Chapter 1: The Valstrax Comet
Sea Calendar 1508, East Blue.
The dim sky merged with the deep sea as a storm raged, churning the dark waters into monstrous waves, painting a desperate, apocalyptic scene.
Amidst the thunder and lightning of the storm clouds, Louis spread his pure white wings. The flames on his back ignited, propelling him forward at supersonic speeds.
A fierce sonic boom echoed through the sky, leaving a fiery trail reminiscent of a twin-vector jet engine.
The raging storm and the flashing lightning couldn't dampen Louis's high spirits as he mimicked the flight of a Valstrax. The wings and flames of the Lunarian race gave him the basic requirements to imitate the Crimson Glow dragon, a pastime he never tired of. Paired with a defensive strength far superior to that of his kin, Louis could even perfectly replicate the "Valstrax Comet Crash".
During his high-speed flight, Louis glanced down in a direction obscured by the rain-swept sky, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Stronger than Arcordon... So Baal must be located over the New World?"
Within the extremely wide range of his Observation Haki, Louis had detected an incredibly powerful presence. It was even stronger than the most outstanding warrior of his tribe, a master of two types of Haki and a stunning dual-wielding swordsman. Based on this, Louis judged that he was likely over the New World, the second half of the Grand Line.
"Better to avoid it," Louis decided, shifting his course to move away from the powerful presence he sensed.
Soon, he shot straight through the rainstorm that stretched to the horizon and hovered in the air above a sun-drenched sea.
Looking at the boundless azure ocean before him, Louis's heart trembled with excitement.
In this life, Louis was born on the sky island of Baal, high above the Grand Line. It was a moving sky island, home to a branch of Skypieans and a reclusive group of refugee Lunarians. After being reborn into the world of One Piece, his mother named him Louis, though some of the older Lunarians liked to call him Artus.
He was currently 10 years old. Male. His hobby was women.
He was the user of the Paramecia-type Life-Life Fruit.
Before he was born, Louis had the standard-issue "system" that many transmigrators get. But after hearing his name and the word "Baal," it promptly uninstalled itself and fled, leaving behind only the "Angel's Blood"—which dyed his skin, hair, and wings and gave him a strange physique—and a beginner's gift pack that was currently useless.
Louis understood why the system ran. Seeing as it had saved him from a miserable life of pulling all-nighters doing manual labor, he didn't hold a grudge. Besides, Louis's own natural talent was astonishing. His clansmen said he was a natural-born monster, just like the Charlotte Linlin they had read about in the newspapers decades ago.
He awakened Observation Haki at birth. By age three, he was the undefeated champion among all his peers under ten. At age six, he awakened Conqueror's Haki and beat a 17-year-old girl from his tribe so badly that she cried for two days straight. To this day, she still takes a detour whenever she sees him.
Louis's Lunarian tribe, the same race as King the Conflagration, consisted of about 30 individuals living on Baal. According to the elders, another 40 or so of their kin lived deep within the Calm Belt. The two groups communicated using anti-surveillance Den Den Mushi and exchanged some personnel every three years.
Both branches of the tribe lived by one ironclad rule: no one was allowed to leave their home, lest they suffer another World Government siege like the one that nearly wiped them out decades ago.
Louis, however, was an exception. Due to his unique nature, both groups agreed to let him leave and seek out a group of people who had once visited Baal, so he could grow stronger, faster.
Louis was very different from other Lunarians. He had pale golden hair, skin like a normal human's, and wings as white as snow on his back. His tribe attributed these differences to his mother being a native Skypiean.
Combined with the Paramecia-type Life-Life Fruit, which was found on the sky island alongside the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Louis could extinguish the flames on his back and disguise himself as a user of the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Seraph, who was always in their transformed state.
"..."
After a long moment, Louis flapped his wings and ascended higher. He then took out a Vivre Card with the name "Mr. Momora" written on it and set off again, following the direction it pointed.
Mr. Momora was a member of a group that had accidentally visited Baal decades ago. At the time, they had arrived on Baal, and after a "friendly" physical exchange, the Lunarians had reluctantly hosted them.
Ultimately, the two groups became genuinely friendly. The young man named Mr. Momora even left his Vivre Card, saying they could call on him for help if needed.
Decades later, the tribe gave this Vivre Card to Louis, intending for him to use it to contact people who could help him grow.
Of course, that was just the tribe's idea. Louis planned to pay a brief visit to this person who had the deepest connection with his people and then go find strong opponents to fight. Seeking "guidance" was just an excuse he'd used to get his people's permission to leave.
Louis believed that no amount of teaching could compare to clashing with the powerhouses of the New World.
"..."
Not long after Louis departed, a three-masted ship flying a Jolly Roger emerged from the storm.
A red-haired young man wearing a straw hat, with a bit of stubble on his chin and a saber at his waist, looked up. He stared with interest at the clouds disturbed by the high-speed airflow and couldn't help but praise, "An incredible way to fly, and at such a speed. You don't see that often, even in the depths of the New World."
"Shanks, did something happen?" a sweet, young girl's voice called from the cabin.
The red-haired young man turned to look at the small head peeking out from the doorway, his expression softening. "It's nothing," he said in a doting tone. "Someone just flew past above us."
Beside him, a young man with slicked-back hair and a toothpick in his mouth walked out of the cabin. He also looked up at the sky, remarking thoughtfully, "That direction... isn't that the kingdom where your old captain caused that huge incident?"
Hearing this, the red-haired man's gaze grew distant as he fell into memory. "Yeah," he said, his voice turning cold. "I wonder if that kingdom has learned to behave itself."
"Let's make a stop along the way. We can check on some old friends from back then..."
...
In the clear sky, wisps of white clouds were scattered by the cold wind. Louis moved at high speed, surrounded by a blaze of fire, piercing through clouds and disturbing the atmosphere along his path.
Suddenly, a three-masted ship sailing on the azure sea caught his attention.
The rather large ship was painted blue-green. Its upper deck was laid with hard wooden planks, fitted together without a single gap.
Atop the massive masts, each requiring several people to encircle, flew huge sails bearing the mark of a seagull. Small black figures were scattered across the deck, working together to pilot the vessel.
"A Marine warship..." High above, Louis slowly narrowed his eyes. After his Observation Haki sensed no danger, the thought of sinking the ship rose in his mind.
"Sink it!"
In the next moment, Louis changed direction, diving straight towards the warship at high speed. Simultaneously, he reached back with a chubby hand and drew a steel spear.
As a Lunarian, he needed no reason to attack anyone affiliated with the World Government. If he could win the fight, he would take it.
The shadow of their near-genocide decades ago had to be washed away with the blood of Marines, CP agents, and the World Government's allies!
To sabotage and strike lethally at the World Government—that was Louis's program of action for his journey on the high seas!
The next instant, a terrifying sonic boom shot across the surface of the sea as a massive fireball enveloped the huge warship.
"Valstrax Comet Crash!"