One Piece: The Strongest Creature

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it is the year 1520 of the Sea Circle Calendar.

Three years have unknowingly passed since the son of the Pirate King, Portgas D. Ace, set sail.

Over these past three years, the pirate world has remained relatively calm.

In that time, only two super rookies emerged from the Four Seas and Paradise, causing a global sensation.

They were Portgas D. Ace, whose bounty rose from 75 million berries initially to 250 million and then skyrocketed to 850 million berries.

And Cavendish, known as the "Gorgeous Supernova," made his debut in the same year as Ace in Sea Circle Calendar 1518 with a bounty of 280 million berries.

These two figures, both making waves in 1518, were dubbed the "New Generation Twin Stars" by Morgans.

But this twin star didn't last long.

To understand why, we have to examine why Ace's bounty leapt from 250 million berries to 850 million berries.

The story takes us back to Sea Circle Calendar 1519.

Not long after Cavendish surpassed Ace with his 280 million berry bounty, Ace, who had undergone two years of training under Rayleigh at Sabaody Archipelago, led his "Spade Pirates" back into the New World.

As soon as he re-entered the New World, Ace made quite a stir, reminding everyone of this rising star who had already mastered Conqueror's Haki before even entering the New World, just like Kaido, the "World's Strongest Creature."

Despite being a fresh face in the New World, Ace's first opponent was none other than one of the "Sweet Commanders" of the Big Mom Pirates, Charlotte Snack, who had a bounty of 600 million berries.

For most, having one of the Five Emperors' top commanders as their first opponent would be seen as incredibly unfortunate.

However, Portgas D. Ace won the battle.

Charlotte Snack, the twenty-fifth son of Big Mom, a battle-hardened commander with a 600 million berry bounty, was defeated by Ace, instantly spreading Ace's name across the New World.

As they were defeated, Charlotte Snack was demoted by Big Mom, and the infamous "Three Sweet Commanders" came into existence three years earlier than expected.

But this isn't the reason why Ace's bounty jumped from 250 million to 850 million berries.

What truly shook the world was what happened next—Big Mom sent her finest, Charlotte Katakuri, to hunt down the newcomer who had humiliated the Charlotte family.

The fact that Big Mom sent her "perfect creation" to take down Ace showed just how enraged she was.

In the New World, very few could survive an encounter with an Emperor's right hand.

But the final result stunned everyone.

Ace didn't just escape from Charlotte Katakuri.

He fought him to a draw.

A 19-year-old pirate rookie, having only been in the New World for a short time, managed to go toe-to-toe with Charlotte Katakuri of the Big Mom Pirates—one of the Five Emperors. At 45 years old, with a bounty of 1.057 billion berries, Katakuri is an incredibly formidable foe. For Ace, this was an unimaginable accomplishment.

Such a feat could only be compared to the likes of Kaido, who fought a Marine Admiral and destroyed an island in the Sabaody Archipelago before reaching adulthood.

It was during this battle that Ace revealed just how much he had grown over the past two years.

In his fight against Charlotte Katakuri, Ace demonstrated advanced Observation Haki, utilizing future sight.

The duel, with both fighters predicting the future, became the key reason why Ace and Katakuri ended in a draw.

However, in truth, Katakuri held the upper hand.

Because Katakuri did not unleash his Devil Fruit's awakening powers, the tie wasn't due to both collapsing from exhaustion. Instead, Ace strategically withdrew, taking his Spade Pirates with him.

But to those witnessing the fight, it appeared as though Ace and Katakuri were equals.

At just 19 years old, Ace's mastery of Conqueror's Haki and future sight Haki caused his bounty to surge by an additional 600 million berries, bringing it to a staggering 850 million berries.

The potential shown by this young member of the D. family sent shockwaves through both the Marines and the World Government, who now viewed Ace as a massive threat.

Even though the Spade Pirates were not particularly powerful as a crew, Ace's bounty made him one of the most prominent pirates in the New World.

Perhaps it was Rayleigh's training, and the experience of seeing the world's pinnacle of strength, that tempered Ace's arrogance. After being undefeated from East Blue to the Grand Line, this growth and humility played a role in his skyrocketing bounty, but rather than seeking out the strongest like Whitebeard, Ace chose to lead his crew on a New World adventure.

He didn't pursue domination or power, instead focusing on exploration.

Of course, on his journey, Ace faced the same challenge all pirates must—the difficulty of finding a way to reach the Final Island, Raftel.

Unable to find a path to Raftel, Ace, like Shanks before him, began recruiting new crew members whom he respected. Along the way, Ace left his mark on various islands throughout the New World.

Naturally, to recruit his crew or when running into troublesome situations, Ace had to fight, and with his future sight, Haki, few pirates in the New World were able to match him.

Ace soon solidified his reputation as a great pirate.

During this period, he visited Shanks, who had once guided his younger brother Luffy, as well as the world's most famous entertainment city, Gran Tesoro. Ace also eventually met Whitebeard—the man known as the strongest in the world, who was both his father's rival and his own potential foe.

However, unlike his brash younger self, Ace, having been tempered by Rayleigh's teachings, did not challenge either Shanks or Whitebeard. Nor did he cause chaos in Gran Tesoro as he had once done in East Blue.

Ultimately, Ace chose not to join the Whitebeard Pirates but instead cemented himself as a prominent pirate in his own right within the New World.

During one of his adventures, Ace and his Spade Pirates found themselves accidentally caught in a kingdom's revolutionary conflict. It was here that Ace encountered someone who would make him reconsider everything.

These were the key events that Kaido took note of during the two years from Sea Circle Calendar 1517 to 1519.

Unlike his original impulsive and cocky self, Ace became more mature and grounded thanks to Rayleigh's training. Additionally, Ace reunited with Sabo, further confirming that the storyline ahead would take an unexpected turn.

When the calendar finally hit May 6th of Sea Circle Calendar 1520, the "Son of Destiny," having made a pact with his sworn brothers to set sail at 17, officially began his journey.

As liberation fighters took to the seas, the long-silenced horn of freedom, dormant for 800 years, began to sound.

The gears of this new age had begun to turn!

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