Shining. This was his codename, and he was the head of the guards employed by the Eleco family, as well as a descendant of attendants who had been loyal to the Eleco family for generations.
Eight hundred years ago, alongside the nineteen royal families, a vast multitude of servants and attendants had arrived at the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. Some of them had fared exceptionally well, eventually becoming deeply intertwined across generations with those Celestial Dragon families. Shining was one such individual. His father had even been the head butler of the Eleco household, which was why Eleco trusted Shining implicitly.
Shining was a master of physical martial arts, proficient in all six styles of the Marines with the sole exception of Life Return. His leg strength was particularly formidable, making his Moonwalk and Tempest Kick techniques all the more devastating. Building upon this foundation, he had developed a rapid-movement technique that, to outsiders, made it appear as though he had mastered short-range teleportation. (Note: In the original work, Blackbeard's subordinate Van Augur consumed the Teleport-Teleport Fruit, granting him the ability to teleport freely anywhere within an island; Shining's short-range teleportation is a distinct technique.)
At the same time, he had mastered both Observation Haki and Armament Haki. It was precisely because of this formidable array of abilities that he served as the head of the guards, and why Eleco felt entirely comfortable entrusting him with certain sensitive tasks.
These were the tasks Eleco had arranged when Stephie set out for the North Blue. By now, there should surely be some fresh news, shouldn't there?
After hanging up the call with Stephie and laying down the newspaper in his hands, Eleco decided to contact Shining to inquire about his progress.
"Father, are you going to rest now?"
Hm? Ah, that's right—my allotted time for today was almost up. I'll just leave it for tomorrow, then.
Had Livina not reminded him, he would have completely forgotten about it.
"Livina must be a good girl and go rest, too. Back then, Dad didn't listen to your great-grandmother's advice, and that's why I fell ill."
"Father? Do you think it's funny to trick Livina like this? Father's illness is clearly congenital..."
Meeting Livina's expression of disdain—as if she were looking at someone simple-minded—Eleco burst into hearty laughter.
"Ha ha, very well, off to bed with you early, too. One must balance work and rest, after all."
Ringing the summons bell, Eleco patted Livina on the head, signaling a servant to come in and take her off to rest. He then pinned the earlier newspaper onto the information wall alongside the others.
The most prominent headlines on today's newspaper read: 《Fire Fist Ace Defeats Warlord of the Sea Hanafuda》 and 《Fire Fist Ace Rejects Appointment as Warlord of the Sea》.
How interesting...
In that case, I must set sail for Punk Hazard as soon as possible.
That's right—today was the very day in the original timeline when Ace rejected the Warlords' invitation, which also meant that Caesar Clown was on the verge of blowing up Punk Hazard. For the sake of his grand plan, Eleco had to reach Punk Hazard without delay.
When people spoke of the tumultuous and shifting winds of the year 1517 of the Marine calendar, it truly read like a magnificent, sweeping epic centered around Ace. Numerous events shone like stars scattered across the night sky, and a closer inspection revealed that each one was intricately interwoven with him.
First, at the dawn of the year, Ace resolutely waved goodbye to Luffy and the others, finally hoisting his sails and embarking on his unknown journey as a pirate. Yet the wheels of fate began to turn, and just like Luffy, he encountered an unexpected mishap. While Luffy had concealed himself inside a wine barrel thanks to his Devil Fruit powers, Ace had drifted ashore on a desolate island situated within a mysterious stretch of sea in the East Blue known as the "Ant's Nest of the Ocean."
This place was tightly enclosed by bizarre ocean currents, resembling a voracious giant beast that mercilessly swallowed any approaching vessel, making escape nearly impossible. It was precisely on this barren island that Ace crossed paths with his very first companion: the doctor, Deuce.
The two forged a rock-solid brotherhood there. Later, a treasure chest carrying the Flame-Flame Fruit drifted onto the island like a gift from the heavens. They shared it together, and ultimately the goddess of fortune favored Ace, granting him formidable powers.
