Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
After the morning briefing, Admiral Zephyr walked out alongside Garp with an amused smile on his face.
“Hahaha!
What a shame.
You and Sengoku let Roger slip away again.” “Tch.” Garp’s expression immediately darkened.
No matter how tightly the Marines surrounded Roger, that man always seemed to find a way out.
Every single time.
The frustrating part was that even though they stood on opposite sides as Marine and pirate, Garp had never been able to truly hate him.
Which made hunting Roger far more complicated than it should have been.
The world now called Garp a legendary Marine and the Hero of the Marines, but Garp knew exactly where that reputation had come from.
God Valley.
The defeat of Rocks D.
Xebec.
And that victory had never belonged to Garp alone.
He and Roger had fought together.
A Marine and a pirate joining forces against the greatest threat on the sea.
Even now, it sounded absurd.
“We’re heading out again tomorrow,” Garp said, changing the subject.
“This time we’re going deep into the New World.” He glanced at Zephyr.
“Want to grab a drink?” Garp was still a Vice Admiral.
During today’s meeting, he had once again rejected a promotion to Admiral.
“Can’t today.” Zephyr shook his head.
“I’ve already got plans.
I’m heading to Sabaody.” Garp raised an eyebrow.
“Sabaody?
What for?” The Sabaody Archipelago lay close to Mary Geoise and had always been one of the busiest places in the world.
Its Groves 1 through 29 were especially notorious for criminals, pirates, slavers, and all manner of underground activity.
As long as nobody caused too much trouble, the Marines generally tolerated the uneasy balance.
But if someone crossed the line badly enough, an Admiral—or several Vice Admirals—would be dispatched.
At present, one of Zephyr’s least favorite former students, Vice Admiral Borsalino, was stationed there.
Which meant Zephyr rarely visited without a reason.
“An old friend is coming.” Zephyr smiled.
“That’s all you need to know.” “Oh…” Garp took another couple of steps.
Then he stopped.
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
“Wait.” He looked back suspiciously.
“Someone important enough for you to skip a mission and personally meet him…” His eyes narrowed.
“Don’t tell me it’s Kael?” The self-proclaimed Duke of Kuraigana Island?
Zephyr laughed.
“That’s right.
He called me earlier.
He should reach Sabaody soon.” “Damn it.” Garp’s expression immediately became awkward.
“That brat didn’t even tell me.” Then he scratched his cheek.
“He’s friends with Dragon too, isn’t he?” Zephyr glanced at him.
“Speaking of Dragon, what is he doing these days?” “How should I know?” Garp grumbled under his breath, visibly irritated.
Dragon had once possessed an exceptionally promising future within the Marines.
He had even been selected to serve as a captain in a newly established elite mobile special unit designed to conduct decapitation strikes against major pirate forces.
Then, practically overnight, Dragon had resigned his rank as Vice Admiral without discussing it with anyone.
After that, he disappeared from Marineford.
The son of the Hero of the Marines had indeed spent part of his teenage years in the Marines.
But somewhere along the way, something had convinced him to leave.
And among the younger generation of Marines, Dragon had once been one of the most admired officers.
His talent for physical combat was exceptional.
He could master almost any fighting style put in front of him.
Even the advanced combat techniques now collectively known as the Six Powers had been further refined with Dragon’s involvement.
Garp clicked his tongue.
“Forget him.” Then he looked toward Zephyr again.
“I’m coming with you.” Zephyr blinked.
Garp grinned.
“Haven’t been to Sabaody in a while anyway.” He rubbed his chin.
“More importantly, I want to know if Kael brought any of that liquor.” “Hahaha!
That’s exactly what I’m hoping for.” “HEY!” A furious shout came from behind them.
Admiral Sengoku stood in the hallway glaring at the two men.
“Where do you think you’re going?!
We leave tomorrow!” Garp’s eye twitched.
Then he lowered his voice.
“Ignore him.” Zephyr stared at him.
“Just pretend you didn’t hear anything.” Garp immediately picked up his pace.
“Move, move.” The two men disappeared down the corridor.
Sengoku watched them go, speechless.
How old were these idiots?
And they still acted like children.
“Garp, you bastard…” His forehead throbbed.
“How many times are you going to reject that promotion?” What was so terrible about becoming an Admiral?!
Sengoku sighed.
…
The Sabaody Archipelago lay near Marine Headquarters and was formed by the exposed roots of seventy-nine massive Yarukiman Mangroves, the largest mangrove trees in the world.
Their enormous roots rose above the ocean’s surface, creating the scattered island-like groves that made up Sabaody.
After years of development, the archipelago had grown into a thriving center of commerce, culture, wealth, and population.
Much later, Brook would famously describe it as both the Island of Failure and the Island of New Beginnings.
But those names did not exist yet.
Out on the sea, an old-fashioned three-masted sailing ship cut steadily through the waves.
Water split around its reinforced bow with a continuous hiss.
Kael leaned against the railing and yawned.
The ship was called the Arbiter.
It had once been used by the Shikkearu royal family for official voyages.
The original vessel had been badly damaged, but once Kael had accumulated enough money, he had hired shipwrights through passing merchant vessels and had it extensively rebuilt.
Rather than making it look new, Kael had deliberately preserved its aged appearance.
The result was a vessel with an old-world, weathered appearance on the outside.
Inside was another story entirely.
Red carpets.
Ornate wall lamps.
Comfortable cabins.
Everything had been restored to the standard expected of a royal vessel.
Rolin was currently on the second deck attending to Kael’s needs, while Quinn commanded thirty castle guards serving as sailors and security.
Their journey had lasted fourteen days.
At last, the distant outline of Sabaody had appeared on the horizon.
Just then— Thud.
Quinn dropped lightly from the crow’s nest onto the deck.
Despite his massive build, his landing barely shook the boards.
He strode toward Kael.
“Lord Kael.” Kael glanced over.
“We’ve spotted a pirate ship.” “Oh?” Kael’s lips slowly curved upward.
“Good.” He pushed away from the railing.
“Let’s go have a look.” Trade wasn’t Kael’s only source of income.
Every now and then, the sea was kind enough to deliver a little extra money directly into his path.
Unfortunately for the pirates involved, meeting Kael on the open sea usually meant they were about to have a very bad day.
What could he say?
Running a castle wasn’t cheap.
Add to library.
Send some Power Stones.