One Piece : Rise of Thunder King

You can read the advance chapters here : patreon.com/Vigilante04

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On Rusukaina Island, Arthur sat on a throne, lost in thought.

A week ago, Luffy and his crew attacked the Celestial Dragons on Sabaody Archipelago, which caused Admiral Kizaru to intervene.

When Kizaru was held back by Silvers Rayleigh and Portgas D. Ace, the Straw Hat crew faced the Pacifista units led by Sentomaru and the Science Team.

In the end, Arthur secretly stepped in to help.

As a war machine, the Pacifista (PX series) robots were no match for Arthur. By controlling electromagnetic waves, he disabled them instantly. To outsiders, it looked like a technical failure, but Arthur knew it was his doing.

Arthur chose to help Luffy because he believed Luffy, as one of the new generation's most promising pirates, was destined to reach Laugh Tale and become the Pirate King.

Arthur's interference wouldn't change the outcome of Luffy's journey. In fact, Luffy's knack for causing chaos made him a useful piece on Arthur's chessboard.

After ensuring Luffy and his crew escaped safely, Arthur returned quietly to Ruskaina Island to continue his training.

Now, Arthur needed to plan his next move.

He had already obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit (Yami Yami no Mi), a power Blackbeard desperately desired. In the original timeline, Blackbeard left Whitebeard's crew as soon as he acquired the Dark-Dark Fruit, beginning his cunning schemes.

His plans led to several notorious prisoners escaping Impel Down, the death of Whitebeard at Marineford, and the start of a chaotic new era.

But now, without the Dark-Dark Fruit, Blackbeard remained on Whitebeard's ship, uncertain when—or if—he would leave. If the Marineford War never happens, Whitebeard's aging body might allow him to live for several more years.

Arthur, however, wasn't willing to wait that long. For his plans to succeed, the world needed chaos. Only in troubled waters could he "fish" for opportunities.

"I'll have to think carefully about my next steps," Arthur murmured as his eyes rested on three massive rock mountains nearby.

Once he completed his training on these mountains, his Armament Haki would reach the level of the strongest fighters in the world. His mastery over Haki was already approaching perfection, and he could feel it evolving further.

While Arthur focused on his training and future plans, the outside world was in uproar.

The attack on the Celestial Dragons, nobles descended from the world's creators, was a shocking event that spread like wildfire.

Before this, most people barely knew who Luffy was. To them, "Straw Hat Luffy" was just a rookie pirate whose bounty had increased a few times.

But now, the world's eyes were beginning to turn toward Luffy and his crew.

This time, Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates caused a huge stir across the world.

Not only were the bounties of Luffy and the main members highlighted, but even the crew members who didn't participate in the attack on the Celestial Dragons saw their names mentioned briefly.

Meanwhile, in the New World, instead of being worried, the Straw Hat Pirates were happily drinking and celebrating with a banquet.

For this rowdy and carefree crew, attacking the Celestial Dragons wasn't something they took seriously. The only thing they talked about was how much their bounties had increased.

"Really, my stupid little brother must have caused you all a lot of trouble, right? As his older brother, I can't thank you enough for putting up with him," Ace said with a warm smile, looking sincerely at Luffy's friends.

Luffy's crewmates, however, looked stunned.

"It's hard to believe that Luffy has such a polite older brother," someone muttered.

Everyone glanced at Luffy, who was busy joking around, and then at Ace, who was calm and smiling. It was hard to imagine these two were brothers.

"What? I didn't cause any trouble! I'm the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates!" Luffy declared proudly, adjusting his straw hat.

The joyful banquet went on for hours, with laughter and cheers filling the air. None of the Straw Hat Pirates seemed to realize they had entered a world completely unlike the one they had known before.

The New World was a place dominated by the strong, where powerful warriors with mastery over Armament Haki roamed freely.

The next day, after the celebration was over, the Straw Hat crew sat together in a quieter atmosphere.

Ace sighed as he looked at his stubborn brother. "Luffy, you need to understand. This isn't the first half of the Grand Line anymore, where they call it 'Paradise.' This is the New World—a paradise only for the strong."

Ace's tone grew serious as he continued, "The New World and Paradise are like two completely different worlds. With the strength your crew has now, it's going to be hard to survive here."

Ace's warning was clear, but Luffy was as determined as ever. He refused to consider joining Whitebeard's pirate crew.

