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— West Blue, Ohara —
"History belongs to all of humanity. No one has the right to suppress people's curiosity to uncover it!"
An elderly man with white hair spoke firmly, his voice unwavering as he declared his resistance against the World Government.
But with the thunderous roar of cannons, Ohara was suddenly engulfed in smoke and fire. Along with it, a group of pioneers in pursuit of truth were buried in silence…
Flames devoured the Tree of Knowledge without restraint. The island turned into a sea of fire. Cries of anguish and heated arguments filled the air, like a scene straight out of hell.
At the shoreline, Spandine, the CP9 Director, stood laughing maniacally, unable to contain his excitement over his imminent promotion and rise in wealth—his expression twisted like that of a true demon.
Suddenly, the evacuation ship, meant to rescue fleeing civilians, was struck by cannon fire and reduced to wreckage in an instant. No one aboard survived.
"Bastard!" Aokiji, witnessing the scene, was consumed by rage and couldn't hold back his curse.
"If you start something, you have to finish it. When dealing with evil, leave no room for escape."
Sakazuki sneered from beneath his hood, his voice low and cold enough to chill the bones.
"Absolute Justice can sometimes turn people into weapons. That's why… I've decided to let you go, Nico Robin."
Aokiji stood at the coast, watching the small figure slowly disappear into the distance.
Once she was out of sight, he turned away without hesitation and walked back toward the Marine warship, his silhouette stretching long under the setting sun…
...
September, Year 1502 of the Sea Circle Calendar — Shimotsuki Village, East Blue.
Atlas was fourteen years old… about to turn fifteen. It had been three days since Kanos Atlas arrived in Shimotsuki Village.
During that time, Koshiro conducted a thorough assessment of his fundamentals.
To his surprise, Atlas's foundation was far more solid than expected. This made Koshiro slightly more accepting of him.
After all, even though he didn't want to offend the Marines, he wouldn't entrust the way of the sword to some talentless fool.
Not only that, Koshiro also made some adjustments to Atlas's striking technique and posture.
As expected from Wano—a land famous for producing master swordsmen—Koshiro placed immense emphasis on foundational skills.
When Zoro first began his swordsmanship training, Koshiro never taught him any specific sword techniques.
Instead, he focused solely on refining Zoro's basics, which eventually laid the groundwork for his explosive growth later on.
Part of that was due to Zoro's immense talent, but it couldn't have happened without a strong foundation.
After Koshiro's corrections, Atlas found his sword strikes growing fiercer and his power output smoother and more natural.
On the morning of the fourth day in Shimotsuki Village, Atlas was running laps around the village to build stamina.
As he reached the seashore, a News Coo happened to fly by. He immediately waved it down to buy a newspaper.
Atlas was used to reading the news, but he hadn't subscribed these past few days due to focusing intensely on swordsmanship training.
The News Coo stared innocently at Atlas while guarding the paper tightly with its wings.
This made Atlas chuckle in frustration—did he look like the kind of person who would steal a paper to save 100 Berries?
Still, 50 Berries was no small sum—almost equal to Chopper's bounty (at least post-time skip).
After paying, Atlas sat under a tall tree with the newspaper, preparing to read.
As he opened the paper, the words "Buster Call" jumped out at him, causing his expression to turn serious.
The so-called Buster Call is a ruthless, indiscriminate attack intended to destroy everything.
It is a powerful military option authorized by the World Government and executed by Marine Headquarters, designed to obliterate any region deemed a threat to the World Government's rule.
The operation involves two special Den Den Mushi—one gold, one silver. The gold Den Den Mushi is used to issue the order to initiate the Buster Call, while the silver one is used to receive it.
These are typically held by the Fleet Admiral and the three Marine Admirals, though the gold Den Den Mushi can also be delegated to others.
The standard Buster Call deployment consists of:
10 warships,
5 Vice Admirals,
Elite Marine forces, making it a terrifying show of force.
These warships are built in Water 7—the Marines' exclusive shipbuilding hub. In terms of quality, they are top-tier and can easily handle small Sea Kings.
Each ship typically houses about 1,000 regular Marine soldiers, plus thousands more elite troops.
