Dispute Over Allegiance

In this world, there was a powerful pirate who liked making others his sons, using that status to protect the promising juniors he admired.

But this was Long Yi's first time hearing someone ask him to become their grandson. Even with his considerable mental fortitude, the bald old man's words still left him with black lines across his face.

"Um, excuse me, what did you just say?!"

Long Yi thought there was something wrong with his ears. Meeting the bald old man's serious gaze, he forced out a smile uglier than crying and stammered out his question.

To his surprise, after hearing Long Yi's question, the bald old man repeated his words from before, slowly and clearly.

"Long Yi, bear the name of the Yatogami Family and become my grandson."

"Wait! Lord Taizo!"

Once Long Yi confirmed what the bald old man meant, his mind fell into chaos. Before he could answer, Sengoku and Karp could no longer remain calm. Their expressions hardened as they looked at the bald old man with vigilant eyes.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, what is it?"

Facing Sengoku, who had interrupted him, the bald old man remained calm without the slightest trace of impatience. He adjusted his glasses and asked mildly.

"Uh..."

Sengoku pondered for several seconds, seemingly considering the right words. While he was silent, Karp beside him lost patience first.

"Hey! What's the meaning of this? You're trying to snatch a Marine talent to guard your home?"

Karp's gaze sharpened as he looked at the bald old man with hostility. As a fearless troublemaker, he would not give the so-called Five Elders any face. It did not matter whether he was some noble aristocrat; if he wanted to steal someone Karp had his eye on, he would first have to ask whether Karp's fists agreed.

"Karp! Do not be disrespectful to Lord Taizo!"

Hearing Karp's words, Sengoku's heart stirred, and he immediately barked a stern rebuke.

Although he looked furious, he subtly moved to stand beside Karp, clearly using his actions to show where he stood.

"Heh heh."

The bald old man saw through their coordinated act. Yet he did not care about their reaction; his heart did not even ripple.

Ignoring the two old men secretly wearing the same pair of pants, the bald old man looked again at the bewildered Long Yi and let out a deep sigh.

"I know this is rather sudden for you, but this is your destiny."

Long Yi's heart shook at those words, and he muttered in confusion.

"My destiny?"

Seeing Long Yi's muddled reaction, Karp's anger flared.

But he knew this was not the time to teach Long Yi. Dealing with this bald man was his foremost task. He would never let a child with the potential of an admiral slip away for nothing.

"Don't give me that nonsense! This child's destiny isn't for you to decide! You want to take him away? Fine! Step over my corpse first!"

By the end, Karp had lost all patience and decided to settle Long Yi's affiliation in the simplest, most brutal way. The title of the World Government's highest leader might frighten others, but it could not intimidate him.

The instant his words fell, a hum rang out, and Karp's aura changed.

Jet-black Armament Haki wrapped around his massive fist. With his eyes wide as oxen's, he stared fixedly at the bald old man, looking ready to start fighting at the slightest disagreement.

"Karp!"

Sengoku swallowed, his anxiety nearly reaching its limit. He knew this old friend's temperament all too well. If Karp made a move, he would not be joking around.

But as Fleet Admiral, how could he let Karp fight the World Government's highest ruler? If that truly happened, it would become the shared laughingstock of the Marines and the World Government.

"Vice Admiral Karp, are you serious?"

Seeing this, the bald old man straightened slightly. His pristine white kimono stirred without wind, like a peerless famous sword casually revealing its edge.

"Um, Vice Admiral Karp, and this honorable sir, please calm down first..."

Just as the bald old man and Karp refused to yield to each other, a faint voice slowly reached their ears. Turning around, they discovered that Long Yi was the one softly trying to stop them.

"Karp, you have gone too far."

Perhaps Long Yi's intervention had worked. The bald old man spoke lightly, taking the opportunity to withdraw his Haki and return to his usual state.

Karp, meanwhile, gave a disdainful snort and cracked his knuckles loudly, seemingly not having fully given up on fighting.

The atmosphere fell into deathly silence. Looking at Karp and the bald old man, Fleet Admiral Sengoku covered his forehead, feeling rather helpless.

"Anyway, I will not let you take this child away. He is a precious asset of the Marines. Under my personal guidance, within ten years—no, seven years! I guarantee he will become another admiral-class powerhouse."

In the end, Karp still made his firm stance clear. After witnessing Long Yi's potential, he would never allow Long Yi to join some Yatogami Family and become a Celestial Dragon who only knew pleasure and refused to strive.

"What can you teach him? Six Powers? Haki? My Yatogami Family can teach him those as well. Karp, don't forget that you are merely a brute who speaks with his fists. Only by entering my household will this child receive the finest education."

As if reminding Karp that he was only a brute, the bald old man gently raised the tachi in his arms while speaking and smiled faintly.

Hearing those words, Karp had no intention of admitting defeat. He folded his arms across his chest, glanced at the slightly nervous Long Yi, and refuted him word by word.

"Swordsmanship? Don't make me laugh! I would never teach him something so shallow. What I will teach him is what justice means!"

After a pause, ignoring the bald old man's darkened gaze, he continued.

"Hmph! Becoming a Celestial Dragon would only waste this child's inborn talent. I do not want a child capable of bearing justice to end up as a useless fathead who only bullies others by relying on power!"

Though he wanted to argue back, the bald old man was momentarily speechless. Karp was right. Aside from a small number of elites, most of those noble aristocrats and Celestial Dragons truly were useless trash that produced nothing but garbage.

But heaven bore witness: his purpose in wanting Long Yi to join the Yatogami Family was not simply to gain a talented junior to protect those useless fools. He sincerely wanted Long Yi to become the Yatogami Family's heir. As he had said, this was Long Yi's destiny—and Kitetsu's choice as well.

"Um... may I say something?"

The pressure from the two top-tier powerhouses was so overwhelming that Long Yi could barely raise his head. Taking advantage of the brief lull after they lowered their flags, Long Yi finally found a chance to speak.

"Of course, my child."

For some reason, the bald old man displayed all the arrogance of a noble aristocrat when dealing with Karp, yet became approachable again when speaking to Long Yi.

"Hmph! Who are you trying to cozy up to? Kid, don't let that bald man fool you. No bald man is any good!"

Karp expressed his dissatisfaction with the bald old man's attitude and solemnly warned Long Yi not to fall for the tricks of so-called noble aristocrats.

"Hey! Karp, say less and let Long Yi speak."

Sengoku had listened from the side for half the day without being able to get a word in. Now that these two calamities had finally settled down for a moment, he did not want anything else to go wrong. After all, the dignity of the Marines and the World Government was at stake.

"Damn it! If I weren't still serving as Fleet Admiral, I would have long since..."

No one knew the resentment in Fleet Admiral Sengoku's heart, but his words did have some effect. Once he finished speaking, Karp actually shut his mouth and quietly waited for Long Yi to speak.

"Phew..."

Long Yi exhaled a breath of stale air, as if trying to release all the pressure weighing on him.

Facing three big shots who could crush him to death at any moment, Long Yi's emotions were in turmoil. But he had trained at a Marine base for two years, and his mentality was naturally stronger than an ordinary person's. He could barely remain neither servile nor overbearing.

"Um, Lord Taizo."

After sorting through his thoughts, Long Yi decided to first clarify the bald old man's words.

"Mm."

The bald old man nodded lightly and continued waiting for Long Yi's next words.

"Although I do not know who you are, the way the Fleet Admiral and Vice Admiral treat you means you must be an extraordinary figure. Our statuses are worlds apart. Therefore, someone as humble as me is not qualified to join your family or become your grandson. Though I am sorry, I have decided to remain in the Marines and uphold justice for commoners like myself."

While Karp and the bald old man had been confronting each other, Long Yi had not been idle. He had constantly been considering his options.

Truthfully, the bald old man's words had caught him completely off guard, and the status of a noble aristocrat had tempted him greatly.

But after thinking it over, Long Yi still chose to remain true to himself. He was determined to become a true powerhouse and leave his own name in this world, rather than become some Celestial Dragon who oppressed commoners and flaunted his power.

"Hahaha! That's how it should be! As expected of a talent from my Marines. I guarantee that under my guidance, I'll turn you into an admiral within a few years!"

Long Yi's answer delighted Karp. He felt that Long Yi was indeed teachable. Upon hearing Long Yi's words, Fleet Admiral Sengoku also nodded to himself, the corner of his mouth curling slightly.

The bald old man smiled bitterly. Although Long Yi had clearly rejected him, his steadfast heart instead won the old man's admiration. That admiration was not for Long Yi's talent, but for his character.

To cultivate the sword, first cultivate the heart.

What an outstanding child. In that case, I absolutely cannot let him slip away. I must make him join the Yatogami Family!

Having made his decision in secret, the bald old man's eyes grew firm. Long Yi did not know that his heartfelt declaration had instead produced the opposite result.

The bald old man shook his head lightly without saying anything. Actions could explain everything better. Under Karp and Sengoku's incredulous gazes, he stuffed the tachi in his hands into Long Yi's arms.

"I said this is your destiny. It was not I who chose you—it chose you."

Strangely enough, the instant the slender tachi came close to Long Yi, it began to hum softly. Though it was only the faint vibration of metal, it sounded like the silent wailing of demons from hell, making one's hair stand on end.

"You damned bald man, how dare you let this child touch Kitetsu!"

The bald old man's sudden action struck a nerve in Karp. He thought Long Yi had angered him and that this damned old bastard was trying to take his life. Furious, Karp instinctively swung his fist toward the bald old man's face, only to be firmly restrained by Fleet Admiral Sengoku beside him.

"Wait, Karp! Look!"

Only after hearing Sengoku's words did Karp calm down slightly. He hurriedly turned to Long Yi, only for his face to suddenly take on an expression as if he had seen a ghost.

The cursed blade Kitetsu trembled softly in Long Yi's arms. Faint purple demonic energy slowly spread out, yet Long Yi himself showed no abnormalities at all. He still looked utterly confused about what was happening.

"That is it. It was not I who selected the Yatogami Family's heir. Kitetsu itself chose its next master."

With a long sigh, the bald old man looked at the at-a-loss Long Yi and spoke those words once more.

"So, Long Yi, bear the name of the Yatogami Family and become my grandson."

"Haha! Since that is the case, Long Yi, accept it! From now on, the cursed blade Kitetsu will be both your sword and a force that protects the Marines."

After a quick turn of thought, a crafty gleam appeared in Fleet Admiral Sengoku's eyes, and he too began persuading Long Yi. In the eyes of this wise general, this was a deal with everything to gain and nothing to lose.