Hey everyone, and welcome to my One Piece fanfiction. This chapter will be one of those world-building chapters that's all about expanding the structure and some cameos. It will also involve some backstory that will clear up some things from the last chapter. Hope you all enjoy it.

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Eiichiro Oda, Shueisha, Toei Animation, and Fuji TV. Please support the official release.

"Pirate" Regular speech.

"Pirate" Thoughts.

Finger Pistol Attack names.

(Pirate) Words said previously.

"PIRATE!" Shouting speech.

[Pirate!] people talking at the same time.

"Pirate" people talking over communication.

The Lion Heart Pirates

—…

It's been some time since the crew sailed from the Conomi islands to continue their adventure. Up in the ship's figurehead, Light rested on his back, feeling that it was time he enjoyed some much-desired rest, and so he relaxed and enjoyed the pleasant weather of the day. Light occasionally gazed out at the ocean but found nothing of interest.

"You raised your prices again?"

Some of the others in the crew brought their attention to the front side and saw Nami. The navigator was arguing with the News Coo, the bird that comes around to deliver newspapers across the ocean. It appeared Nami seemed upset by the pricing of the paper she was purchasing.

"That's a little steep!" Nami commented while handing a single beri coin. "Don't ya think?" She gave the coin to the bird, who had a nervous expression on its face. "Raise your prices again, and I'll stop paying!" With that, the News Coo cawed as it flew away.

"What's the big deal?" Usopp wondered while working on his ammunition. "It's just one paper."

"'Just one paper'?" Nami repeated. "I buy these every day."

"Yeah, but you don't need to save every last beri so you can buy back your village from Arlong, you know?" Usopp added. "You can finally stop obsessing about money."

"You're so stupid!" Nami snapped, causing the sniper to almost jump. "Now that all that stuff's over, I'm saving money for me now." Nami put her hands on her hips. "I'm not gonna be one of those poor Pirates who can't afford to dress up!" Nami commented happily with a grin.

"Right, because who needs supplies or anything actually essential when we can buy clothes?" Silk sarcastically replied to her statement. "And here I thought we'd be responsible with our money."

"Oh, back off." Nami turned away with a huff. "I've been pinching every coin I've gotten my hands on for years, so I've earned the right to splurge."

"This despite the fact that you're still a cheap stake and act like all money is yours." Silk pointed out. "You realize that anything you want to "splurge" on is our lowest priority unless you pay out of your own pocket."

"Oh please, we have plenty of money and treasure." Nami waved her off.

"None of which is yours." Silk sighed and turned away. "In case you forgot, the Captain controls all say over the treasure on this ship, and I highly doubt he'll let you take it all to go clothes shopping."

"Seriously?!" Nami snapped, not happy about that arrangement. "How is that fair?!"

"It's clearly more fair than whatever you had in mind!" Silk snapped back, not happy with Nami's attitude.

"Calm down!" Usopp chided them. "I'm in the middle of developing my special Tabasco Star!"

Gin was nearby and rolled his eyes. "And it never occurred to our "sniper" for even a moment to just use real bullets."

Gin then approached Zoro, who was lying about on the deck. The Swordsman opened his eyes and noticed Gin.

"Anything new happening today?" Zoro wondered.

"Nah, just a whole lotta the same as usual." Gin shrugged. "The Captain's laying around, Nami, Silk, and Long nose are minding their own business, but Sanji…." Gin made Zoro bring his eyes over to Sanji, who kept guard over the tangerines. "He said he was going to guard Nami's tangerine grove, even though she didn't really ask him to."

"Sanji's getting used." Zoro commented. "That poor bastard."

"You're right." Gin agreed before he sighed. "But I don't think he cares."

While relaxing on her lounge chair, Nami kept reading the newspaper and focused on the front page for important information about world events.

"The world is sure a turbulent place," Nami commented with her attention on the paper. "They just had another coup in Villa." It was at this time, from out of the newspaper, a single tan sheet of paper fell out.

"What's that?" Silk asked.

Light turned to see what the others were staring at. Nami's own eyes widened at what she and the others saw. Silk, Usopp, Nami, and Sanji screamed in surprise. It caused Zoro to wake up from his sleep as well as Gin to walk up and see what the problem was. Light got up and joined them, too, as he gathered the tan sheet of paper and smirked as it had a picture of himself.

"Well, how about that." Light exclaimed happily. "I'm wanted now."

The sheet of paper had this written on it in bold print:

Wanted

Dead Or Alive

'Lion Heart' Monkey D. Light

50,000,000

They thought the bounty was impressive for a starter. Even here in East Blue, where bounties of this magnitude were unprecedented. The picture showed Light looking as confident and proud as can be. It was a wide close-up of him smirking while facing forward in the photo with a pile of debris behind him.

"Wanted, Dead or Alive..." Usopp read the print on the poster. "50 million beri!"

"Eh, not as high as I expected, but it'll do for now." Light relented almost jokingly.

"Check it out!" Usopp pointed at the photo. "I'll be seen all around the world!" The sniper grinned. "Girls might even fall for me!"

"What!" Sanji exclaimed. "They put Long Nose in but left me out?" Sanji got a closer look at the poster, his eyes scanning. "Where are you? I don't see you; you're not there?"

Usopp pointed at where he was in the picture. He was in the background, or rather, only his long nose was seen in the corner of the photo, sticking out near the debris. Sanji sat on the deck and puffed his cheeks like a sulking child.

