One Piece: Rising to Power as a Warlord of the Sea

"Damn it, how is this possible?"

Bartlow's pupils dilated in disbelief as he watched his crew defeated in an instant. He couldn't comprehend why such a powerful figure existed in the East Blue, a place he had thought to be mundane.

"Kid, I admit you're strong. Join my Diamond Pirates and let's dominate the East Blue together! With me, you'll have all the money and women you desire!"

Bartlow spread his arms, inviting Natsu to join his crew. If this formidable young man were to become part of his team, the East Blue would belong to Bartlow, and the Diamond Pirates would gain a top-tier fighter.

"Not interested! (*￣rǒ￣) Now, Kumo, take care of him!"

Natsu frowned, looking disdainfully at the self-important man before him. Dominating the East Blue? That was far too small of a dream for him.

"Alright, boss, leave it to me!"

Kumo perked up at the command, cracking his knuckles as he moved closer to Bartlow. The people of this world didn't fully understand the nature of pandas, and Kumo was a unique type of creature.

Bartlow sensed the impending threat as the black-and-white beast approached. His body suddenly inflated, his muscular arms tearing through his clothing, revealing a three-meter-tall black gorilla.

"Roar!"

"Die! ╰_╯╬"

With a fierce shout, Bartlow swung his spiked club straight at Kumo's head, the sheer force of the attack creating a whooshing sound through the air. Just as the club was a mere centimeter away from Kumo's skull, a dull thud echoed.

"Boom!"

A chubby paw met the spiked club, producing a shower of sparks and deflecting the attack effortlessly.

"Tai Chi: Collapse Force!"

In the realm of martial arts, from the limitless void arises Tai Chi, which births dualities, which in turn give rise to the universe, ultimately returning everything to the source of Tai Chi.

With mastery of the Tai Chi technique bestowed by the system, Kumo unleashed a force that could transform into countless variations, embodying the essence of all things returning to Tai Chi.

With a swift strike from Kumo's right paw, the overwhelming power penetrated Bartlow's chest, obliterating his internal organs in an instant. The excruciating pain was unbearable; even as a Zoan Devil Fruit user, he fell to his knees.

"Wah~ cough cough!"

Bright red blood spewed from his mouth as his eyes turned crimson, filled with hatred as he glared at Natsu and Kumo, as if he wanted to devour them whole.

"Bang! What a sight!"

At that moment, a golden brick plummeted from above, crashing directly onto Bartlow's skull. The sheer force caused spiderweb-like cracks to spread across the ground beneath him.

Bartlow rolled his eyes and then fainted.

"Phew, phew, phew~"

On the calm sea, the Diamond Pirates' ship erupted in flames. Half an hour later, as the sea breeze blew in, tranquility returned to the ocean. Under the setting sun, the Smile Pirates set sail once again.

"Caw~ caw~ caw~"

Seagulls soared above as the battle between Natsu and the Diamond Pirates was fully documented. From this moment, the Smile Pirates were officially established.

Natsu smirked, thinking it wouldn't be long before the bounty would be posted. He couldn't help but wonder how many "Chobas" Kumo's brave performance would be worth!

With this thought, he glanced mischievously at Kumo, who was happily clutching the treasure and laughing.

After all, in the pirate world, the bounty for pets was always low. He couldn't wait to see Kumo's reaction when the time came.

"Yay, boss, we're rich! How much meat can we buy with this?"

Kumo, covered in treasure, envisioned himself lounging on a mountain of meat, drooling uncontrollably.

"Look at your big belly, and you still want to eat?"

Natsu chuckled as he patted Kumo's plump belly.

"That's a must! You can't work without a full belly!" Kumo said, lifting his head proudly.

"You're impossible!"

…

Two days later, at Marineford, Garp was hard at work breaking his own record for donut consumption. At a crucial moment, his gaze inadvertently drifted to a bounty poster on the table, and he was instantly dumbfounded, dropping his donut on the floor in shock.

Captain of the Smile Pirates: Monkey D. Natsu, Bounty: 20,000,000 Beri.

Pet of the Smile Pirates: Panda Kumo, Bounty: 100 Beri.

"What the heck! ◝₍ᴑ̑Дo͝₎◞ How did this grandson of mine become a pirate?!"

Garp stared blankly, recalling that his grandson had been taken away by his scoundrel son. How had he ended up as a pirate under the Revolutionary Army?

"Bang!"

At that moment, the office door was kicked open, revealing Sengoku, his face dark with anger as he stormed toward Garp, holding two bounty posters.

"Garp! Who is this?!"

"Uh, well, this is probably my grandson…"

For the first time, Garp stuttered while speaking to Sengoku. As a naval hero, it was quite embarrassing for him to have his son in the Revolutionary Army and now his grandson as a pirate.

"You~ sigh~"

Sengoku intended to reprimand him, but upon seeing Garp's expression, he swallowed his words and instead sighed heavily, patting Garp on the shoulder before leaving.

"I need to go home for a visit!"

With a complicated mood, Garp suddenly stood up, his gaze sweeping towards the East Blue as he seemed to have thought of something. He rushed to the port of Marineford, urging the warship to head towards Windmill Village.

On Baltigo Island, Dragon looked at the bounty poster on the table with a mysterious smile. His son was truly remarkable; in just over ten days, his bounty had already reached 20,000,000 Beri.

Completely unaware of all this, Natsu stood before the familiar village, reminiscing about the joyful times of his childhood. Back then, Luffy could only crawl on the ground, following behind him like a little shadow.

Shaking his head, he pushed the memories aside and leaped onto the land of Windmill Village.

Walking through the familiar streets and observing the bustling crowd, Natsu navigated easily to the tavern.

"Makino, sis!"

He called softly to the beautiful woman with deep green short hair wearing a headscarf, who was busy at work.

"Is that you? Natsu?"

Makino quickly turned around upon hearing her name, and her gaze fell on the handsome black-haired youth. Memories flooded her mind, and she asked uncertainly.

"Hehe, I knew you'd remember me, Makino!"

Natsu laughed joyfully. From his birth until he was seven, Natsu and Luffy were taken care of by Makino, who was both a mother and sister to him, and he felt deep gratitude towards her.

After all, during their early years, Natsu and Luffy couldn't follow Garp around, so Windmill Village became their home, and Makino became their nurturing figure in many ways.

However, later on, Natsu left with Dragon, while Luffy was sent by Garp to live with Dadan and Ace on the mountain.