Under the "salute" of the Marines at headquarters, the warship Dawn slowly docked at the Naval Port. The gangplank was lowered, and Tsugikuni Yoriichi waved to his subordinates behind him before walking down to Sengoku and the others.
"Long time no see, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
His gaze swept across the older Marines before he took the initiative to greet Sengoku.
Sengoku looked Tsugikuni Yoriichi up and down, his gaze finally settling on Yoriichi's face. Maintaining his stern expression, Sengoku extended a hand and said, "I never imagined you would return to Marine Headquarters this way."
"I thought you would never set foot on this island again for the rest of your life. Or perhaps the only time you would return to Marine Headquarters would be after you were captured, when you were about to be executed."
"All these years, I kept wondering—if, when Garp wanted to take you out to sea, I had persuaded Fleet Admiral Kong to keep you at Marine Headquarters and continue teaching you..."
"Would everything be different now?"
Sengoku watched Tsugikuni Yoriichi, his tone filled with complicated emotions. His words also slightly dimmed the expressions of Zephyr and Garp behind him, though the two veterans quickly regained their composure.
"I have never regretted my own choices."
Tsugikuni Yoriichi could sense the complex emotions of Sengoku and the others. Smiling, he reached out and clasped Sengoku's hand.
Hearing Tsugikuni Yoriichi's answer, Garp smiled silently. Zephyr lightly adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, the reflected sunlight forming a sheen over the lenses and obscuring his eyes, but the smile at the corners of his mouth betrayed his feelings.
Clank—
At that moment, the faint sound of chains striking each other came from behind Tsugikuni Yoriichi. Escorted by Yoriichi's subordinates, Whitebeard slowly stepped off the ship.
The instant he appeared, he