"It's just your nose." Sanji said. "That's not so great."

"Oh, don't be so glum." Usopp smirked. "You don't have to be a Captain to get your picture on one of these things."

"Is that true?" Sanji smiled as he started to perk up again.

"Yeah." Usopp said. "Just work really hard."

"That's rich coming from a guy who did the least amount of work in the last battle." Gin pointed out, deflating Usopp's bloated ego. "Also, you're not a Captain."

Usopp tried to ignore that first part as he responded. "How many times do I have to tell you, people? I'm Captain Usopp! Just because I'm not the Captain of this ship specifically doesn't mean I'm not a Captain!"

"I think your definition of the word "Captain" differs from the traditional sense." Gin retorted with half-lidded eyes.

"On another note, how exactly do you assume girls will fall for you when your face isn't in the frame?" Light questioned as he looked back at the poster. "All I see is a nose."

"He has a point. I doubt many women would fall for a nose." Silk got a closer look as well. "In fact, now that I look again, it looks more like a stray piece of rubble or something."

"That would make a lot more sense. I'd believe that before I believe it was a human person's nose that was unusually long." Gin agreed as he also took another look.

"Honestly, I didn't even notice it until he pointed it out." Sanji reiterated this as well. "Odds are most of the people who see will just assume it's just part of the background."

Every time one of them said something, Usopp felt a blow to his self-esteem that made him feel worse and worse until, by the end, he was face down on the deck, curled into a fetal position with a cloud of depression hovering over his head.

"You guys are the worst." Usopp muttered pitifully.

"Well, one thing you said was true: getting a bounty is something anyone can do." Light added as he turned to the rest of them. "In fact, it's possible that at some point, each of us will have bounties of our own."

"I'm hoping not." Nami stated. "I don't like the idea of being hunted by bounty hunters."

"Well, at the rate we've been going in, it's bound to happen." Silk remarked. "I mean, we have been taking out a lot of powerful and infamous names."

"Yet again, you guys don't understand how grim our situation really is!" Nami exclaimed as she knelt on the ground.

She dropped the newspaper on the deck when they found Light's bounty. She noticed something that caught her attention as she picked up the paper.

"Oh, great." Nami groaned. "Another one."

"Someone else got a bounty?" Light questioned.

"Whose is it?" Usopp asked.

"Let me see!" Sanji said. "I bet it's mine!" Everyone but Light, Silk, and Zoro peered over the navigator's shoulder. Sanji fell on the deck in despair as the others stared at the crewmate the bounty belonged to, which made him raise his brows.

"Gin, it's yours!" Nami said.

"That's right; Gin was already wanted before he even joined up with us." Usopp snapped his fingers as he remembered.

"Looks like it went up since then." Light noted as he snatched the tan paper from Nami.

"Hey!" Nami exclaimed. "Don't just grab it out of my hands."

Light went over to Gin and showed him the poster with bold letters that read:

Wanted

Dead or Alive

'Man-Demon' Gin

19,000,000

Gin grabbed the poster out of his Captain's hold as Nami and Usopp were on either side of him. The picture was of Gin with a scary and intimidating scowl on his face while one of his tonfas was over his shoulder. He had scratches all over his face, and blood poured down the side of his head and dripped from the corner of his mouth. He looked like he had just finished an intense battle or he had just killed someone.

"19 million!" Usopp read. "That's insane! Add both bounties together, and it amounts to 69 million beri in total!"

"Congrats, Gin!" Light smiled as he patted him on the shoulder. "Looks like you've really gone up in the world." Gin stared at his poster and was not even fazed by the words from his captain.

"Yeah…." Gin said slowly. "I'm just surprised. It was only 12 million before. Now, it's even higher than Krieg's. It's just hard to grasp. I mean, it's not like I've gotten stronger since then."

"It's probably because the Captain beat Arlong." Nami reminded.

"You think so?" Usopp questioned.

"That is the only explanation." Nami informed him. "Arlong was one of the top Pirates in the East Blue with a 20 million bounty on his head. There's no way the Marines would overlook you if you joined the crew of the person who pulled something like that off."

"She's right. Sometimes, people can be considered a threat based on what group they belong to. Because the Captain is considered a much bigger threat than Krieg, by definition, you now pose a bigger threat since you, Krieg's former right-hand man, now sail under the Captain's flag." Silk reasoned as well. "The increase in your bounty is probably a reflection of that."

"I guess you're right." Gin replied as he stared at his wanted poster.

"In any case, this is how things stand now." Light shrugged and turned to the crew. "It's official. We're the most infamous crew in East Blue. People are gonna be gunnin' for us now. But that's not important anymore because there's only one place we plan on going. Let's go to the Grand Line!"

Light exclaimed with a boisterous attitude as Usopp and Sanji started a two-man line dance, each of them singing about going to the Grand Line. Gin sat on the rail, watched from the side with a grin, and gave another look at his own wanted poster. Silk put her hands on her hips and watched them with amusement as they heard an irritated sigh from Nami, who was seated beside Gin.

"Yet again, you guys don't understand how grim our situation really is!" Nami tried to get through to the cheering duo. She put a hand on her forehead, realizing that it was useless. "This means all of our lives will be in constant danger."

