If you cause trouble in the future, just don't mention me as your master.

East Blue, Marine Branch 153 base.

As the Admiral of the East Blue, Smoker was currently sitting in the base commander's office, attempting to sift through a mountain of personnel files to select a suitable successor for the Branch 153 commander position.

Not far from him, on the sofa, Garp was munching on rice crackers and sipping tea, looking entirely at ease.

After flipping through documents for a while, Smoker rubbed his temples in exhaustion and said, "Garp-san, do you intend to just loiter here indefinitely? Didn't you say you were here to visit your grandson?"

"I am here to visit my grandson, but the old man never specified which one," Garp laughed heartily.

Smoker paused for a moment before realization dawned on him. "Fire Fist?"

Although not widely known, the fact that Ace was Garp's adopted grandson wasn't exactly a state secret; most Marines with any connection to Garp were aware of it.

Smoker, in fact, was one of those in the know.

"That's right, that brat Ace." Garp's smile faded, and his expression turned somewhat somber. "Years ago, through a moment of carelessness, he slipped out and became a pirate. I had intended to drag him back myself, but by the time I had a moment to spare, the kid had already ended up on the ship of that old geezer Newgate. Sengoku told me not to act rashly, so the matter has been delayed ever since."

Smoker had some reservations about Garp's account; if he recalled correctly, hadn't Fire Fist Ace nearly been recruited as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?

However, he was wise enough not to call Garp out, asking instead, "Then why do you keep loitering here? Do you expect to catch Fire Fist at my base?"

"There's a high probability!" Garp said in a deep voice. "Ace ran out of the New World this time specifically to hunt down that little brat Bane. As everyone knows, Bane is the one who collected the bounty on Thatch under your watch, and he disappeared from the East Blue only after leaving your Loguetown. If nothing goes wrong, I suspect that kid will come to you for information."

Smoker stroked his chin and nodded in agreement. "That is indeed possible. After all, he is your grandson; it wouldn't be out of character for a pirate to be bold enough to seek information from the Marines."

"Why do I get the feeling you're badmouthing me?" Garp glared at Smoker with some dissatisfaction.

Not bothering to argue, Garp offered a faint smile. "So, I intend to stay with you for a while. You should put out the word later that I've already left. Only then will that brat dare to show his face. Once he appears before me, I'll bring him to justice!"

"And send him to Impel Down to rot?" Smoker teased.

Garp flushed, but stubbornly insisted, "If he refuses to repent, I won't let personal feelings interfere with the law!"

"In other words, if he's willing to admit his mistakes, you'll cover for him?" Smoker rolled his eyes at Garp.

"Ahem, we Marines have a system for rehabilitating pirates, don't we? It wouldn't be 'covering' for him. That kid Ace is quite talented. If he's willing to join the Marines, turn over a new leaf, and atone for his sins, wouldn't that be a good thing?" Garp said, looking slightly embarrassed.

In truth, the Marines did indeed have such a rehabilitation system. In the original story, some pirates were successfully recruited, such as Jango of the Black Cat Pirates, who later became a Marine under Hina.

However, most major pirates would never accept such terms, so the system was mostly a way for small-time pirates to find a path back to society. Few people knew about it, but it did exist.

If Garp pulled this off, he could indeed whitewash Ace, and the Marines could even use it to severely dampen the arrogance of the Whitebeard Pirates.

If your commander from the Whitebeard Pirates has already turned over a new leaf and become a Marine, what are the rest of you still struggling for?

However, given Ace's deep affection for the Whitebeard Pirates and his reverence for Newgate, he would likely choose death over following Garp's plan.

Meanwhile, in Shimotsuki Village, Koushiro stood on the pier, seeing off his two disciples.

These two disciples were, naturally, Bane and Rorozua Zoro.

Bane had arrived in Shimotsuki Village last August, and it was now February of the year 1520 in the Sea Calendar. In three more months, the Straw Hat would be setting sail.

However, as things stood, the Straw Hat Pirates were set to suffer a severe shortage of crew. Rorozua Zoro, who was supposed to be Luffy's first companion, was now Bane's junior disciple, and the two were preparing to set sail together; naturally, he wouldn't be joining any Straw Hat Pirates.

As for Usopp, he had been reported by Bane, and Kuro had been finished off directly by Smoker. Although Bane didn't intend to recruit Usopp, it was uncertain whether Luffy would still form a crew with him.

The remaining potential Straw Hat members in the East Blue were Sanji and Nami. Regarding Sanji, Bane only intended to make contact to see if he could obtain a way to contact Germa. After all, he still had the RC Cell Injector in his possession; if possible, he wanted to find a science expert to research it and maximize its utility.

Of course, Germa was only one of his backup plans. If he joined the Marines in the future, wouldn't the Marine Science Division be safer and more stable than Germa?

As for Sanji himself, Bane didn't care much. It wasn't that he looked down on Sanji's future strength—the guy definitely had talent—but Bane felt their personalities would clash. The guy was too lecherous, and that wouldn't do.

A team only needed one lecher, and that was Bane himself; everyone else was just a rival!

Nami went without saying. In this world, the most important thing when traveling was a navigator, and without a doubt, Nami had the potential to become the best navigator in the world. Bane certainly couldn't let her slip away!

As for whether Luffy could make it out of the East Blue without a navigator after Bane snatched Nami away, Bane didn't care. If he liked playing "barrel drifting," he could play it for a few more years.

Estimating that Ace and Teach would soon find their way to the East Blue, Bane's current plan was to snatch Nami and leave the region, stopping by Alabasta to see if he could take down Crocodile and bring the wise and beautiful Robin along with him.

He felt he needed a smart, quick-learning intellectual on his team who could offer advice and solve difficult problems at critical moments. Clearly, Robin was the perfect choice.

It's a pity that if I snatch Robin, joining the Marines in the future might be troublesome... but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, Bane thought to himself.

While he was lost in thought, Koushiro was tirelessly giving instructions to Zoro.

"I have already taught you the advanced knowledge of Haki, Bane-shixiong."

"I'm the senior disciple, Master!"

"You lack social experience, while Bane-shixiong has a great advantage in that regard. When you are out in the world, you must listen to him."

"Master, I am the senior disciple!"

"You've had no sense of direction since you were a child. It was fine in Shimotsuki Village because someone could always lead you home, but out there, you must stick close to Bane-shixiong and not get lost or cause him trouble, understand?"

"I AM THE SENIOR DISCIPLE!!!!"

Zoro was on the verge of a breakdown, and in a fit of exasperation, he boarded the ship early.

After the boy boarded, Koushiro looked at Bane with a smile. "Bane, I have only one thing to ask of you."

Bane was deeply moved. Look at that—what is trust? This is trust! Master trusts in my abilities!

With tears in his eyes and a choked voice, Bane gripped Koushiro's hand. "Please, Master, I will keep your words in my heart!"

"Master knows you are a capable person, and I can see that you want to accomplish great things on the sea," Koushiro said earnestly.

Master, you understand me! Bane thought.

"Therefore, I only ask one thing: if you cause trouble in the future, just don't mention my name," Koushiro said, patting the back of Bane's hand seriously.

Bane: "???"