SWORD Unit!

"My ancestors shed blood for the World Government and rendered meritorious service to Marine Headquarters!"

Storm came to his senses. Completely disregarding the identity of the person before him, he immediately demanded an explanation.

"What did I do wrong to be directly removed from the Headquarters roster?"

As for the Marines.

Storm could not say he liked them very much, but he could not say he hated them either.

After all, this was a world where everything was compared by how rotten it was.

In Storm's eyes, "the Marines" were merely an identity, a job.

Since it was a job.

Not being fond of it was one thing, but what the hell was this about being fired for no reason?!

"You didn't do anything wrong."

Aokiji scratched his messy, spiky hair.

"And you weren't fired. You submitted your resignation."

Do you want to listen to what you're saying?

Storm stared at Aokiji in disbelief.

"What's the difference between being fired and submitting a resignation?"

Could it be that after Storm voluntarily submitted his resignation, Marine Headquarters would not need to pay him any additional compensation?

Come to think of it, did the World Government even have labor laws?

Seeing Storm's reaction, Aokiji finally realized something.

"Did Teacher Zephyr not tell you the reason?"

Aokiji lowered his head and rubbed his forehead, white chill radiating around his body.

"Ah, well, seriously. He was the one who recommended you in the first place..."

Zephyr's recommendation?

Storm glanced at the letter in his hand, then raised his hand to signal.

"Teacher Zephyr only wrote me a Recommendation Letter. He said Admiral Kuzan would explain everything."

"Ah, well."

Aokiji once again uttered his trademark catchphrase.

"He only knows how to dump extra work on me. What a pain!"

Putting aside the facts, isn't this your own problem?

Storm silently grumbled.

He had no intention of involving himself in the "conflict" between two generations of Admirals.

Without saying a word, he stepped forward, placed the Recommendation Letter in front of Aokiji, then quickly retreated to his original position and stood at attention.

Aokiji shot Storm a glance, opened the letter, and finished reading it at a glance.

Storm had no idea what Zephyr had written in the Recommendation Letter.

He only noticed that the white chill emanating from Aokiji was growing denser and denser.

The temperature in the Admiral's Office was dropping along with it.

Storm could almost see the white mist produced by his own breath.

"Recruit!"

With a sharp shout, Aokiji suddenly raised his head and stared at Storm.

"While you were at the Rookie Training Camp, did you publicly insult the World Nobles—the Celestial Dragons—by calling them pigs?"

When Aokiji asked the question, his expression was as cold as an eternally frozen block of ice.

If one ignored the ugly green checkered eyepatch worn on his forehead.

Then Aokiji did look quite intimidating at that moment.

"First of all, it wasn't public. I said it during a private conversation."

Storm tugged at the corner of his mouth, openly admitting to the "crime" he had committed.

"Secondly, it wasn't an insult. It was an objective description.

"Finally, I didn't say, 'Celestial Dragons are pigs.' I said, 'Celestial Dragons are scum beneath even pigs.'"

It was not as if there were no Marines on the seas who insulted the Celestial Dragons.

Monkey D. Garp was one example.

That old man could publicly insult the Celestial Dragons even in the holy land of Mary Geoise.

But so what?

He was Garp!

He himself was a Hero of the Marines, his son was the leader of the Revolutionary Army, and his grandson looked like he was about to become the next great pirate boss.

So what if he insulted the Celestial Dragons?

Even the World Government had no objections!

But Storm was merely a new Marine.

He had insulted the Celestial Dragons, and his immediate superior had found out.

Storm sighed inwardly.

Damn it, this is going to ruin my career...

Could Aokiji "banish" me to a branch in the Four Seas?

If that happened, then it would truly be—

Fantastic!

Aokiji's expression grew increasingly solemn, and the bone-chilling cold seemed ready to freeze the entire Admiral's Office.

But in the very next moment, the spring breeze thawed the ice, and the snow melted away.

"Puhahaha!"

Aokiji burst into loud laughter.

"Recruit! I finally understand why Teacher Zephyr recommended you for the SWORD Unit!

"You're quite interesting!"

The SWORD Unit?

The secret special unit of Marine Headquarters—the Sword Unit?

Storm caught a crucial piece of information in Aokiji's words.

He quickly connected everything he knew—

Zephyr had sent him to Aokiji precisely to recommend that he join the SWORD Unit?

"By the way, Recruit—no, Vongola? Or should I call you Storm?"

Aokiji wiped away the ice crystals that had formed from his laughter and put on a serious expression again.

"Do you know about the SWORD Unit?"

I know, but not much.

Storm pretended to be a clueless newcomer and shook his head.

"The SWORD Unit, or rather, the Sword Unit."

Seeing this, Aokiji began to explain.

"It's a secret special unit established by Headquarters. In terms of strategic importance, it's roughly on par with the SSG led by Dr. Vegapunk.

"To put it simply, the members of the Sword Unit are Marines who have already submitted their resignations.

"The Sword Unit's mission is to strike at pirates—to strike at all pirates, including the Pirate Emperors!

"Other than that, the Sword Unit does not need to obey any orders.

"It's a 'guerilla force' that can act freely."

Aokiji finished explaining the Sword Unit's general situation.

He then fell silent, giving Storm time to digest and understand it.

To be honest.

What Aokiji described was not much different from the intelligence Storm possessed.

The only thing that surprised him was that the Sword Unit's strategic importance could actually be placed on the same level as the SSG!

SSG stood for "Special Science Group," also known as the "Special Science Division."

The organization sounded unfamiliar, but in reality, it possessed incredibly powerful combat strength.