"Um, earth to Nami, we're Pirates. Our lives have been in constant danger since we got on this ship." Silk reminded her.

"That's not the point." Nami said, folding her arms. "Who's telling what kind of trouble will be thrown our way with the bounties on their heads." Nami pointed out while the dancing sniper and cook hopped by. "Aren't you the least bit concerned?" She asked with a pointed look.

"Why should we be?" Gin didn't see a problem either. "This might be new for you, but it's not like our lives will be all that different. Besides, I seriously doubt there's anyone we need to worry about in the East Blue at this point."

"He's right. If none of the Marines or bounty hunters could touch Buggy, Krieg, or Arlong, it's not like they'll have better luck with us." Light reasoned. "I say we won't have much to worry about."

"That doesn't reassure me." Nami sighed. "You idiots clearly don't understand." Light gave Nami a blank stare. "This is no time to be relaxing in the East Blue."

If nothing else, Nami was right about that. It was just about time to head into the Grand Line.

Zoro was napping at the front of the Going Merry, having heard the news of bounties on his Captain and crewmate. Zoro had a feeling things were about to start escalating for their small crew.

"50 million and 19 million beri." Zoro thought. "With amounts like those, Marine headquarters will take action. Not to mention, there will be bounty hunters to deal with, and with bounties like those, they'll be good."

At that moment, when Nami reached back for the newspaper, she flipped the page and saw an article regarding Light's bounty that talked about his criminal exploits. When it upset and annoyed her to see another reminder of his bounty, a certain part of the article captured her attention.

While no one else was paying attention, she kept her eyes focused on the newspaper and became shocked as her eyes widened while reading this new information. "W-What is this…?"

[Grand Line~! Grand Line~! Yay!] Usopp and Sanji were still dancing and celebrating nearby, which irritated Nami as it was distracting her.

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Nami snapped at them before she shifted her attention to Light. "Captain! What is this?!"

"Hmm? What's what?" Light asked, confused by her sudden, distraught demeanor.

She flashed the newspaper in front of him. "This article about you, is it true?"

Light stopped, and his relaxed expression disappeared when he saw that. The rest of the crew moved in as well, curious as to what was going on and why the mood had changed. Before Light could say anything, Nami read the article out loud.

"Over a year ago, a great tragedy befell the East Blue as one of their great Kingdoms suffered during a day that was meant to be a joyous occasion. The Goa Kingdom—Said to be the most beautiful Kingdom in that part of the world was dyed red with the blood of nobility as a vicious assailant invaded the royal palace during the gathering of nobles and struck the King dead, followed by his two sons who were also in attendance, and many high ranked nobles." Nami read out loud. "A massive manhunt was formed to track down and apprehend the villain responsible for this massacre, but he had vanished without a trace, never having been identified—Until now. After careful re-examination, the Marines have confirmed that the identity of this violent killer is none other than the newly proclaimed wanted Pirate: 'Lion Heart' Light."

The more she read, the more surprised the crew became, and by the time she was done, every one of them was speechless. Nobody knew what to think. How do you react to information like that? Light's expression was unreadable as his eyes were hidden under his hat.

"…Captain, is all this true?" Nami broke the silence and asked nervously.

Light let out a small sigh before he responded. "Yeah, it is."

Marine Headquarters:

Deep within The Grand Line was an island. It was larger than most but not overly important on its own. Rather it was what was based on that island that was important. For on this island was the headquarters of the Marines, a massive fortress of white with the Marine banner flying high above it.

At the top of this fortress was an agenda room made for conferences, with tatami mats and sliding doors, giving it a traditional Japanese aesthetic. At the front of the long room was a massive banner with the phrase 'Absolute Justice' written on it in large letters. Inside this room were two long rows of Marines that were all the ranks of Commodores and Captains that together made up the leadership of the Navy, sharing cups of sake.

High-ranking Marine officials were gathered together in a room, each with a grim expression. They had important matters to discuss, recent occurrences regarding rookie Pirates in the East Blue.

Standing at the front of the room next to the bulletin board was a Marine officer named Brannew.

Brannew is a tall, tanned man with dark green curly hair, upwards-pointing sideburns, large lips, and eyes that are always obscured by a pair of sunglasses. He sports a blue and white striped shirt with an open collar, pink suit pants, and a pair of shoes. There are epaulets attached to his shirt, suggesting that this is his modified version of the Marine uniform.

"So, even a conservative estimate of their power says they're too much for our branches to handle?" A Commodore asked.

"That's right." Brannew answered next to a bulletin board. "Even before forming his Pirate group, he defeated Marine Branch Captain 'Ax-hand' Morgan, which he did single-handedly. And since then, he showed no signs of slowing down." On the bulletin was a row of bounty posters of known Pirates in the East Blue. "Buggy 'The Clown': 15 million, 'Pirate Fleet Commodore' Don Krieg: 17 million, Fishman Pirate 'Sawtooth' Arlong: 20 million. He took them down." He slapped Light's wanted poster on the board." He even recruited Don Krieg's chief commander, 'The Man-Demon' Gin, onto his own crew."

He placed Gin's wanted poster on the bulletin board beside Light's.

"These Pirates were big players, and that had bounties of over 10 million beri. By comparison, the average bounty is only 3 million beri. It's true that 50 million beri as a starting bounty is globally unprecedented, but in my opinion, it's necessary. It's best to destroy such seeds of villainy early on before they have a chance to get out of hand."

