One Piece: Legacy of the Pirate King

Chapter 25One Piece: Legacy of the Pirate King

The Red Spirit glided beneath a cloudless sky, its sails full, its crew relaxed after their first victorious battle. But on the edge of the world, trouble had already begun to stir.

Not a pirate.

Not a marine.

Not a revolutionary.

But something colder…

A hunter.

Aboard a nameless ship of steel and silence

The man stood alone.

Draped in a weathered coat made of stitched bounty posters, he carried no flag. His ship bore no symbol. His eyes were hidden behind a steel visor.

His name had long been erased.

But the underworld called him "Gravebrand."

Not because he killed.

But because everyone he hunted was never heard from again.

In his gloved hands, he held a bounty.

Not paper.

Not digital.

But a sealed letter, laced with ancient wax and marked by a forgotten emblem—one once belonging to Imu, the ruler of the Void Throne.

He opened it.

One name written in blood-red ink:

Lian D. Luffy

Underneath:Priority Code: Echo Erase

Gravebrand said nothing.

He sheathed his blades—two sabers made from melted seastone and time-forged metal.

And the hunter set course…

Back on the Red Spirit

The crew was still riding the high of victory.

Lucien juggled fireballs, much to Mimi's alarm.

Rin was cleaning her blades under the moonlight while keeping one eye on the sea.

Sera sat cross-legged, floating off the deck thanks to one of Mimi's gravity discs, reading a book titled "Legacy Suppression Orders: A Forbidden Chronicle."

Lian leaned on the railing, feeling the wind.

Peaceful.

Too peaceful.

That's when the den den mushi rang.

Lian picked it up. "Yo."

The voice on the other end was Garp.

No jokes. No laughs.

Just two words:

"They've sent him."

Lian's face dropped. "Who?"

A pause. Then:

"The one they never sent for your father."

That Night

They docked on a small island to rest—one barely charted, covered in mist and towering trees.

They made camp. Set watches.

Lian didn't sleep.

His Haki kept twitching. Something cold pressed against the edge of his instinct.

He walked out into the trees… alone.

And found a blade at his throat.

Face to Face

Gravebrand stood there. Silent. Unmoving.

"You have no bounty," he rasped.

"No crimes yet."

Lian clenched his fists.

"Then why—"

"You are a threat by birth."

A pause.

Gravebrand activated something on his wrist—symbols lit in a forgotten language, the ground beneath them trembling as an ancient suppression field formed.

Lian's body froze.

His Chrono Drive wouldn't respond.

His willpower flickered.

"Your legacy ends before it begins," Gravebrand muttered.

He moved to strike.

But then…

Rin's blade deflected the first blow.

Lucien dropped in with a spiral flame kick.

Mimi launched Quackzilla, now equipped with emergency rocket mode.

Sera tore the suppression field apart with a summoned Chrono Rune that cracked the ancient code in one blink.

Lian gasped—free again.

He stood, blood running down his cheek.

And smiled.

"You're strong."

His fists ignited in orange light.

"But I've got a crew now."

The Battle Erupts

Steel clashed against flame.

Shadow sabers tore through gravity waves.

Chrono glyphs rained from the sky.

But Gravebrand… adapted to every move.

Until—

Lian charged head-on.

Time shimmered around him.

"Chrono Drive: Legacy Pulse!"

He struck Gravebrand directly in the chest—memories flashing like lightning—Luffy's laugh, Ace's fire, Nami's map, Zoro's blade, Robin's tear.

The impact launched the hunter back.

Gravebrand slammed into a tree so hard it cracked the bark into fossil.

For a moment… he stilled.

Then he vanished—no blood, no sound.

Just gone.

Later

Around the fire, no one spoke for a long time.

Then Lucien said, "You okay?"

Lian looked into the flames.

"I saw something in him… like he wasn't doing it because he wanted to."

Sera whispered, "There's more coming. That wasn't the last of them."

Rin nodded. "We're being tested."

Mimi, quietly, placed a warm cup of sea-sugar tea in front of Lian.

He looked at his crew.

And smiled.

"I'm ready."

Preview: Chapter 26 – The Echo Vault

A mysterious island appears on no map, calling to Lian's blood. Beneath its surface lies a vault—guarded by remnants of Joy Boy's first crew and secrets even the Pirate King never knew.