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

Two days later, in the New World, deep in the Sea of Turmoil, the Smile ship began to rise slowly.

Gululu...

Bubbles kept rising from the sea as a massive dark shape suddenly emerged from the depths, creating a giant wave that surged and splashed as it spread out.

"Ah, finally out! The air's really good here," Natsu, the captain of the Smile Pirates, breathed out deeply as he looked up at the clear sky, a big smile on his face.

Since leaving Fish-Man Island, the Smile ship had been navigating underwater, skirting through these unpredictable seas, because it was the fastest and safest way to approach the tumultuous Sea of Turmoil.

The Sea of Turmoil was named by Natsu. Three years ago, while carrying out a mission as part of the Revolutionary Army, he passed through this area and decided to make it a potential base. The chaotic and dangerous environment acted as a natural barrier, and of course, what made him more determined was the reward he got from the area—a pet egg.

It was unclear what kind of creature it was at the time, but after arriving at Fish-Man Island, the egg in Natsu's bag began to hatch rapidly, soon reaching 100% and breaking open. Natsu finally discovered what creature had emerged.

An ancient ferocious beast, multi-headed serpent (a weakened version), possessing a tiny fraction of the beast's bloodline.

Ryuji: A legendary creature with a snake body, nine heads, and a human face. It could grow to a length of several thousand meters. Each head was hideous, with two massive poisonous fangs capable of shooting venom like a flood. The venom was so foul-smelling and corrosive that anything it touched would be destroyed, turning the land into a poisonous wasteland.

With this in mind, Natsu had decided to have the small Xiangliu guard the Sea of Turmoil. While it was still small, it wasn't yet a true ancient beast, but according to the system's simple description, its powers were terrifying. The adult Ryuji (weakened version) could grow up to tens of thousands of meters long, and with its control over water and venom, it would be the perfect guardian for their territory.

"Hey, captain, what's this? It's so tiny, and it has nine heads?"

Finally, Kumo noticed the small Ryuji coiled around Natsu's wrist and curiously poked one of its round heads with her finger.

"It's Ryuji, a new member of the Smile Pirates. It will be the guardian beast of our domain from now on!"

"Just this?" Kumo said skeptically, her eyes narrowing. "It's so small, it's not even big enough to be a snack. What can it do? Scare enemies with cuteness?"

"That's right. You better get along with it, or you'll regret it later," Natsu said, rolling his eyes and roughly patting Kumo on the head.

"Got it, captain."

The rest of the Smile Pirates gathered around, curiously examining the small Ryuji on Natsu's arm.

Meanwhile, in the New World, the World Government announced the new Shichibukai appointments, and an unexpected but somewhat predictable name appeared—Captain Monkey D. Natsu of the Smile Pirates, also known as "The Dominant Fist of Natsu."

A pirate with a bounty of 500 million Berries. As for why he had not seen his bounty increase despite robbing the Celestial Dragons, the World Government wanted to keep the embarrassing incident hidden.

Brrr...

Brrr...

"Captain Natsu, the Shichibukai announcement has spread worldwide, and as agreed, the 10 billion Berries have been delivered to the designated sea area. Please ensure the Celestial Dragons' safety without any issues," a voice from the telephone bug said, tinged with anger and reluctance.

"Oh~ the Navy's acting fast. We'll be there soon!"

Upon hearing this, Natsu chuckled. It seemed that becoming a Shichibukai was already a done deal. As a Shichibukai, one could navigate both the pirate world and the world of the Marines with ease, making many tasks much simpler.

The Smile Pirates ship approached a lush small island on the edge of the Sea of Turmoil. Ahead, two Navy warships were already waiting.

"Well, well, if it isn't Major Momonga. Still got that Moxigan hairstyle?" Natsu squinted and said with a smirk.

"Humph, I don't have time to reminisce with pirates," Major Momonga said coldly, his expression grim. Behind him was a warship worth 10 billion Berries, and the World Nobles were aboard.

"Still as cold as ever," Natsu shook his head. Then, he gestured, and Gin dragged two Celestial Dragons forward. These Celestial Dragons had been starved for days, their eye sockets hollow and their expressions dazed. They looked at Natsu and his crew with a mix of fear and confusion.

"Hey, Kumo, Eirin, go check on them," Natsu ordered.

"Got it, boss!" Kumo and Eirin responded in unison.

Half an hour later, the trade was completed smoothly. After the Navy retrieved the Celestial Dragons, they quickly retreated, with the warships speeding away. The Navy was eager to leave after witnessing the terrifying strength of the Smile Pirates, fearing that the insane pirates would kill them next.

Whitebeard Pirates, Moby Dick.

"Shichibukai? The Dominant Fist of Natsu? Isn't that the rookie pirate causing a stir lately? He actually became a Shichibukai," Marco, the Phoenix, muttered, holding the latest newspaper.

"Marco, we should pay attention to this guy," Vista said, having just returned.

"You're back!" Marco smiled when he heard Vista's voice.

"This kid's something else. If you knew what he's been up to recently..." Vista began recounting what he had seen in Sabaody Archipelago.

"What? Not only did he beat up Celestial Dragons, but he also managed to destroy the Navy's Demon Slayer order with just seven or eight people? Are you sure?" Marco was shocked. He had thought Natsu was just a talented rookie, but it seemed he had managed to resist the Navy's most powerful weapon. Even Bullet hadn't done that back in the day.

"His crew has a natural-type Thunder Fruit and a Mythical Zoan-type Bird Fruit user! As for Natsu, his fruit power is unknown, but it's probably a natural-type," Vista continued. He had witnessed Natsu summon meteorites to destroy Navy warships, and like most people, instinctively classified him as a Devil Fruit user, since no normal person could have such earth-shattering power.

"Marco, what are you two discussing?"

Whitebeard's voice came from behind, and the two men turned around.

"Old man, this is the Navy's new Shichibukai (seven worlord). Vista thinks he might have the strength of a fleet admiral," Marco explained.

"Monkey D. Natsu? Isn't that that old man Garp's grandson?" Whitebeard mused with a smile, recalling a happy memory.

"Yeah."

"Too bad. I was thinking of inviting this kid to join our crew in the New World," Whitebeard shook his head, a little regretful.

Dressrosa, Royal Palace Balcony.

On a lounge chair, a man with golden hair, wearing sunglasses, a pink feather coat, and cropped pants was reading the newspaper. When he saw Natsu's name, he suddenly sat up straight.

"Shichibukai? Heh, this is getting more interesting. Looks like the D family is reappearing in the world," he chuckled to himself.

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