One Piece: I am Imu

Starfish World — Mary Geoise.

"Whooo——"

"It's time!"

In the domain of the Figarland family, within the Domain of the Gods.

Inside a luxurious villa surrounded by vast, shaded gardens.

A young man with red hair was lightly gripping the end of the hilt of the longsword at his waist.

His sharp eyes gazed through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows at the bright blue sky outside.

This man was once an apprentice aboard the Roger Pirates.

Figarland Shanks!

At this moment, he had already lived here for five years. He had just turned twenty this year.

In the beginning, Mihawk would occasionally come by to spar with him.

But ever since Mihawk had been ordered to travel to Wano Country all those years ago, he had never returned.

Thus, Shanks was left to face only the impeccably respectful butlers and servants each day—

And the Celestial Dragons, whose every gesture and word filled him with a deep, instinctive loathing.

At first, it had been unbearably painful, and he had even tried to escape.

But every attempt ended the same way: he would be captured by the outer guardians—the knights of the Holy Land Defense Corps and the black-clad agents of Cipher Pol-5—and dragged back.

This once plunged him into despair.

But Shanks was, after all, Shanks.

His experiences sailing across the seas with the Roger Pirates had toughened him far beyond ordinary limits. He would not be defeated by mere temporary despair.

He began to force himself to adapt to life here, all while contemplating ways to escape.

Shanks believed that he was still too young and too weak; no matter what, he simply didn't have the strength to break free yet.

Thus, even after Mihawk stopped visiting—

He continued training relentlessly every day in the estate, rain or shine, honing his swordsmanship and physical skills.

He paid no mind to the strange looks from those around him, nor to the cold, mocking jeers of some Celestial Dragons.

But of course, the Celestial Dragons would not be content with mere mockery.

Already resentful at having been condemned to spend their lives trapped within the Land of the Gods—

Now, faced with a so-called 'wild brat' brought in from the outside, who dared to perform the kind of menial training only lowborns engaged in—

The more malicious among them began pulling out their prized swords, renowned blades of legend—

Or even jewel-encrusted, golden-plated pistols.

They held the attitude that as long as they didn't kill him, there would be no real consequences.

And so, they wantonly swung their swords and fired their pistols at Shanks.

At first, Shanks was tense.

He thought that if he fought back, he would invite even greater trouble, so he could only dodge and flee.

But then it occurred to him—he was a Celestial Dragon too.

If they could attack him without anyone stepping in—

Then surely, he could fight back as well.

Thus—

Before he had even turned sixteen, Shanks, unarmed, proceeded to beat down dozens of adult Celestial Dragons armed with swords and guns.

And in the process, he seized a weapon he particularly liked.

The greatest outcome of that 'battle' was that for a long while afterward, no Celestial Dragon dared to bother him again.

That said—

Later on, a new group of young people appeared in the Domain of the Gods—

Reportedly dropouts from the Celestial Dragon Academy.

Meaning, Celestial Dragons who had failed the academy's graduation assessments twice.

It reminded Shanks of a scene he had witnessed years ago, when a group of Celestial Dragon children were forcibly taken away.

He surmised these were those same children, now grown.

But these academy dropouts, unable to accept that they would never leave this place for the rest of their lives—

Were mentally unstable at first.

Late at night, it was common to hear them howling their despair at the moon.

Or hear violent arguments erupt between them.

Shanks also noticed that these Celestial Dragons, after spending several years studying at the academy, utterly despised the older generation of Celestial Dragons.

Even when those elders were their own parents or grandparents.

Those with milder dispositions simply ignored the elders, cutting off all communication.

Those with worse tempers hurled insults—or even fists—at them without hesitation.

Naturally, this stirred deep resentment among the old Celestial Dragons.

Having been pampered and arrogant since childhood, how could they possibly tolerate the insolence of this younger generation?

They picked up their treasured swords, blades, and firearms once again, intent on teaching these insolent brats a lesson about respect and hierarchy.

