Because It Was for Justice!

"My face... it hurts so much..."

Wright slowly regained consciousness. The intense pain in his face quickly reminded him of what had happened earlier.

"That damned Old Man Garp... Not only did he play dirty, he even hit me in the face! Wasn't he afraid of beating something loose? If he'd used any more force, my skull would have cracked!"

"Was Luffy raised on beatings like this when he was little? No wonder he could take such a beating. Even Kaido's drunken club strike hadn't killed him."

He slapped a Holy Light Spell onto his face. The warm Holy Light swiftly restored his swollen, pig-like face to normal, and the searing pain caused by the Fist of Love finally faded. Only then did Wright have the time to look around.

It was a single cabin. Though simply furnished, it was extremely clean and tidy. Was he on Garp's ship? Did a Pirate Hunter like him really deserve such treatment? Then again, perhaps that old bastard knew he could heal himself and had been too stingy to even give him a bandage!

Silently grumbling, Wright grabbed Ashes from beside the bed, straightened his clothes, and walked out of the room.

When he reached the deck, Wright found the Marines repairing a large hole. The hole was near the bow, and it looked strangely familiar...

"Did I get punched into that hole just now?!"

"Old Man Garp really went for the kill! He didn't even spare his own ship! Wasn't he afraid of punching straight through the hull? If I hadn't been so tough..."

"Lieutenant Wright! You're awake!" A Marine noticed Wright's arrival and saluted. His face was full of admiration. "You're so young, yet so powerful, Lieutenant. Among the officers at Headquarters, no one can take Vice Admiral Garp's punch!"

"Lieutenant?" Wright eyed the Marine suspiciously. "What's going on? I'm not a Marine. I'm a Pirate Hunter."

"Reporting to Lieutenant Wright, Vice Admiral Garp has appointed you a Marine Lieutenant. The official transfer order will be issued once we return to Headquarters!" the Marine replied. "Also, Vice Admiral Garp ordered you to see him once you woke up."

"I..."

"Oh? Lieutenant Wright, you're awake? Are your injuries healed already? What a powerful ability indeed." Bogart appeared soundlessly and greeted Wright. "You have a lot of questions, don't you? Come with me. Vice Admiral Garp is waiting for you."

"..."

Wright treated Bogart with utmost caution. In the original story, this man with downturned lips was deeply unfathomable, possibly a high-level swordsman, and his rank was unknown. The unknown was the most frightening thing of all. Besides, anyone with downturned lips was bound to be ruthless.

"You were the one beside Vice Admiral Garp earlier! What should I call you?" Wright put on an act as he followed Bogart toward the side of the ship—since Old Man Garp had punched a hole through the bow deck, he had nothing better to do than fish from the side.

"Just call me Bogart. I'm Vice Admiral Garp's adjutant." Bogart spoke with the same expressionless face. "Vice Admiral Garp, Lieutenant Wright has arrived."

"Hey, Old Man Garp! I respect you as a Marine hero, but you actually played dirty! And the worst part was that you hit me in the face!" Wright saw Garp dozing off while fishing from a deck chair by the side. The old man's lazy appearance reminded Wright of the retired uncle next door from his previous life, and he couldn't help but start ranting.

"!!!"

The surrounding Marines were all stunned. Was Lieutenant Wright really this bold? He had called the Vice Admiral an old man right to his face? He had even accused the Vice Admiral of playing dirty? No matter how good-tempered the Vice Admiral was...

"Yo! Wright, you're awake already? Looks like my Fist of Love has gotten a little rusty. Want another round of training?"

Garp turned his head, wearing an innocent expression as he said something dangerous. "Don't worry, this time I guarantee you won't wake up for three days!"

"..."

This was outrageous! A Marine hero was threatening a newcomer... What was he supposed to do when faced with a leader from such a dark and evil force? Fine, he'd endure it... But he hadn't even decided to join the Marines yet!

"Hehehe, Vice Admiral, listen to you... Didn't I come here to... thank you?" Wright emphasized the word "thank" and forced out a smile. "Well, Vice Admiral, I'm a Pirate Hunter. I woke up from one nap and suddenly became a Marine Lieutenant. Isn't that a little inappropriate..."

"Huh?" Garp picked his nose, flicked an indescribable lump into the sea, and glanced at Wright. "What's inappropriate about it? I'm a Headquarters Vice Admiral. I have that much authority. And even if I didn't, that bastard Sengoku does!"

The Marines around them stared straight ahead with blank expressions. What a joke. Their Vice Admiral called Admiral Sengoku "that bastard" every other word. Hearing things they shouldn't hear could get them killed!

"Uh... I'm just a small fry, there's no need to trouble Admiral Sengoku... Hahaha..." Wright said with a strained laugh. "Well then, we'll do as you say, Vice Admiral. Joining up as a Headquarters Lieutenant right away means I've really struck it rich! Ahahaha!"

"At least you know what's good for you!" Garp muttered. "There aren't many young people in all of Marine Headquarters who catch my eye. If you dare embarrass me after we get back, I'll let you taste what the Fist of Love really is!"

"Yes, yes, yes..." Wright surrendered. Bogart assigned a Marine to take Wright to collect his lieutenant's uniform and recruit handbook so he could familiarize himself with the Marines' basic regulations before returning to Headquarters, lest he make a fool of himself at Marineford.

"..." Wright got dressed and stood before the full-length mirror, activating his Movie Emperor effect. His white officer's uniform was draped with a Justice Coat...

"Justice Coat... hehehehe..." Wright stared at his reflection and grinned foolishly.

As a longtime One Piece fan, it was hard not to care about one of the signature symbols of Marine officers—the Justice Coat. A white, high-collared long coat with epaulets and wide sleeves, its long tails bearing two bold characters—Justice! It was simply too cool!

The most magical part was that no matter how fiercely the Marine officer wearing a Justice Coat fought, it remained as steady as a mountain. They never wore the sleeves, yet it never fell off—the guy who clearly knew nothing about pirates but drew pirate manga had once explained why Justice Coats never slipped off—because it was for justice!

What the hell did he mean, for... It felt amazing! He had never thought much of it when others wore one, but now that he was wearing it himself, with this face and this Movie Emperor effect... If he'd known, he would have joined the Marines three years ago!

"Running into Old Man Garp turned out to be a good thing." After finishing his foolish grin, Wright finally began thinking about his future. "Garp is also from the Goa Kingdom in the East Blue. I've been unconscious for so long that they must have investigated my background thoroughly—he's practically a fellow townsman!"

Every organization had factions, and that was especially true of the Marines in this world. At this point in time, the Fleet Admiral was Kong, while the Admirals were Buddha Sengoku and Black Arm Zephyr. However, Zephyr no longer appeared in public and only trained recruits at Headquarters. Apart from them, there was Hero Garp, whose combat power was at the peak Admiral level but who had repeatedly refused promotion.

Old Man Garp had personally brought him into the Marines... No matter how shameless that old man was, he wouldn't simply ignore him now, would he? Just look at Koby, who would rise to Rear Admiral at godlike speed more than a decade later!

As for the Justice Coat... WT really had mentioned it in an SBS—the coat represented something Marines could not allow to fall. As long as they held that belief, it would never slip from their shoulders! From that, it was clear that people like Colonel Nezumi and Vergo, who never wore Justice Coats, had been villains from the moment they appeared!