"Absolutely." A Marine officer agreed. "But in this case, the seed has already sprouted."

"That's correct. We've looked into the reports and compared this Pirate with the perpetrator's description, and after intense reviews, there can no longer be any doubt." Brannew grimaced a bit before he finished the report. "Lion Heart is the one responsible for the Goa incident."

"You are referring to the incident that took place last year at the Goa Kingdom." One of the officers stated.

"That's correct, the tragedy in which the upper echelon of the Kingdom's nobility was attacked during a gathering, and the members of the royal family—The King and Crown Prince in particular—Were slain." Brannew confirmed. "Even though there was never a positive identification of the assailant at the time, there was a description of his physical features, including a distinct sigil of a lion imprinted on his shoulder. Lion Heart has the sigil and matches the description. Add all that together, and you reach the same conclusion."

"So, he's a slayer of royalty turned Pirate, a criminal who wields such power and is capable of committing such atrocities absolutely cannot be allowed to roam free." A Marine officer declared with urgency and loathing. "We must exercise every resource available to put an end to him, swiftly and without delay."

Outside the base, a very large man in a highly decorated Navy uniform, showing that he was a very high-ranked Marine, stepped forward onto a balcony overlooking a wide and spacious courtyard that was filled with a large army of Marines who were all lined up and facing the large officer from above as he addressed them all loudly.

"If you wish to flee, then do so now!" The officer shouted to all who were in attendance. "We are the bastion of peace in this world! And weakness will not be tolerated! The feeble public counts on us! We alone are the righteous ones! If there is evil on the seas! Then we—The Marines must drive it away with utmost prejudice! In the name of Absolute Justice!"

After that declaration, all of the Marines saluted in response. [YES, SIR!]

Back on the Going Merry, the crew still tried to process what they had just learned about their Captain. Light was leaning against the railing with a solemn look on his face as he was facing the ocean.

The rest of the crew just stood there facing him as though they wanted to say something but didn't know where to begin, so they just waited for him to say something. All of them that is, except Zoro, who remained sitting on his own and away from the rest, though he was listening.

"I know this is surprising for all of you." Light finally addressed. "I didn't think you would find out like this, and certainly not now."

Sanji remained composed and lit a cigarette. "Look, Captain, I think we need a real explanation about all this."

"Yeah, he's right." Usopp added, still a bit shaken. "You killed a bunch of nobles, including the King? What's that all about? Why would you do something like that?"

Light sighed. "It's complicated."

"Complicated?" Nami stepped forward, not satisfied. "We more than that. You said it was true, but why? What could have possibly motivated you to do something as crazy as killing a bunch of royals? Explain it so we can understand."

Light still avoided eye contact. "Well, for starters, I'm from Goa."

Once again, they were all surprised, but it didn't exactly baffle them as that would explain how he was able to reach the nobility. It wouldn't be too difficult to find the royals and nobles of your own home country, but that didn't explain the bigger question.

"So, you killed your own King?" Gin asked.

"No." Light narrowed his eyes hateful. "He may have been the country's monarch, but he was never "my" King."

They could see it. Some of the crew could see it perfectly, the hatred in his eyes. Those who knew true hatred could understand it and see it in others, and right now, they saw it burning in his eyes like a flame.

"…Captain." Silk whispered.

"Listen, you guys. I understand that you're confused and you want to know, but the thing is, I just don't want to talk to you all about it." Light told them as he quelled his anger. "Not yet."

"But why not?" Usopp continued to ask. "We're your crew, aren't we? Don't we deserve to know?"

"All right, that's enough already." Zoro spoke out as he stood up.

"Zoro?" Nami spoke as they all watched him approach.

Zoro stopped when he was right in front of Light. "You guys need to quit whining and just drop it already."

"But, aren't you curious about this as well?" Usopp protested.

"Who cares if I am? It's none of my business, and if he doesn't feel like telling me, then that's that. What right do I have to pry further?" Zoro argued, which silenced Usopp as he addressed the rest of them. "Listen up, this guy right here is our Captain. Whatever he's done in the past, as far as I'm concerned, it happened before I met him, so it has no barring on me, and it shouldn't have any barring on this crew."

Zoro's words carried weight and authority behind them, and this may have been the first time he had ever acted as a First Mate. Light smiled with pride at seeing him take on his role.

Zoro turned to face Light and asked. "Captain, did you have a reason for killing those people?"

"I did." Light confirmed.

"Then that's all I need to know." Zoro then turned back to the rest of them. "As for the rest of you, tell me, does this change anything in your eyes? Is he not still your Captain? Or does the fact that you now know all of this give you second thoughts and make you rethink your place on this crew? A crew that isn't fully behind their Captain is finished, and anyone who isn't fully committed should just leave, so what's it going to be? Is he your Captain or not?"

Zoro's question was serious and filled with resolve; there was no question to anyone that he fully committed to his loyalty to Light and the crew, and he was asking them, nay, demanding them to answer if it was the same for them and anything other than the truth would not be tolerated.

"You don't have to ask me." Silk was the first to step forward. "I only set sail because I met you; nothing will ever make me question your place as my Captain."

Gin was next. "I was never a real Pirate or part of a real crew until I climbed aboard this ship. You're my Captain. I don't care what you might have done. That won't ever change."

