The bounty poster was everywhere.
In every village, every town, every city across the Elemental Nations, the same face stared out from walls and bulletin boards and the hands of bounty hunters.
A magnificent mustache. A confident grin. Eyes that seemed to laugh at the very concept of authority.
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
"PIRATE KING" GOL D. ROGER
BOUNTY: 5,000,000,000 RYO
CRIMES: Inciting mass rebellion, destabilizing the shinobi system, theft of multiple vessels, corruption of jinchuuriki, crimes against all five great nations, and "being an unprecedented threat to world order."
Roger held a copy of the poster, examining it with genuine delight.
"They got my good side!" he announced to the crew. "Look at this! I look MAGNIFICENT!"
Hiro peered over his shoulder.
"That's... that's more money than most countries have, Roger-sama."
"I know! Isn't it GREAT?!"
"You're excited about having the largest bounty in recorded history?"
"Of course! It means they're taking me seriously!" Roger framed the poster with his hands like he was imagining where to hang it. "We should put this in the captain's quarters. Maybe get it framed."
Sora shook her head slowly.
"Every hunter-nin, bounty hunter, and ambitious ninja in the world is going to be coming for your head."
"Good! That means more potential crew members!"
"That's... that's not how that works."
"It is now!"
Roger tucked the poster into his coat and strode to the bow of the Oro Jackson, looking out at the Grand Line's impossible horizon.
Behind them, the normal world grew smaller with each passing day. Ahead, the legendary sea stretched endlessly, filled with wonders and terrors that most people could only imagine.
And somewhere in that vast expanse, an army was gathering.
Both to find him... and to JOIN him.
The Pure Land - Where Souls Find Peace
Hagoromo Otsutsuki—the Sage of Six Paths, the father of chakra, the closest thing to a god this world had ever known—was laughing.
This was unusual.
The Sage had been watching the mortal realm for centuries, and while he had seen many things that pleased him, genuine LAUGHTER was rare. The world he had left behind was too often filled with pain, conflict, and the endless cycle of hatred he had tried so hard to break.
But this... this was HILARIOUS.
"What amuses you so, Father?" Ashura asked, his spiritual form flickering beside the Sage.
"EVERYTHING," Hagoromo managed between chuckles. "Look! LOOK at what is happening!"
He gestured, and an image of the mortal world appeared before them.
Ships were sailing where ships had never sailed before. Pirates—PIRATES!—were forming crews and seeking adventure. The rigid hierarchy of the shinobi system was crumbling as people chose freedom over duty.
And at the center of it all, a man with a magnificent mustache was laughing just as hard as the Sage himself.
"Who IS that?" Indra asked, his spiritual form appearing on the Sage's other side. Unlike his brother, he seemed less amused and more... intrigued.
"That," Hagoromo said, wiping tears from his ethereal eyes, "is the most interesting thing to happen in a thousand years."
"He has no chakra," Indra observed. "No bloodline. No special techniques. How is he causing such chaos?"
"He has something better." The Sage's smile softened. "He has JOY."
"Joy?"
"The will of Nika. The spirit of liberation. Something that existed before chakra, before the Ten-Tails, before anything that you or I created." Hagoromo's eyes grew distant. "I met Nika once, you know. Long ago, when I was still mortal. He was... magnificent. Impossible. Completely, utterly FREE in a way that I could never be."
"What happened to him?"
"He was sealed away. By those who feared what freedom meant. By those who preferred control to joy." The Sage shook his head. "I tried to continue his work in my own way—teaching ninshu, spreading peace, hoping that humanity would eventually learn to understand one another. But I was too serious. Too focused on SOLVING problems rather than simply BEING happy."
He gestured at the image of Roger again.
"This man is different. He doesn't want to fix the world. He wants to ENJOY it. And somehow, that simple desire is accomplishing more than all my careful planning ever did."
Ashura studied the image thoughtfully.
"The jinchuuriki are leaving their villages. The beasts within them are... changing."
"They feel Nika awakening," Hagoromo confirmed. "My children—the Tailed Beasts—they remember him too. He was the only being who ever treated them as friends rather than weapons. And now that memory is stirring."
