Prelude

Any deployment of a Marine Headquarters warship had to be approved from above. Even Zephyr, a former Marine Admiral, was no exception.

So when Zephyr found Sengoku and explained his intentions, Sengoku looked at the burly old general and nodded lightly without much thought, granting his request.

"Go. Bring that child back."

With his fingers interlaced before him, Sengoku's expression remained unchanged, revealing none of his emotions.

But the man standing across from Sengoku was Zephyr, who had known him for decades. Sengoku could hide his thoughts from outsiders, but not from him.

"Sengoku, if something's wrong, just say it!"

His ferocious mechanical arm whirred softly as Zephyr frowned. What he hated most was Sengoku's deep, calculating manner.

When they had been young, that afro-haired man had clearly been more battle-hungry than anyone, no less rough and straightforward than the naturally thick-skinned Karp.

The hot-blooded youth who would throw down at the slightest disagreement was the Sengoku Zephyr knew—not the old man now sitting behind a desk, lost in thought.

Zephyr only knew "Sengoku the Buddha." He did not acknowledge a "Strategist."

"Zephyr..."

Looking at Zephyr across from him, Sengoku found his emotions difficult to put into words. Before his old companion of decades, he hesitated to speak.

After a long while, Sengoku forced a faint smile and spoke to Zephyr in a deliberately relaxed tone.

"It's nothing. I'll leave Long Yi to you. This child is very important to the Marines. No one in the entire Navy is better at nurturing talent than you. Don't hold back your skills."

At the mention of training talent, Zephyr first smiled smugly. Just as he was about to boast about himself, he seemed to suddenly remember something, and the light in his eyes quickly dimmed.

In the end, Zephyr merely nodded gently.

"I'll teach this child with all my heart. Don't worry."

With that, without waiting for Sengoku's reply, Zephyr dragged his heavy mechanical arm out of the Fleet Admiral's office.

"My old friend, forgive me..."

Only long after Zephyr had left did Sengoku speak softly. Staring in the direction Zephyr had gone, he clenched his fists tightly, his face filled with guilt.

The man known as "Black Arm" would never know that inside the drawer of the Marine Fleet Admiral's desk lay a stack of lists—lists of pirates Sengoku had personally designated as potential Marine allies.

Among them, Edward Weevil's name rested quietly.

Zovi had been living quite comfortably lately. Ever since writing that article about Long Yi, his treatment at the newspaper had improved day by day.

His boss, who had once disliked him, now beamed whenever he saw him and never again mentioned firing him.

Zovi, meanwhile, unceremoniously considered himself the newspaper's top reporter. He spent every day carefree and happy, enjoying himself immensely.

That day, after finishing a series of tasks at the newspaper, he went to his usual tavern intending to have a few drinks. However, two figures in the corner caught his attention.

A black-haired youth and a blind swordsman.

"I never thought I'd see you again, Uncle Issho."

Studying Fujitora across from him, Long Yi felt as though a lifetime had passed. It had clearly only been a little over half a month since he had trained his Observation Haki in Ulabia City, yet it felt like so long ago.

"Neither did I."

Fujitora smiled faintly and took a sip of his ale, his words laden with meaning.

It was not that he had never expected them to meet again. He simply had not expected Long Yi to slaughter an entire pirate fleet by himself.

"Hehe, I got lucky. Didn't die."

Long Yi smiled easily at Fujitora's words, as though he had not been the one who had repeatedly struggled desperately on the brink of death.

Hearing the youth's answer, Fujitora's heart ached in rare sympathy. Yet he said nothing, merely raising his glass to clink it against Long Yi's.

The glass cups chimed softly, and the rich ale slid down their throats.

Long Yi leaned back comfortably in his chair, licked the foam from the corner of his mouth, and could not help sighing.

"Being alive is great~"

Fujitora smiled and agreed.

"Yes, being alive is great."

After a pause, Fujitora continued his question.

"What are your plans next?"

Long Yi chewed on a piece of roasted meat, just about to answer Fujitora's question when a weak voice interrupted him.

"Lord Long Yi?"

Hearing someone call him, Long Yi turned his head and saw Zovi standing awkwardly not far away, holding a beautifully packaged bottle of vodka.

"Brother Zovi, come over."

Warmly inviting Zovi to sit down, Long Yi introduced him to Fujitora.

"Uncle Issho, this is one of my benefactors, Brother Zovi. He's a newspaper reporter."

Hearing Long Yi say that, Zovi waved his hands repeatedly, his old face flushing red. Before Long Yi could continue, he hastily protested.

"No, no, no! How could I possibly count as your benefactor, Lord Long Yi? If anything, I should be properly thanking you!"

Although Long Yi called him brother, Zovi did not have the nerve to act familiar with the young Marine Ensign. That harmless-looking youth before him was a ruthless man who had wiped out an entire fleet of pirates. Zovi had personally witnessed the youth's ferocity and madness.

He was a hero, but also a frightening one.

"You're being too formal. I'm much younger than you. Do you really need to address me so respectfully?"

Long Yi rolled his eyes helplessly, and the shift in his expression drew a soft laugh from Fujitora.

Zovi's face reddened, and for a long time, he could not say a word.

In the end, he personally poured Long Yi a large glass of expensive liquor, then lifted the bottle and drained it in one go.

Everything was in the drink.

Even as Zovi staggered away, he kept repeating words of endless gratitude. He was a useless reporter who muddled through life, but he was also someone who repaid kindness.

"He's a good fellow."

Though he did not know what had happened between Zovi and Long Yi, Zovi's emotions could not escape Fujitora's Observation Haki. The man's gratitude contained no self-interest whatsoever, and his pure goodwill brought a smile to Fujitora's lips.

"I'm confused too."

Long Yi scratched his head. Zovi's gratitude had come out of nowhere, leaving him somewhat at a loss.

But he did not dwell on things he could not understand. The fine liquor in his cup was what mattered most right now.

"You've had too much, brat. Let's be clear—I'm not carrying you back."

Fujitora took a small sip of ale, his tone calm.

"Don't worry, I won't need you to carry me!"

After declaring that with absolute confidence, Long Yi drained the strong liquor in his cup.

That night, the burly blind swordsman carried the black-haired youth, drunk beyond reason, back to the Marine branch.

The Holy Land, Mary Geoise.

This was the location of the World Government, the center of world power, where the highest authority was concentrated.

Its residents were called Celestial Dragons. They called themselves the "descendants of the Creator" and enjoyed supreme power.

But from this day onward, that privilege would no longer belong solely to the bloodlines of the twenty kings who had founded the World Government. A youth named Long Yi had entered the sight of the Celestial Dragons.

"Yatogami Long Yi will become the next head of the Yatogami Family and control the 'Key' on behalf of the Celestial Dragons."

The public declaration from the Yatogami Family set off an unprecedented storm in Mary Geoise. Yet the many Celestial Dragons who opposed it did not know that this storm was merely a prelude.

Only after that black-haired youth arrived in Mary Geoise would they understand what it meant to be utterly lawless.