"Don't know what kinda guy you were in the past, but when I met you, you were just a crazy guy with an even crazier dream." Sanji puffed out some smoke and smiled. "That's the guy whose crew I joined, and as far as I'm concerned, that's all that matters."

"Y-Yeah, me too!" Usopp jumped on the bandwagon. "You saved my home and helped me become a real Pirate. I don't care about the past. You're still my friend and the Captain of this crew."

After everyone gave their answers, the only one remaining was Nami. Before she could give her response, she went up to Light and looked him in the eye as though she needed to know something before she could answer.

"Just tell me something." Nami said with a serious expression. "You said there was a reason for what you did… If nothing else, at least tell me the reason."

"Nami—" Gin tried to say something, but Light held out his hand to stop him.

"It's fine. I'll answer that one." Light decided before lifting his hat. "Nami, do you remember how much you hated Arlong?"

Nami froze when he brought that up. It was a question that didn't require an answer. Everyone knew that she would never forget those feelings. Light knew, and that was why he said it. It was the best way to help her understand.

"Those nobles were my Arlong." Light went on. "They did things that I could never forgive; they hurt so many people and caused so much damage, and like you, I wanted to kill them ever since I was a kid. So, when I finally had the opportunity to do so, I took it." Now, his expression was different. In place of the fire was a cold steel gaze, matching his resolve. "And I don't regret doing it, not even a little."

After hearing all of that, Nami remained quiet, as though she was contemplating how to respond to all that. In the end, she closed her eyes and let out a tired sigh.

"Geez, you really are impossible to understand…." She rubbed her head before she lightened up and smiled. "Sometimes, I can't believe you're my Captain."

Hearing her response made the others smile as well. They were happy that they were all in agreement, and now the heavy atmosphere from before had completely washed away. Light smiled as well as he addressed them.

"Someday I will tell you guys the whole story, but for now…." Light thought before he spoke out loud. "Well, everyone, I'd say it's about time our crew had a name. So now, we're the Lion Heart Pirates."

"Sounds good." Zoro absentmindedly agreed.

"Well, we were long overdue for a name." Usopp crossed his arms and nodded.

"Honestly, I'd been wondering for a while if we actually had one yet." Gin admitted.

"Listen, it might be my moniker, but it's more than that. It's the name of our crew, so it's your name too. From this day forth, we're all Lion Hearts." Light said with pride in his voice. "And that means that no matter what happens, we stick together against anything that comes our way. We'll reach higher than anyone has gone before and sail future than anyone who came before us, and we won't stop until we reach the pinnacle of this world where all of our dreams are waiting for us." He raised his hand and closed his fist. "You're dreams are my dreams too, and I swear we'll reach them because our crew…." Light had a D-shaped wide grin as he declared with conviction. "Won't ever be stopped!"

[Yeaaahh!] His enthusiasm was infectious as the rest of the crew raised their fists in the air and cheered with him.

"Nami set our course." Light instructed.

"On it." Nami followed.

"Usopp, steer the ship." Light instructed.

"You got it." Usopp went to the wheel.

"Let's go to the Grand Line!" Light proclaimed.

[Aye aye, Sir!] The crew responded together.

Far away, still in the East Blue, newspapers and wanted posters were being spread out to different islands around the sea, and one of them made its way to Gecko Island, where a certain person in Syrup village got his hands on it.

It was a bright and sunny day at Kaya's mansion. The butler, Merry, picked up the bounty that had Light's face on it and immediately reacted as he ran off.

"Miss! Miss Kaya!" Merry frantically ran up the stairs to reach Kaya's chambers. Without even knocking, he burst in to find Kaya behind a desk and writing a document while wearing glasses. "Miss! It's amazing!"

"Merry? What's wrong?" Kaya asked, looking from her work in bewilderment at his behavior.

Merry responded by showing her Light's Bounty poster. "Have you seen this flyer?"

Kaya got up from her desk and removed her glasses as she gazed at the picture in amazement. "Look, it's Usopp!"

Merry just gave her a look of utter confusion as he took another look at the picture in case he missed something.

"See, that's definitely Usopp's nose in the corner." Kaya pointed out.

"Hey, you know what? You're right." Merry now saw it as well, more amazed that Kaya actually noticed something like that right away.

Filled with joy, Kaya ran over to her window and opened it to look out at the nearby tree branches with nostalgia, remembering all the times she saw Usopp sit there whenever he came over to visit her.

"That's great news. Usopp is moving toward his dream." Kaya could hardly contain her happiness. "And now, I'm still chasing after my dream. I hope we meet again. Perhaps our dreams will cross paths; when they do, we'll meet as old friends who finally became the people we always wanted to be."

She looked up at the sky, filled with hope.

It wasn't just Kaya who had received the news. Islands all over the East Blue had gotten their hands on the new wanted posters, and everyone who had encountered the Lion Hearts couldn't help but be amazed when they saw Light's bounty.

Another island that had gotten the news was Shells Town, the Marine base town that had once been ruled over by Ax-hand Morgan. Now, Light's wanted poster was plastered on the wall of one of the hallways within the base. And a familiar face couldn't stop staring at it.

Cody had officially joined the Marines and was now working as a chore boy. While mopping the floors, he saw Light's bounty and became incredibly excited while gazing at it.

"Finally, finally, finally. Light, you're finally living your dream." Cody could hardly control his excitement as he became giddy.