"Is that dangerous?" Indra asked.
"Dangerous? Perhaps. But also wonderful." The Sage smiled. "The beasts have been trapped and feared for too long. Perhaps it is time for them to be freed. Perhaps it is time for EVERYONE to be freed."
He settled back, content to watch the chaos unfold.
"Yes," Hagoromo said softly. "This is going to be VERY entertaining."
The Grand Line - Deeper Waters
The Oro Jackson sailed through seas that defied physics.
In the past week alone, they had navigated waters that ran uphill, passed through a storm made entirely of lightning (no rain, just lightning), and narrowly avoided being eaten by a Sea King the size of a small island.
Roger had laughed through all of it.
"ANOTHER ONE!" he shouted as a massive wave rose before them—a wave that seemed to have TEETH. "BEAUTIFUL!"
"THAT'S NOT BEAUTIFUL!" Hiro screamed. "THAT'S TERRIFYING!"
"SAME THING!"
Roger drew Ace, the blade coating itself in black Haki. He could feel Nika's power surging through him, amplifying his strength, making the impossible feel easy.
"DIVINE DEPARTURE!"
The crescent of cutting energy shot from his blade, slicing through the wave—and the creature hiding within it—like paper. The sea parted, the monster fell, and the Oro Jackson sailed through unscathed.
"See?" Roger said, resheathing Ace. "Nothing to worry about."
Hiro collapsed on the deck, gasping for breath.
"I'm going to die," he wheezed. "I'm going to die on this ship with a crazy man who thinks SEA MONSTERS are fun."
"You love it."
"I HATE it."
"You love it AND you hate it. That's what adventure IS."
Hiro couldn't really argue with that.
That night, the crew gathered on deck for their daily meeting.
They had grown since the early days. What had started as a handful of dreamers on a stolen fishing boat was now a proper pirate crew, with specialists in navigation, combat, cooking, and—thanks to Nami—underwater operations.
But Roger knew they were just getting started.
"Alright, everyone," he said, standing before them with his captain's coat billowing dramatically (there was always a convenient wind for dramatic billowing, he had noticed). "Let's talk about what's coming."
"The hunter-nin?" Kai asked.
"Among other things." Roger grinned. "By now, word has spread about our location. Every bounty hunter with delusions of grandeur is probably heading this way. But more importantly—so are the people we actually WANT to find us."
"The defectors," Sora said.
"Exactly. Jinchuuriki. Former ninja. Anyone who heard the call and decided to answer." Roger's grin softened into something almost gentle. "These are people who gave up everything—their homes, their identities, their safety—because they believed in what we're doing. We need to be ready to welcome them."
"And if hunter-nin find us first?" Hiro asked.
"Then we give them a choice." Roger's eyes hardened slightly. "Join us or fall. There's no middle ground anymore. We're not just pirates—we're a MOVEMENT. Anyone who comes to us with genuine conviction is welcome. Anyone who comes to stop us..."
He touched Ace's handle.
"Well. Ace is always hungry."
The sword pulsed warmly, as if in agreement.
"So here's the plan," Roger continued. "We sail deeper into the Grand Line, toward where the truly impossible things are. We gather everyone who's coming to find us. And we prepare for the battle that's definitely coming."
"Battle?" Nami asked. "With who?"
"Everyone." Roger's grin returned full force. "The five great nations have united against us. They're putting aside centuries of conflict to focus on one target—me. US. They think that if they can crush the pirate movement, things will go back to normal."
"Will they?"
"No. The cat's out of the bag. The dream is loose. Even if they kill me, they can't kill the IDEA." Roger laughed. "But I don't plan on dying. Not yet. Not until I've seen the end of the Grand Line and found whatever's waiting there."
"One Piece," Hiro said quietly.
"One Piece," Roger agreed. "The greatest treasure in the world. The thing that makes all of this—the danger, the chaos, the insanity—worth it."
He raised his fist to the sky.
"WE'RE GOING TO FIND IT! AND NOTHING—NOT THE KAGE, NOT THE HUNTER-NIN, NOT THE SEA ITSELF—IS GOING TO STOP US!"
