Chapter One: Setting Sail

The New World!
Divided by the Red Line continent, it marks the latter half of the Grand Line—
And it is...
The sea domain that the Pirate King must conquer!

In the world of pirates, adventures can generally be divided into three stages: the journey through the Four Seas, the voyage along the Grand Line, and finally, the perilous expedition into the New World, a realm fraught with countless dangers and the proving ground for those aspiring to claim the title of Pirate King.

Clearly, although Chu Yi’s pirate crew has yet to be fully formed and only a few members have been tentatively chosen,
and despite Chu Yi having lost his Devil Fruit powers—thus suffering a significant drop in strength—
this newly assembled “Kill Heaven” pirate crew is met with skepticism by most, including Marco of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Only Whitebeard himself, unlike the ordinary folks, believes firmly that Chu Yi is destined to reign over the New World.

Therefore...
When Chu Yi finally dominates the New World, it will be the moment Whitebeard has long awaited to meet him once more.

Two stories unfold here.
While Whitebeard silently removes his Observation Haki, eagerly anticipating that reunion in the New World, scratching his head in resignation, Chu Yi, floating slowly in midair using “Moon Step,” suddenly realizes that without his Devil Fruit powers, he faces a pressing dilemma.

He must figure out...
How to return to Fish-Man Island.

“Damn it... If only I hadn’t tried to show off in front of Whitebeard. Wouldn’t it have been better to have him take me back to Fish-Man Island?”

“Now it’s too late. Without my powers, swimming back is out of the question. Even if my abilities are temporarily gone, I’m still a skilled fighter—jumping into the sea now would be suicidal! And besides, physically, I could probably swim the distance, but I can’t keep holding my breath forever, can I?”

“I can’t reach Tiger right now either. Could it be...”

“Do I really have to go back and beg Whitebeard for help?”

At the thought, a vivid image flashes in Chu Yi’s mind—him begging Whitebeard, who points and laughs heartily at him.

Shaking his head vigorously to dispel that humiliating memory, Chu Yi gazes down at the sea, takes a deep breath, and sighs helplessly:

“Forget it. Rather than embarrass myself in front of Whitebeard, I might as well ask Rayleigh for help.”

“After all, the Sabaody Archipelago isn’t far from here. Using ‘Moon Step’...”

“I should be able to make it there no problem!”

With a firm resolve to seek Rayleigh’s aid, Chu Yi steps forward, propelling himself with “Moon Step.” But before long, an awkward problem arises:

He...
Has no idea which direction the Sabaody Archipelago lies in!

When Tiger was around, Chu Yi never had to worry about navigation—Tiger was a seasoned adventurer with exceptional maritime skills, able to determine their position by the sun and surrounding climate, and analyze their course using Fish-Man instincts.

Without Tiger, Chu Yi painfully realizes that sailing alone means getting lost is inevitable, and dying of starvation in the vast ocean is a real possibility.

Just as Chu Yi despairingly contemplates how to return to Fish-Man Island, a small boat approaches from afar, and to his surprise, Marco’s voice rings out!

“Hey! Shura, wait up! Don’t leave yet!”

“Huh? Marco?”

Without even using Observation Haki, Chu Yi recognizes the familiar voice as that of Marco from the Whitebeard Pirates.

He rushes toward the boat using “Moon Step” and lands on it, immediately noticing its flawless coating. Chuckling bitterly, he says to Marco, “Marco, I guess... Whitebeard must know about my predicament and sent you to bring me back to Fish-Man Island, right?”

“Hahaha, Shura, you’re half right and half wrong!”

Unashamedly wearing a smirk, Marco laughs and says, “A day ago, the old man contacted your friends Tiger and Jinbei, telling them to prepare to pick you up. We didn’t expect you to leave in such a rush just as their ship arrived at the island where we were anchored.”

“Dad was worried you’d lose contact with Tiger and the others, so he sent me ahead to catch up with you!”

