Flame of Revolution

In the West Blue, where users capable of mastering Haki were few and far between, Logia abilities remained an almost invincible weapon.

There were only two ways to counter them:

Sea Prism Stone—infused with Pyrobloin, also known as Substance P—or the sea itself.

As for Haki—that mysterious force born of sheer will and manifested through the body in offensive and defensive techniques—it was the only power capable of touching Logia users and injuring their true bodies.

But in turn, a Logia user with mastery of Observation Haki could shift into their element the instant a strike was about to land—letting the attack pass harmlessly through them, as if they weren't even there.

Yet the pirate Kevin had just faced… didn't even know what Haki was.

He had believed his ability made him invulnerable to all attacks.

And so, it came as no surprise that Kevin—who possessed only the basics of Armament Haki—could injure him so easily.

"Damn you, you Marine dog!!"

The pirate howled, morphing his body into a violent swamp as he lunged toward Kevin.

But he didn't make it far…

BOOM!

A punch to the face—four teeth, bloodied and broken, flew through the air as the man crashed onto his back.

As consciousness slipped away, he strained to lift his head, calling out to those who had fled and left him behind:

"Save me… you bastards… don't leave me behind…!"

Kevin walked past him in silence—then shattered his skull with a single kick,

snapping the man's neck with a sharp crack.

His awareness was snatched away in the very next instant.

The ones who had fled glanced nervously at one another—but none dared to stop or look back.

Those drawn here by greed… had never been comrades to begin with.

They were just a mob of invaders, united by nothing but mutual self-interest.

Kevin continued the hunt.

As he neared the harbor, his eyes caught sight of a man standing on the bow of a ship—his eyes narrowed, razor-sharp like those of a hawk, sword raised and pointed toward the shore.

"Who the hell is this bastard?! Who let him on our ship?!"

The crew behind him shouted, busy adjusting the sails.

But the man didn't even glance their way.

"I'll be borrowing your ship… You'll escape more easily that way."

And the moment his words ended—he swung his massive cross-shaped sword in a single, devastating arc.

In an instant, a colossal wave of slashing energy exploded toward the harbor, tearing through the sea's surface as though it intended to cleave the island in two.

The eyes of nearby Marines—rifles still trained on him—froze in disbelief at the sheer power unleashed in that one swing.

"Is that… even human?!"

DOOOOIIIING!

A golden flash erupted from afar—intercepting the strike, and reversing the sea's waves backward.

The blue wave of slashing energy exploded mid-air, its path shattered by the golden arc.

As calm momentarily returned to the harbor…the awe-inspiring figure of Admiral Sengoku emerged, standing firm against the tide of chaos that had nearly consumed the place.

The morale of the Marines surged instantly.

While on the execution platform earlier, he hadn't been able to act—

the civilians gathered in the square had made it too dangerous.

But now that the chaos had cleared—his hand was free once more.

Most of the scum had already been killed or captured.

Those who had fled… wouldn't be returning anytime soon.

But it wasn't the escapees of Loguetown that worried him.

What worried him…

was that history itself had begun to change from this moment onward.

The great treasure—the One Piece…

From now on, it would become the dream that tempted every ambitious soul,

the fire that stirred every heart hungry for glory.

This sea… would seethe with unrest for decades to come.

And all of it—because of a single sentence, spoken by a man on the brink of death.

The Marine's entire plan… collapsed in the wake of those words.

Then Sengoku slowly turned toward Kevin.

"You're Kevin, aren't you?"

"Yes, Admiral."

"Do you believe in the existence of the Great Treasure… the One Piece?"

Existence? Nonsense.

A penniless pirate crew, armed with nothing but a thirst for adventure and the sound of growling stomachs… What treasure could they possibly own—let alone hide at Laugh Tale?

And even if Roger's crew did amass countless riches, why would they bury it all on the so-called final island?

Would the treasure reproduce there?

Laugh Tale…

It might contain long-lost truths—fragments of history from the Void Century, the true meaning behind the ancient Will of D., the origins of that giant straw hat hidden within Mary Geoise, or even the stories of those who once tried to overthrow the world… and failed.

But treasure?

Impossible. There's no treasure there.

Kevin spoke in a calm, low voice directed at Admiral Sengoku:

"Whether the One Piece exists or not, sir… If the world believes it does—

then the number of pirates will only multiply, year after year."

He drew a deep breath, and added, his tone heavy with sorrow:

"The Great Pirate Era… has just begun, with a single sentence spoken by that man."

Sengoku remained silent, brows drawn tight.

He had already foreseen this outcome.

But still… he'd needed to hear it aloud—to have his fears confirmed by the boy's words, nothing more.

* * *

Three days later…

Loguetown finally returned to a fragile calm.

The chaos sparked by the Pirate King's execution had finally subsided.

As for the pirates who had once stalked Kevin—the man who had carried out the execution—they had all but forgotten about him, lost in the spell of Roger's final words.

Now… nothing stirred hearts more than the allure of the One Piece.

Loguetown Harbor

Vice Admiral Kuzan stood silently, his gaze somewhat complicated.

"So… he refused?"

He said it to one of the officers nearby, who blinked in disbelief.

"No one turns down the chance to train at Marine Headquarters. But that Kevin… refused without hesitation."

Kuzan lifted a hand to adjust the band over his eye and asked:

"Then what does he plan to do? Stay here in Loguetown… as an executioner?"

Commander Strawberry's eyelid twitched slightly—as if recalling something.

"He said he's returning to Lasgab Town in the West Blue… to continue guarding the entrance to Reverse Mountain."

Strawberry recalled the moment Kevin had spoken those words.

They had sounded like a retreat—but carried a weight that made even Admiral Sengoku nod in approval.

"He said the pirate era has gone mad… that the Grand Line needs firm justice—

but so do the four blues."

"Even the Pirate King Roger… was just a boy in Loguetown once, before ever setting sail."

"Staying in Lasgab to uphold justice is no less noble than rising through the ranks at Marineford."

Words like those… couldn't come from just any ordinary Marine.

And after witnessing Kevin's prowess firsthand—the way he fought pirates in the aftermath of the execution—it was no surprise Sengoku himself had granted his request to remain.

Strawberry finished speaking, and Kuzan slowly rubbed his brow.

Was Admiral Sengoku simply testing the boy's resolve?

Was Kevin truly sincere in his intentions?

Or was he just looking for an easier path to fame?

He was still only fifteen… and time would be the true judge of his soul.

The Great Pirate Era had begun.

And the real test of the Marines would come not now—but in ten… or twenty years.

As for Kevin—he was merely one of those now marked by the gaze of history.

Kuzan turned without a word and stepped onto the waiting warship.

And in his mind, a name flashed once more—Luemi.

"That kid… Hasn't he inherited Luemi's justice?"