Yoriichi Tsugikuni was the kind of person who, every now and then, was overcome by a strange sense of duty.

  He had been standing by the shore for quite some time. Just as he collected himself and was about to leave, a fsh of white appeared on the distant sea.

  Moments ter, a mast rose over the waves. Before long, a fg embroidered with a seagull insignia came into view.

  A massive, deep-blue dog-headed warship was heading straight for the small isnd where Yoriichi stood.

  “MARINE.”

  “The Navy, huh…”

  “And that ship’s figurehead—wait, is that Garp’s?!”

  Like every justice-bringer who always shows up fashionably te in the movies, the Marines finally made their appearance—after everything had already gone down.

  The ship steadily drew near.

  Yoriichi, who had been just about to leave, paused and turned to look.

  “Yare yare…”

  “You really went overboard this time!”

  “For a guy like that to appear in the East Blue…”

  Garp’s warship surged across the sea toward Ryugin Isnd. Hundreds of meters out, Garp’s sharp gaze had already locked onto the red-haired boy standing at the edge of the cliff. His Observation Haki swept outward, surging in Yoriichi’s direction.

  “I won’t allow some bastard to ruin the peace of the East Blue!”

  As Garp spoke, he loosened the tie around his neck and grabbed the shoulder of his coat, tearing off his white "Justice" cape. His legs bent slightly, and then he leapt—covering hundreds of meters in a single bound—soaring straight toward Ryugin Isnd.

  “Vice Admiral Garp!” came a cry from behind.

  But Garp ignored his adjutant’s voice. In the blink of an eye, he had already turned into a bck speck in the sky, flying toward the cliff at full speed.

  “Something’s coming?!”

  Yoriichi sensed something, looked up slightly, and saw a small dark figure rapidly approaching from the sky. In a split second, the incoming figure came into full view.

  Though Yoriichi’s memories were already a bit hazy, the moment he saw the man’s face, he recognized him immediately.

  “It’s Garp!”

  “And he’s still middle-aged?!”

  Yoriichi was a little surprised to see Garp’s full head of bck hair. But before he had time to think further, Garp shifted into a power-charging stance midair, his fist drawing back, crackling with an ominous bck lightning that rumbled through the sky.

  A moment ago, Yoriichi had looked surprised. Now, his expression sharpened. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed aside his knife sheath and drew his long bde, shouting as he moved into a defensive stance, “I’m a civilian! Not a pirate!”

  His voice wasn’t loud, but Garp, still airborne, clearly heard it. Yet the rough-faced Marine broke into a wide grin.

  In a blink, Garp was upon him—his fist cloaked in overwhelming Haki as it came crashing down toward Yoriichi.

  Yoriichi reacted instantly. His bde ignited with roaring fmes as he thrust forward in a bzing counterattack.

  Breath of the Sun - Seventh Form: Sor Thrust!

  Garp didn’t dodge. His bck-lightning-coated fist smmed straight into the tip of the sword. An enormous force surged through Yoriichi's bde and into his body.

  A second ter, Yoriichi’s strength faltered. His bde tipped off-line, his guard wide open.

  He was no match for Garp’s raw power.

  Garp broke through his defense in an instant. His massive fist, the size of a boulder, smashed into Yoriichi’s chest. Yoriichi’s breath caught, his vision went dark—and he lost consciousness.

  Boom!

  Garp’s punch drove Yoriichi into the ground with a thunderous crash, rendering him completely unconscious. Garp strolled forward, looking down at the boy.

  “Wearing animal hide… and barefoot, too.”

  “That level of Conqueror’s Haki just now—probably just awakened, still scattered and unfocused. A total rookie.”

  “But his swordsmanship… not bad. Definitely not a local from Ryugin Isnd.”

  “A civilian, huh? Pfft—haha!”

  “You draw your sword like that, and call yourself a civilian?”

  Garp eyed Yoriichi’s clothes and chuckled, recalling what the boy had shouted earlier. Though he strongly suspected Yoriichi was the one behind the carnage, the fact that the boy had made the effort to expin himself made Garp hold back.

  He hadn’t gone all out—he’d merely knocked Yoriichi out cold.

  Reaching down, Garp grabbed Yoriichi by the animal-hide cloak, hoisted him off the ground, and slung him over his shoulder. He picked up the fallen sword and started walking toward the ruined town.

  With Yoriichi draped over his shoulder, Garp passed through the town’s remains. After a quick survey, he found the previous battlefield.

  What he saw there made his expression darken.

  Inspecting the fallen Marines’ wounds carefully, Garp’s frown eased slightly. He gnced at the unconscious Yoriichi on his shoulder and turned back toward the sea cliff where he’d first nded.

  Meanwhile, the warship finally docked at Ryugin Isnd. Marines poured ashore and gathered at the cliff. The adjutant, Bogard, spotted Garp carrying what looked like a wild child draped in animal skin and ran over in surprise.

  “Vice Admiral Garp!”

  “Who… who is this kid? What happened to him?”

  Without answering, Garp casually tossed Yoriichi toward Bogard—along with the sword. Bogard, caught off guard, instinctively reached out and grabbed both.

  He looked up, confused.

  “Bring the kid and his sword onboard.”

  “The battlefield’s over there. Looks like the E-23 unit was completely wiped out. Recover our fallen comrades’ bodies—give them proper burials back in their hometowns.”

  “Search the entire isnd, especially the town. Look for any survivors.”

  “If you find anything—report to me immediately.”

  Bogard straightened up and saluted. Then, gncing down at the unconscious red-haired boy in his arms, he couldn’t help but ask:

  “Vice Admiral Garp… who exactly is this kid?”

  “That burst of Conqueror’s Haki just now—was that from him?”

  Garp didn’t bother hiding it. He casually picked his nose with his pinky and replied offhandedly, “Oh, him? Let’s just say… a survivor, for now.”

  “And yeah, you guessed it—that Haki was probably his. Looks like it awakened by accident.”

  “Alright, enough talk. Get moving.”

  “For pirates who dare stir up trouble in the East Blue—if I catch them, I’m not letting them off easy!”

  Garp clenched his fist. It crackled ominously.

  His men moved out with practiced efficiency.

  Say what you will about Garp being Monkey D. Luffy’s grandfather—his subordinates knew how to get the job done. The Marines quickly spread out across the isnd, beginning their search.

  Year 1497 of the Sea Circle Calendar.

  A catastrophe struck the East Blue. The Navy’s E-23 unit—hundreds strong—was annihited while attempting to suppress a pirate crew on Ryugin Isnd. Thousands of isnders perished. All women and children were abducted.

  On his way back to Marineford after a trip home, Vice Admiral Garp happened to “encounter” that pirate crew.

  And he struck with overwhelming force.

  During that battle, fmes erupted across the sea, painting half the sky red.

  The women and children abducted from Ryugin Isnd were rescued.

  Afterward, Vice Admiral Garp’s ship returned to Marineford. But this time, there was a new passenger aboard his vessel:

  A red-haired boy.