Here, one cannot help but silently mourn for Deuce, who not only had to endure a fruit that tasted quite literally as unpalatable as excrement, but also failed to gain any powers whatsoever—a truly tragic fate indeed.
Later, after successfully escaping the desolate island, leveraging the advantages of a Logia user's powers coupled with Ace's already exceptional physical stamina, the two of them shone like dazzling stars, rapidly making a name for themselves and rising to prominence in the pirate world.
From there, they gathered many new companions, sailed to Sabaody Archipelago, and eventually entered the New World. (Note: Those interested can check out the Ace novel spinoff.)
At that time, Ace and his crew first encountered Little Oars and forged a deep friendship with him. To craft a massive woven straw hat for Little Oars, Ace decided to head for Wano Country, and incidentally, to challenge Kaido. That's right—Ace's initial target for a challenge was actually Kaido; he simply happened to miss him.
This was because Red-Haired had only become one of the Four Emperors a year prior, shattering the previous equilibrium where three Emperors had jointly divided the New World. (Note: When Luffy became one of the new Four Emperors after the Onigashima arc, the Marines held a meeting where they once again listed the backgrounds of the new Four Emperors. Among them, it was stated that Red-Haired had only been an Emperor for six years. Counting backward from 1522, that means he became an Emperor in 1516. This is a personal headcanon and not official content from the original work.)
A year prior, in 1516, Red-Haired Shanks and his pirate crew, who were growing increasingly notorious in the New World, clashed with Hanafuda, one of the Warlords of the Sea, culminating in a battle between the two factions.
At that time, Red-Haired was practically draped in an aura of prestige: a former crewmate of the King of the Pirates, Roger; fighting on par with the world's greatest swordsman and Warlord Mihawk; operating even in a one-armed state; and possessing nation-destroying levels of combat power. (This refers to the incident in the theatrical film *Film: Red* where a country was destroyed due to the diva's mistake, an aftermath that Red-Haired took upon himself; to outsiders, however, it appeared as though Red-Haired had single-handedly destroyed a nation.)
This gave others the illusion that Red-Haired's strength was already on par with the other Emperors, all of whom possessed world-shattering, nation-eradicating terrifying might.
The reason Red-Haired concealed his true identity was because noble Celestial Dragon blood flowed through his veins, and his guiding philosophy—acting like a stabilizing anchor—was to maintain the equilibrium of the world's seas until the person Captain Roger eagerly awaited finally arrived.
Maintaining this equilibrium coincided precisely with the interests of the World Government, prompting them to quietly fan the flames and act as the mastermind behind the scenes.
At that time, Hanafuda, one of the Warlords of the Sea, was actually a loyal lackey of Kaido, supplying Zoan Devil Fruits to Kaido even earlier than Doflamingo did. The Devil Fruits he provided were genuine articles; although their numbers were extremely scarce, it was already sufficient for Kaido at the time.
Kaido simply needed an overlord from the New World's underground underworld to work for him, sell Seastone weapons, and establish connections with the World Government. The Warlords system was undoubtedly the ideal avenue. (Note: At this time, Caesar Clown had not yet blown up Punk Hazard, nor had he partnered with Doflamingo, and naturally he had not yet provided bootleg Devil Fruits. Doflamingo primarily served as an agent selling arms, such as Kaido's Seastone business.)
However, the World Government was not particularly satisfied with these Seastone weapons, which had been marked up through multiple middlemen.
Just at that moment, Red-Haired's sudden emergence gave them the notion of letting Red-Haired replace Hanafuda. Red-Haired possessed extraordinary strength, carried Celestial Dragon bloodline, and was dedicated to maintaining the balance of the seas—he was quite simply the quintessential candidate.
Under the covert manipulation of the World Government, the Red-Haired Pirates and the Hanafuda Pirates clashed fiercely, ultimately escalating into a breathtaking, earth-shattering battle.
