Chapter 14
There was no doubt that Garp was truly a one-of-a-kind figure within the Navy.
With his unparalleled achievements and his “Fist of Distinction,” this Vice Admiral enjoyed privileges that no other Vice Admiral had. Within Marine Headquarters, there was practically no one who could restrain him…
Only a few days ago, while eating at Zephyr’s house, Garp had said that he would take Kokuoichi out to sea with him.
Less than a week had passed, and the day had actually arrived.
Early that morning, Kokuoichi was peacefully reading a book at home when Garp suddenly barged into Zephyr’s house.
As though he were returning to his own home, Garp went straight to Kokuoichi and called out:
“Hey! Kid, I’m heading out to sea. You’re coming with me. Let’s go!”
Kokuoichi, who was sitting behind a pile of books, raised his head when he heard the commotion. Seeing Garp looking so rushed, the corner of his eye twitched involuntarily.
“Uh… Would that really be all right?”
“Teacher Zephyr isn’t home. No matter what, I should at least say goodbye to him before leaving, shouldn’t I?”
Kokuoichi was actually quite eager to go out to sea.
He had been in the Navy for nearly a month, but aside from experiencing Zephyr’s familial care, he had made almost no progress in terms of improving his strength.
Kokuoichi vaguely suspected that the reason Zephyr had not taught him how to fight was because of orders from the higher-ups. He had already gotten that feeling when he saw the books Zephyr had brought him earlier.
Garp’s return had only confirmed his suspicions.
It definitely wasn’t because his physical abilities were insufficient that he couldn’t learn Haki or the other abilities unique to the world of One Piece.
Although Kokuoichi had been pretending to be a complete newcomer to the Navy, he still had some understanding of this world’s power system.
Zephyr had said that his strength of more than 5,000 Doriki was very weak, but Kokuoichi knew very well that someone with that level of Doriki was already qualified to learn the Six Powers and Haki.
Someone like Rob Lucci, who was considered a “genius,” only had around 4,000 Doriki.
Although Kokuoichi really wanted to go out to sea, he didn’t want to appear “uncontrollable.”
Zephyr and Garp were certainly not a problem, but Kokuoichi knew that the people restricting him weren’t the two of them.
“I already talked to Zephyr about it. He has no objections!”
“And why bother asking anyone about something like this?”
“Kid, do you really want to stay here and read books? You really don’t want to go out to sea?!”
“Whatever it is you want to accomplish, you can’t do it just by reading books!”
Although Garp hadn’t known Kokuoichi for very long, after so many years of fighting and surviving, Garp was exceptionally good at judging people.
“……”
“I do want to go out to sea, but…”
After remaining silent for a long while, Kokuoichi nodded. He had just begun to formulate his response when Garp directly raised a hand and interrupted him.
His eyes happened to fall upon the black sword beside Kokuoichi.
A grin spread across Garp’s face.
He walked over to Kokuoichi, grabbed him around the waist with one hand, seized his sword with the other, and simply carried Kokuoichi out of the house.
“Uh…”
“Vice Admiral Garp, I think I can walk by myself.”
Garp carried Kokuoichi under his arm like a little chicken and headed toward the military harbor.
Along the way, whenever the Marines encountered Garp and greeted him, they couldn’t help but stare curiously at Kokuoichi.
Being stared at by people with such strange looks was truly uncomfortable.
After being carried all the way there, Kokuoichi couldn’t help but speak up.
“Hahahaha!”
“What does it matter?!”
“If you want to go out to sea, then go out to sea!”
“We Marines are free too! Hahahaha!”
Garp laughed heartily, completely unconcerned with the looks he was receiving from those around him.
Free… You’re probably the only one who’s free.
Kokuoichi muttered inwardly.
Since he couldn’t resist anyway, Kokuoichi simply relaxed and allowed Garp to carry him.
Before long, Garp’s personal ship, the Dog-Head Warship, appeared in Kokuoichi’s field of vision.
It seemed that Garp had already made preparations to set sail.
All the Marines were already stationed aboard the warship, waiting for their leader, Garp, to arrive.
However, just as Garp was about to bring Kokuoichi aboard, a group of Marines blocked his path.
The person leading them was none other than the Marine Headquarters Fleet Admiral, Kong!
Behind Kong stood Zephyr and Sengoku, one on each side.
Behind the three of them was another squad of Marines.
The moment Kong saw Garp approaching, he immediately shouted:
“Hey! Garp, what do you think you’re doing?!”
