The salty breeze of the open sea rustled through the sails of the Going Merry as it sliced through the waters towards Loguetown. The crew was in high spirits, still reveling in their victory against Arlong. The world was opening up before them, and soon they would enter the Grand Line.
However, something new was about to steal their attention.
A News Coo swooped down, dropping off the latest issue of the World Economic Journal along with a small wrapped package. Nami, ever the sharp-eyed navigator, flipped a few Berries to the bird and took the package, unwrapping it curiously. Inside was a freshly printed book with an elegant cover, the title embossed in gold: "The Knight's Requiem."
A Story from Another Time
As the crew gathered around, Nami flipped through the first few pages. Ren leaned against the mast, watching her reaction as her brows furrowed in concentration.
The story followed Oscar, a woman forced to disguise herself as a man to serve in the royal army due to her family's lack of a male heir. Her skills were undeniable—sharp as a blade, swift as the wind, unwavering as stone.
Then, there was the prince. Dashing, reckless, and with a heart too big for his own good. The two fought side by side, bound by duty and something unspoken. A tension that neither dared to name.
The crew's reactions varied as they read on.
"Hah!" Usopp snorted. "This prince guy has no idea he's in love with a woman? What an idiot!"
"Tch, reminds me of you," Zoro muttered, smirking.
"OI!" Usopp protested as Sanji let out a deep exhale, exhaling smoke. "A knight who has to hide her identity, huh? That's rough."
Nami, meanwhile, found herself engrossed, turning page after page, captivated by the story.
The tension between Oscar and the prince crackled like a fire waiting to ignite. A stolen glance during a battle. A fleeting touch as they dressed each other's wounds. The prince, a man who had always known himself, found his heart betraying him. He couldn't understand why he was so drawn to his knight. The realization that he had fallen for another "man" nearly shattered him.
And then, the reveal.
The battlefield raged around them, swords clashing, blood soaking the ground. Oscar had been injured, and as the prince tore open her shirt to tend to her wounds—
The truth unraveled before his eyes.
She was a woman.
Luffy, who had been quietly listening, suddenly burst into laughter. "EH?! THE PRINCE HAD A GAY PANIC?!"
Ren choked on his drink as Sanji cackled. "Serves him right! You fall for a person, not their gender, dumbass!"
Usopp was wheezing. "I swear I've seen something like this before! This is gold!"
Even Zoro let out an amused huff. "Would've paid to see his face when he found out."
But as they turned the page, their laughter died down.
Because then came the war.
The Fall of Love
It was rebellion. A war that the two fought with everything they had.
But fate had other plans.
The prince was not just any prince—he was the illegitimate son of the emperor. The revelation shook the empire, and suddenly, both he and Oscar found themselves on the wrong side of history.
Their love had no place in a world ruled by power and deception. Betrayed by those they once trusted, they fought until their last breath.
In the end, with the empire's forces closing in, they made one final choice. They entrusted their newborn son to a loyal friend, ensuring he would live free of the chains that had bound them.
Then, hand in hand, they faced the army that came to claim their lives.
The book ended with a final line:
"If there is another life, another world... perhaps then, we may be free."
The Going Merry was silent.
Nami's hands trembled as she turned the last page. Her breath hitched. It wasn't fair. They had fought so hard. Loved so deeply. And in the end, the world still took everything from them.
Tears welled up in her eyes before she could stop them.
"Oi, Nami—" Ren reached out instinctively, and before she could push him away, he pulled her into his arms.
She stiffened for a moment, then melted into the warmth, clutching the book to her chest as she cried.
The crew let her be.
Even Luffy, usually so clueless about emotions, gave a small nod, looking away.
Sanji rubbed the back of his neck, exhaling heavily. "Damn story."
Usopp wiped at his eyes. "Who even writes something this tragic?!"
Ren, keeping his expression neutral, just patted Nami's back gently.
"Someone who understands loss," he murmured.
The World Reacts
The impact of The Knight's Requiem was immediate. Across the seas, in cities, villages, and even noble courts, people read and wept.
In a grand hall, Whitebeard sat with the book in his massive hands, his face unreadable as he finished the last page. Marco watched his captain carefully. "Oyaji?"
Whitebeard let out a slow breath. "Love is the greatest freedom... and the cruelest chain."
Meanwhile, in a faraway bar, Red-Haired Shanks put the book down, his usual grin absent. He took a long swig of his drink before sighing. "Damn. That hit hard."
His crew nodded, unusually quiet.
The Celestial Dragons sneered at the novel, dismissing it as "commoner filth," but their unease grew.
Because no one could burn these books. No one could silence the whispers.
And above it all, the world saw the new bounty poster.
[WANTED: The Phantom]
Bounty: 7,000,000,000 Berries (Alive Only)
No name. No face. Just a shadow.
And yet, the whole world had begun to speak his name in hushed whispers.
Something—someone—was shifting the tides of history.
And nothing would ever be the same again.