Naturally, the outcome was devoid of any suspense: Hanafuda was ruthlessly and unilaterally humiliated by the Red-Haired Pirates.
Yet Hanafuda proved himself a worthy lapdog and purse-string holder for Kaido. Much like how Kaido dispatched Jack to rescue Doflamingo, Kaido was not yet willing to easily abandon Hanafuda at that juncture.
This was entirely different from Doflamingo's situation. When Doflamingo was defeated and captured by Luffy, Kaido judged that his own forces had accumulated sufficient strength, and he was ready to unleash a war that would shock the world. Doflamingo had already lost the ability to manufacture bootleg Devil Fruits, though he still possessed personal strength, so Kaido merely sent Jack to rescue him—if he could be saved, great; if not, so be it.
Coupled with the fact that Kaido himself now wished to test this newcomer in the New World who had risen to fame and was rumored to rival the Four Emperors, Kaido made his move.
The ultimate outcome was that Red-Haired successfully intercepted Kaido, and Kaido carried Hanafuda back to his own territory, bringing the conflict to a close.
Morgans, never one to let a chance for chaos slip by—much like how he proclaimed Luffy as the Fifth Emperor—announced that the balance of the three Emperors had been shattered and a new Emperor of the Sea was born: Red-Haired Shanks. After all, Red-Haired's background and his strength in intercepting Kaido had already won the recognition of the vast majority.
From then on, Red-Haired endured over a year of endless challengers constantly coming after him.
This was also why, when Red-Haired first crossed paths with Ace, he mistakenly assumed that this pirate supernova had come to challenge him.
Following that, Hanafuda, having just departed from Kaido's territory, ran right into Ace, who was on his way to challenge Kaido.
It was simply terrible luck for Hanafuda. Much like how Moria had his fighting spirit completely crushed by Kaido, Hanafuda had his spirit utterly broken by Red-Haired.
One had to remember that power like Haki in the pirate world was deeply tied to one's willpower. Having lost his fighting spirit, Hanafuda's strength plummeted drastically, and before his wounds had even healed, he ran straight into Ace at the peak of his condition.
Consequently, he became that Warlord defeated by Ace.
When Kaido heard that Hanafuda had gotten into trouble once again, he set off yet again to fish him out. After all, Hanafuda still possessed combat value, was a Zoan user beloved by Kaido, held the title of Warlord, and served as his moneybag. Furthermore, the man had only just left his territory a short while ago before getting beaten up—and you had to respect the owner before beating a dog!
And so, Kaido once again narrowly missed paths with Ace. After defeating Hanafuda, Ace had also fought an arduous battle and ended up separated from his companions.
He arrived in Wano Country entirely alone, where he met Tama, Yamato, and the others. (Note: Flashbacks in the original work mention that at this time, Ace did not yet bear Whitebeard's mark on his back, meaning he had not yet joined the Whitebeard Pirates. Therefore, based on the above, I deduce his experiences roughly unfolded this way.)
Upon leaving Wano Country, because he had missed Kaido, Ace was unable to challenge him. However, he successfully regrouped with his companions, and along the way, he heard news of Red-Haired, deciding to go meet him first to personally thank his younger brother's savior.
After holding a drinking banquet with Red-Haired and sharing his plans for making a name for himself, Ace went off to challenge Whitebeard.
Then ensued his ten-day, ten-night clash with Jinbe, who had come to stop him, before he was ultimately taken in as a son by Whitebeard.
Of course, all of this had little to do with Eleco at present; his plan had not yet reached that stage. His current targets were Law in the North Blue, Germa, and Bax in the North Blue, alongside Moria in Paradise—the first half of the Grand Line—and King Wapol of the Bliking Kingdom.
He truly hoped Shining would bring him good news...
Just as Eleco succumbed to his illness and drifted off into deep slumber, aboard the Moby Dick in the New World...
"That arrogant brat from the Grand Line has actually made it to the New World, and he even defeated Hanafuda! Gurarara... gurururu..."