"AYE, CAPTAIN!"
The crew's response echoed across the water, carrying with it the weight of dreams and the promise of adventure.
Roger smiled.
This was what he had been born for.
Well, reborn. But the point stood.
Elsewhere in the Grand Line - New Crews Rising
The Oro Jackson was not the only ship sailing the impossible sea.
In the weeks since the Great Exodus began, dozens of new pirate crews had formed. Some were large, with hundreds of members and multiple ships. Others were small, just a handful of dreamers on a stolen boat.
But all of them shared one thing: the will to be free.
The Mist Demon Pirates
Zabuza Momochi stood at the helm of his ship, a stolen Kiri warship that he had renamed "Kubikiribocho" after his beloved blade.
His crew was an odd collection. Former Mist ninja who had grown tired of the Bloody Mist's cruelty. Civilians who had lost everything to the village's policies. And, of course, Haku—his most loyal companion.
"Zabuza-sama," Haku said, joining him at the helm. "The scouts report hunter-nin approaching from the east."
"How many?"
"Twelve. All jonin level."
Zabuza grinned beneath his bandages.
"Perfect. I've been getting bored."
The Jinchuuriki Alliance
Somewhere in the Grand Line, three ships sailed in formation.
The first carried Gaara and his siblings, the sand-wielding terror of Suna now strangely calm, almost at peace.
The second carried Killer Bee, who was currently rapping about the "epic coolness of pirate crews" while Gyuki sighed internally.
The third carried Han and Roshi, the former Iwa jinchuuriki who had discovered that they actually quite liked each other when they weren't being forced to serve as weapons.
"JINCHUURIKI ALLIANCE, YO!" Bee shouted across the water. "Together we're strong, can't go wrong!"
"Please stop rapping," Gaara replied flatly.
"NEVER! Rapping is my soul, makes me whole!"
Shukaku, within Gaara, made a sound that might have been a groan or might have been a laugh.
"Kill me," the One-Tail muttered. "Just kill me now."
The Shark Pirates
Kisame Hoshigaki had always felt more at home in the water than on land.
Now, sailing through the Grand Line on a ship he had built with his own hands, he finally understood why.
"This is LIVING," he declared, Samehada strapped to his back, grinning his shark-toothed grin at the endless sea. "No more lies, no more missions, no more pretending to be something I'm not!"
His crew—a mix of Kiri defectors and fishmen they had encountered along the way—cheered in agreement.
"Captain Kisame!" one of them called. "We've spotted another crew ahead!"
Kisame squinted at the horizon.
A ship was approaching. Flying a black flag with a symbol he didn't recognize—a skull wearing a straw hat.
"New friends or new enemies?" he mused.
"Only one way to find out!"
The New Dawn Pirates
Kakuzu had never considered himself a dreamer.
He had lived for centuries, sustained by stolen hearts and an obsession with money. He had killed more people than he could count, sold his services to the highest bidder, and never once considered that there might be more to existence than accumulating wealth.
Then he had felt the call.
The warmth. The joy. The sense that maybe—just MAYBE—there were treasures worth more than gold.
Now he sailed his own ship, crewed by other immortals and those who had nowhere else to go. His bounty hunting days were over.
He was searching for something new.
"One Piece," he murmured, looking at the horizon. "I wonder what it actually is."
For the first time in centuries, he was genuinely curious.
The Oro Jackson - Roger's Watch
Roger stood at the bow, Ace drawn and resting on his shoulder.
Through his awakened Observation Haki—enhanced by Nika's power—he could sense them all. Every ship. Every crew. Every dreamer sailing toward the same impossible destination.
"They're coming," he said softly.
Dozens of them, Ace confirmed. More than I ever expected. You have truly started something remarkable.
"WE started something remarkable," Roger corrected. "You, me, Nika, the sea itself. This isn't a one-man show."
Perhaps. But you are the catalyst. The spark that lit the fire.
Roger was quiet for a moment.
