For the past few days, Arthur had practically turned the deck of Dragon’s battleship into his personal training arena.
Unlike It was one in the afternoon.
In less than twelve hours, he would face his first real battle..
Dragon neither forced him into military routines nor burdened him with ship duties.
Instead, he allowed the boy to dedicate nearly every hour of the day to strengthening himself.
Arthur understood exactly why.
A real battlefield awaited him ahead.
And ever since he had arrived in this world, this was the first time he had truly felt afraid.
Two days later.
With Dragon’s powers driving favorable winds behind the fleet, the warship quickly crossed the East Blue and entered the Grand Line.
Not long after, the colossal silhouette of the Gates of Justice emerged on the horizon.
Standing near the bow, Arthur stared upward in silence.
The massive structure towered into the heavens, so enormous that It’s true height was impossible to comprehend.
“…Just who could have built something this absurd?”
Dragon, standing beside him, smiled faintly.
“Perhaps the gods.”
Arthur immediately shook his head.
“I’m not someone who believes in gods, Colonel.”
“In my view, gods are creations of mankind.”
“They’re nothing more than ideals people project onto those they admire.”
“Faith is simply humanity elevating It’s heroes into something sacred.”
No matter which world one lived in, that principle remained the same.
Without belief…
People eventually lost their direction.
Everyone needed something to pursue.
A reason to keep moving forward.
Dragon glanced at him with curiosity.
“Then what do you believe in?”
Arthur answered without the slightest hesitation.
“I don’t need religion.”
“But if I had to choose…”
“I’d choose myself.”
Ever since the establishment of the World Economic Journal by Big News Morgans in the year 1484, Arthur had never missed a single issue.
Those newspapers had taught him what this world truly was.
A world where the strong dictated everything.
And after learning that truth, Arthur came to believe only one thing.
Power.
Only by becoming powerful enough could he gain the freedom to live as he wished.
Only then could he erase the regrets he still carried in his heart.
Whether following Dragon at the age of fourteen had been the right decision…
He genuinely didn’t know.
This era was far too unfamiliar to him.
Dragon shifted his gaze toward the slowly opening Gates of Justice.
“Depending only on yourself…”
“There’s a limit to what one person can accomplish.”
The enormous gates finally began to part.
The surrounding currents roared violently.
Soon, two Marine warships emerged from the waters beyond Marine Headquarters.
The ships Dragon had been waiting for had finally arrived.
Colonel Sakazuki.
Colonel Borsalino.
The three future pillars of Marine power had gathered at last.
Throughout the three warships, thousands of Marines erupted into excited cheers.
“We’re fighting the Golden Lion Pirates!”
“If we survive this battle, we’ll become legends!”
“I heard Colonel Borsalino fought alongside Admiral Sengoku against Edward Newgate!”
“And that’s when he obtained his Logia ability!”
“Colonel Sakazuki too!”
“He came back from chasing Roger with Vice Admiral Garp after eating a Logia fruit!”
“They’re all students of former Admiral Zephyr!”
“We can’t possibly lose!”
Arthur listened quietly.
“So they’ve already acquired their Devil Fruits…”
That meant their fleet now possessed…
Dragon.
Sakazuki.
Borsalino.
Karasu.
Four Logia users.
And among them, three wielded powers capable of devastating entire battlefields.
Against enemies lacking Haki, this force was overwhelming.
Even experienced Haki users wouldn’t casually challenge monsters of this caliber.
For the first time since boarding the ship, Arthur felt somewhat reassured.
No matter how much he despised Sakazuki…
He had never once doubted the man’s terrifying strength.
As the three warships advanced in formation, Sakazuki stood at the front of his vessel with his arms folded.
“So you’re Dragon.”
“I heard you picked up an interesting recruit during your patrol in the East Blue.”
Dragon’s ship sailed at the center of the formation.
Sakazuki’s warship held the left flank.
Borsalino’s cruised steadily on the right.
A powerful tailwind filled the sails, driven by Dragon’s Devil Fruit ability.
Watching from the neighboring vessel, Borsalino let out a lazy sigh.
“How convenient…”
“A power like that would make traveling much easier.”
One of the Marines beside him blinked.
“But, sir…
your lasers don’t work that way.”
Borsalino scratched his head.
“Ah…
I suppose I’ll just have to keep moving fast, then.”
Arthur silently observed the three men.
Even now, the atmosphere between them felt awkward.
Each possessed absolute confidence in himself.
Each walked a completely different path.
Dragon ignored Sakazuki’s comment altogether.
At that moment, Sakazuki’s gaze shifted toward Arthur.
Their eyes met.
Arthur didn’t look away.
The hostility in his expression was impossible to conceal.
Sakazuki wore a gray sweatshirt beneath his Marine justice coat, along with plain trousers and simple shoes.
The brim of his cap concealed much of his face, but his voice remained as cold as ever.
“Kid.”
“What’s with that expression?”
Arthur unconsciously tightened his fists.
He really couldn’t stand Sakazuki.
But he also understood one important truth.
Right now, they were both Marines.
Personal feelings had no place on the battlefield.
After taking a breath, Arthur answered calmly,
“That’s just how I look.”
“If it bothers you…”
“Then don’t stare.”
Sakazuki studied him for a few moments.
Then he simply turned away.
Dragon sighed softly.
“Don’t provoke him.”
“He’s not like me.”
“He’s a soldier through and through.”
“If you challenge him with your current level of combat experience…”
“You’ll be in the infirmary before you know what happened.”