Despite being underestimated by some, these trained forces far surpass the disorganized pirate rabble they often face.
Furthermore, there are hidden forces as well. With five Vice Admirals across ten ships, it's logical that each Vice Admiral has two subordinates—likely ranked as Rear Admirals or Commodores—acting as commanding officers per ship.
It's improbable that a Vice Admiral would personally command two ships at once.
These Rear Admirals or Commodores' ranks are considered a combat elite among the Marines.
So, the full Buster Call force breakdown is: 5 Vice Admirals + 10 Rear Admirals/Commodores + nearly 10,000 elite Marines + 10 top-class warships = Buster Call.
A force of terrifying magnitude!
As Atlas recalled all the intel he knew about Buster Calls, he continued reading. Just as he expected—it was referring to the Ohara Incident.
Only a handful of Buster Calls had been triggered in the original story, and based on the timeline, the year 1500 was when the Ohara Incident took place.
Reading the article while drawing from his memories, Atlas gained a general understanding of the tragedy:
A group of scholars in Ohara, pursuing the truth of history, secretly gathered and deciphered Poneglyphs—violating the World Government's strict ban.
Once discovered, the government initiated a Buster Call to annihilate the island. This incident left a permanent stain on Akainu's record.
Believing that scholars may have been hidden aboard the evacuation ship, he ordered it destroyed, killing everyone onboard.
Atlas didn't know how to comment on that decision, but he certainly couldn't accept it. As for the Ohara scholars, Atlas felt they were too naïve.
Yes, pursuing historical truth is the natural mission of any historian, but if the World Government has explicitly forbidden it, challenging that authority without means to defend oneself is reckless.
The scholars may have been prepared to die for their cause, but what about the innocent civilians on the island?
They underestimated the consequences of their actions. Even if they had uncovered the truth, they had no way to protect it.
In the end, Atlas saw them as admirable, yet tragic figures. Shaking off those thoughts, Atlas prepared to return to the dojo to ask Koshiro about the Art of Cutting Iron.
As he folded the newspaper, a wanted poster slipped out. The image was of a dark-skinned little girl. "Demon Child! Bounty: 79 million Berries!"
...
January, Year 1504 of the Sea Circle Calendar — Shimotsuki Village, East Blue.
Under a towering cherry blossom tree, a young man in a black martial uniform sat in a firm meditative pose.
Resting on his long legs was a sheathed katana. His closed eyes and calm face exuded peace, yet his chiseled side profile gave off a sharp, imposing aura.
This was Kanos Atlas, still training in swordsmanship at Shimotsuki Village.
It had been more than a year since he arrived. Now, he was sixteen—his birthday falling in January.
Suddenly, Atlas's closed eyes snapped open. His sharp gaze narrowed, and a wave of invisible pressure rippled from him.
He sprang up, unsheathing his sword. With a powerful swing of the scabbard, he struck the tree trunk—
Boom!
The massive cherry blossom tree shook violently as petals rained down, and beneath the falling blossoms, Atlas began to move with his blade.
His sword lights danced among the petals, yet not a single petal was cut. Had Koshiro seen this, he would have clapped in awe:
The Realm of Cutting Iron… Achieved!
— A Year Ago —
"Koshiro-sensei, I feel like I've hit a wall in my swordsmanship. I can't reach the next level…"
Atlas sat cross-legged on a tatami mat, gazing toward Koshiro at the head of the room.
"Heh… What you're referring to is probably the Art of Cutting Iron. Only by mastering that can one truly be called a swordsman," Koshiro replied with his usual kind smile, speaking slowly and calmly.
"Oh? Then please, Koshiro-sensei—how can a swordsman cut through steel? I'd be grateful for your guidance." Atlas instinctively straightened his already firm posture.
"Come. I'll demonstrate for you outside." With that, Koshiro stood and walked out. Atlas followed.
It was winter now. Snow blanketed the ground in white. Yet despite their thin martial uniforms, neither of them felt cold.
Koshiro pulled out a plain white sheet of paper from somewhere and lightly tossed it into the air. Then he drew his Wado Ichimonji, one of the 21 Great Grade Swords.