Coby thought back to the time he spent with Light after they met. It was only a brief amount of time, but it changed the very course of his life, and so it meant everything to him.

Cody's excitement then turned to determination as he clenched his fists. "But, if we meet again, we will meet as enemies."

Meanwhile, in the basement of the base, Morgan sat alone in a cell. The basement was the holding facility where they kept prisoners until they were transferred to a larger prison, and ever since his defeat, Morgan had been imprisoned down here and awaiting sentencing.

While Morgan sat there, one of the Marines came down to the basement and stopped in front of his cell. Then, with a wide grin, he unfurled Light's wanted poster so that Morgan could see it.

Morgan's eyes widened with shock and disbelief. Never did he imagine that he would see the face of the Pirate responsible for putting him down here would become such a powerful and renowned individual.

Somewhere out on the wild ocean seas of the East Blue, a large ship was sailing around, going nowhere in particular. It was the ship of the newly revived Black Cat Pirates. After being defeated by Light, they went into hiding for a while, and now they were just trying to figure out their next move. The ship was mostly repaired, although some damage was still noticeable.

One member of the crew picked up the newspaper paper from News Coo and looked over the new wanted posters. Once he saw Light's poster, he became shocked and ran off. "Captain!"

He ran to the Captain's quarters to inform Klahadore. Despite everything he had done, the Black Cat Pirates still needed him as they were directionless without a Captain and leader, and he still needed somewhere to belong after losing everything in the village. Thus, he reaffirmed himself as the Captain of the crew.

Far away, at a different part of the open seas of the East Blue, another ship was floating around and had also gotten the new wanted posters. It was the sailing restaurant, Baratie.

The restaurant was having a good day, filled with customers who were enjoying their meals and cooks who were working hard in the kitchen. It was like all the madness from before was a distant memory. But there was something that made it so no one would ever forget.

Tapped onto the large column at the center of the restaurant's dining area was Light's wanted poster, and beside it was Gin's wanted poster. It was Owner Zeff's idea to place them there.

The Lion Heart Pirates saved this restaurant, and Sanji, who was like family to them, became a part of their crew. It was for those reasons that they proudly displayed their wanted posters for anyone to see.

During all this, Owner Zeff decided to step outside for a moment. Alone with his thoughts, he stared out at the ocean and thought about Sanji, about the last time he saw him. But he still smiled, knowing that he was fine and still sailing toward his dream.

The following day, the Going Merry was sailing by, and everything was peaceful as the crew went to their own activities. Nami was lounging while reading the paper, and Sanji was cooking lunch. The crew sailed past a Marine ship. The ship itself appeared to be in bad condition, almost as if it could fall apart at any moment, as it made a turn back to the Going Merry.

"That ship that we passed a second ago is back." Silk noticed.

"Must be some pretty broke Marines to sail a ship like that." Light observed. "That thing looks like it's about to sink."

"That's a real shame." Usopp commented. "Floating scrap ships in the sea."

"This is not a scrap ship!" A voice called from the Marine vessel. "Are you guys blind? Have you forgotten the face of 'Iron-Fist' Fullbody!"

It took them a second to realize it was indeed the very same Marine officer that got his ass handed to him by Sanji at the Baratie.

"Oh yeah, you're that jerk face, Marine from Baratie." Light seemed to remember the man as well. "But the looks of things, you've really gone down in the world, huh?" Light pointed out, which caused Fullbody's face to redden with anger.

"Quit fooling around!" Fullbody demanded as he clenched a fist. "Our meeting spells the end for you, Monkey D. Light!" He held Light's wanted poster in each of his hands. "You're under arrest!"

"Hmm!" Light grinned. "Guess word travels fast."

"And that's my nose in the corner!" Usopp chimed with a grin.

"It says dead or alive." Fullbody stated with a dark smirk. "A key distinction. MEN, TAKE AIM!" Fullbody ordered his Marines as they started to get the cannon ready to fire on their ship.

"What's all that noise?" Nami wondered as she looked up from her newspaper.

"Oh, they plan on firing at us." Light figured, as he wasn't even a bit worried.

"I guess so." Silk agreed with arms folded across her chest.

"They're aiming right at us! This is bad!" Usopp screamed fearfully.

"You still keep forgetting what crew you're a part of." Silk shook her head. "Captain, you feel like doing the honors?"

"Don't mind if I do." Light replied as he stepped forward. "Just leave it to me."

"Your story ends here!" Fullbody exclaimed as he gave the signal for his men to fire. The cannon fired as the projectile flew toward the ship. Light held up his hand, and, just as he had done in the past, he caught the cannonball with his bare hand, stopping its momentum cold. He then tossed it over his shoulder like a beachball and let it fall over the ship. The cannonball fell into the ocean with a loud splash.

"That's impossible!" Fullbody exclaimed in shock.

"Not when you're as strong as me." Light remarked like he was bragging.

Zoro got up from his resting place and walked over to join the others with a glare in his eyes directed at the Marines. "I was trying to take a nap."

"THERE'S LOT'S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM!" Fullbody shouted as he was obviously not having it. "FIRE!" They aimed their cannon once more. Looking closely, Light noticed that something wasn't right with the cannon on the Navy ship. It wasn't good—Well, it wasn't good for the Marines, at least.

"Uh-oh." Light stated. "That's a problem."