“Look!” Marco points far off, indicating a ship just visible with Observation Haki. “Tiger and the others are here. Hurry and join up with them!”

“Alright, please thank Whitebeard for me!”

“No problem!”

“Alright, I’m off—bye!”

Waving hastily at Marco, Chu Yi thinks about Whitebeard and every member of his crew, imagining them laughing at him. He feels like he can never hold his head high around the Whitebeard Pirates and will be ridiculed forever, so he doesn’t linger longer than necessary.

Upon successfully boarding the large ship where Tiger, Jinbei, and the others are waiting...

“Phew!”

Taking a deep breath, Chu Yi’s eyes first meet Tiger, Mihawk, and Jinbei standing on the deck. Nearby, Lucky Roux and Smoker are tightly bound to the railing. A faint smile plays on his lips as he relishes the comfort of being with his comrades.

He offers a slight, apologetic smile to Tiger, Mihawk, and Jinbei: “Sorry, Tiger, Mihawk, Jinbei, for worrying you with my troubles.”

“Kid, do you really think that’s necessary?”

Raising his eyebrows, Tiger steps forward and punches Chu Yi’s chest with a muffled grunt: “You’re our captain. Isn’t it only natural we care about you? Besides, I’ve been getting updates on your condition from the old man. Rest up for a while, heal your wounds quickly, and then we’ll go stir up some trouble with the Navy!”

“Boss Tiger, maybe... maybe that’s not a good idea!”

Chu Yi laughs more heartily after Tiger’s words, while Jinbei shakes his head, feeling that their boss is becoming a bit restless around Chu Yi.

As Jinbei finishes speaking, Tiger suddenly adopts a serious tone and begins explaining to Jinbei why stirring up trouble with the Navy is necessary.

Just then...

“Tap... tap...”

Mihawk strolls over, eyeing Chu Yi carefully before frowning, “Strange, Chu Yi, weren’t you injured? Why does your aura seem stronger?”

“Hahaha, you could say it’s a blessing in disguise!”

Chu Yi laughs and is about to share his recent insights with Mihawk.

But Mihawk ignores him completely and continues, “Hmm, that’s good. I sense a more focused sword intent from you. Since you’ve already faced Whitebeard, it’s my turn next. Here’s the deal: I’ll give you three days to prepare, and after that, you must duel me once.”

“No problem!”

Thanks to his swordsmanship, Chu Yi feels he might just stand a chance against Mihawk.

Just as Chu Yi is about to ask where they should hold the duel...

Mihawk suddenly strokes his jaw and asks, “Chu Yi, what do you think we should have for dinner?”

“...!”

Well.
Talking with Mihawk is a nightmare.

His lips twitch sharply as he half-heartedly responds, then quickly moves over to Tiger’s side and discreetly tugs on his sleeve, asking, “Tiger, are all the crew on our ship... from Fish-Man Island?”

“Yeah!”

Tiger slaps his chest heartily and grins, “These are all my brothers from Fish-Man Island. I’ll introduce them to you later. When I invited them to join the crew, I told them I’m the vice-captain of ‘Kill Heaven,’ so... hehe!”

“You little punk, vice-captain of the ship? That title’s mine for sure!”

Tiger...
You really know how to worm your way into things!

Just a mere vice-captain, and you’ve gone through so much trouble for it!

Casting Tiger a somewhat resentful glance, Chu Yi doesn’t care about the title itself; he just feels...
As captain of “Kill Heaven,” he holds no real status on this ship. Not even as much as Shanks of the Red Hair Pirates!

Sure enough, just as Chu Yi feels dejected about his low standing, Tiger—the current vice-captain of “Kill Heaven”—sprinkles salt on his wound.

Before Chu Yi can respond to Tiger about taking the vice-captain position...

Suddenly!

Tiger raises his arm and shouts loudly:

“All hands, set sail!”

“Destination...”

“The New World!”