The wooden planks of the small boat creak beneath me as I adjust the worn straw hat on my head. Today's the day - my seventeenth birthday. The day I finally set sail to become Pirate King. The ocean sparkles under the morning sun, waves gently lapping at the sides of my tiny vessel. Somewhere beneath the surface, I can feel King's reassuring presence, his massive form swimming nearby as silent protection.

Two years since Dawn Island burned. Two years of training with Cora-san and Katakuri. Two years of healing from the scars - both physical and emotional. I trace the faint scar tissue on my right cheek, a permanent reminder of what I lost... and what I'm fighting for.

A sudden breeze carries the distant sound of cannonfire. My head snaps up, Haki flaring instinctively. There, on the horizon - a merchant ship under attack by pirates. Through my Voice of All Things, I can hear the desperate cries of the crew, the fear in their hearts.

But more importantly, I sense something else - two powerful spirits, two dreams on the verge of being extinguished. One burns with the fierce determination of a warrior, the other flickers with the fragile hope of freedom.

My lips curl into a grin. What better way to start my journey than by saving some people and finding my first crew members? The wind catches my red bandana as I stand, stretching my arm impossibly far to grip the mast. The ocean responds to my excitement, waves propelling my little boat forward faster than should be possible.

Today, the world meets Monkey D. Luffy once more. And this time, I'm not running from the Marines. I'm coming for everything they tried to take from me.