"Garp... The World Government and the Navy are massive organizations. With the soldiers from all the affiliated nations, they number tens of millions.
How could anyone possibly keep track of every action taken by tens of millions of people? Even if I noticed the higher-ups doing something insane, all I could do was turn a blind eye."
As soon as he finished speaking, an all-out brawl erupted inside Garp's home. Garp swung a fist straight at Sengoku.
Because of their personalities, Sengoku had handled more military affairs among the Marines of Garp's generation. Though his answer did not state it outright, it showed that Sengoku knew about this.
"You've always had this problem, you bastard who only ever wants to climb higher!"
"Shut up! What can you change when you're only standing beneath the cliff?!"
Sengoku did not hold back either. Neither of them used Haki, and Sengoku did not use his Devil Fruit ability. They fought with nothing but their bodies until both were battered and bloodied, then parted on bad terms.
"You idiot son, why didn't you help me beat up that bastard just now?"
"..."
Dragon said nothing. He merely looked at Garp with the gaze one would reserve for an idiot.
Though he did not say a word, the meaning was painfully obvious.
Me, fight Sengoku? Are you kidding me?
In a few more decades, Dragon might have been capable of it, but for now, even trying to intervene would have been difficult.
"I'm leaving the Navy."
Ignoring Garp, Dragon calmly stated his decision.
"Mm."
Garp was not surprised by Dragon's decision. It was exactly the sort of thing his son's personality would lead him to do.
"What about you, Dad? Are you going to keep being your Marine hero?"
"Hero... Dragon, there's still a whole lot worth protecting beneath this cliff."
"I despise you."
Knowing full well what this organization was like, Garp still chose to bury his head in the sand and work for it. Dragon could not understand that choice.
"Do as you like. But I really didn't know about this mess before. Let me warn you—Sengoku once told me that someone in the Navy had said similar 'nonsense' before.
That person disappeared afterward. No matter what you plan to do, remember that.
And... you'd better not become a pirate."
"I won't. This is a... revolution."
West Blue. After sailing north for several days, Nereus's ship entered the Calm Belt once more, much to the relief of many aboard.
The sea was rarely calm. Even large Marine warships with enough tonnage could not be as steady as solid ground.
Those accustomed to sailing were fine, but some of the people from God Valley who had never traveled far by sea had suffered terribly. Seasickness had tormented them badly.
"Have we reached land...?"
A green-faced man looked hopefully toward the Fish-Man on duty nearby.
After spending several days together, they had come to feel that these Fish-Men were not frightening.
Though some individuals looked somewhat unusual, they held no hostility toward them. They had even helped them adjust to life at sea.
"Not yet. We've only entered the Calm Belt. There won't be any wind in these waters, and the sea will be calmer. You should feel better for a while."
"I still feel the ship rocking... I really envy you people who are born knowing how to swim. You probably can't understand the misery of seasickness, can you...?"
"Hahaha, that's true. Seasick Fish-Men are extremely rare. Once we pass through the Calm Belt, we'll be close to our destination. It won't take long."
This was not an isolated case. With the debt of saving their lives still fresh and the barrier created by the unknown swept away, the two races found it easy enough to get along.
Nanamo had become the leader of the children among these survivors, taking them to play on the deck from time to time.
And on the deck at that moment, there was another large fellow sunk into a state of self-imposed gloom.
It was not Big Pan, but Kaido.
"Come on, Kaido. Isn't it perfectly normal that you can't beat Dad? You've been losing to him for years. It's already been three days—why are you still hung up on it?"
"Names... Names... What would be a good name...?"
Kaido ignored Nanamo and continued muttering to himself about something else.
A few days earlier, when the ship had docked to replenish its freshwater supply.
"Worororo! Nereus, just waiting around is boring. Come fight me! I'm not the same as before!"
Things like this happened often on Beehive Island. Kaido would challenge others on the island from time to time, though the result of those fights... mainly depended on who he challenged.
Whenever Nereus and Rocks got serious, Kaido would basically get beaten senseless.
Ever since he had been mercilessly crushed last time, Kaido had not challenged Nereus for quite some time.
Now that he had a Devil Fruit, Kaido believed he had grown stronger and issued another challenge.
"What, you think you can beat me now that you have a Devil Fruit ability?"
"How would I know if I don't try?"
By all accounts, Nereus was on the same level as Rocks, and at God Valley, the darkened Rocks had still displayed absolute dominance.
But Kaido felt that battle did not count. First, Rocks had somehow become stronger, and Kaido himself had eaten the Devil Fruit less than an hour earlier, so he had not been familiar enough with it.
That environment had not been suitable for fighting to his heart's content either, so Kaido wanted another try.
"Fine. If you want to try, I'll indulge you. It won't take much time anyway."
As he spoke, Nereus rolled his shoulders and walked toward a relatively open area. Kaido leaped into the air and transformed into a massive dragon, soaring into the clouds.
Ever since eating the Devil Fruit, Kaido had fallen in love with the oppressive presence brought by his enormous beast form, and often fought in that state.
"Then I won't hold back! Dragon!"
Kaido suddenly opened his jaws wide. Blazing heat rapidly condensed within, then a scorching dragon breath containing terrifyingly high temperatures poured toward Nereus below like a flood of molten lava bursting through a dam.
Fish-Man Karate: Secret Technique—Water Dragon Piercing!
The battleground was right beside the sea, and with his profound mastery of Fish-Man Karate, Nereus easily controlled the seawater nearby.
The sea beside them suddenly boiled. As Nereus threw his punch, an enormous volume of seawater surged forth with it, howling as it tore through the air and met the blazing breath from above head-on.
The water dragon itself possessed immense destructive power, but it was not merely a torrent of water. At the very front of the waves was a spearhead formed from invisible Haki.
The two attacks collided in midair. Kaido's breath was cleanly split down the middle, and blazing flames and steam scattered to either side.
Nereus's attack did not lose any momentum, striking Kaido's enormous dragon head squarely!
The powerful Haki contained within the water pierced through Kaido's defenses in an instant like an invisible sledgehammer.
Kaido's vision went dark from the heavy blow, and he fell straight from the sky, landing in a shallow muddy flat below and kicking up a spray of murky water and sand.
At the time, Big Pan was nearby practicing how to control the Water-Repellent Membrane. After Kaido was defeated, he whispered to Nanamo, who was sparring with him, "Princess Nanamo, look at him. The name he came up with isn't even as good as mine. Puhihihihi..."
Of course, that whisper was only what Big Pan considered a whisper. In reality, it was quite loud, and many people heard it.
Nereus had held back in the end, so Kaido did not pass out immediately. But for Kaido right then, perhaps passing out would have been better.
Mocked in that regard, Kaido thought back to God Valley. Everyone else's moves had names like "Sky Breaker," "Divine Departure," and "Abyssal Curse," while he alone had casually shouted out something like Dragon.
Thus, after that challenge, Kaido began researching the matter of "culture," intending to come up with a perfect set of names for his moves.
At this rate, until Kaido came up with a complete set of names, he would not be able to free himself from this state.
"Princess Nanamo! Lord Nereus! Something's happening!"
While Kaido was still wallowing over the naming problem, a cloud on the horizon was rapidly charging toward them...
Before you continue