This was a promise.
And also— A gamble placed upon the next era.
At the harbor of Foosha Village, Monkey D.
Luffy finally lost control completely.
Large tears streamed down his face continuously.
He clutched the straw hat tightly while sobbing into the brim.
Shanks slowly straightened afterward before turning toward the departing ship.
As he passed beside Kahn— He paused briefly.
“You’re really not going to see me off?” Kahn stepped out from beneath the shade of the tree calmly.
Sunlight instantly covered his body.
His gaze briefly swept across the straw hat now resting atop Luffy’s head.
Then— Toward Shanks’s perfectly intact left arm.
Good.
History had changed here.
The sacrifice originally meant for the stomach of the Lord of the Coast never happened.
Because of Kahn’s existence— Shanks no longer needed to lose an arm to ignite Luffy’s spirit.
Hope alone had become enough.
“Nothing to see off.” Kahn casually pulled a wild fruit from his pocket before tossing it toward Shanks.
The future Emperor caught it effortlessly.
Crunch.
The fruit tasted crisp and sweet.
Kahn folded his arms afterward.
“Try not to die too quickly in the New World.” “Otherwise…” “…it’ll be boring once I finally head out to sea.” Shanks laughed loudly.
“Don’t worry, brat.” “I’ll be waiting for you over there.” Soon— The anchor chains rose.
The crimson sails unfurled proudly.
Red Force gradually departed from Foosha Village’s harbor beneath the ocean current.
Luffy stood at the shore waving both arms desperately.
He cried so hard his face nearly deformed beneath the straw hat.
Nearby, Portgas D.
Ace and Sabo watched silently.
Although neither spoke— The longing within their eyes remained obvious.
The sea.
Adventure.
Freedom.
Those concepts had already rooted themselves deeply within all three boys.
Meanwhile, Kahn simply looked upward toward the sun.
It hung directly overhead.
At this hour— His power reached its daily peak.
Warm solar energy surged endlessly throughout every cell inside him.
And more importantly— He could feel fate itself still moving.
Even after changing history.
Even after saving Shanks’s arm.
The gears of this world never stopped turning.
If anything— The future now looked even more chaotic.
And far more interesting.
“The Pirate King…” Kahn murmured quietly.
He slowly raised one hand toward the sun itself.
As though attempting to grasp it.
Then he laughed faintly.
“Luffy.” “You go become the Pirate King.” “I’ll become a god.” “That sounds fair.” Compared to ruling oceans— Kahn’s ambition had already surpassed the sea entirely.
He intended standing above the entire world itself someday.
Then Kahn glanced toward the still-crying Luffy.
“…Hey.” “You snot-nosed idiot.” He casually walked over before smacking Luffy lightly across the back of the head.
Bonk.
“Enough crying.” “Go train.” “Shanks said ‘great pirate.'” “Not ‘great crybaby.'” Luffy instantly spun around angrily while clutching the straw hat protectively.
Although tears still covered his face— His eyes had changed completely.
Burning determination replaced helplessness.
“I KNOW, BROTHER KAHN!” “ONE DAY I’LL DEFINITELY BEAT YOU!” Kahn chuckled softly.
“Then survive tonight’s special training first.” Instantly— Ace and Sabo’s expressions darkened too.
That phrase alone carried terrifying implications.
Soon afterward— The screams of three children once again echoed throughout the forests of Mount Colubo.
Meanwhile— Far out at sea— Benn Beckman leaned casually against the ship railing while watching his captain quietly.
“Boss.” “In the end…” “You still chose Luffy.” Shanks sat atop the railing while casually spinning the fruit pit Kahn gave him earlier.
“Yeah.” He smiled faintly.
“Kahn’s too strong already.” “Someone like him doesn’t need guidance.” “He himself is the path.” Then Shanks looked toward the endless sea ahead.
“But this world…” “…needs a different kind of light too.” “The kind that makes everyone laugh.” He touched the top of his head instinctively.
The absence of Roger’s straw hat still felt strange.
Then Shanks suddenly stood up.
“Alright, idiots!” “Set course for the New World!” The Red-Haired Pirates erupted into cheers instantly.
And thus— Inside that tiny village hidden within East Blue— Several seeds destined to shake the future had already been planted.
The future Pirate King.
The future Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff.
The future Fire Fist.
And above them all— The blazing sun named Kahn continued expanding at terrifying speed.
… Later that evening— Kahn sat cross-legged inside a massive clearing he personally flattened with one punch months earlier.
