One Piece: Starting at the War of the Best

"Shut up! I know a lot of you want to become the Pirate King, but let me tell you—

In the end, I'm the one who's going to be Pirate King!"

A sudden shout broke the noise, the voice still sounding somewhat youthful, yet filled with a firm conviction—an unshakable will from the deepest part of his heart.

The air went still. Birds in the distant sky stopped chirping, the waves near the ship stilled completely.

The entire Moby Dick was enveloped in silence. Even the drunk and dozing pirates who were hiccupping in their sleep all fell silent at the same time.

"Luffy! What are you shouting about? Sit down!"

Ace, sitting next to Luffy, nearly jumped out of his skin. He quickly tried to pull the drunken boy back to his seat.

"Ace, don't stop me! I need to tell them all—

I may not be strong enough now, but someday I'll surpass every single one of them and become the freest man on the seas—the Pirate King!"

Drunk as he was, Luffy ignored Ace's attempts to stop him and loudly declared his dream, leaving Ace flustered and helpless.

Everyone in the world wants to become Pirate King—and even at just this banquet table, there were several who had the strength to fight for it. What Luffy said could seriously offend some very powerful people!

"…If I'm not mistaken, isn't he Garp's grandson?"

After a long silence, it was Ryder who finally spoke up, staring at the drunken boy now making a scene.

"What? Don't tell me you're still holding a grudge against Garp for locking you up in Impel Down?" Whitebeard chuckled, clearly aware of the old history between Ryder and Garp.

Back then, Ryder had stormed Marine HQ solo just to prove himself, and challenged the Fleet Admiral at the time—Kong.

That legendary battle had drawn immense attention, and Ryder only lost by a single move. But after such prolonged fighting, he was drained, and Garp easily captured and threw him into Impel Down—where he remained imprisoned for decades, only recently freed thanks to Katie. A little resentment was only natural.

"You underestimate me. My grudge with Garp is between us two. I wouldn't hold it against a brat who hasn't even grown chest hair yet."

"…But still, I'm curious. What kind of karma did Garp rack up?

His son and grandson not only didn't become Marines, they're now enemies of the Marines! Hahahahaha!"

Even Ryder couldn't help but laugh—it was more satisfying than defeating Garp himself.

Meanwhile, Luffy was still rambling drunkenly.

"Damn it… Just because I'm not strong enough yet, not strong enough for Shanks to acknowledge me…

I don't even have the right to meet him! I miss him so much…"

This made everyone freeze. None of them had expected that Ace's little brother would have this kind of background.

Grandson of Marine Hero Vice Admiral Garp, linked to Red-Haired Shanks of the Four Emperors, brother to Ace, and son of the revolutionary Dragon.

Seriously—when you add it up, this kid is connected to all the most powerful factions in the world. No wonder he punched a Celestial Dragon and the Marine Admiral Kizaru had to be deployed, yet he was still alive and kicking.

But what caught Katie's attention wasn't Luffy's background—she already knew all that.

What surprised her was Luffy's resolve.

Back when they were at Marineford, Katie had been so focused on Shanks that she hadn't noticed Luffy wasn't there. Only now did she realize—Luffy had hidden himself because he felt he wasn't strong enough to face Shanks.

Putting himself in Luffy's shoes, Katie wasn't sure she could've done the same.

It was clearer than ever now:

Luffy's rise to become the Fifth Emperor wasn't just because of plot armor—it was because of his own effort and unshakable spirit.

"I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!"

With that final shout, Luffy collapsed into a deep sleep.

Yet, none of the powerful people around him were angry. In fact, they looked at him with admiration.

In the first half of the Grand Line, saying something like that would only draw laughter and ridicule.

But in the New World, if you didn't have the conviction to become Pirate King—you wouldn't survive at all.

Just as Barrett had said:

This sea is a battlefield. To survive, you need strength. Without it, you don't even have the right to die. The law of the New World is absolute: survival of the fittest.

Mercy is worthless here.

Not long after, the banquet came to an end.

Though they'd won a great victory, it wasn't time to let their guard down.

The Navy could launch a surprise attack at any time.

And not just the Navy—rival pirates too. Enough battle-ready warriors had to stay awake and alert.

Katie, tipsy and wandering without aim, was suddenly interrupted by the familiar voice of the system in her mind:

"System update complete. Commencing explanation of changes."

"First: When copying abilities, the user is no longer restricted to Grandmaster-level skills. Skills copied can now exceed this level, with the cost in Exchange Points determined by the skill's rank."

"Second: The price of Senzu Beans has been adjusted. Previously 500,000 Exchange Points each; now they cost 10 million Exchange Points."

The system's calm tone nearly made Katie explode in rage.

"System… Do you have a sister? If so, send her my regards!"

Katie was furious as she read the update details.

The first change was… fine. It was useful—now she didn't have to spend more points upgrading skills after copying them.

But the second change? Ridiculous!

A 20x price increase for Senzu Beans?! From 500k to 10 million?

This was straight-up targeting her!

"I'm sorry. I don't have a sister. Please understand—this adjustment is required by the system's rules.

Otherwise, I could simply make you the strongest person in the One Piece world in one second."

"This world will always be fair. The reason you can gain strength through me is because I gain something from you completing my tasks.

Otherwise, do you really think I'd just give you power?"

"The Senzu Bean price hike is because your strength has increased too quickly. Without regulation, it would violate the rules."