[Pacifista], [Laser Gun], [Bubble Shield], [Green Blood], [Seraphim]...

All these earth-shaking inventions were connected to the Special Science Division.

The Special Science Division could almost be said to support Marine Headquarters' entire Science Unit single-handedly!

Its status was obvious.

How could the Sword Unit possibly compare with the Special Science Division...

But then again.

Aokiji knew the Sword Unit's intelligence like the back of his hand.

Did that mean he was the highest-ranking person in the Sword Unit?

Just as Kizaru commanded Marine Headquarters' Science Unit.

It was just that after leaving the Marines, Aokiji had become the Tenth Giant Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates.

If Aokiji was the highest commander of the Sword Unit, this "guerilla force."

Then...

Was he an undercover agent?

A string of thoughts flashed through Storm's mind.

Just then, Aokiji continued.

"Storm, Teacher Zephyr spoke very highly of you in his letter. He believes your personality is highly suited to the Sword Unit."

At this point, Aokiji paused and casually listed several points from the Recommendation Letter.

"Self-disciplined, hardworking, unwilling to blindly worship authority, and possessing a unique sense of justice."

There was one more point Aokiji did not mention.

Storm had an absolutely spotless family background!

Storm's ancestors, going back three generations, had all been Marines.

Even at Marine Headquarters.

It was rare to find a Marine with the talent and ability of Storm, a member of the Marine Justice Flag.

The Sword Unit was a secret special unit.

Its unique nature meant that its members' identities had to be "absolutely pure."

Storm's family background happened to guarantee that kind of "purity."

Aokiji stared at Storm and extended an invitation.

"Recruit Vongola Storm, are you willing to join the SWORD Unit and become a member of this secret unit?"

Storm remained very calm and did not rashly agree.

Joining the Sword Unit had both advantages and disadvantages for him.

As everyone knew.

The righteous Marines only needed to follow orders and do a good job as the World Government's lapdogs.

But the Sword Unit could ignore orders and act freely, which meant there were many more things to consider.

"Before I answer that question."

After a moment of silence, Storm spoke.

"I have a few questions that need answering."

Aokiji nodded, naturally having no objection.

"Go ahead."

Storm asked his first question.

"The Sword Unit is a secret special unit. How high is its level of confidentiality?"

Aokiji answered simply.

"Within the Marines, only the Fleet Admiral and Admirals are qualified to know the complete list of the Sword Unit's members."

Storm pressed further.

"What about the World Government?"

"The Government?"

Aokiji's expression became rather subtle.

"The Government doesn't know the Sword Unit exists."

Huh? Seriously?

Storm was shocked.

The Sword Unit was actually this independent?

Even the World Government did not know it existed?

With his current information seriously lacking, Storm could only temporarily choose to believe Aokiji's explanation.

He soon asked his third question.

"If the Sword Unit can launch attacks against the Pirate Emperors, what about the Shichibukai?"

Generally speaking.

Without permission from the highest authorities—the Gorosei.

Even Marine Headquarters could not easily provoke a conflict with a Pirate Emperor.

Even a minor clash could potentially lead to a much larger war.

But the Sword Unit could directly attack the Yonko!

This was what made the Sword Unit special!

If that was the case,

did the Shichibukai, the "official pirates" endorsed by the World Government,

also fall within the Sword Unit's sphere of operations?

Aokiji took a long look at Storm.

As a Marine Admiral,

how could Aokiji not understand the harm the "Shichibukai system" caused to the Marines and to justice?

But that was, after all, the World Government's policy!

It was a special policy implemented to stabilize the seas and divide the pirate forces!

Marine Headquarters had no right to interfere.

But the Sword Unit...

Aokiji slowly nodded.

"Of course."

If the Sword Unit could even fight the Yonko, why couldn't it fight the Shichibukai?

As for defying the World Government's policies and orders...

"But I need to warn you in advance, Storm."

Aokiji spoke solemnly.

"Headquarters will not take responsibility for the actions of Sword Unit members. They may be stripped of their military status at any time."

If an order came from the World Government,

Marine Headquarters might even take the initiative to erase the existence of Sword Unit members!

"One last question."

Storm did not care about Aokiji's warning. Instead, he broke into a relaxed smile.

"If I join the Sword Unit, will my salary and benefits increase?"

"Of course! The Sword Unit's benefits are absolutely among the best in the entire Marine force!"

Aokiji smiled as well.

"The Sword Unit welcomes you, Vongola Storm."

Storm did not reply. He simply raised his hand and silently gave a military salute.

He was on board the Sword Unit's ship!

Since Storm was willing to join the Sword Unit,

Aokiji had nothing more to say.

He got straight to the point.

"To keep it brief, the Sword Unit happens to be in need of carrying out a major mission.

"Not long ago, the situation in the New World underwent a drastic change.

"After the Whitebeard Pirates, the Beasts Pirates, and the BIG MOM Pirates, another pirate crew rose to prominence.

"The Red-Haired Pirates, known as the 'Iron Wall Pirates'!

"The New World now has a fourth Pirate Emperor—the Red-Haired Shanks!

"Storm, the mission the Sword Unit must shoulder is to gather intelligence on the Pirate Emperors' movements in the New World.

"Your mission is—

"To become a Great Pirate, enter the New World, and infiltrate the ranks of the Yonko!"

Storm tilted his head, raised his thumb, and pointed it back at himself.

Me, take on a Yonko?

A new author and a new book, updated twice daily.

Update times: 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

--

As for how I'm clearly a newcomer

yet still owe [44] chapters,

I can only wait until the book goes on sale before paying them back...