This time— He experimented with something new.
The fusion between his biological energy and spiritual force.
Something similar to Haki.
Golden energy quietly circulated around him.
Then— The surrounding gravity distorted.
Nearby boulders weighing several tons slowly rose into the air soundlessly.
Leaves stopped falling entirely.
Even the nearby stream began flowing backward unnaturally.
This was not a Devil Fruit ability.
Nor was it simple telekinesis.
This resembled raw suppression generated directly through overwhelming life force.
“…Still incomplete.” Kahn slowly opened his eyes.
For a brief instant— His pupils turned entirely golden.
Boom.
Dust across the clearing exploded outward instantly.
The bare stone beneath became exposed completely.
“In three years…” “When my body approaches its first developmental bottleneck…” “…I’ll head toward Marineford.” “I want to see whether that old man’s comrades are truly worthy opponents.” The thrill of constant evolution filled every fiber of his being.
Compared to alcohol— Compared to glory— Nothing felt more intoxicating than becoming stronger.
Not far away— Ace dragged an enormous boulder through thick mud while gritting his teeth.
The rock outweighed him several times over.
Nearby, Sabo balanced upside down near a cliff edge while performing one-handed pushups.
Blood dripped steadily from his fingertips.
And farther away— Luffy continuously tried using his rubber arms to swat flies.
Mostly unsuccessfully.
Kahn quietly observed the three children for a moment.
A strange satisfaction surfaced within him.
This— Was his territory.
Anyone foolish enough to threaten it would be erased.
Whether they were pirates.
Marines.
Nefertari Cobra.
Or even the so-called gods sitting atop Mary Geoise.
Before absolute power— Everything else became meaningless.
“Move faster.” Kahn’s voice echoed throughout the valley calmly.
“If none of you finish before dinner…” “…you’ll spend another hour sunbathing beside me.” Instantly— All three children shuddered violently.
They had already witnessed Kahn’s “sunbathing” countless times before.
The surrounding ground literally melted.
“GOT IT—!!” Their miserable screams echoed throughout the jungle.
And thus— The curtain of a new era had already begun opening violently.
Forced apart by the fists of a transmigrator carrying the power of the sun itself.
… One year later— The summer heat across Mount Colubo became exceptionally brutal.
Most vegetation throughout the mountain had already curled and dried beneath the scorching temperatures.
Kahn still lay calmly atop his favorite stone platform beneath direct sunlight.
He was now nine years old.
And already exceeded 1.9 meters in height.
Every muscle across his body resembled sculpted granite.
Sweat slid across his skin only to evaporate instantly from the immense heat radiating naturally from him.
The golden solar energy within his body now felt denser than magma itself.
This— Was the true essence of Kryptonian evolution.
As long as sunlight existed— He alone remained the closest thing to a true god within this world.
Below the mountain— Six-year-old Luffy trained recklessly near the clearing.
Despite remaining tiny— His physical resilience had already become absurd thanks to both Garp’s bloodline and the Nika fruit.
Luffy wrapped his legs around a massive tree trunk before stretching backward dramatically.
“GUM-GUM ROCKET!!” Boom!!
His body launched forward like a slingshot.
Then— Smack!!
His face slammed directly into a giant rock.
The stone remained intact.
Luffy’s face did not.
His cheeks flattened grotesquely before bouncing back into shape instantly.
And somehow— The idiot still laughed afterward.
Nearby— Ace and Sabo sparred at terrifying speed throughout the forest.
At nine and ten years old respectively, both had already mastered most of Rokushiki to astonishing levels.
Their feet continuously exploded against the air itself.
Geppo.
Afterimages flickered through the trees constantly.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Their steel pipes collided repeatedly while sparks erupted everywhere.
Although neither had fully awakened powerful Haki yet— Their raw physical abilities already surpassed most East Blue pirates easily.
Naturally— This progress came directly from Kahn’s “kind” nightly training methods.
“Too slow.” Kahn muttered without even opening his eyes.
His hearing instantly detected the instability within their breathing patterns.
Fatigue.
Weakness.
“If you don’t want to die at sea someday…” “…then squeeze out every last drop of strength.” Hearing his voice, Ace and Sabo immediately accelerated again.
Then suddenly— Kahn’s eyes opened fully.
Far beyond the eastern horizon— A tiny black dot appeared across the ocean.
His vision instantly magnified it.
A massive warship.
A dog-headed prow.
And flying proudly atop the mast— The flag of Marines.
Kahn slowly smiled.
“That old man’s finally back.”