To put it bluntly, the year 1520 of the Sea Circle Calendar was a strange one.
A wave of peculiar new pirates had emerged across the Four Seas, each with apparent potential. Claudius knew these individuals would soon be recognized as the Worst Generation—a fresh batch of Supernovas.
Of course, there had been a few changes.
For instance, Zoro had been tricked into becoming his disciple and never appeared as part of this new wave.
Marshall D. Teach, who should have been counted among them, was already dead.
And Jewelry Bonney, the daughter of Bartholomew Kuma, never became a pirate. Instead, she seemed to be working within the CP organization. Claudius wasn't entirely sure of her current situation.
The rest, however, appeared to be following the usual trajectory.
As for Monkey D. Luffy, Claudius had already dismantled his small crew.
Nami was now tending to orange groves in Mariejois, Robin was traveling the world with her mother, and Zoro had become Claudius' disciple.
At best, Luffy could still find Sanji and Usopp in the East Blue.
Originally, Claudius didn't think Luffy would even manage that much. But somehow, he had still managed to recruit Usopp and had even gotten his hands on the Going Merry, earning himself a proper ship instead of setting sail in a barrel.
Claudius hadn't paid much attention to Luffy's actions—after all, the kid wasn't particularly significant at this stage. Maybe he had great potential, but development took time, and Claudius had no intention of giving him that luxury.
At one point, he even questioned whether Luffy could leave the East Blue at all without Nami's navigational skills.
However, as the grandson of Garp and the son of Dragon, even if Claudius didn't watch over him, someone else certainly would.
Not long ago, Spandine had delivered intelligence stating that Luffy had defeated some small-time figures in the East Blue and was now attempting to enter the Grand Line. However, before he could do so, he had been defeated by the so-called "Pirate Overlord" of the East Blue—Don Krieg.
The battle had been a spectacle, leading to the near destruction of the famed East Blue sea restaurant—Baratie.
As a result, Luffy had been forced to work at Baratie to pay off the damages as compensation.
At least the kid had some integrity, he stuck around and worked at the restaurant for a while. During this time, he was awarded a 30-million-Berry bounty for defeating Krieg.
In truth, Krieg wasn't worth anywhere near that amount. More than likely, Marine Intelligence had uncovered some details about Luffy's lineage and bumped up the bounty accordingly.
Sure enough, both Claudius and Garp caught wind of this development.
Neither of them intended to let Luffy roam freely any longer.
So, Claudius immediately dispatched Rob Lucci to capture him.
At the same time, Garp also set off toward the East Blue—but since Lucci was already near Reverse Mountain, he would likely reach Luffy first.
---
At this moment, in Baratie, Luffy had just handed over the last of his earnings to the restaurant's owner, Red-Leg Zeff.
In reality, Luffy hadn't earned much at all. He had eaten more than the guests, frequently broke plates, and caused all sorts of trouble. However, Zeff needed to maintain the reputation of Baratie, so he endured the troublemaker for an entire month.
Now that the debt had been settled, Zeff was eager to get rid of this walking disaster.
During his time at the restaurant, Luffy had taken a liking to Sanji and had been trying to recruit him as his crew's cook. However, Sanji had yet to agree.
In Zeff's quarters, the former pirate and his adopted son sat together, engaged in a quiet conversation.
Zeff took a slow drag from his cigarette, exhaling a thin stream of smoke. Looking at Sanji, who also had a cigarette between his lips, he said softly, "If you want to go, then go. Don't waste your whole life stuck here in the East Blue with an old man like me."
Sanji frowned, visibly dissatisfied. "And if I leave, who's gonna take care of you?"
"Hah, I can still live for plenty of years," Zeff chuckled.
Sanji remained silent.
The atmosphere grew still until Zeff spoke again.
"All Blue has always been my dream as a chef," he murmured. "I can't chase after it anymore… but you still can. Are you going to give up on your dream?"
"When you die, I'll go look for it," Sanji replied flatly.
"That'd be a real shame. I was hoping you'd find it while I'm still alive and tell me about it," Zeff said with a wistful smile.
Sanji's expression softened slightly, showing a rare trace of emotion. After a long pause, he asked, "You really want to see it?"
"Of course," Zeff answered without hesitation.
Hearing this, Sanji fell silent again, visibly torn.
Seeing this, Zeff smiled and continued, "I've been watching that Straw Hat brat this past month. He's not bad. And his companion seems reliable too. If you joined them… it might not be a bad choice, Sanji."
"It's not as simple as you're making it sound," Sanji muttered, waving his hand irritably.
After another brief pause, he hesitated before adding, "But… I'll think about it."
"I'm just giving you my opinion. Whether you take it or not is up to you," Zeff said with a smirk.
At that moment, another chef, Paddy, suddenly burst into the room in a panic.
"Head Chef! Marines! Marines are here! They're here to arrest that kid!"
Zeff's face darkened. Though he ran a sea restaurant in the East Blue, he still had some influence. He wasn't afraid of Marines, but this situation was a problem.
"Tell the brat to hide first," Zeff ordered.
However, just as he spoke, the sound of a scuffle erupted downstairs.
Zeff's expression shifted, and he immediately stood up, preparing to go check the situation.
Sanji and the others quickly followed.
When they reached the stairs, they saw the entire restaurant in chaos. Many guests were cowering in the corners, and Luffy had already taken down five or six Marine soldiers—including what appeared to be a Major from an East Blue branch.
Seeing this, Zeff sighed in relief.
As long as Luffy hadn't been captured yet, there was still room to maneuver.
However, just as he was about to speak, his expression darkened further.
A man in a black suit strode calmly into the restaurant.
Unlike the fallen Marines, this man had an unmistakable aura of danger.
Even though Zeff wasn't a master fighter, he could tell at a glance—this man was far beyond the Marines lying on the ground.
This man was Rob Lucci.
Lucci removed his top hat and held it in his arm.
Glancing at the unconscious Marines, he frowned slightly and muttered, "Compared to Marine Headquarters… the East Blue branches are far too weak.
No pressure to keep them sharp, I suppose."
The East Blue was the weakest of the Four Seas, and its Marines were no exception. It was mostly a training ground for recruits.
Luffy straightened his Straw Hat, eyeing Lucci with slight wariness. "Who are you? Are you a Marine too? You here to arrest me?"
"My name is Rob Lucci. I am not a Marine. I am an agent of CP-X," Lucci answered calmly.
Luffy blinked, confused. "CP-X? What's that?"
Since he didn't understand, he relaxed a little. "So you're not a Marine? Then you're not my enemy."
In his mind, only Marines would try to capture a pirate like him.
However, Zeff broke into a cold sweat.
Luffy might not know what CP-X was…
But he did.
And compared to the Marines of the East Blue, CP-X was a thousand times more terrifying.
(To be continued.)