Seeing Kong, surprise flashed across Garp’s face.
He hadn’t expected that merely taking Kokuoichi out to sea would actually alarm the Fleet Admiral himself.
Was Kong really that idle?
He was actually bothering with something this trivial?!
The surprise disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
Garp casually put Kokuoichi down, then tossed his sword back to him.
He picked his nose with his little finger and calmly replied:
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“I heard news about Roger, so I’m getting ready to head out to sea.”
Kong seemed to have long since become immune to Garp’s disrespectful attitude.
He ignored Garp entirely and instead turned his gaze toward Kokuoichi standing beside him.
“You want to go after Roger? Fine. Go.”
“But you can’t take this kid with you.”
“He’s Zephyr’s disciple. He’s someone the Navy is focusing on and grooming. We can’t let him casually go out to sea.”
Upon hearing this, Garp walked over to Kokuoichi and placed one hand against his back, smiling as he said:
“I know. That’s precisely why he needs to go out to sea.”
“The Navy can only become stronger on the open sea!”
“That’s how I got here. I have every right to say that.”
Garp’s expression was firm.
He didn’t show the slightest sign of backing down because of Kong’s opposition.
A mere Vice Admiral was standing before the Fleet Admiral, yet he still behaved as freely and recklessly as ever.
“…..”
“You really insist on doing this, Garp?”
Kong looked at Garp’s expression, and his tone suddenly softened.
The squad of Marines standing behind him was astonished.
Fleet Admiral Kong had risen to his position through an iron-fisted approach.
Throughout all of Marine Headquarters, there was practically no one who could make Kong back down.
“Hahahaha!”
“I’ll bring him back.”
“Now let us through.”
With that, Garp suddenly burst into laughter.
He grabbed Kokuoichi by the shoulder and was about to board the ship.
This time, Kong did not stop him.
As Garp passed by, Kong lowered his voice and said:
“Garp, you’ll be responsible for your actions.”
“Don’t disappoint me.”
Garp turned his head and flashed Kong a wide grin.
He said nothing.
He simply led Kokuoichi aboard the warship.
“Set sail!”
A thunderous shout rang out from the deck.
The anchor was slowly raised, and the Dog-Head Warship gradually left the harbor under the watchful eyes of Kong and the others.
Soon, it disappeared from everyone’s sight.
Zephyr watched the warship sail away, a smile in his eyes.
But the moment Kong turned around, that smile instantly disappeared.
Sengoku noticed Kong’s displeased expression and tried to smooth things over.
“Fleet Admiral, you know what Garp is like, don’t you? That’s just how he is. Don’t take it to heart.”
“Besides, it’s just a kid. So what if he takes him out to sea? It’s no big deal. Hahaha, no big deal!”
Sengoku’s words completely ignited the anger that Kong had been suppressing.
At that moment, all of his pent-up fury erupted.
“Damn it!”
“That kid has awakened Conqueror’s Haki! Sengoku, you know what that means!”
“Talent like that only appears once in ten thousand people. As long as we properly cultivate him, he will definitely become a pillar of the Navy in the future.”
“No matter how many Marine officers we train, someone like him only needs to be cultivated properly to bring peace to an entire sea!”
“Don’t you understand how important he is?!”
“Garp… It’s precisely because Garp took him that I’m worried!”
“Does he know how to cultivate Marines? He doesn’t know a damn thing!”
“And he calls himself someone who’s been through it before! If everyone acted like him, I’d have died from anger a long time ago!”
“Hmph!”
It was obvious that Kong was genuinely furious.
But more than anything, there was a sense of helplessness and complaint in his anger.
After all, when it came to Garp, even the Fleet Admiral himself had no choice but to put up with him….
…
Across the vast and boundless sea, azure waves rippled endlessly.
The warship cut through the water, leaving behind a long trail of white foam.
Kokuoichi stood on the deck with both hands resting against the railing.
The cool sea breeze refreshed his mind and spirit.
His bright red hair fluttered in the wind, revealing the red birthmark on his forehead.
As he gazed across the endless sea, Kokuoichi felt completely at ease.
“So many people are willing to venture into the sea… There really is a reason for it.”
“This feeling of freedom… No matter how many times I experience it, it still feels wonderful.”
Kokuoichi narrowed his eyes slightly, enjoying the sea breeze.
“Do you… like the sea too?”
Footsteps approached from behind.
A tall figure came to stand beside Kokuoichi.
Following Kokuoichi’s gaze, the figure looked out toward the vast sea and asked with a smile.