A flash of cold steel glinted, cutting through the stillness of winter. But the paper remained perfectly intact, floating gently to the ground before being buried by snow.
Atlas was stunned. He wasn't some clueless kid—he knew how powerful Wado Ichimonji was. Even in the hands of an amateur, it could slice gold or steel with ease.
Yet it hadn't even harmed a sheet of paper. This was a testament to Koshiro's absolute control over his strength—a level of mastery that was truly terrifying.
"Sir, in this world, there are swordsmen who cannot cut anything. Yet, that same swordsman can cut through steel or even tougher materials using the same blade. The strongest swordsmanship."
Koushirou explained to Atlas, "It's not about harming everything the blade touches. It's about having the strength to cut only what you want to cut—and to protect what you want to protect. A sword that harms indiscriminately, to me, is no sword at all."
These were Koushirou's own beliefs about swordsmanship—his creed of protection. In the world of One Piece, beliefs and convictions hold immense weight.
A strong conviction can elevate someone to the peak of the world, while the collapse of that belief can lead to ruin.
Just like former Marine Admiral Zephyr, who once believed in the justice of "not killing," but after losing his family to pirates and being betrayed by the World Government, his ideals were shattered.
He fell to extremism, and his strength declined as a result. Atlas had his own belief: to become the strongest.
Not "the world's strongest man" like Whitebeard, but to break the limits of the world—to become invincible. Yet, he wouldn't be a slave to strength.
He had his sense of justice: "When poor, keep your virtue; when successful, help the world."
"Koushirou-sensei, how does this relate to cutting steel?" Atlas brought his thoughts back and looked at Koushirou with clear eyes as he asked.
"Ah! Sorry, I went off-track," Koushirou chuckled softly.
"Everything in the world has a breath. To cut steel, you must find and follow the breath of the metal," he patiently explained.
"You've likely awakened Observation Haki, haven't you? Sensing the breath of all things should come naturally to someone like you."
Without waiting for an answer, Koushirou smiled knowingly. Atlas fell into thought. Sensing the breath of all things...
It sounded like a simpler version of the extreme form of Observation Haki—"hearing the voice of all things." If so, Observation Haki must be helpful for this.
When Atlas came back to his senses and looked up to speak, he realized Koushirou had already slipped away without a sound.
In the months that followed, aside from forging his body and honing his physical techniques, Atlas also practiced using Observation Haki to grasp the breath of all things.
But despite his efforts, there was no real progress. When he finally sought Koushirou for guidance, he was told that his swordsmanship foundation still lacked depth.
And it was true—he had only studied swordsmanship for just over two years. Plus, swordplay wasn't the only thing he trained.
Though his basic techniques had been tempered through endless repetition, there was still some hollowness in his movements.
So he calmed his heart and continued refining his swordsmanship with full focus...
And finally, today, on his sixteenth birthday, Atlas comprehended the breadth of all things. He had officially become a true swordsman!
"Wow! Big Brother Kanos, you're amazing!"
A young girl's voice rang out from behind a tree. It was a small girl with black hair and eyes, her hair tied into twin pigtails—it was Kuina, Koushirou's daughter.
Atlas had already sensed her hiding there with Observation Haki, but he hadn't exposed her. It wasn't the first time she spied on him practicing swordsmanship.
Kuina, now a little over a year old, could already run and jump—a testament to the exceptional physique common in the world of One Piece.
Growing up in a household centered on the sword, she naturally became fascinated with swords from an early age. She would often sneak over to watch Atlas train.
Atlas didn't mind—he let her play nearby, and with his Observation Haki, he could even help Koushirou keep an eye on her. It was a small, insignificant gesture of gratitude.
Of course, at her age, Kuina didn't understand anything about swordsmanship. She thought Atlas's sword forms looked cool, and that alone was enough to make her cheer in admiration.
"Big Brother Kanos, time to eat!" she said, rubbing her rumbling belly and calling out loudly.
Atlas smiled, stood up, brushed off the invisible dust from his clothes, and walked over to lift the petite girl onto his broad shoulders.
With her securely perched, he started walking back toward the dojo.
In the distance, under the endless fall of cherry blossoms, a tall figure and a small one slowly disappeared into the fading light...
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