Even without Mihawk's hint, the Red-Hair crew had already realized what the Senzu Bean could mean for their captain.
Lucky Roo laughed as he gnawed on a drumstick.
"Captain, guess you won't be a one-armed man for long!"
Shanks glared at him.
"Shut it. I chose to stake this arm on the new era!"
Roo shrugged, unbothered.
"You mean that rubber kid, Luffy? Who knows if he's even set sail yet? At this rate, your 'new era' might take years to show up."
Shanks sighed helplessly.
He couldn't deny it — his faith in Luffy wasn't just belief, it was destiny.
That boy had eaten the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, the very fruit of Joy Boy himself.
Only that fruit's bearer could challenge the World Government and bring freedom to the seas again.
First Mate Benn Beckman exhaled a puff of smoke and said evenly,
"Don't underestimate fate, Roo. That fruit chose Luffy on its own. There's a reason for that."
Roo chuckled and held up his hands.
"Alright, alright. If the captain and first mate both say so, I'll keep my mouth shut."
Then Yasopp — the sharpshooter, and father of Usopp — spoke from the corner, adjusting his rifle strap.
"Even so, Captain, you should consider getting one of those Senzu Beans. Losing an arm has affected your swordsmanship more than you admit."
Shanks smiled faintly, though his eyes glinted with amusement and regret.
"Maybe someday."
He'd never told anyone the truth about how he lost that arm.
Being bitten by a mere Sea King — the great Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Yonko — was an embarrassment no pirate worth his salt would ever confess.
That secret would go to the grave with him.
Amazon Lily — The Island of Women
Far across the Calm Belt, the all-female kingdom of Amazon Lily stood hidden within the windless zone.
Its ruler — Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress and one of the Seven Warlords — was both beauty and power incarnate.
Her arrogance was matched only by her allure; she was a woman so breathtaking that men fell simply for looking at her… and were promptly turned to stone for it.
Yet few knew the truth beneath her proud facade:
the deep, indelible pain she carried.
She and her sisters had once been slaves of the Celestial Dragons.
The hoof of the dragon was still branded into their backs — a wound no amount of pride or beauty could erase.
But today, for the first time in years, her sisters burst into the throne room with excitement instead of sorrow.
Sandersonia and Marigold dismissed the attendants and whispered urgently:
"Sister! The Senzu Bean—it might be able to remove the marks on our backs!"
Hancock sat elegantly on her throne, crimson lips curved in icy composure.
She crossed her long, pale legs, her golden snake earrings swaying gently.
Though her expression barely changed, the spark in her eyes betrayed her emotion.
"The Senzu Bean… another creation of that Beast Prince Consort, Luo Xing?"
She murmured the name softly.
She'd heard of him before.
The Monster Cells he'd made had shaken the world, but the thought of losing her perfect form had kept her disinterested.
But this — this was different.
If these beans could truly heal any wound, they might erase the mark of her enslavement forever.
That alone made it priceless.
Hancock's voice trembled with the faintest trace of hope.
"Are you certain this isn't rumor?"
Her sisters nodded vigorously.
"It's confirmed, Sister! The Marines themselves reported it. Even Admiral Akainu witnessed it — the Senzu Bean can restore limbs, even regenerate destroyed organs!"
For a heartbeat, the great Pirate Empress stood perfectly still.
Then her aura flared.
Her Conqueror's Haki exploded outward, shaking the marble pillars and making her hair float around her like silk in a storm.
"Find it," she ordered coldly. "No matter the cost. Even if it means crossing the Beasts Pirates, I will have it."
"And if possible…" she added with a dangerous gleam,
"bring that man, Luo Xing, to Amazon Lily. Alive."
The Sky Above the World
Thousands of meters above the Grand Line, a lone island drifted in the clouds.
Not a Sky Island — this one floated not by clouds, nor by any visible force.
Only one man could achieve that.
The legendary pirate Golden Lion Shiki, once Roger and Whitebeard's equal, the only man ever to escape Impel Down.
Since his escape years ago, Shiki had remained hidden above the world, conducting experiments with his scientist subordinate, Indigo.
Their research focused on a rare compound called IQ, a plant that turned animals into feral monsters.
Shiki planned to use it one day to unleash chaos and destroy the World Government.
But the experiments were slow, the results disappointing.
The old lion's patience had begun to wear thin.
Bored, he captured a passing carrier pigeon and tore open its newspaper.
One headline made his eyes widen.
"Monster Cells that boost strength exponentially…?"
"Senzu Beans that can regrow lost limbs?!"
He froze, jaw tightening.
"The world's science has reached this level while I've been stuck up here?!"
Then he saw the name printed beside the articles:
Luo Xing — Kaido's son-in-law, the so-called Prince Consort of Beasts.
Shiki's laughter started low, then turned wild.
"Luo Xing, huh? What a fascinating little upstart!"
His grin widened, revealing sharp, yellowed teeth.
"Monster Cells to make my men unstoppable… and Senzu Beans to regrow my legs. Hahaha! These things were made for me!"
He looked down at his twin swords — his makeshift legs — and scowled.
To escape Impel Down, he had cut off both legs with his own blades.
Even now, the inconvenience infuriated him.
"With Senzu Beans, I can walk again. And with those Monster Cells, my army will rule the skies!"
He turned to Indigo, eyes gleaming with madness.
"Prepare the ships. It's time we paid the world another visit."
The scientist gulped, trembling.
"A-are you planning to—?"
Shiki's laughter echoed through the heavens.
"Yes… to take what's mine. The age of the Golden Lion will rise again!"
The Storm Begins
From emperors and warlords to legends in the sky —
the entire world now had its eyes on one man.
Luo Xing, the Beast Consort, the scientist who had defied nature itself.
Monster Cells had rewritten biology.
The Senzu Bean was rewriting fate.
And soon, every powerhouse on the sea — pirate, marine, and government alike —
would move to seize them.
The balance of the world had begun to crumble.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/ZoroTL442