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

"I want to see who dares to eat the heart of a bear and the courage of a leopard!" Natsu slowly sank into the ground, a terrifying force cracking the earth beneath him like spider webs. Then, he shot off like a lightning bolt, vanishing in an instant.

Boom!

In the next moment, Natsu was sprinting across the ocean at breakneck speed, reaching velocities that even approached the speed of sound. A long wake trailed behind him on the surface of the sea as he quickly caught up to a pirate ship. With a mighty leap, he landed heavily on the ship's deck.

"Hey there, little girl, you've got some guts, huh? You dare to steal from pirates?"

Natsu noticed a small girl who had fallen in fright, trembling on the ground. He menacingly intimidated her, his gaze roaming over her.

"I didn't! I just thought this was an abandoned pirate ship since no one was on board!" she stammered.

"Really? Do you think I'd believe such a lie?"

As he spoke, flames flickered in his right hand, the intense heat scorching the girl's purple-haired cheek. She looked to be only around thirteen or fourteen years old but had developed early. Was it typical for people in the pirate world to mature so quickly?

Of course, Natsu merely admired her at the moment; she was far too young, and women would only hinder his punching speed.

"Captain, captain, did we catch the thief?"

At that moment, Gin and Kumo rushed over in their ship, the Smile, eager to inquire.

"Yep, this girl right here is the one!"

"Wow, what a cute little lady! One punch, and she'll probably cry for a long time, kekekek!" Kumo remarked with a sly grin.

Seeing this black-and-white bear that not only talked but also threatened her was terrifying for Karina. She had never failed before, and now her usual tricks had backfired—she was caught red-handed.

"Please don't kill me! I can sing! I can dance! I'll perform for you! I'll give you all the treasure!"

Karina pleaded pitifully, her captivating eyes sparkling like a fox, evoking sympathy.

"Your death sentence can be avoided, but you'll have to work on the ship to pay back your debts! A total of three million Berries in treasure, and you have five years to repay it before you can leave!"

Natsu declared. As for where the debt came from, it was, of course, from the Black Cat Pirates' treasure. Natsu thought to himself, "I really am a natural at business, hahaha!"

This kind of calculation would bring even a capitalist to tears.

"Captain, my name is Karina! Please take care of me from now on!" Relieved to have saved her life, Karina took a deep breath and slowly stood up. A glimmer of light passed through her beautiful, lively eyes. She was determined to escape at the first opportunity, taking all the treasure with her. She wouldn't be foolish enough to stay trapped.

Karina? As expected! She was just like Nami, a treasure-hunting thief.

Natsu noticed the glint in Karina's eyes but paid it no mind. Escape? That was impossible.

"Once you're on my ship, you're mine!"

"Kumo, Gin, set it ablaze! We'll continue forward!"

With that command, Natsu vanished back onto the Smile. Thick smoke billowed over the ocean as the pirate ship sank, the Black Cat Pirates ceasing to exist.

"Smile, commence navigation! Destination: Loguetown!"

"Ding! Navigation starting. Total distance: *** nautical miles. Estimated time: three days, eight hours, and fifteen minutes. Autopilot activated. Radar is on and detecting weather and magnetic fields in the surrounding sea…"

Karina was dumbfounded by this series of operations. Had this ship come to life? It could talk and sail itself! This was astonishing.

"Hey, you! What are you standing there for? Didn't you say you could sing? Hurry up and perform for your Lord Kumo!"

While Karina was lost in thought, Kumo kicked back with his legs crossed, munching on sunflower seeds and cheerfully commanded her.

"Alright!"

Karina's face darkened. She turned, her pretty face lighting up with a smile, then unleashed her beautiful voice. Inside, she had already imagined torturing Kumo a thousand times over.

"You big oaf, just wait! If I ever get my hands on you, you'll know why the flowers are so red!"

Kumo had no idea that this incident would forever mark his life, making it even harder going forward.

Of course, that was all in the future.

With Karina joining, the atmosphere on the Smile became much livelier. After two days, Karina came to understand that Natsu wasn't a cruel person. Gradually, she began to reveal her true self, though she didn't overstep too much. However, disaster was about to befall Kumo.

"Bang! Hey, you black-and-white oaf, get out of the way! I'm bringing breakfast to Captain Natsu, and you're blocking the door!"

One morning, Karina kicked Kumo's remarkably springy backside, 'threatening' him with a fierce look. She then proudly lifted her head and smiled brightly as she carefully arranged the food in front of Natsu.

"Hey, boss! There's a rebellion! A mere maid dares to attack the great vice-captain °¯᷄◠¯᷅°"

Kumo pitifully approached Natsu, his expression filled with grievance. In just two days, Karina had seen through Kumo's rough 'bear act.' As a simple panda compared to Karina, who had survived in this harsh world from a young age, he was far too easy to deal with.

With their roles reversed, as Karina learned more about Natsu's calm and easy-going personality, she began to position herself as his personal maid. Now, she subtly took the upper hand over Kumo, looking for every chance to bully him.

A gentleman takes his revenge after ten years, but a young woman takes hers in an instant.

"Alright, enough fooling around! Finish your breakfast quickly; we have today's training to start!"

Natsu rubbed his forehead in exasperation. These two were too noisy, bringing vitality and chaos to the Smile. Look at Gin; he was so quiet.

"Got it! Hmph!" *2

Karina and Kumo exchanged glances, then turned their heads away, heading to either side of Natsu. Taiji, a daily must-do practice.

…

Meanwhile, a shocking piece of news reached Water 7.

The Iceberg had merged the seven shipyards of Water 7 into Carrera Company and began recruiting staff, making it the world's largest shipyard.

CP9 members Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa, and Bruno received orders from the World Government to infiltrate Water 7 and Carrera, secretly searching for the blueprints of the ancient weapon Pluton, intending to control this world-destroying weapon.

In the Drum Kingdom, Doctor Hiruluk's condition worsened. In her final days, she completed her research and ultimately self-destructed in front of the castle in Drum Kingdom. Dalton freed Chopper, who had come to his aid, but was imprisoned for betraying King Wapol. Dr. Hiruluk took in Chopper, who had the Hito Hito no Mi, and began teaching him medicine.

In the New World, the Red-Haired Pirates rose powerfully, overcoming numerous pirate crews in their path. Their influence and territory expanded rapidly, and their top executives raised the crew's reputation to terrifying heights, hinting at aspirations for the peak. The World Government began to refer to them as the Iron Arm Pirates, with bounties for their members reaching staggering amounts.