"My adventure is something for us to experience together! I don't need to depend on anyone! Besides, I'm going to be the Pirate King! I'm a rival to that Whitebeard guy!" Luffy shouted boldly.

Hearing this, Ace couldn't help but laugh. He knew just how powerful Whitebeard was, but he also remembered being just as reckless and naive when he was younger.

Realizing he couldn't convince Luffy, Ace felt a headache coming on.

At this point, Luffy's strength was still far too low for the New World. This made Ace worry, especially since Luffy was a magnet for trouble and curious about everything.

Even though Luffy was stronger now than he had been in the original timeline, he was still weak by New World standards.

Every strong fighter needs time to grow, and Luffy clearly hadn't had enough time yet. In the original story, Luffy spent two years training on Ruskaina Island while the other Supernovas headed to the New World.

But what happened to them? Most of those rookie pirate crews either submitted to one of the Four Emperors or ended up hiding in fear.

Even when Luffy reached the New World two years later, his starting point wasn't behind the others—if anything, it was slightly ahead.

Ace also knew his own situation had been different. As a Logia Devil Fruit user, he could often escape battles against Haki users, even if he couldn't win. Luffy, however, was a Paramecia user, and against skilled Haki users, running away wouldn't be so easy.

For a while, the two brothers found themselves at an impasse.

Luffy's crewmates, meanwhile, sat in silence, deep in thought. They were waiting for their captain to make the final decision.

Apart from Usopp, most of the crew shared Luffy's mindset—they wanted to sail freely and didn't want to depend on anyone.

Even though Luffy's crew shared his adventurous spirit, they weren't as reckless as him.

After the battle—no, the escape—on Sabaody Archipelago, they had come to realize just how weak they were in a world filled with powerful fighters.

"Luffy!" Ace's face turned serious as he spoke again. He was determined to convince his stubborn younger brother.

Looking apologetically at Luffy's crew, Ace continued, "In the New World, you and your crew are just too weak right now. I don't mean to insult anyone, but if you charge into the New World with your current strength, you'll all be wiped out!"

"Think about it! If you run into someone far stronger than you, do you want to stand there and watch your friends die one by one?"

"You don't understand because you haven't faced a truly powerful enemy yet. You barely survived on Sabaody, and even then, Admiral Kizaru was holding back because of where you were. If he had gone all out, the aftermath alone would have destroyed your entire crew!"

"In the New World, there may not be many at his level, but even those a step below can easily crush your pirate crew!"

Hearing this, Luffy paused to think.

The events on Sabaody had indeed shaken him to his core. He loved the freedom of sailing, but he couldn't bear the thought of losing his friends along the way.

But what could he do? Should he really rely on Ace's father, Whitebeard?

No! That was absolutely out of the question!

Still, if he didn't accept Whitebeard's help, what other choice did he have?

For a moment, Luffy hesitated, unsure of what to do.

Noticing this, Ace's eyes lit up as an idea came to him.

"Luffy, I've got a plan!" Ace said confidently, sure that his idea would win Luffy over. "You don't have to join my father's crew, but I can ask him to let you train in Whitebeard's territory! My brothers and I can help teach you and your crew to get stronger!"

"This way, you'll improve your strength, and since you're my little brother, everyone will take good care of you!"

"What do you think? Isn't this a good solution?" Ace asked, grinning as he waited for Luffy's response.

Luffy frowned, deep in thought. His serious thinking face still made him look like an idiot. "Hmmmm... Well... Ennnnnn..."

Then, as if on cue, Luffy suddenly shouted, "I'm starving! Sanji, let's eat! I'm gonna die if I don't get food soon!"

Ace and the rest of the crew were left speechless.

"Ah, right," Luffy said, turning to Ace, "I think your idea's fine, but first, I've got to get my ship back!"

Ace's face lit up with relief. Finally, he'd managed to get through to his reckless brother. "Your ship? Alright, I'll find someone to bring it to the New World for you."

"Oh, that works!" Luffy said, nodding while casually picking his nose.

Back on Sabaody, in the rush to escape, they'd stolen a coated pirate ship, leaving the Thousand Sunny behind at Rayleigh's dock.

With that sorted out, the crew relaxed. Smiling, they each went off to do their own thing.

From this moment on, the story had truly diverged from the original timeline, heading into uncharted territory.

Arthur, watching from afar, had no idea what the future would bring.

But one thing was certain—he was about to make his move. From now on, Arthur would step into the role of one of the hidden players shaping the world from behind the scenes.