"I heard he even rejected the invitation to become a Warlord."
"How interesting, Roger..."
"Hm? What did you say, Pop?"
At that moment, inside Whitebeard's chambers aboard the Moby Dick, Whitebeard and Thatch were discussing the news regarding Ace from the morning paper. Because Whitebeard had muttered his final sentence very softly, Thatch hadn't caught it and thus inquired.
Please translate the following text into English. Ensure it reads naturally, follows all prompt instructions, and retains the exact glossary terms provided:
"It's nothing, just reminisced about the past..."
...
Wano Country, Onigashima.
"Worororo, are all the brats these days this strong? Hanafuda's been defeated again? Good grief, a guy who plays with fire, huh?
Hey, King, do you want to come with me to take a look and teach that brat a lesson about who the true master of fire is?"
King: "......"
Though King said nothing, the spread of his wings made it clear that he intended to accompany his captain to fish out their subordinate.
"Worororo, let's move!"
As Kaido transformed into his Azure Dragon form, treading upon flame clouds as he flew in the direction where Hanafuda had retreated, King likewise unfurled his wings and gave chase.
...
Totto Land Waters · Totto Land
"Ma mamama, Fire Fist Ace... D?"
(Note: When Ace first set sail, his bounty poster included the middle initial D. This was mentioned in a flashback, where Sengoku questioned where that D came from.)
"Mama?" x5
At that moment, Totto Land was preparing to host an afternoon tea party, the purpose of which was to carve up the spoils of the loser Hanafuda, or at least bleed him dry as much as possible.
To this end, all four Sweet Commanders had been summoned back, and together with the eldest son, Charlotte Perospero, a total of five individuals gathered within Big Mom's chamber.
"Roger, Ace, D?"
"Mama?"
"It's nothing, I was merely reminiscing about the past. Perospero, have the invitations for the tea party been sent out? They will all come, won't they?"
Though puzzled by Mama's self-talk, her children prudently chose not to ask.
"Rest assured, Mama, everything has been arranged."
"Hmph, the guards are still entrusted to you, Katakuri. Do not disappoint me..."
Roger, Ace... If I recall correctly, the sword you carried back in the day, Roger, was also named Ace, wasn't it? How could there be such a coincidence in this world?
Although Big Mom said nothing further, she was evidently recalling the day years ago when Roger had outmaneuvered her to make off with a Poneglyph...
...
Sabaody Archipelago...
Plop—drop—plop—
Outside the grove-robbing shack, the unique floating bubble spheres of Sabaody Archipelago popped one after another. Inside the house, a silver-haired old man lowered the newspaper in his hand and picked up a glass of rum to drink by himself.
Ace... Roger...
Hmph~
As if recalling something, the corners of the old man's mouth curved upward slightly.
"Rayleigh—~, look at that! I told you that pirate supernova, Fire Fist Ace, would definitely be the strongest of this batch. See? I was right—he's already defeated an old Warlord just like that!"
As a woman puffing on a lady's cigarette walked in carrying a newspaper, the small cabin instantly grew lively. She was none other than the mistress of this bar—Shakky.
...
Twin Capes.
This was the starting point of the Grand Line.
Whenever navigators from the Four Blues scaled Reverse Mountain, they would pass through this place.
At this moment, an old man stood on the cliff's edge, clutching a newspaper in his hand.
It was Crocus, who had come out from inside Laboon's body to catch some fresh air. In order to stay connected with the world, he frequently emerged from inside Laboon to gather information.
"Ace, is it?..."
"Is Roger the man we've been waiting for?"
Gazing toward the forward path of the Grand Line, Crocus muttered to himself.
...
Grand Line · New World, a hidden realm known as Vermilion.
This was a cluster of floating islands.
Constructed by the legendary pirate, Golden Lion Shiki.
At that moment, the Golden Lion similarly held a newspaper in his hands.
"Ace, D, is it? Roger, your sword was also named Ace, wasn't it!"