"What is?" Usopp questioned while panicking. "What's a problem?"

BOOOOM!

Their cannon backfired, and a cloud of smoke billowed out. The smoke cleared and revealed a charred Fullbody and Marines.

"The tip of their cannon was filled with cracks." Light finished.

"You're right." Usopp was now more relaxed and agreed. "That is a problem."

"That right there is a perfect example." Silk observed. "Never fire from a broken cannon."

Right after that, the Marine ship rammed into the Going Merry.

"You wretched little brats!" Fullbody exclaimed. "Never mock a former Marine HQ Lieutenant! We'll just have to go hand-to-hand!" He leaped aboard the Going Merry. "Men, follow me!" The rest of Fullbody's Marines ran aboard with Swords. Fullbody went straight for Light and reeled back his fist with the knuckle brace. "Your head is mine!" He punched Light, which didn't amount to anything because Light caught his fist with his hand.

"Is that meant to be your weapon? Dainty metal plating over your fists?" Light asked as though he was reprimanding him. "Your 'Iron Fists' may have made you a Lieutenant, but clearly didn't make you strong." Light pulled back his own fist. "Now, I'll show you what real fists are made of!" He slammed his fist into Fullbody. The former Lieutenant flew back onto the front rail of the Going Merry. He was still conscious because Light pulled his punch, using just enough force to keep him down.

After Fullbody was knocked back, the remaining Marines were blown away around him. The ones responsible were Gin and Sanji, who came out with a frying pan and wearing an apron with a panda. After Sanji kicked the Marines back to their ship and Gin bludgeoned them back, Fullbody screamed as he laid his eyes on the cook.

"You got a lot of balls, tough guy." Sanji commented. "Picking a fight during lunch. I should kill you. Unless you made a reservation, I'll have to ask you to leave."

"Well, it's a small world. I never thought I'd run into you again, Lieutenant." Gin recognized Fullbody with a dark look in his eyes. "You took real good care of me back then. How about I return the favor?"

"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!" Fullbody once again screamed like a frightened wild animal as the rest of his Marines decided to flee by jumping ship into the ocean and swimming away. "What are those two doing here?!" He questioned before he joined his fleeing Marines by jumping overboard and swimming in the ocean.

"Well, that didn't take much." Light stated as he adjusted his straw hat on his head.

"He was all talk." Usopp stated with his arms folded, even though the sniper didn't even do anything to help.

"I guess that makes two of you." Usopp jabbed at him, making Usopp wince.

"That guy is still nothing but a wimp." Sanji muttered.

"C'mon, you guys, could you keep it down!" Nami complained. "Honestly, I can't even sit and read a paper!"

Silk didn't hide her annoyance as she went over to the navigator and flicked her forehead.

"Ow! What was that for?" Nami complained while rubbing her forehead.

"I'm honestly a little impressed that you could just sit there, lounging around while not even noticing that we were attacked by the Marines." Silk stated sarcastically.

"Huh, we were attacked by the Marines?" Nami blinked in confusion before she got up and just noticed the Marine ship floating right beside their own. "What the?! When did that get there?!"

"Now she notices?" Zoro commented tiredly.

"Nami~! Silk~!" Sanji swooned. "I finished preparing for you a delicious meal~!"

"Great, let's eat." Light decided as they headed for the kitchen.

Now, we move on to a particular island far off in the Grand Line. A very specific crew had set up camp here and were resting comfortably on this island. Some members were acting as lookouts, though, and stayed by the shore.

One of the lookouts was looking out at the ocean with a telescope. As always, it was a quiet, sunny day, and there was nothing to see until he noticed something in the distance.

"What's that?" The lookout wandered.

One of the other lookouts got up and took the telescope. "Let me see."

Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was a sailing boat made for one person, and it was heading for their island. But not just that, the person on the boat was none other than Hawk-Eye Mihawk.

Seeing that horrified the lookout, and he let out a scream. He wasn't the only one as once Mihawk's boat reached the shore and he stepped onto the island, all the crewmates around the shore gathered around in a quiet, panicked state.

"Why are you here?" One of them demanded while holding a Sword. "Answer me, Hawk-Eye."

"Just calm down." Hawk-Eye gave them all a dismissive look as though he was looking at prey. "Where is your leader? My business is with him."

Hearing those words, the Pirate dropped his Sword and ran off to warn his Captain and made his way into the forest part of the island. Hawk-Eye just gazed at the island with a small frown.

"Camping out on an island?" Hawk-Eye noted. "What a carefree man."

At the center of the island's forest, the top officers of the crew were all lying around and resting. All of them seemed to be hungover after a heavy amount of drinking. They were the only crew who would act this brazen—The Red-Hair Pirates.

As the lookout from before arrived, he frantically ran toward Shanks, who was resting beneath the shade of a tree.

"Boss!" He called out before he tripped and fell in front of him. While trying to catch his breath, Ben Beckman placed a mug of Ale in front of him, and the lookout quickly chugged the whole thing down. After checking his breath, he started to talk. "H-H-Hawk-Eye—"

Before he could say anything further, though, he became aware that the person in question hadn't waited at the shore and was now standing right behind him. He focused his gaze solely on Shanks while the Red-Haired man remained seated and relaxed.

"Hey there, Hawk-Eye… To what do I owe the pleasure?" Shanks greeted him, clearly still nursing his hangover. "Have you come to fight me? 'Cause, you know, I'm not feeling so good at the moment."

