A Blockbuster in the Calm Belt

"Ah... what a shame. Not a single Sea King has come to offer itself up."

Wright leaned over the rail, yawning in boredom, when a voice behind him suddenly asked softly, "Bored, aren't you?"

Wright replied reflexively, "Yeah, bored out of my mind. Not even a Sea King to practice on... Hm?!"

Realizing something was wrong, Wright jolted—wasn't that Old Man Garp's voice?! That bastard had deliberately lowered his voice because he wanted to...

Before Wright could let his imagination wander anywhere worse, Garp had already acted, shoving Wright straight into the fire pit.

"Ahahahaha! All hands, stay alert! Open fire at the sea five hundred meters off the starboard side!"

"!!!"

"Old Man Garp! I'm not bored at all, don't—!"

Wright only had time to scream before the Marines, clearly accustomed to Garp's unreliable orders, carried them out with precision. They had already crossed more than half the Calm Belt, and with "Hero" Vice Admiral Garp aboard, there was nothing to fear even if they had to carve their way through the rest of it.

But apparently, Garp would not be the one clearing the path today. The "bored" Ensign Wright had been assigned a hell-difficulty mission by Garp. "Look, Wright boy! The Sea Kings are here—clear the way!"

"Everyone else, stay alert! Full speed ahead! Keep these big fellows hanging off the stern!"

Wright truly wanted to slap himself a few times. He had thought Old Man Garp was merely an old fool, but it turned out he was a scheming old bastard too!

The Sea Kings were already pouncing. Wright had no time to think. Ashes slid from its sheath, bolstered by Movie Emperor special effects, and the battle began!

"Swish, swish, swish, swish—!"

Since the warship was constantly moving and the Sea Kings were pursuing it from behind, Wright only needed to cover the starboard side and the rear. The powerful Observation Haki and Flying Slashes he had not displayed during his fight with Garp were now revealed in full.

He precisely judged every Sea King attack, made use of every available foothold, and protected the warship as well. At first, amid the pursuit of the gigantic Sea Kings, Wright even had time to deliberately pick out portions that looked delicious and toss them onto the ship. But—

As more and more Sea Kings were slain, even more were enraged—or perhaps merely drawn by the prospect of food—and gathered to join the chase. Yet Wright had only recently joined the Marines and had not learned the Six Powers, especially the Soru and Geppo that were most vital to him for improving his mobility and ability to remain airborne!

Thus, Wright could only rely on jumping to stay in the air briefly. After all, his public identity was that of a Devil Fruit user, so he could not go into the sea... This was awkward.

There were more and more Sea Kings, and Wright could no longer worry about which parts tasted good. He could only keep unleashing large slashes to kill targets and protect the warship. Fortunately, Sea King corpses cut apart by Holy Fire rarely sent blood spraying everywhere. Otherwise, once the scent of blood spread, the situation would become completely unmanageable. Even so, the number of slain Sea Kings soon exceeded double digits.

After using another Holy Light Spell to heal his wounds and restore his stamina, Wright threw back his head and laughed. "Come on! I can fight all day!" A golden slash immediately cut an incoming enormous tentacle in two, and then he raised his blade and launched a Final Judgment, splitting the giant claw rushing at him in half without showing the slightest sign of fatigue.

"..."

The Marines watched as though enjoying a monster blockbuster, marveling at Ensign Wright's formidable attack power and extraordinary endurance. Garp and Bogart also carefully observed Wright's attack methods and habits while keeping watch over the warship's other directions.

"Wright boy is pretty capable! When I beat him up before, I only felt that he could take a beating, and his slashes weren't weak either. I expected the Observation Haki, but I didn't expect his recovery to be this terrifying in such an intense battle."

Garp narrowed his eyes as he watched Wright continuously cut down the incoming Sea Kings, estimating Wright's combat strength. Bogart added from beside him, "Yes, Vice Admiral Garp. Wright's abilities are extremely balanced, which gives him a great advantage in high-intensity combat."

"As long as he isn't completely outclassed, even if his opponent is somewhat stronger, Wright's fighting style could wear them down alive. He has attack power at the level of Flying Slashes, defense at the level of a physical combat specialist, and terrifying recovery. Right now, Wright only lacks high-speed mobility. Once he formally learns the Six Powers, that weakness will be remedied. That will be when his combat strength makes a tremendous leap."

Garp nodded. "That's right. Even now, Wright has already surpassed most headquarters field-grade officers. This old man has really found a treasure!"

"Hahahaha! When we get back, I have to go show off properly in front of that bastard Sengoku! Hahahaha!"

They were finally not far from the edge of the Calm Belt. Once they burst out of it, the warship raised its sails and accelerated, shaking off the pursuing Sea Kings. The ship's cooks then took the Sea Kings away to prepare them, and Garp and the Marines highly approved of Wright remembering to choose ingredients even amid fierce battle!

Wright could finally rest and wait for the meal. While Holy Light Power could restore physical strength, it was not limitless. Haki could also recover along with his stamina, but mental exhaustion was unavoidable.

Though he had fought quite a bit in the East Blue, this was his first time enduring such a long, continuous battle at his limits. It was only because Garp had been there to hold the line that Wright dared to fight this way. If he had been alone, he absolutely would not have dared.

"Report! Vice Admiral Garp, Marine Headquarters Marineford is just ahead!" A Marine came to report while Wright and Garp walked off their meal.

"Oh? We're finally here. Wright boy, pack your things. Follow Bogart in a bit." Garp tossed aside his toothpick, draped on his Justice Coat, and put on a pretense of seriousness.

"Ah?... Oh..." Wright was still stunned by Marineford's enormous Gates of Justice. He had not thought much of them when he had only heard about them, but seeing them up close was freaking breathtaking. "They're way bigger than the Dark Portal!"

Upon arriving at Marine Headquarters, Garp could not wait to send someone to fetch him Senbei, which he would take to Admiral Sengoku's office shortly... Why not his own office?!

Bogart led the utterly bewildered Wright, who was visiting Marineford for the first time, to complete all the enlistment procedures and registration, while also arranging a place for Wright to stay.

Admiral Sengoku's office.

"Damn it, Garp! Why is the first thing you do after returning come to my place to mooch food and drink?!"

Admiral Sengoku's roar echoed through the military district, reminding everyone that Vice Admiral Garp had returned!

"Come on, don't be so stingy, Sengoku. Lend me these Senbei for now. We ran out on the ship, and I've been holding back for ages." Garp munched crunch, crunch on the Senbei he had found in Sengoku's office, then took a sip of tea with a slurp. "I already had someone bring more Senbei when we got off the ship. We can eat them together later!"

The office was simple, with a plaque behind the desk that read "Justice that Reigns Over the World." Beneath it sat the Marines' only publicly recognized current Admiral—"Buddha Sengoku." At this moment, he was furious beyond measure. That bastard Garp never forgot to piss him off whenever he showed up.

What sin had he committed to end up knowing such a damned nuisance?!