to deal with Arthur was shot down. Capturing him was impossible unless he, like Kaido, fought himself to the point of utter exhaustion with no means to resist.

"I BELIEVE ARTHUR'S BOUNTY NEEDS TO BE UPDATED!" Vice Admiral Tsuru suddenly said.

"Even if no one wants to hunt him for the reward, we must demonstrate the Marines' resolve to capture pirates!"

"I agree!"

"Seconded!"

"Agreed!"

Almost all the Admirals and Vice Admirals raised their hands in support of Tsuru's proposal.

Kong looked at them, nodded faintly, and asked.

"What should the bounty be??"

"1 Billion Berries. That's already one of the highest bounties on the seas right now," Sengoku stated.

The other officers all agreed.

The meeting at Marine Headquarters was adjourned. The news agency printed the new wanted posters, which were then distributed across the seas in record time.

The image was of Arthur in his [Thunder Emperor] form, a torrent of powerful purple lightning erupting from his body, his indifferent, downward-looking eyes rendered with striking detail.

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"Thunder Emperor" Seabury D. Arthur!

Bounty: 1,000,000,000 Berries!

Wanted Dead or Alive for Heinous Crimes!

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Arthur's epithet had changed from "Thunder God" to "Thunder Emperor" with the reveal of his new form, and his bounty had doubled.

In reality, the Marines were just making a statement. No one would dare to hunt him for a reward anymore.

In the forgotten corners of the sea, a nursery rhyme began to spread, sung by children, tarnishing the names of Arthur and Whitebeard.

"The great pirate Whitebeard, the great pirate Arthur, more fearsome than the cruelest demon!"

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The sun hung high in the sky, the weather clear and bright.

"SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!"

A deep purple streak of light shot through the clouds in the sky, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Above Jaya Island in the first half of the Grand Line, Arthur flew at incredible speed towards the depths of the clouds.

He saw the vast, boundless white island clouds—a strange and wonderful sight, completely different from the Blue Sea below, utterly intoxicating.

A smile spread across Arthur's face. After breaking through the 7,000-meter-high White Sea, he flew directly into the 10,000-meter-high White-White Sea.

After more than a year, almost two, he had returned to Skypiea.

Suspended in mid-air, he looked at the seemingly unchanged scenery, his heart filled with joy.

No matter how many times he saw this wondrous landscape, it still felt incredible.

What kind of power could create island clouds and a white sea at an altitude of ten thousand meters?? And most peculiar of all, that life could still thrive here.

"Could it be that a former Devil Fruit user with a cloud ability created this??" Arthur couldn't help but wonder. If this was a natural formation, it was unbelievable.

He thought about it for a moment, then decided it wasn't worth dwelling on.

The world of One Piece was filled with far too many miraculous islands: The Yarukiman Mangroves of the Sabaody Archipelago... the 10,000-meter-deep Fish-Man Island... Raijin Island... countless islands of rare and exotic beasts, and even the cake islands created by the Big Mom Pirates.

There was even the colossal elephant, Zunesha.

It was simply unimaginable.

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Gazing at the cloud houses built by the Skypieans in the distance, and even further, the lush, vegetated Upper Yard, Arthur's figure flickered and vanished, heading towards the temple where he had once lived.

Under his Observation Haki, he confirmed that the guards guarding the temple, the God's Army, and Constance, the first to follow him, were all still there, even after his nearly two-year absence.

With a light chuckle, Arthur's figure suddenly appeared in mid-air and landed in front of the temple.

"CLANG!!"

"Who goes there! How dare you trespass in the temple!"

God's Army instantly spotted the figure that had appeared out of thin air. Bows, arrows, and spears were immediately readied.

Upper Yard, and the Golden Temple were symbols of the Thunder God's authority. Everyone on Skypiea knew that trespassers faced only one fate—death.

"Answer now, or we have the right to execute you on the spot!" The guards were diligent in their duties, their expressions severe.

Arthur nodded in satisfaction. These men hadn't slacked off in his absence.

"WAIT! STAND DOWN!!"

Constance, who was handling Skypiean affairs inside the temple, heard the commotion and came out.

When he saw Arthur, he froze for a moment, then his entire being was overcome with excitement. Though it had been two years, he recognized Arthur instantly.

"It's Thunder God! Stand down!" he shouted, ecstatic, running over quickly.

After so long, Constance's temples were now flecked with gray, and he looked much older.

"Thunder God!" The God's Army was equally thrilled.

Their sole purpose was to uphold the Thunder God's rule and authority on Skypiea. Seeing their long-absent lord again, their hearts naturally surged with emotion.

"Yes, you've all done well." Arthur nodded faintly in praise, then turned his gaze to Constance. "How is the construction of the [Thor] coming along??"

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