One Piece: I Awakened King Ghidorah At the Start

The seal…

Was breaking.

Eyes wide, Ace stared toward the massive cage deep within Eternal Hell, heart pounding.

If that monster gets loose… what would happen?

Would the world be flipped upside down?

...Heh. What am I even worrying about? I'm already a dead man walking.

Ace let out a dry, self-deprecating chuckle, then shut his eyes, choosing to ignore the voice that had haunted his mind.

Instead, he drifted into memory — back to his childhood with Luffy and Sabo.

As time ticked by, and he sank deeper into his past, regret filled every corner of his heart.

But at this point, it was too late.

All that awaited him now… was death.

---

"Hey… I still don't know your name."

A long time passed before Ace finally spoke, seemingly to no one.

"Eh?"

Jinbei, in the same cell, opened his eyes in surprise.

"Ace, who are you talking to?"

Looking around, Jinbei saw no one. His face creased in confusion.

Ace didn't respond. He simply gazed toward the enormous cage, silently waiting.

Eventually, that chilling voice echoed once more in his mind:

"My name…?"

"Ghidorah.

That's what they called me centuries ago."

Ghidorah…

Ace repeated the name in his mind.

And then it hit him.

"W-Wait… centuries ago?

Just how old are you?!"

> "Ace, what's wrong?" Jinbei asked, seeing the shock on his face.

"Heh… I don't really remember the exact number anymore," Ghidorah replied calmly.

"But it should be around… 1,500 years."

"WHAT?!"

Ace was more stunned than when he'd learned of his own execution.

Fifteen hundred years?

What kind of monster lives that long?

What the hell… is this thing?!

"Now I really want to see what you look like," Ace muttered, curiosity overcoming fear.

"Heh.

I doubt you'd want to see me."

From inside his icy prison, Ghidorah smirked coldly. He could feel the seal weakening — only about 30 hours remained before he broke free.

---

"Pathetic, isn't it?"

"Can't even fulfill your last wish…"

Ace sat cross-legged, looking up toward the ceiling of Eternal Hell, sorrow creeping into his expression.

"Then your wish isn't worth much."

Ghidorah's voice returned, unexpectedly soft.

"Don't give up so easily, young one.

You have a fine grandfather."

"Tch. That old man? He's just a stubborn fool," Ace scoffed, recalling Garp's brutal training.

"No blood ties — yet he acts like he cares."

"There are things you're not ready to know yet," Ghidorah said quietly.

"But remember this — you carry the blood of the D Clan.

Live in a way that honors it."

"The world is about to change…

And when it does, you'll understand everything."

With that, Ghidorah fell silent.

No matter how much Ace questioned him, he got no reply.

The monster's attention had shifted — his senses were now fixed on the upper levels, where chaos had erupted.

He had already located the one he was looking for.

Straw Hat Luffy.

---

THUMP… THUMP…

Screams rang through Blazing Hell as Luffy fell to his knees, clutching his poisoned arm and panting.

"Heh… You're persistent, aren't you?"

Magellan sneered.

"But you're already dying. This is the end."

As he spoke, a thick purple mist poured from his mouth, filling the level with deadly poison.

Luffy coughed and gasped, his movements sluggish. His attacks missed completely. The toxins blurred his vision — even reality itself was warping in his eyes.

And yet…

He refused to give up.

Driven by sheer will, he forced his battered body to keep fighting

---

"You still don't get it.

Poison takes everything from you."

Magellan, despite himself, was shaken by Luffy's resolve.

What kind of conviction… keeps a person moving like this…?

At last, Luffy collapsed — face blue, limbs twitching — with a dull thud.

Magellan walked toward him, checking his condition, then turned to leave.

But before he could take more than a step, Luffy began to stir.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

His forehead slammed repeatedly into the ground.

Groaning through clenched teeth, he used pain to clear his fogged mind.

Suddenly, his bloodshot eyes snapped open, filled with fury.

He staggered to his feet and launched himself at Magellan once more.

Seeing this, Magellan's expression hardened.

"If you just closed your eyes…

it'd be so much easier."

He tilted his head to the side, easily dodging the sluggish punch.

Then he grabbed Luffy's arm and slammed him into the ground.

CRACK!

Stone shattered beneath the impact.

"You're such a fool.

Ace is a condemned criminal — he's about to be executed.

And you want to save him?"

"These crimes will not be forgiven."

"SHUT UP!!!"

Luffy's roar cut through the air as he threw another punch.

Even in this poisoned state, he refused to stop.

But it was no use.

Magellan caught the punch, yanked Luffy forward, and drove his fist into his gut — sending the boy flying across the floor.

---

And still…

Luffy stood up again.

He entered Second Gear, his body steaming.

This tenacity began to irritate Magellan.

"Enough."

He activated Venom Demon Mode — dark purple sludge oozing over his body, forming into three serpent-like poison dragons.

Every time Ghidorah saw this form, something inside him twisted with rage.

Those pitiful little serpents…

What a disgrace to the three-headed image.

---

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

With a furious scream, Luffy lunged at Magellan.

"GIVE ME BACK ACE!!!"

"Venom Hydra."

Without hesitation, Magellan launched one of the dragons straight at Luffy.

But just before impact—

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

A reverberating pulse — like the beat of a massive heart — echoed through the air.

"Guh!"

In midair, Luffy's body went limp.

He collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

"What…?"

Magellan's brow furrowed. His attack had missed.

But that sound just now—

Yabai…

A realization struck him.

Without a word, he turned and sprinted toward Level Six, barking orders over his shoulder.

"Send Straw Hat to Level Five — the Freezing Hell!"

---

"Hmph. So reckless with the young…"

From deep within Eternal Hell, Ghidorah chuckled bitterly.

His irritation surged, and a burst of pressure exploded from his sealed body.

A faint but visible crimson ripple spread across the prison.

The entire sixth floor trembled.

Several guards who had just arrived to escort Ace lost consciousness instantly.

"AAAHHH!!!"

"W-What is this?! Not again?!"

"Damn it!!"

"Huh? This pressure… it's been happening more and more lately."

"Oi, Ace — what the hell is going on?!"

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