For Justice!

"Ow, ow, ow... My face hurts..."

Wright slowly came to. The searing pain in his face quickly brought back everything that had happened.

"Damn Old Man Garp... Not only did he play dirty, he even hit me in the face! Wasn't he afraid of knocking something loose? If he'd used any more force, my skull would've 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 didn't kill him."

He slapped a Holy Light Spell onto his face. The warm holy light swiftly restored his swollen pig-headed face, and the agony brought by the Fist of Love finally faded. Only then did Wright have the time to inspect his surroundings.

It was a private cabin. Though simply furnished, it was exceptionally clean and tidy. Was he on Garp's ship? Did a Pirate Hunter like him really deserve such good treatment? Wait, could it be that old bastard knew he could heal himself, so he hadn't even bothered giving 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 discovered that the Marines were repairing a huge hole near the bow. That hole looked awfully familiar...

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

"Old Man Garp really went all out! He didn't even spare his own ship! Wasn't he afraid of punching straight through the hull? If it weren't for my tough luck..."

"Lieutenant Wright! You're awake!" A Marine noticed Wright's arrival and saluted him, his face full of admiration. "You're so young, Lieutenant, yet so powerful. Among the commissioned officers at Headquarters, no one has ever been able to 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 Headquarters Lieutenant. The formal transfer order will be issued once we return to Headquarters!" the Marine replied. "Also, Vice Admiral Garp ordered that you see him once you woke up."

"I..."

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

"..."

Wright treated Bogart—the inscrutable man from the original story with permanently downturned lips, a suspected high-level swordsman of unknown rank—with utmost caution. The unknown was the most frightening thing, after all. Besides, men with downturned lips were always ruthless.

"You were with Vice Admiral Garp earlier! What should I call you?" Wright asked knowingly 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.

"Bogart is fine. I'm Vice Admiral Garp's adjutant." Bogart spoke with the same expressionless face. "Vice Admiral Garp, Lieutenant Wright is here."

"Hey, Old Man Garp! I respect you as a Marine hero, but you actually played dirty! And worst of all, you hit me in the face!" Seeing Garp dozing in a recliner by the rail with his fishing rod in hand, Wright was reminded of retired uncles from his previous life and couldn't help laying into him.

"!!!"

The surrounding Marines were all stunned. Was Lieutenant Wright really this bold? He directly called the Vice Admiral an old man? And accused the Vice Admiral of playing dirty? Even if the Vice Admiral had a good temper...

"Yo! Kid Wright, you woke up so soon? Looks like my Fist of Love has gotten a little rusty. Want to practice some more?"

Garp turned around, his face innocent as he said something deeply dangerous. "Don't worry. This time, I guarantee you won't wake up for three days!"

"..."

This was outrageous! A Marine hero was openly threatening a rookie... What was he supposed to do when facing a leader from such a criminal organization? Fine, he'd endure it... But he hadn't even decided to join the Marines yet!

"Heh heh, Vice Admiral, what are you saying? Didn't I come here to... thank you?" Wright forced out a smile, heavily emphasizing the word "thank." "Well, Vice Admiral, I'm a Pirate Hunter. I woke up from a nap and suddenly became a Marine Lieutenant. Isn't that a little inappropriate...?"

"Huh?" Garp picked his nose, flicked an unidentifiable 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 beside them stared straight ahead with blank expressions. What a joke. Their Vice Admiral called Admiral Sengoku "that bastard" every other sentence. Hearing something they shouldn't hear could get them killed!

"Uh... I'm just a nobody, so there's no need to trouble Admiral Sengoku... Hahaha..." Wright laughed stiffly. "Well then, let's do as you say, Vice Admiral. I enlist as a Headquarters Lieutenant. Come to think of it, I've really hit the jackpot! Ahahahaha!"

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

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

"..." Wright dressed neatly, stood before the full-length mirror, and switched on his master-actor effect. The pristine officer's uniform, the Justice Coat...

"Justice Coat... Hehehehe..." Wright stared at his reflection and giggled like an idiot.

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

Most amazing of all, no matter how intense the battles fought by Marine officers wearing Justice Coats, those coats remained as steady as mountains. They never wore the sleeves, yet the coats never fell off—the manga artist who clearly knew nothing about pirates had once explained why Justice Coats never slipped off—because they were worn for justice!

What the hell did that even... This is awesome! He hadn't thought much of it when others wore one, but now that he was wearing it himself, paired with this face and this master-actor effect... If he'd known, he would've joined the Marines three years ago!

"Running into Old Man Garp was actually a good thing, now that I think about it." After he finished grinning foolishly, Wright finally began considering his future. "Garp also came from the Goa Kingdom in the East Blue. I was unconscious for so long; they must've investigated my background thoroughly—I'm definitely a fellow townsman!"

Every organization had factions, and that was especially true of the Marines in this world. At this point, the Fleet Admiral was Kong, while the Admirals were Buddha Sengoku and Black Arm Zephyr. However, Zephyr had already stopped appearing in public and only trained students at Headquarters. Beyond them was Hero Garp, whose strength rivaled that of an Admiral at his peak but who had stubbornly refused promotion.

Old Man Garp had personally brought him into the Marines... No matter how shameless that old man was, he wouldn't just abandon him, would he? Just look at Koby, who would rise through the ranks like a god more than a decade later and become a Rear Admiral!

As for the Justice Coat... WT had indeed mentioned it in an SBS—justice was something that could not be cast off by the Marines. As long as they held that belief, the coat would not slip from their shoulders! This showed why people like Colonel Nezumi and Vergo, who never wore Justice Coats, were villains from the moment they appeared!