Arthur snorted.
“I already learned Soru, Geppo, and Rankyaku.”
“I’m not getting flattened in two hits anymore.”
Dragon could only smile helplessly.
From the ship on the right, Borsalino chuckled.
“Scary, scary…”
“What an energetic youngster.”
He tilted his head.
“So…”
“Have you learned Haki yet?”
Arthur shook his head.
“Not yet.”
Borsalino’s smile widened slightly.
“In that case…”
“You’d better keep that enthusiasm under control.”
“Otherwise…”
“You’ll die.”
He spoke in his usual lazy tone.
For some reason, that only made the warning more terrifying.
By now, Arthur’s reputation had already spread throughout Marine Headquarters.
The recruit who had mastered three Rokushiki techniques in a single day.
Vice Admiral Garp himself had helped spread the story.
Some Marines had even started calling him—
Dragon’s disciple.
Arthur didn’t particularly care.
Dragon had personally trained him.
The title wasn’t wrong.
Behind him, Cooper remained unusually quiet.
The eagle had instinctively sensed danger the moment Sakazuki appeared.
Every instinct in It’s body screamed that the man was dangerous.
Arthur reached over and gently stroked Cooper’s feathers.
“Relax.”
“No one’s going to hurt you.”
To Arthur, Cooper wasn’t merely a companion animal.
He was family.
Anyone who harmed Cooper…
Would instantly become Arthur’s enemy.
Sakazuki finally broke the silence again.
“The Marine bases under attack won’t last much longer.”
“If we waste more time…”
“We’ll lose the entire region.”
Dragon frowned.
“I’m already pushing the fleet as fast as possible.”
“We’ll arrive within half a day.”
“What exactly are you so impatient about?”
He narrowed his eyes.
“Or are you planning to burn everything to the ground before anyone else arrives again?”
“Watch your mouth, Dragon.”
Sakazuki didn’t elaborate.
He didn’t need to.
His silence alone was enough of an answer.
Arthur glanced curiously at Dragon.
“You two really hate each other.”
Dragon didn’t deny it.
“I dislike him.”
“He’s cruel.”
“Cold-blooded.”
“I admit that he truly believes in Absolute Justice…”
“But every mission I’ve ever undertaken with him…”
“Ends with no survivors.”
Arthur didn’t reply.
Instead, he walked to the side of the deck and sat down by himself.
It was one in the afternoon.
In less than twelve hours…
He would face his first real battle.
Part of him felt excited.
The childish part of him imagined the glorious battles he’d watched in manga.
But the rational part…
Was terrified.
He didn’t have a system.
No cheat abilities.
No protagonist’s plot armor.
All he possessed were ten years of relentless training.
He didn’t even know how strong the Golden Lion Pirates’ commanders truly were.
The only era of One Piece he had ever truly understood was the age when Luffy set sail.
.
This era…
Was almost entirely unfamiliar territory.
The closer they got to the battlefield, the more uneasy he became.
Arthur picked up his rifle and showed it to Cooper.
“When the fighting starts…”
“If you see one of these…”
“Don’t fly straight at it.”
No matter how strong an eagle was, it couldn’t ignore bullets.
For the first time in a decade…
Arthur genuinely felt fear.
Life in the East Blue had been peaceful.
War…
Was something completely different.
After a while, Dragon noticed.
He walked over and crouched beside him.
“What’s wrong?”
“You seem nervous.”
Arthur hesitated for a moment.
“I don’t know.”
“It just feels like…”
“My first mission could easily become my last.”
“I know I’m stronger than most people…”
“But still.”
Without saying a word, Dragon pulled out a wanted poster and handed it over.
“If you’re truly going to become one of the Marines’ greatest talents…”
“I’d rather you stay alive.”
Arthur lowered his gaze.
Apollo
Bounty: 370,000,000 Berries
Dragon spoke quietly.
“He’s my target.”
“We won’t be operating alongside Sakazuki or Borsalino.”
Arthur blinked.
“So we’re splitting up?”
Dragon nodded.
“Our destination is the Aivor Sea.”
“The Golden Lion Pirates have been extremely active there.”
“The Marine bases scattered throughout those islands protect civilians…”
“And function as supply stations.”
“Our mission is simple.”
“We stop the Golden Lion Pirates from capturing those bases.”
Arthur stared at the wanted poster.
“Three hundred seventy million…”
“And this is more than thirty years before Luffy’s era…”
He couldn’t help asking,
“Was he one of the Rocks Pirates?”
Dragon nodded.
“He was.”
“He’s currently the commander of the Golden Lion Pirates’ Fourteenth Fleet.”
He paused briefly.
“If defeating him proves impossible…”
“Then we’ll destroy the fleet under his command instead.”
Arthur couldn’t help thinking:
Shouldn’t an enemy like this be left to Garp or Sengoku?
But then he looked at Dragon.
At Sakazuki.
At Borsalino.
Maybe…
These monsters had been far more terrifying in their youth than he had ever imagined.
Dragon suddenly laughed awkwardly.
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have told you all that.”
“You look scared.”
Arthur immediately shook his head.
“I’m not scared.”
He looked up.
“So what exactly am I supposed to do?”
Dragon’s expression became serious.
“Protect the Marine base.”
“Stop any pirates who attack it.”
“But remember this.”
“Intelligence reports are never perfectly accurate.”
“If you encounter someone you can’t defeat…”
“Use Soru.”
“And run.”
He looked directly into Arthur’s eyes.
“I have no intention of losing someone with your talent.”