One Piece: Rising to Power as a Warlord of the Sea

"This is the execution platform? It's quite high," Natsu murmured, squinting against the blinding sunlight as he gazed up, cradling his barrel of rum.

With a swift movement, he reappeared at the top of the platform, took a seat, opened the barrel, and poured himself two drinks. Leaning back, he waited patiently, his Observation Haki already detecting the surrounding marines hiding nearby. The air grew thick with tension, as if charged with an unspoken hostility that hovered invisibly around him.

Time ticked by slowly, and just then, Smoker arrived. Natsu glanced down without much interest. He raised his drink and poured it onto the platform, murmuring, "To the Pirate King, forever."

Natsu's voice was soft, but a crowd had gathered below the platform to watch this strange scene unfold. They muttered in confusion, "Did he just toast to the Pirate King?"

"Who is this brat? How did he get up there, and why does he have a drink with him?"

"Looks like another pirate on a treasure hunt."

As more people gathered, Smoker gestured, and a wave of marines rushed in, holding back the civilians and aiming their weapons at Natsu, ready to open fire on command.

At the same time, the old tavern keeper caught sight of Natsu on the platform. With a knowing smile, he raised his glass, whispered the same toast, and turned back into the bar, confident that Natsu would be just fine.

Ding! Congratulations, Host. Task Complete: "Checked in at the Execution Platform." Reward: 1 Lottery Ticket + 50 Points.

Hearing the system's prompt, Natsu grinned widely, thoroughly pleased. "Hahaha, what a sight! So many marines just for me? How entertaining! Are you all here to toast the Pirate King as well?"

"Impudent brat! This is as far as you go!" Smoker growled, taking a drag from his cigar, his face darkening. With his jitte ready in hand, he surrounded himself with smoke, a tendril of it drifting menacingly toward Natsu.

Boom!

In an instant, Smoker was behind Natsu, and the two clashed violently, sparks flying as metal rang against metal. They exchanged several blows in the blink of an eye, their speed leaving the marines unable to react. Some stood dumbfounded, guns raised but unable to shoot.

"White Fist!"

Smoker, now transformed into smoke, threw a punch that hurtled towards Natsu's head like a white-hot missile.

"Whirlwind Howl!"

As Smoker's fist approached, Natsu stepped back, exhaling a single word. A powerful gust of wind tore through the smoke, scattering it in all directions and forcing the nearby soldiers to shield their eyes. Smoker's face grew more serious. He hadn't expected this pirate to be such a challenge, and it dawned on him that Natsu might possess the powers of a Devil Fruit capable of creating such gales.

But he was wrong.

"Armament Haki Hardened Punch!"

With a forceful stomp, Natsu cracked the ground beneath him like a spider's web and threw a punch the size of a cannonball straight at Smoker. The speed of it took Smoker by surprise, and he couldn't react in time.

Bam!

With one powerful blow, Smoker flew backwards, smashing through several walls, leaving the soldiers staring in shock. He lay on the ground, blood trickling from his mouth as he struggled to rise, ears ringing from the impact.

"Colonel Smoker is injured!"

"No way! That Smoker, the monster, actually got hurt?"

"What's with this kid? Normal attacks shouldn't even faze a Logia user. Isn't that the power of a Devil Fruit?"

From where he lay, Smoker stared hard at Natsu, piecing things together. He knew quite a bit, after all—he was a student of former Admiral Zephyr and close friends with Admiral Aokiji.

"Haki? In the East Blue? There's someone who can wield Haki here?"

For a moment, Smoker couldn't believe it. He hadn't yet mastered Haki himself, which was why he used a Seastone jitte as a weapon. But this young man wielding Haki so proficiently—how was it possible?

"Who are you, really? And where did you learn such power?"

"You mean Haki?" Natsu chuckled, "That would be from my grandfather." He casually dragged out Garp's name, making him the scapegoat.

"Your grandfather?!"

The answer left Smoker speechless. With the same family name, the easygoing demeanor, and such adept use of Haki, he could only conclude this kid was indeed related to Vice Admiral Garp.

"So it's true… some things really are just in the blood."

"Boss! Boss! It's time to go! You said no trouble, remember?" A voice rang out, breaking the tense silence. A black-and-white panda with Gin and Karina in tow came into view, looking exasperated.

"Oops, my bad (￣3￣). Guess I forgot. Let's go, quick."* Natsu scratched his head sheepishly. Who would've thought that a simple check-in would attract so much attention? It was fine to face weak opponents, but attracting Garp or a Marine Admiral would be a huge hassle.

Before his crew had a chance to become truly formidable, Natsu preferred to stay under the radar.

So, with a swift movement, Natsu and his group disappeared, leaving the marines in stunned silence.

As Smoker painfully rose to his feet, he fixed his gaze on Natsu's retreating silhouette. For the first time since his assignment to Loguetown, he had failed.

"C-Colonel Smoker, should we pursue?"

"You think you could catch them?" he retorted. "Fall back."

Half an hour later, Admiral Aokiji received a call, his eyebrow arching in mild surprise.

"Haki? Garp's grandson, huh? Looks like the sea is in for some excitement."

Unaware of Smoker's report, Natsu and his crew sailed towards the Grand Line, the towering mountain of Reverse Mountain gradually coming into view.

At the bow, Natsu sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, addressing the system.

"System, let's draw ten prizes!"

"Ding, drawing..."

"Ding, congratulations on obtaining the Navy Six Styles Training Manual!"

"Ding, congratulations on obtaining a Nine-Ring Broadsword!"

"Ding, congratulations on obtaining 1 million Berries!"

"Ding, congratulations on obtaining a Faux Nine-Turn Golden Pill!"

"Ding, congratulations on obtaining a Tongue-Pill (×2)!"

"Ding, congratulations on obtaining a Barrett Sniper Rifle!"

"Ding, congratulations on obtaining a Sea Bubble Outfit Maker!"

"Ding, congratulations on obtaining the Golden Light Incantation Skill!"

"Ding, congratulations on obtaining 100,000 Berries!"

The system finally quieted down, and Natsu's lips curled into a satisfied smile. The ten-draw method truly brought amazing results.

The weapons were no surprise; anything produced by the system was bound to be high quality. But what caught Natsu's attention was the Faux Nine-Turn Golden Pill. Though it wasn't as powerful as the real thing, it could revive a creature that had been dead for less than a day—essentially giving him an extra life.

The Tongue-Pills, on the other hand, allowed animals to speak human language.

But the most intriguing prize was the Sea Bubble Outfit Maker, which created bubbles that clung tightly to the body, enabling someone to withstand the crushing pressure and lack of oxygen under the sea—allowing them to swim freely like a fish.