Marine Headquarters – Marineford

Several years had passed since Sengoku the "Buddha" took over the position of Fleet Admiral.

And now, just a week after the recent clash in Loguetown—an incident involving a mysterious swordsman and the local Marine unit—he finally had the full report.

Thanks to the intelligence officers stationed in East Blue, Sengoku had a clear timeline of what happened.

And from what he'd gathered, it was obvious the swordsman had been holding back. That alone spoke volumes. The man wasn't an enemy of the World Government.

If anything, he might even be the kind of person who upheld justice—someone aligned with the world's ideals of order and peace.

Unfortunately… he ran into a buffoon like Colonel Kaler.

Sengoku closed his eyes and let out a sigh. There was no way Boris Kaller was walking away from this mess unscathed.

— — —

On his desk lay a file labeled by intelligence agents as the "Personal Record" of the swordsman in question—Tachibana Kyūjō.

But the information inside only made the Fleet Admiral frown deeper.

Name: Unknown

Age: Unknown

Combat Analysis: High-level swordsman. Believed to have mastered advanced Busoshoku Haki.

Attachment: Full-body sketch of Tachibana Kyūjō.

"High-level swordsman… with advanced Armament Haki," Sengoku murmured, tapping his fingers on the polished wood of his desk.

After a moment's thought, he reached for the Den Den Mushi and dialed a specific line.

"Moshi moshi. Sengoku here. Garp, get over here. You've got a job to do."

Before the other end could even respond, he hung up.

Moments later, the office doors slammed open with the force of a cannon blast.

A large man in a white Marine coat stomped inside, his voice already raised.

"Oi, Sengoku! You know my grandson Luffy was just born, right?!"

"I don't care what you've got lined up—I'm not free! Get someone else to handle it!"

But Sengoku didn't even bother looking up. Still reading over the report, he calmly replied, "Oh, is that so? So you don't care about what's happening in East Blue—your hometown?"

His hand reached toward the Den Den Mushi again, deliberately.

"—Tch. Wait!"

Garp halted, his brows furrowed.

Despite his usual laziness, Garp had always held a deep sense of duty toward his home sea. Hearing the mention of East Blue made him reconsider immediately.

He stepped closer.

"What happened?"

Sengoku gave a small, satisfied smile.

He pulled open a drawer, grabbed a bag of senbei crackers, and began chewing while explaining everything—starting from the mysterious swordsman's arrival in Loguetown to the chaos that followed.

He didn't leave out a single detail.

"So," Garp said seriously, arms crossed, "what do you want me to do?"

Sengoku paused mid-bite, choosing his words.

"First, discipline Boris Kaller. He's useless at stopping pirates but excellent at stirring up problems. I'll arrange for his replacement and post a competent officer in Loguetown."

"Second… if possible, find that swordsman. If he seems trustworthy, see if he's interested in joining the Marines."

As the Great Pirate Era surged onward, the responsibilities of the Marines had only grown heavier. Maintaining peace across the Four Blues while combating chaos in the Grand Line, Paradise, and the New World… was no easy feat.

Especially with monstrous crews like Whitebeard's, Kaido's, and Big Mom's tightening their grip.

New pirate groups kept popping up like mushrooms after the rain.

Manpower was stretched thin, and Sengoku—brilliant strategist that he was—understood they'd need every shred of strength that stood for justice if they hoped to push back against the tide of this era.

— — —

Somewhere in East Blue

Broken ships drifted across the waves.

Patches of blood still swirled gently with the sea foam—silent witnesses to a fierce battle that had just concluded.

But for Tachibana Kyūjō, it hadn't been a battle.

It had been a one-sided massacre.

The pirate alliance formed to stop him had shattered like dry twigs beneath a storm.

Now, Kyūjō lay on the deck of a pirate ship painted completely black, arms behind his head, eyes on the sky.

He had no interest in being a captain.

When a pirate crew tried to rob him a while back… he simply took their ship instead.

For the past two months, that very crew had been reluctantly ferrying him across East Blue—serving as his personal transport while he hunted pirates.

If a crew simply collected "protection money" without resorting to cruelty, Kyūjō usually left them alone.

But if they blocked his path… then fate would decide.

As one pirate gang after another collapsed beneath his sword, whispers of a name began spreading across East Blue.

The Mad Swordsman. Tachibana Kyūjō.

The name echoed from island to island—spoken in awe, fear, and sometimes disbelief.

Desperate, the pirates banded together to take him down.

But the result was the same: utter destruction.

Now, with no one left to challenge him, Kyūjō stared into the open sky—expression unreadable.

He wasn't interested in fame, nor did he care for treasure.

To him, being a pirate… was beneath him. It went against everything he believed in.

Only the weak needed to rob from the weak.

The strong? Their blades should always point upward—toward even greater power.

Unless, of course… someone was too stupid to understand that.

What he sought wasn't wealth or notoriety.

He sought one thing: true strength, forged from the very core of the human body.

"…Should I return to Shimotsuki Village and visit Sensei?"

The thought passed fleetingly through his mind.

But he shook his head.

"Sensei probably wouldn't like me dropping in…"

He paused, closing his eyes.

"Well… if fate demands it, we'll meet again."

The black-sailed ship drifted farther into the horizon, leaving only wreckage and the scent of battle behind.

— — —

Foosha Village – East Blue

After ending his Den Den Mushi call, Bogard—the ever-loyal right-hand man of Vice Admiral Garp—rushed toward the modest house his superior used whenever he visited the village.

He stood firmly, posture stiff as always.

"Vice Admiral Garp! We've found a trace of the swordsman. If you don't intend to meet him, we should return now. Any more delay and Fleet Admiral Sengoku will definitely blow a gasket!"

But Garp just yawned, scratching his nose with a pinky.

"A swordsman, huh? What's the big deal?"

He was more interested in relaxing.

Truth be told, Garp hadn't come to East Blue because of some mission.

He just wanted to see his grandson—Portgas D. Ace, newly born and adorable.

"Recruiting some swordsman? That's not more important than meeting my cute grandkid."

In fact, ever since arriving in East Blue, Garp had practically forgotten all about the swordsman.

Fortunately, Bogard hadn't.

The man's sense of duty was far sharper than Garp's—and he had no intention of leaving this job half-finished.

Eventually, after nearly a month had passed, even Garp began to feel the clock ticking.

"…Fine! Fine! Bogard! Get ready! We're heading out now!"

"Yes, Vice Admiral Garp!" Bogard barked with sharp precision, already sprinting toward the Marine warship docked at the village port.

— — —

🎁 Reader Reward!

⭐ Rating Novel = 📖 1 bonus chapter ✨

⏳ Valid for 1 week starting Monday, September 8!

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Join my Patreon here:

🔗 patreon.com/FaaanzKun

✅ Enjoy 70+ chapters ahead of WebNovel

✅ Get 2 new chapters every day exclusively on Patreon

✅ Be the first to enjoy the new 3rd arc after One Piece before anyone else

Join my Ko-fi here:

🔗 ko-fi.com/faaanzkun

Let's keep this adventure alive, together chapter by chapter! 💖

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —