The Holy Light's Exclusive Warship

"Hey! Kid Wright, what are you thinking about? You haven't come out to bounce around for a while now. It's really got this old man feeling unaccustomed to it!" Old Man Garp came over, picking his nose. "Come eat some Rice Cake with me! Sengoku actually dared to badmouth me in front of Big Brother Kong!"

"...So, did you raid Old Man Sengoku's office for these Rice Cake? Why does his office have so much Rice Cake?"

Having been found out, Garp planted his hands on his hips and laughed. "Ahahaha! That bastard Sengoku actually replaced the Senbei with Rice Cake, thinking that would stop this old man from making a move? Hahahaha!"

"..."

Wright suddenly found himself envying Old Man Garp's mentality—this old man was dragging Old Man Sengoku down with him to the bitter end!

Garp suddenly seemed to recall something. He tilted his head and hummed for a long while before saying, "Oh right, Kid Wright. You've rendered great service this time, and your strength... hmm... is passable now. Sengoku and I have decided that you can choose a warship for yourself later and serve as its highest-ranking commander, responsible for a section of sea—but your basic training can't stop!"

"...Why are you only telling me such important news now, you damn old man?!" Wright's face darkened. They had already set sail from Headquarters, and only now was Old Man Garp telling him to pick a warship? The warships at G3 Branch and Headquarters... well, they were all the same.

"G3 Branch is fully staffed too, you brat!" Garp said indignantly. "It's just that no commodores or rear admirals were assigned to this old man, so the warships have all been sitting idle! Once we get back and tidy them up, they'll all be practically new! They're far more reliable than those Headquarters warships that go out on official business every day! This old man has always ordered them to be properly maintained!"

"Huh? Then I really misunderstood you, old man. Sorry, sorry, hahahaha... This feeling~ really is rare~"

"Bang!"

"You bastard! How many times have you even met Borsalino, and you've already learned that punchable tone of his? Zephyr said just a few days ago that you were speaking up for that bastard. Did he treat you to a meal or something?!" Veins bulged on Garp's forehead as he punched Wright to the ground.

"No... actually, I treated him to a meal... I wanted his G2 Branch to help divert some manpower, so we even discussed our abilities together." Wright smoothly treated the huge bump on his head, wearing a regretful expression. "But that bastard said he'd treat me next time. Yet until I left Headquarters, I never even saw a trace of that senior brother."

"..."

Garp was silent for a moment before speaking. "Borsalino's G2 Branch did indeed apply for additional personnel, so you could say he didn't go back on his word. But why he approached you on his own initiative and called you a junior brother... Sengoku and I can't figure out his intentions either."

"That guy is very strong. He should have a place among the next generation of Marine Admirals... but no one can see through what he's thinking. It seems like he's merely doing his duty. You'd better be careful around someone like that."

"Yeah, I can't figure him out either... but it's still better than having him oppose me, or barely having any contact at all like with Senior Brothers Sakazuki and Kuzan. As long as you old men are still around, they won't be able to turn the sky upside down... Before you retire, I'll have strength they won't dare casually set their sights on!" Wright was brimming with confidence. Unlike Garp and Sengoku, Wright knew that, at least for two years after Sengoku's retirement, Borsalino would still just be clocking in to work...

"Bang!"

Garp brought down another fist. "You're already calling Sakazuki and Kuzan senior brothers? Though that's not wrong, this old man advises you to use that form of address only once your strengths are at least equal—unless they bring it up themselves, like Borsalino did! Otherwise, don't blame this old man for not warning you if you get beaten up!"

"And Sakazuki and Kuzan aren't the same. They aren't so easy to talk to... You'd better watch yourself, brat!"

"Hiss... Of course, I have that much self-awareness... Right now, I'd only get utterly crushed if I ran into either one of them, but soon... that won't be the case!"

After returning to G3 Branch, Bogart led shipwrights and several specialists in helping Wright select his exclusive warship.

"Hey! Bogart, we go way back, so you've got to find me a reliable warship. And while you're at it, get me a bunch of reliable Marines too!" Wright chattered away behind Bogart, causing the corners of Bogart's mouth to droop even further.

Who goes way back with you? You had only been at G3 Branch for three or four years at most. There were plenty of veterans in the branch who had served for over a decade!

"There's naturally no problem with the warship. As for the Marines... if you personally issue a notice saying that you're recruiting, the best batch of Marines in the branch will probably fight to get onto your ship. After all, you hold the record for zero battle casualties. That's Vice Admiral Garp's intention as well," Bogart said helplessly.

Did this damn brat really not know how high his reputation was? Even an old hand like him, who had followed Vice Admiral Garp for over a decade, probably didn't have such prestige!

"Oh? Is that so? That's great! But let me make this clear beforehand: on my ship, dying will be very difficult... but you may often wish you were dead!" Wright narrowed his eyes and chuckled. "How Old Man Garp beats me up... I'm sure everyone would be interested in learning about that, right?"

The shipwrights and Marines following Wright and Bogart had initially been thrilled to hear that Wright agreed to recruit his own crew. But upon hearing this, they could not help shuddering—should they board this ship or not? What a difficult choice...

In the end, Wright openly selected his crew at G3 Branch. Anyone who was simply afraid of death was rejected. First, he wanted combat-position Marines who were fearless, tough as nails, and had outstanding combat records. Second, he wanted logistics-position Marines with excellent technical skills and specialized talents.

The résumé screening alone filtered out nearly all those people who had used connections to enter G3 Branch because of Wright's special abilities—unless they had performed exceptionally in recent years. As for the original G3 Branch veterans, their résumés were basically beyond reproach. After all, they were soldiers personally trained by Garp, renowned throughout the Grand Line!

A warship's full complement was roughly a thousand men. Depending on the circumstances, it would generally carry eight or nine hundred personnel along with a somewhat greater quantity of supplies. If the Marines were skilled enough, a warship with eight hundred men could still perform at full strength, while the extra weapons, shells, and provisions would greatly improve its offensive and survival capabilities.

Wright's exclusive warship had the excellent personnel foundation built up by Garp's G3 Branch. As expected, the carefully selected eight hundred men were already enough to fully bring out the warship's capabilities.

The warship had four masts, six sails, three main cannons at the bow, and several secondary cannons along both sides. Its main sail bore a large Marine seagull emblem and the letters "H"—the Holy Light. This would be Wright's ride from now on.

In the name of the Holy Light, pirates... Commodore Wright, the man who runs you down like dogs, has returned! Are you ready to receive... the judgment of justice?

Volume One complete. Please support it with recommendation votes!