"Hmph, I've reached a point in my life where I no longer see a purpose in settling the score with you." Mihawk informed him before changing the subject as he dug through the inside of his jacket. "I recently found an interesting Pirate. Seeing him reminded me of a story you used to tell. A story about a boy." He finally took out Light's wanted poster from his jacket and unfolded it to show it to Shanks and his crew. "An interesting boy from a small village."

Seeing the poster snapped the hangover out of Shanks as his eyes shot open, along with the rest of the crew, who were all taken aback at seeing that Light had now become a wanted Pirate. The shade soon faded, and a beam of sunshine lit up Shanks' face, showing that his shock had now been replaced with a wide smile.

"Light… You made it." Shanks noted with pride before he looked downward. "All right then, Hawk-Eye, in that case, I'm afraid I can't let you just leave, not now."

Right after that, the whole crew came to life and threw together a big party to celebrate Light's bounty. They brought out large bottles and barrels of booze and started drinking right away. None were more festive than Shanks as he had Hawk-Eye sit beside him and started pouring booze into a mug for him to drink.

"Hahaha! Hawk-Eye, drink up!" Shanks encouraged his rival. "Go on, tilt her back! It's a celebration!"

"Weren't you hungover?" Hawk-Eye pointed out.

"Ah, no way!" Shanks denied, looking nothing like his tired self from a minute ago. "Not anymore! Drink, drink, drink!" He kept encouraging him as Hawk-Eye started drinking. "Drink it! That's it! Hahahaha! Everybody, let's get druunnnkkkk!"

"Yeah, but wait, boss, I thought you said you felt like crap because you drank too much last night?" One of his crewmates reminded him.

"Don't be stupid! I can't "not" drink on a joyous day like today!" Shanks reasoned, still excited.

"But the sun is still high." Hawk-Eye also reminded him.

"Ah, don't sweat it! Hahaha!" It was clear that Shanks wasn't even listening anymore. "Time to party!"

Back at the Going Merry, the crew had gathered around as Nami sat on the deck with a map in front of her.

"We're getting closer. We've almost made it to the Grand Line, and it looks like the only way into it is here…." Nami pointed out a spot on the map. "Through 'Reverse Mountain'."

"What a pain." Zoro commented with arms behind his head. "There's gotta be somewhere around that thing."

"There's not." Sanji replied. "From what the geezer told me, that's the only place to enter."

"Well, how come?" Usopp questioned.

"Because it's really dangerous." Sanji answered.

"Yeah, but how come?!" Usopp wondered again with hands on his hips.

"I just told you everything I know!" Sanji snapped at him in annoyance. "Geez!"

"I know why." Gin chimed in. "Remember, this isn't the first time for me. Trust me, that's the only way in."

"Okay, then we can put that aside for now." Nami decided.

"You know, we could check Zeff's logbook, just to be sure?" Silk suggested.

"Probably not." Light shook his head. "I'd rather wait until we actually arrive in the Grand Line before using that." He decided. "For now, let's stop off on an island and pick some supplies. Our last stop in the East Blue."

Nami pointed a finger to a little spot on the map. "There's a famous city on this island." Nami explained. "Known as 'Loguetown'."

"Loguetown?" Light repeated. "I feel like I've heard that before?"

"I'm pretty sure I've heard of it before. It's also the city of 'The Beginning and the End." Zoro mentioned.

"It's the town where the old King of the Pirates, Gold Roger, was both born and executed." Nami remarked solemnly as everyone went silent once she gave that info.

Light was looking at the map with a serious expression. "The Beginning and the End."

"Well…?" Nami said with a smile.

"All right, set a course for Loguetown." Light decided. "The man who had the One Piece. I want to see his town for myself—The place where it all started."

"Yeah, The Beginning and the End." Usopp muttered as well. "The Beginning being Gold Roger's birth and the End being his Death."

"Actually, that's not exactly right." Light argued as he walked over to the front of the ship and gazed out at the ocean. "It's actually 'The End and the Beginning'." He proclaimed with a wide smirk. "The End of the Pirate King and The Beginning of the Great Pirate Era."

The crew's destination has been decided. Loguetown, the city of the Beginning and the End. Gold Roger's hometown where he was executed.

—…

And that's the chapter.

First off, this chapter mainly focused on showcasing how the characters from previous Arcs reacted to Light's bounty because I always find that fun. I also changed that gag from the canon, so instead of the back of Usopp's head in the picture, it was just his nose. It's vaguer but also something only he would be happy about or even notice.

Of course, the Goa incident. I added that because that is something I planned on from the start: Light getting retaliation for the Terminal Fire from all those years ago and taking the lives of the King and the nobles to do so. It'll be explained in further detail at a later point in the story, but for now, it's a factor in why Light's bounty was so high.

Plus, I added that part where Zoro stepped up and showed everyone why he's the First Mate. I always love giving Zoro moments like that.

And now, Light officially has his name, Lion Heart, to the surprise of no one, and the crew will henceforth be known as the Lion Heart Pirates. The next chapter will cover the entire Loguetown Arc, so be prepared because it's going to be a long one.

Anyway, thanks for reading; Hope you enjoyed. If you want more, leave a review. If you like the story, click the follow/favorite button, and as always, have an awesome day.