Chapter 16: Fame Spreads Across the World, Marine Vice Admiral Chiba

Chuba (image):

•~~~•~~~•~~~•

Nominated by Marine Marshal Sengoku, seconded by the three Admirals, and jointly recommended by the Vice Admirals, Chiba was formally appointed as Marine Vice Admiral by the World Government.

To solidify the honor and prestige of the position, Sengoku organized an elaborate ceremony, inviting numerous generals and journalists to celebrate Chiba's promotion. He personally pinned the rank onto Chiba's uniform.

The major media outlets rushed to report the event, capturing numerous photos of Chiba's handsome profile. The photo of him in his Vice Admiral uniform was chosen as the front-page cover, accompanied by a thousand-word article detailing his achievements.

Flocks of news birds flew to all four seas, spreading the news far and wide.

Finding the ceremony overwhelming, Chiba seized a moment to slip away and step outside. The sea breeze lifted his spirits, refreshing him.

"Feeling out of place?" Garp approached, his expression calm. "As Vice Admiral, you'll have to attend a lot of these events. You'll get used to it."

"It's fine. By the way, Grandpa, take this. Drink it all, and then come back to me when you need more." Chiba handed Garp a small bottle of transparent liquid.

Garp raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"

"It's another body-strengthening energy liquid, but this one's—"

Before Chiba could finish, Garp uncapped the bottle and took a swig. The warm, powerful energy coursed through his limbs and bones, mending old injuries and awakening millions of particles within him.

Garp's eyes widened in shock, nearly popping out of his head. "You little rascal, what kind of potion is this?"

"To be precise, it's the foundation-building medicinal liquid. Its effects are over ten times stronger than the basic liquid I gave Sengoku. Just keep it for yourself, Grandpa, and don't share it."

Garp's face twitched, but eventually, he calmed down, grinning widely as he patted Chiba's shoulder. "You brat, you're something else. Having a grandson like you—I must have accumulated a lifetime's worth of luck! Hahaha..."

---

Grand Line

The sky stretched out in a brilliant blue, cloudless and calm—a rare sight. On the tranquil sea, the Going Merry sailed gently. Leaning against the railing was a beautiful young girl.

She had brown eyes and short, orange hair. She was Nami, the navigator known as the "Little Thief Cat."

Nami looked up at the blue sky, the soft sea breeze caressing her face as she smiled.

Just half a year ago, she had been under the oppressive rule of the Fish-Man Arlong. To protect her village, she had spent years stealing and cheating to gather money. She had come so close to her goal of 100 million Berries, believing that her suffering would finally end—only for Arlong to conspire with the corrupt Marine, Captain Nezumi, to steal her money.

Arlong never intended to free her; he only wanted to exploit her talents. She thought her life was doomed.

But then Luffy appeared. He defeated Arlong, freeing her and her village from his tyranny. For the first time, Nami, her family, and her friends felt the sunlight of freedom.

She was deeply grateful to Luffy.

Nami closed her eyes, letting the warm sunbathe her face. Life was so beautiful now—it felt like a dream.

Croak!

The sound of a news bird caught Nami's attention. She looked up and waved as the bird dropped a rolled-up newspaper into her hands.

The front-page headline read:

"Marine's New Light: Vice Admiral Monkey D. Chiba."

Nami stared at the photo. In his Vice Admiral uniform, the man's handsome face bore a striking resemblance to Luffy's but had an air of calm maturity. The slight smile on his lips made him look even more charming.

Stars sparkled in Nami's eyes. "So handsome."

"Huh? When did Luffy become a Marine Vice Admiral?" A young swordsman walked over. He had short green hair, a green bandana tied around his arm, golden drop-shaped earrings, and three swords at his waist. This was Zoro, the pirate hunter aiming to become the world's greatest swordsman.

Zoro squinted at the photo. His vision wasn't the best, and to him, the photo looked almost exactly like Luffy.

"That's my brother," said Luffy, walking over, straw hat perched on his head.

Luffy nonchalantly picked his nose, flicking the booger onto the newspaper.

"Ah, gross!" Nami scolded, smacking Luffy on the head before carefully brushing the booger away. She looked back at the photo, entranced.

"Luffy, Luffy, you say he's your brother. Your brother is already a Marine Vice Admiral and has achieved so much—he developed the Haki training method, Qi training exercise, and the body-training energy medicine. You two were born to the same parents, so why is he so accomplished while you're... like this?"

Zoro tilted his head in confusion. "Could it be... they weren't born to the same parents?" Then he shook his head. "No, they look almost exactly alike. They must be siblings."

"Not exactly the same," Nami corrected. "Luffy's brother is way more handsome."

Usopp, with his long nose and exaggerated expressions, peeked at the newspaper and exclaimed, "Luffy, I had no idea you had such an amazing brother."

"Are you really brothers?"

"Why is your brother so accomplished?"

"Luffy, compared to your brother, you're really lacking."

Luffy's face fell. "I hate that brother…"

---

Somewhere in the One Piece World, on a Small Island Bar

"The Marines have another monster—promoted to Vice Admiral at only seventeen."

"The Haki training method allows ordinary Marines to awaken Haki. The Qi and body exercises greatly enhance physical energy, and there's also a potion that can repair the body and boost strength."

"How can one person develop so much cross-disciplinary research? It's unimaginable."

"I've decided—I'm joining the next Marine selection. I have to become a Marine, learn Haki, practice body training, and get my hands on that energy liquid."

The bar was buzzing with chatter, all revolving around Chiba and his incredible contributions.

In a quiet corner, a low murmur could be heard.

"I never would've imagined… Chiba, that brat, really joined the Marines and achieved all that. It's unbelievable."

The speaker was a young man in his twenties, with black hair, a tan complexion, and a tattoo of the word ASCE on his left arm. The S in the tattoo was crossed out, and he wore a red bead necklace around his neck. This was Fire Fist Ace, captain of the second division of the Whitebeard Pirates, and a man whose name had become infamous.

---

𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼:

• 𝘽𝙤𝙜𝙙𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙪

• 𝙅𝙘𝟭𝟮𝟬𝟮

• 𝘼𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙝

• 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯 𝗠𝗼𝗲𝗲

𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟴𝟱+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!

👉 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬: 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