"In my old world," he said, "I was nobody. A guy who watched anime and worked a dead-end job. I never did anything important. Never changed anything. Never mattered."
And now?
"Now I'm the most wanted criminal in the world. I have a legendary ship, a loyal crew, and an ancient god sharing my soul." Roger laughed softly. "It's insane. All of it. I keep expecting to wake up and find out it was all a dream."
Would you want to wake up?
"No." Roger's answer was immediate. "Not for anything. This is the life I always wanted. The life I was too afraid to chase in my old world."
Then embrace it. Stop questioning whether you deserve this and simply LIVE it.
Roger nodded slowly.
"You're right. You're absolutely right."
He raised Ace to the sky.
"I AM GOL D. ROGER! THE PIRATE KING! AND I REGRET NOTHING!"
The sea roared in response, waves cresting in what almost looked like applause.
Somewhere deep below, Sea Kings sang songs of joy.
And the universe, as always, laughed along with him.
The Allied Nations Fleet - En Route to the Grand Line
The five great nations had never truly cooperated before.
There had been alliances, certainly. Temporary truces. Marriages of convenience. But never a genuine, unified effort toward a common goal.
Until now.
The fleet was massive. Hundreds of ships from all five nations, carrying thousands of ninja. Kage-level combatants. ANBU death squads. The most powerful military force ever assembled in the history of the Elemental Nations.
All aimed at one man.
"This is overkill," Mei Terumi said, standing on the deck of the Kiri flagship. She had been appointed as acting Mizukage after Yagura's increasingly erratic behavior had become impossible to ignore. "We're sending an army to kill one pirate."
"One pirate who has single-handedly caused more desertions than all our wars combined," A growled from the Kumo flagship nearby. Their ships were close enough to communicate by voice. "One pirate who corrupted my BROTHER."
"Bee wasn't corrupted. He made a choice."
"A WRONG choice!"
"Was it?" Mei asked quietly. "He seemed happier in his farewell note than I've ever seen him."
A had no response to that.
On the lead ship, the four remaining Kage stood together (Yagura had been deemed too unstable to attend, and Hiruzen had sent Danzo in his place—a decision everyone was quietly uncomfortable with).
"Our scouts report that Roger's ship has entered the deeper sections of the Grand Line," Onoki reported. "He's making no attempt to hide his position."
"Arrogant," the Kazekage sneered.
"Or confident," Danzo countered, his single visible eye gleaming. "This man has defeated everything we've thrown at him so far. Hunter-nin. ANBU. Even the natural dangers of the Grand Line itself. Either he's very lucky or very powerful."
"He's neither," A insisted. "He's just a man with a big mouth and a talent for running away."
"A man who somehow inspired your brother to abandon everything," Onoki pointed out.
A's face twisted with fury, but he didn't respond.
"It doesn't matter what he is," Danzo said smoothly. "What matters is eliminating him. Once Roger falls, his movement will collapse. People will return to their villages. Order will be restored."
"And if it doesn't collapse?" Mei asked.
Everyone turned to look at her.
"What if killing Roger makes him a martyr? What if it makes things WORSE?"
Silence.
"Then we kill everyone who follows him," Danzo said coldly. "Every pirate, every defector, every dreamer who chose to abandon their duty. We burn them out until there's no one left to remember what 'freedom' felt like."
Mei looked at him with something approaching disgust.
"And that," she said quietly, "is exactly why people are leaving."
She walked away before Danzo could respond.
Konoha - The Hokage's Office
Hiruzen sat alone, staring at reports he had already read a dozen times.
The fleet had launched. Danzo was in command of the Konoha forces. And somewhere out there, Naruto and Kakashi were searching for the same man the entire world was trying to kill.
"What have I done?" Hiruzen whispered.
He had sent Danzo. Danzo, of all people. The man he knew was dangerous, was extreme, was everything the Hokage should have eliminated years ago.
But the council had insisted. The village needed strength. The mission required ruthlessness.
And Hiruzen had been too tired to fight.
"I should be there," he murmured. "I should be leading our forces myself."
But he was old. So old. His bones ached. His chakra was diminished. He was a relic from a bygone era, trying desperately to hold together a world that was falling apart.
