News of Zephyr's fleet being attacked spread across the world.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi, who was leading a fleet toward Fish-Man Island, learned of the incident through the newspapers as well.
The azure sea shimmered under the light. Yoriichi leaned against the railing, carefully reading a newspaper in his hand.
The two photographs printed on the front page were impossible to ignore.
"Ace, Sabo... Have those two little ones already grown this much?"
"Teacher Zephyr's plans for raising them are somewhat beyond my expectations. He gave them Devil Fruits at such an early age."
"I wonder whether that will ultimately be a good thing or a bad thing for them."
Yoriichi had plans for Ace and Sabo's upbringing. He had been willing to leave the two boys in the East Blue under Garp's care because he trusted Garp's "teaching ability."
The people Garp trained might not necessarily become outstanding Marines, but they would certainly develop resilient characters and have smoother paths ahead of them.
Although Ace and Sabo had been taken to Marine Headquarters, Yoriichi was not at all worried that Ace's identity would be exposed. He had handled that matter discreetly, and very few people knew the truth.
Even if some of Marine Headquarters' higher-ups had vague suspicions, what could they do? Would they really offend Garp over something so baseless?
Taking it a step further, even if Ace's identity were exposed, as the son of Pirate King Roger, Marine Headquarters would never secretly execute him in silence. They would make a grand announcement to the entire world before carrying out the execution.
If it truly came to that, Yoriichi would simply have to make a trip to Marine Headquarters himself.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi was not like the aged and frail Whitebeard. His New Marines were not like the Whitebeard Pirates of