And then—

They were all beaten up again.

After all, the dropouts from the Celestial Dragon Academy had undergone several years of the Starfish World's highest-level education.

Their mastery of breathing techniques, martial arts, and swordsmanship was on par with many military officers.

The scene of sons and grandsons mercilessly beating their own parents and grandparents made even Shanks click his tongue in astonishment, his heart pounding.

He realized these people hit far harder than he ever had.

Although they stopped short of killing, it was only just barely—not killing was the only line they didn't cross. Their 'filial piety' was truly something else.

They were ruthless!

These dropouts seemed to view the older generation of Celestial Dragons as completely different beings.

But the problem was, having failed to graduate, they were now destined to be treated by the World Government as the same worthless existence.

Of course, they understood this reality—and it was precisely that understanding which made them even angrier, even more deranged.

They had glimpsed a wider world—a life that could have been so much more vibrant and meaningful.

But there was no escaping reality, nor the rules that Imu had set.

After some time, these dropouts gradually calmed down.

And they began to notice Shanks, who was exactly like the instructor Shamrock, and when they saw him at the Figarland estate they thought that he was also someone abandoned like them, but what caught their attention the most was that Shanks trained diligently every day.

With nothing to do and their spirits crushed, they watched his endless, tireless efforts with growing confusion.

Why did he keep doing this?

To them, their lives were already over—condemned to waste away in this place, eating, drinking, and waiting for death.

Thus, some of them, who held resentment towards Shamrock, attempted to provoke Shanks as a substitute, hoping to vent their frustrations by beating him up and forcing him to stop.

He was simply an eyesore to them!

But, as one might expect, they ended up battered and bruised one after another.

For several days, the estate echoed with the sounds of screams, leaving the other Celestial Dragons dumbfounded.

Yet Shanks paid no mind to any of it, treating the whole thing as high-quality training sessions. Afterward, he simply continued his own intense regimen.

He even practiced various breathing techniques he had learned during these fights, eventually testing and choosing the one that suited him best.

Gradually, his actions began to influence many of the dropout Celestial Dragons.

They, too, started to revive their spirits, training daily in swordsmanship and martial arts.

Or, they sought out books on subjects they enjoyed—even if they knew that, in all likelihood, they would never get a chance to use that knowledge in their lifetimes—they still read and studied in silence.

And so—

Around Shanks, friends began to gather. Friends who trained together, learned together, sparred together, and shared their thoughts together over the past few years.

At this moment—

Inside the grand hall behind him—

Thirteen young men and women, all wearing long black cloaks, exuding noble auras and sharp, disciplined presences, focused their unwavering gazes on Shanks' back.

When Shanks exhaled deeply and uttered the words, "It's time,"

A ripple of emotion stirred in the eyes of each and every one of them.

Because today was the day they would abandon their Celestial Dragon identities—

The day they would fight to escape the Domain of the Gods—

And leap beyond the Red Line itself!

Even if they died, it would be better than being raised like livestock in this place!

"Let's go."

"For freedom!"

Gripping the hilt of Griffin at his waist, Shanks turned around with a dazzling smile, brimming with confidence about the action to come.

That smile inexplicably eased their anxious hearts.

Yet the blood boiling within them only surged hotter, and in unison, they shouted with all their might:

"For freedom!!"

...

On May 5th, 1503 of the Sea Circle Calendar—

The very day Monkey D. Luffy was born—

Shanks led thirteen dropout Celestial Dragons from the academy in causing a major upheaval in Mary Geoise.

They took advantage of the fact that the Holy Land Defense Corps and Cipher Pol-5 agents were reluctant to harm them seriously—

And successfully fought their way out of the Domain of the Gods.

At last, they stood resolute at the cliff edge of the Red Line.

And with uproarious laughter, the fourteen of them hurled themselves from over 6,000 meters above—

Plunging straight toward the vast, endless sea.

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