Maybe it was time to let it fall.
Maybe Roger was right.
Maybe the shinobi system had outlived its purpose.
"Lord Hokage?"
Hiruzen looked up. One of his aides stood at the door.
"What is it?"
"A message has arrived. From... from Roger himself."
Hiruzen's blood ran cold.
"What?"
The aide handed him a scroll, hand trembling.
Hiruzen unrolled it slowly.
Inside, in surprisingly neat handwriting, was a simple message:
Old man—
I know you're not like the others. I could see it in your eyes when we met. You're tired. Broken. Wondering if anything you've done has mattered.
It has. And it hasn't. The system you built is crumbling, but that's not your fault. Systems crumble. That's what they DO. What matters is what comes next.
You have a choice. You can fight me, try to preserve what's already dead, and watch as everything you love burns. Or you can do something different. Something brave.
You can let go.
Come to the Grand Line, old man. Not as an enemy. As a guest. See what we're building. See the joy on people's faces when they realize they're finally free.
And then decide if your village is worth saving—or if it's time to build something new.
The door is always open.
—Roger
P.S. - The kid with the fox is fine. So is the one with the weird eye. They're going to be okay. Better than okay, actually. They're going to be HAPPY.
Hiruzen stared at the message for a long time.
Then, slowly, he began to laugh.
It started as a chuckle. Then grew to a full laugh. Then became something closer to sobbing—tears streaming down his face as years of stress and guilt and exhaustion finally broke free.
"Happy," he whispered. "He says they're going to be happy."
He thought about Naruto—the child he had failed to protect. The jinchuuriki the village had tormented. The boy with the sunshine smile who had finally found somewhere to shine.
He thought about Kakashi—the broken soldier he had never known how to help. The genius who had died inside years ago. The man who had finally chosen to LIVE.
And he thought about himself.
Old. Tired. Bound by chains he had never questioned.
"Maybe," Hiruzen said softly, "it IS time to let go."
He folded the message carefully and tucked it into his robes.
Then he stood, walked to the window, and looked out at the village he had led for most of his life.
"I need to think," he said to no one. "I need to think very carefully about what happens next."
The Grand Line - Roger's Position
Roger lowered his hand, the seal on the message scroll fading.
"Sent?" Nami asked.
"Sent. The old man will get it within a few hours."
"Do you think he'll listen?"
"I don't know." Roger shrugged. "But I had to try. He's not like the others. He COULD change, if he lets himself."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Then we deal with him like we deal with everyone else who chooses to be our enemy." Roger's expression was serene. "I don't WANT to fight him. But I will if I have to."
He turned back to the sea.
"How far are we from the next island?"
"Two days, according to the Log Pose," Kai reported. "It's called Laughter Point, if the old maps are accurate."
"Laughter Point. I like that name." Roger grinned. "Perfect place for a reunion."
"Reunion?"
"The defectors are converging. I can feel them—dozens of ships, all heading to the same spot. They need a meeting place. Somewhere to organize, to introduce themselves, to become something more than just scattered dreamers."
His grin widened.
"Laughter Point is going to be the birthplace of the New Era. The place where the Pirate Alliance officially begins."
The crew exchanged excited glances.
"A pirate alliance," Hiro said slowly. "You mean... all the crews, working together?"
"Not just working together. UNITED. One fleet, one purpose, one dream." Roger's eyes blazed with conviction. "The old world sends armies against us? We'll show them what a REAL army looks like. An army of the free. An army of dreamers. An army that fights not because it's ordered to, but because it BELIEVES."
He drew Ace, the blade singing as it cleared the sheath.
"They want war? FINE. We'll give them a war they'll never forget. A war that ends with the chains broken and the cages opened and every single person in this world knowing—TRULY knowing—that they have the right to be FREE!"
The sea roared in approval.
The crew cheered.
And deep within Roger, Nika smiled.
This, the Sun God whispered, is what I've been waiting for. This is what the world has needed for so long.
Liberation.
Joy.
Freedom.
The dawn of a new age.
End of Chapter 10