I'm a Good Person!

I'm a Good Person!

Yoriichi was the kind of person who sometimes felt an inexplicable sense of duty.

He stood by the sea for a long while. Just as Tsugikuni Yoriichi collected himself and prepared to leave, a patch of white suddenly appeared on the distant ocean.

Soon after, a mast rose above the horizon. Before long, a flag embroidered with a seagull emblem came into Tsugikuni Yoriichi's view.

A massive dark-blue warship with a dog head on its prow sped toward the small island where Tsugikuni Yoriichi stood.

"MARINE."

"The Marines?"

"And that figurehead... Garp's?!"

Like the saviors of justice who were always late in every movie, the Marine warship finally appeared after this series of tragedies had taken place.

After a long while, the warship drew close.

Tsugikuni Yoriichi got a clear look at the ship. Though he had just been about to leave, he stopped and watched.

"Good grief."

"This is really going too far!"

"To think someone like this appeared in the East Blue."

Out at sea, Garp's warship rapidly approached Dragon Roar Island. While it was still several hundred meters from shore, Garp noticed the red-haired youth standing atop the sea cliff. Observation Haki spread outward, surging toward Tsugikuni Yoriichi.

"I won't allow a bastard like that to destroy the peace of the East Blue!"

As Garp spoke, he loosened the tie around his neck. Then, grabbing his shoulder with one hand, he tore off the white Justice coat. His legs bent slightly, and he sprang into the air. Though several hundred meters separated him from the island, he actually leaped straight toward Dragon Roar Island.

"Vice Admiral Garp!" The call from his adjutant behind him was left far behind. In the blink of an eye, Garp had become a tiny black dot in the adjutant's eyes, streaking toward the sea cliff.

"Something's coming?!"

Tsugikuni Yoriichi sensed something and slightly raised his head to look at the sky.

A tiny black dot was rapidly flying toward the sea cliff where Tsugikuni Yoriichi stood. In the blink of an eye, he saw who it was. Though his memories had long since become somewhat blurry, the moment he saw the man's face, Tsugikuni Yoriichi recognized him.

"It really is Garp!"

"He's middle-aged?!"

Garp's full head of black hair surprised Tsugikuni Yoriichi. But the next second, Garp drew back his fist in midair, gathering strength. Dense, terrifying black lightning crackled with peals of thunder in the sky.

The surprise on Tsugikuni Yoriichi's face turned to alarm. He instantly drew his long sword, preparing to defend himself as he hurriedly explained, "I'm a civilian, not a pirate."

Yoriichi's voice was loud. Garp in midair had clearly heard his shout, yet a broad grin appeared on that "rough" face.

In the blink of an eye, Garp arrived before Tsugikuni Yoriichi. His fist, wrapped in unmatched Haki, blasted toward Yoriichi.

At the brink of life and death, Tsugikuni Yoriichi's expression turned solemn. With a breath, endless flames coiled around the long sword in his hand as he swiftly thrust forward.

Sun Breathing—Seventh Form—Solar Flare Thrust!

Garp's fist, wrapped in black lightning, neither dodged nor yielded as it struck the sword tip directly. In an instant, tremendous force transmitted into Yoriichi.

The next second, Tsugikuni Yoriichi felt his strength give out. Unable to resist, the tip of his blade veered aside, leaving his center wide open.

His strength was nowhere near comparable to Garp's.

Tsugikuni Yoriichi's defense was broken through by Garp. The fist, as large as a sandbag, struck Yoriichi squarely in the chest. Tsugikuni Yoriichi felt his breath catch and his vision go dark before he instantly lost consciousness.

BOOM!!

Tsugikuni Yoriichi was punched into the ground by Garp and lost consciousness immediately. Garp looked at Yoriichi on the ground and slowly walked closer.

"A kid dressed in animal hides, and barefoot too."

"That level of Conqueror's Haki must have only awakened recently. It's scattered and unfocused—a rookie."

"His swordsmanship isn't bad. He probably isn't a local from Dragon Roar Island."

"A civilian? Puhahaha!"

"Anyone who still dares to draw a sword against me can't be called a civilian! Hahahaha!"

Garp examined Tsugikuni Yoriichi's attire. Recalling what Yoriichi had shouted earlier, he couldn't help laughing.

Walking to Tsugikuni Yoriichi's side, Garp grabbed the animal hide on Yoriichi's body with one hand and hauled him out of the ground. He casually slung him over his shoulder, picked up Yoriichi's sword, and headed toward the ruined town in the distance.

Tsugikuni Yoriichi was not dead. Garp had still held back considerably at the last moment, merely knocking Yoriichi unconscious.

With Tsugikuni Yoriichi over his shoulder, Garp slowly made his way through the town. After a brief investigation, he found the previous battlefield.

The gruesome battlefield darkened Garp's expression.

After carefully examining the fatal wounds on the Marines' bodies, Garp's expression eased slightly. He glanced at Tsugikuni Yoriichi over his shoulder, then took him toward the sea cliff from which he had come.

While Garp inspected the battlefield, his warship officially arrived at Dragon Roar Island. The Marine officers and soldiers aboard were gathering atop the sea cliff. The adjutant organizing their ranks saw Garp approaching with a "wild man clad in animal hides" slung over his shoulder. His expression froze, and he quickly ran toward Garp.

"Vice Admiral Garp!"

"Who is this? What happened to him?"

Hearing his adjutant Bogard's questions, Garp casually tossed Tsugikuni Yoriichi toward Bogard, along with the sword. Not understanding what was going on, Bogard instinctively caught both Tsugikuni Yoriichi and the long sword. He looked at Garp in confusion, waiting for him to continue.

"Bring this kid and his sword aboard."

"The battlefield is over there. The E-23 unit that deployed should have been wiped out. Collect our comrades' bodies and send them home for burial."

"Have someone thoroughly inspect the town, and search the entire island as well. See if there are any survivors."

"Report to me immediately if you find anything."

Upon hearing Garp's orders, Bogard immediately straightened up and answered. Then, glancing down at the Red-Haired boy in his arms, he could not help asking curiously:

"Vice Admiral Garp, who is this boy?"

"The source of that Conqueror's Haki just now was..."

Garp had no intention of hiding anything from Bogard. Picking his nose with his little finger, he replied casually, "Oh, him? I suppose he counts as a survivor."

"You guessed right. That Conqueror's Haki just now was probably this kid's."

"He must have awakened it by accident."

"All right, get to work."

"Pirates actually dared to stir up trouble in the East Blue. Now that I've run into them, I definitely won't let them off!"

As Garp spoke, he clenched his fists, producing a series of cracking sounds. Having received their orders, the Marines began carrying out Garp's commands in an orderly fashion.

Though Garp was Monkey D. Luffy's grandfather, the men under his command were reliable enough. Before long, the Marines spread across the island and began investigating it thoroughly.

Marineford Era 1497.

An unprecedented atrocity occurred in the East Blue. Several hundred officers and soldiers of the Marine E-23 unit were wiped out while exterminating a pirate crew on Dragon Roar Island. At the same time, several thousand islanders were slaughtered, while all the women and children on the island were abducted.

Vice Admiral Garp of Marine Headquarters, returning to Marineford after finishing a trip home to visit relatives, "happened" to encounter that pirate crew along the way. He then struck with his iron fists.

During that battle, towering flames appeared out of nowhere upon the sea, dyeing half the sky red.

Afterward, all the women and children from Dragon Roar Island who had been bound were rescued.

Having finished all this, Vice Admiral Garp's warship returned to Marineford. However, compared to when it had first set sail, Garp's group had gained one more Red-Haired boy by the time they returned to Marine Headquarters.