Inside a tavern in a small town, Light sat alone at a table, holding a newspaper as he read with sharp focus.
At first, he had assumed he would be illiterate in this world.
Yet, to his surprise, the local script felt completely natural to him, as if something in his mind was automatically translating everything he heard.
After asking around the tavern, he had already figured out where he was.
This was the Four-Leaf Island sea region, under the Oykot Kingdom in the East Blue.
It was not far from Marine Base 153, which meant the surrounding waters were relatively stable.
The East Blue itself had long been known as the Sea of Peace, a reputation shaped by the World Government.
Compared to other seas during the Great Pirate Era, order here was far better maintained.
That was not without reason.
A certain powerful Marine often returned here to casually crush pirates, and at the gateway of the East Blue stood a Logia user Marine captain.
For rookie pirates just starting out, either of those figures was enough to end their journey before it truly began.
Light lowered his gaze back to the newspaper in his hand.
The date was clearly printed.
July, Marine Calendar 1519.
This did not surprise him.
After all, when he first became aware of this world, he had witnessed Marshall D.
Teach kill Thatch and seize the Dark-Dark Fruit.
That moment marked the beginning of Teach’s rise.
According to the timeline, Teach would flee the Whitebeard Pirates that same night.
After that, he would travel across the seas, recruiting key members such as Laffitte, Jesus Burgess, Doc Q, and Van Augur, eventually forming the Blackbeard Pirates.
That process alone would take at least a year.
Which meant that right now, the timeline was roughly one year before Monkey D.
Luffy set sail.
And that matched the newspaper perfectly.
Luffy would begin his journey in May 1520.
Light skimmed through the rest of the paper.
There were reports about unrest in Alabasta Kingdom due to Dance Powder, and news of Cavendish making waves as a rising rookie in the New World.
None of that mattered.
What mattered was the final page.
There, printed clearly, was his face.
Beneath it was a notice.
“The murderer of the Whitebeard Pirates Fourth Division Commander.
Name and age unknown.
Bounty issued by the Whitebeard Pirates, 500 million Berries.
Dead or alive.”
Light stared at it, his expression darkening.
“So pirates can just publish bounties now?
What exactly is the World Government doing?”
And more importantly…
When did he ever kill Thatch?
That bastard Teach had pushed the blame onto him.
At the moment, Light had no way to refute it.
Strength decided everything in this world.
The weak had no voice, and even if he explained himself, no one from the Whitebeard Pirates would listen.
Leaning back slightly, he exhaled.
“At least I ended up in the East Blue.”
If he had still been in the New World, he would already be captured and handed over to Edward Newgate.
Here, things were different.
The East Blue was weak.
Or at least, weak enough.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Light focused on what truly mattered.
Strength.
In this world, power came in many forms.
Devil Fruits were only one path.
There was also swordsmanship, the Six Powers, and Haki.
Among them, Haki stood at the top.
Unfortunately, the East Blue was not a place where such abilities were easily learned.
Finding someone capable of teaching Haki here was nearly impossible.
The same went for the Six Powers.
Swordsmanship, however, was different.
In Shimotsuki Village, there was a dojo run by Koushirou.
He accepted students openly.
As long as one could pay, they could train there.
Of course, how much one learned depended entirely on talent.
Light narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Wait… that might not be entirely true.”
Koushirou was not originally from the East Blue.
His family came from Wano Country, a land filled with powerful samurai who were proficient in Haki.
Not only that, Koushirou had ties to Monkey D.
Dragon.
That alone meant he was far from an ordinary dojo master.
A faint smile appeared on Light’s face.
“Looks like I should pay him a visit.”
Getting there would not be difficult.
The East Blue had well-developed trade routes, and ships frequently traveled between islands.
As long as he had money, he could reach Shimotsuki Village.
Which brought him to the real problem.
Money.
He had brought two gold bracelets with him, knowing gold would hold value anywhere.
Still, those would not last long.
Originally, he had planned to take money from local thugs by force if necessary.
Now, however, he had a better idea.
Light stood up and walked toward another table.
A man was loudly boasting to his companions about a massive fish he had caught.
Without hesitation, Light draped an arm over the man’s shoulder with a friendly smile.
“Brother, let me ask you something.
Do you know the bounty of Thatch, the Fourth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates?”
The man frowned, clearly annoyed.
“Who are you?
Why are you asking that?
And take your arm off me…”
His voice suddenly stopped.
His eyes widened as he stared at Light’s face.
Light’s smile did not change.
“I am asking because I plan to claim it.”
The man’s expression turned pale.
“You… you are the one from the newspaper!”
“Lower your voice,” Light said, pressing down slightly on his shoulder.
“I prefer to keep things quiet.”
Not long after, Light got the information he wanted.
Thatch’s bounty was 360 million Berries.
This island fell under the jurisdiction of Marine Base 153, so in theory, the reward could be claimed there.
However, there was a problem.
That base might not have enough funds.
Nearby Loguetown, on the other hand, had a Marine officer with far greater authority.
Smoker.
Light recalled another detail as well.
Marine Base 153 was under Morgan, a man known for corruption and greed.
Light had no interest in dealing with someone like that.
Offending the Whitebeard Pirates was already troublesome enough.
There was no need to provoke the Marines as well.
Smoker, at least, was more reliable.
After a brief moment of thought, Light made his decision.
He would go to Loguetown.
As for proof?
Light almost laughed.
His face was already printed across the world.
What better evidence could there be?