As time passed, people continued to venture into the sea, seeking the ultimate treasure and striving to make a name for themselves. The world gradually adopted a new order, and the name of the once-famous Thunder God Nicholas faded into obscurity. His name slowly disappeared from public memory amidst the ever-changing world and the emergence of new talents.
Only a few acquaintances occasionally mentioned him, either reminiscing, lamenting, or even gritting their teeth.
Eventually, it was the year 1517 of the Sea Calendar.
East Blue, Foosha Village.
"Ace! Are you leaving today?" A still-young Luffy asked loudly, his eyes full of reluctance.
"Hahaha, Luffy, Sabo, as per our promise, I'm starting my pirate journey today!"
"The Pirate King title is mine!" Portgas D. Ace laughed heartily.
"Don't worry, Luffy and I will catch up to you soon! Don't let us catch you before you make a name for yourself, Ace!" Sabo, wearing a top hat and dressed in blue noble attire, shouted as well.
The inertia of history was powerful, and fate brought the three brothers together again. The only difference might be that Nicholas, an anomaly in fate, changed the destiny of some people.
"Darn it, I'll set sail soon too. The Pirate King will be me!" Luffy yelled, clenching his teeth.
"Alright, Sabo, let's hurry and set off. If Aunt Makino catches us, you can forget about setting sail." Sabo laughed and shouted, clearly happy for his brother Ace's departure.
Ace laughed as he sailed away in his small boat, gradually disappearing from Luffy and Sabo's sight.
Unbeknownst to Ace, Makino was silently watching him from a distance at the Foosha Village port, her eyes full of reluctance.
"The sea is vast and boundless, but I will achieve my goal!"
"Are you still alive? Somewhere in this world? I will find you, give you a good punch, and then ask why you haven't visited Mom once in all these years!" Ace stared at the expansive sea, his eyes filled with determination as he thought to himself.
For so many years, there had been no news of that man, as if he had vanished from the world entirely. The pirate king, the freest man on the sea, couldn't even visit his wife and child—what a cruel irony.
Thinking of his mother's expression whenever she spoke about his father, Ace felt a pang of jealousy. He wanted to ask his mother what was so great about the man who had abandoned them.
But every time he saw the beautiful smile on his mother's face, Ace kept all his questions to himself.
Fate seemed to have everything arranged. Ace finally set sail, ate the Flame-Flame Fruit, formed his pirate crew, and gained comrades.
With the power of the Logia Devil Fruit, Ace quickly made a name for himself on the Grand Line, earning the nickname "Fire Fist Ace."
At Marineford, the headquarters of the Navy.
"Hey, hey, hey! Garp, this Ace guy is one of your grandsons, isn't he?" Sengoku threw a wanted poster onto the desk in front of Garp, who was drinking tea and eating donuts.
Without showing any expression, Garp took a bite of his donut, glanced at Ace's smiling face on the poster, and sighed. "He's my grandson, so what?"
"Why did he become a pirate? This guy has a Logia power! Do you know how dangerous he is?" Sengoku continued to shout.
Logia Devil Fruits are exceedingly rare on the seas, representing natural elements. As long as the user isn't incompetent, they can make a significant name for themselves, much like the current three Admirals, all Logia users. A Logia user with abilities countering Admiral Aokiji's could potentially unleash unpredictable power.
"Sengoku, calm down. I know you want to eradicate pirates completely, but even if pirates disappeared, thanks to the World Government and the Celestial Dragons, there would still be many people venturing out to sea. Remember Fujitora's report about the Celestial Dragons' incident the other day? It makes me miss Nicholas. When he was around, the Celestial Dragons didn't even dare leave Mariejois." Garp nostalgically remarked. Nicholas' presence had quickly reduced incidents involving the Celestial Dragons, indirectly boosting the Navy's reputation.
Sengoku was momentarily stunned, then slowly sat down. Mentioning Nicholas left both men at a loss for words.
"That guy… I didn't expect the person behind the Celestial Dragons to be so ruthless, directly leaving Mariejois to target Nicholas." Sengoku suddenly said, having some guesses about Nicholas' sudden disappearance as time passed.
"If it weren't for too many concerns, I'd really like to see just how strong that guy is!" Garp said seriously, looking in the direction of Mariejois.
"Garp!" Sengoku shouted sternly, "Don't talk nonsense. If the Navy suffers heavy losses, who will protect the civilians? Do you think the pirates would show any mercy?"
Hearing this, Garp clenched his fists, feeling stifled by the situation.
Sengoku, sensing Garp's frustration, slowly said, "Actually, I've talked with Roger about Nicholas. That guy isn't so easy to kill. Moreover, since Nicholas disappeared, his crew also left Wano. If Nicholas were truly dead, those guys would definitely seek revenge on the world."
"Let's hope so. We can't oppose those people on our own." Garp sighed helplessly.
"Anyway let's talk about Ace. He's your grandson." Sengoku asked.
Garp shook his head, "I don't know. You handle this. Since Ace chose his path, he must be prepared for the consequences."
"He's very powerful and has one of the more aggressive Logia fruits, fire. Even though he's a new pirate, he already has a bounty of 100 million. Considering his actions since setting sail, should we invite him to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea?" Sengoku suggested after a moment of thought.
Despite being pirates, the Seven Warlords had government-issued licenses to plunder and cooperated with the Navy and World Government.
"Let's send Fujitora. Others might not match him." Garp agreed, knowing Ace's personality well.
"Alright, I'll arrange for Fujitora to go." Sengoku nodded.
This decision was also a nod to Garp's relationship. With Garp's connection, if Ace joined the Seven Warlords, he would be more trustworthy than others.
The Grand Line, Water 7.
"Ace, we're about to enter the New World. It's a hell for the weak and a paradise for the strong. Are you nervous?" Vice-Captain Masked Deuce asked Ace with a grin.
"Deuce, nervous? No way! I'm excited! I'm looking forward to what interesting things and opponents we'll encounter in that sea of the strong!" Ace laughed.
"Haha, I'll record all of this. When we're old, these will be our best memories." Deuce laughed too, clearly enjoying the journey with Ace and their comrades.
[AN- Anyone wondering about why Nicholas had to be removed from the story. Its pretty simple, his presence might change a lot of stuff like Ace being given to Nicholas instead of Garp, Luffy not being born or being born with a different gender even though his birth is fated. Ace not being able to stay with Luffy and sabo or Luffy becoming a Marine due to the absence of Ace.]