**Chapter 1: Twin Storms**
**Foosha Village - Dawn**
The morning Luffy turned seventeen, his twin brother was already gone.
Monkey D. Ren stood at the bow of his stolen fishing skiff, the first rays of sunlight painting his sharp features gold. Behind him, Foosha Village shrank into the horizon, its familiar comforts reduced to specks of memory. Unlike his brother who slept soundly in their shared treehouse, Ren had spent the night before sharpening his knives and re-reading stolen Marine navigation charts.
*"You're leaving without saying goodbye?"* Makino had asked, her voice thick with sleep as she caught him sneaking past Party's Bar.
Ren adjusted the red coat - Shanks' old gift - across his shoulders. *"Tell Luffy I'll save him a spot at the top."*
The sea swallowed his boat whole.
---
**West Blue - Three Weeks Later**
Ren's knuckles ached.
Twenty-three days of nonstop sailing had hardened him beyond the boy who left Foosha. His hands, once raw from training, now bore permanent calluses. His reflexes, sharpened by dodging sudden squalls and rogue waves, had begun catching things *before* they happened - though he didn't yet understand why.
The stench of burning timber snapped him back to the present.
Hakugan Port wasn't just under attack - it was being *erased*. Flames licked at the fishing shacks as pirates ransacked the docks. Amidst the chaos, one figure stood untouched:
A swordsman.
Single katana flashing like liquid silver.
Ren watched from the shadows as the young warrior dispatched attacker after attacker, his movements so precise they seemed choreographed. Even wounded - blood streaking his left arm - the swordsman fought with terrifying elegance.
"Need a hand?" Ren called, stepping over a groaning pirate.
Amber eyes locked onto him. "I don't take charity."
Ren grinned. "Good. Because this isn't free."
Their first exchange lasted three heartbeats:
1. Ryu's blade whispered toward Ren's throat
2. Ren *twisted* - somehow knowing its path
3. His counterpunch grazed Ryu's ribs
The swordsman paused. "...You moved before I struck."
"Lucky guess," Ren lied, tasting copper. That dodge hadn't been skill - it was like the sea itself had whispered a warning.
"Name."
"Monkey D. Ren. Yours?"
"Ryunosuke Higo."
Ren wiped blood from his lip. "Ryu it is."
For the first time, the swordsman's mouth quirked upward. Behind them, a fresh wave of pirates crested the burning docks.
"Still think you don't need help?" Ren asked.
Ryu raised his katana. "Prove you're more than talk."
As the smoke swallowed them both, Ren laughed - the sound sharp and bright as steel meeting steel.
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