Gecko Moria! Boarding the Ship

Marine Headquarters.

Inside the Admiral's office.

Garp raised a massive goblet and drained it in one gulp, then sighed.

His feelings toward his old rival Roger were complicated.

"Garp, you bastard, no matter what, Roger was a pirate. He has already been executed. Pull yourself together—the Marines still need your strength."

Sengoku stood beside him, trying to fire him up.

Garp raised his eyes at Sengoku, who was trying to motivate him, then lowered them again. He grabbed the bottle and tipped it upside down, pouring the liquor straight into his mouth.

Seeing this, Sengoku, still a Marine Admiral at the time, completely darkened. Veins bulged on his forehead.

"Garp!"

The roar made the entire office tremble.

"Burururu!"

Just then, the Transponder Snail began to ring.

Garp frowned and reached into his clothes, pulling out a Transponder Snail.

"Didn't I say not to disturb me with anything lately?"

Garp's tone was displeased.

Clearly, Garp's temper was nowhere near as mild as it would be later. Of course, that might have been because Roger had been executed.

"Vice Admiral Garp!"

The Transponder Snail's face shifted slightly before a voice came through.

"Someone here seems to have used that sword strike of the King of the Pirates—the terrifying slash he unleashed when fighting you, King of the Pirates Roger."

"Huh?"

Garp stared wide-eyed at the Transponder Snail.

"This subordinate suspects that King of the Pirates Roger may have had a disciple or successor."

"Where is the person? Have you found them?"

Sengoku's expression changed as well. He immediately stepped forward and spoke with a grave look.

Recognizing Admiral Sengoku's voice, the Transponder Snail's expression turned serious.

"Admiral Sengoku, we haven't found anyone. Uh, it is only this subordinate's speculation!"

Upon hearing that Sengoku was there too, the reporting Rear Admiral sounded hesitant.

"Whether it is or not, find them and catch them."

Sengoku said with a grim expression.

Roger alone had turned the seas upside down, and now he might have had a disciple?

This absolutely could not be allowed.

Garp stroked the stubble on his chin, his expression strange.

"That doesn't sound right."

Garp muttered before looking at Sengoku.

"What? Are you planning to cover for Roger?"

Sengoku's eyes widened.

"That slash was a Flying Slash enhanced with Conqueror's Coating. If someone can use Conqueror's Coating, how many people can stop it?"

As soon as Garp said that, Sengoku's expression changed.

Right, that did seem to be the case.

He had been thrown off by the sudden news just now.

"So it was a misunderstanding?"

Sengoku thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"We'll know once we find the person."

Loguetown.

After receiving Sengoku's order, the Marines moved even faster.

Conflicts erupted everywhere in Loguetown, and the fighting began spreading toward the outer coast.

Hawkeye, Moria, and Crocodile all encountered Marine resistance.

But ordinary Marines clearly could not stop them.

"Boys, kill our way out and board the ship!"

Moria laughed as he swung his massive sword, cleaving through the Marines blocking his path and leading the charge out of the encirclement.

"Whoa!"

The group of pirates behind him cheered and rushed forward.

Gunfire and the clash of blades echoed throughout Loguetown.

Too many pirates had been drawn here by the execution of the King of the Pirates.

The Marines had originally intended to use this opportunity to capture a large number of pirates, and had stationed a great many Marines around the outskirts.

After leaving the execution platform, Lin Ye kept his newly acquired Level 1 Observation Haki active.

Though it was only Level 1, his perception of the surrounding area was much stronger than before.

Avoiding the Marines who were rushing about and searching, Lin Ye headed straight for the coast.

"I need time to grow. There are many pirates here this time. I should find a pirate ship and get aboard—preferably one belonging to some powerful people."

Lin Ye's mind was clear.

The best option would have been to find somewhere to hide through this chaos, then wait for a safer time to put to sea.

But that would take too long.

He knew very well that the more he considered, the more variables there would be.

He did not want to wait that long either. This was a rare opportunity.

After avoiding several battlefields, he picked up more than ten Entries along the way, shattering them into nineteen Blank Entries.

The number of Blank Entries needed to upgrade an Entry increased in stages.

Going from Level 1 to Level 2 required two, Level 2 to Level 3 required four, Level 3 to Level 4 required eight, and so on. Going from Level 9 to Level 10 might require more than five hundred.

That was neither much nor little.

[Divine Departure: Level 4]

[Observation Haki: Level 2]

[Armament Haki: Level 3]

Divine Departure had cost twelve Blank Entries to reach Level 4, Observation Haki had consumed two Blank Entries, and Armament Haki had consumed six.

[Blank Entries: 0]

Though upgrading Conqueror's Haki would tremendously increase his overall strength, and reaching a high level would allow him to use Conqueror's Coating and make his attacks even stronger—

At this time, raising Conqueror's Haki slightly would not help much. If he used it, he might even draw the attention of certain people.

Grow quietly.

Lin Ye reminded himself.

Suppressing the urge to wander around Loguetown and pick up more Entries, Lin Ye quietly retreated toward the coastal docks.

"Stop!"

At the shout, Lin Ye stopped without even frowning and looked at the two Marines blocking his path.

He had still been discovered.

Observation Haki could help him avoid these Marines, but if he did not want to charge directly into a battlefield, he could only pass through other areas. Yet the Marines had already sealed off the entirety of Loguetown from the outside.

"Drop the sword and kneel on the ground!"

Seeing that it was merely a child carrying a sword, the two Marines approached with serious expressions, weapons raised.

Lin Ye fixed his gaze on them and raised a hand to grip the hilt of his sword.

A glimmer of blade light flashed past. The two Marines' eyes widened as they clutched their throats and dropped to their knees. They stared at Lin Ye in horror before collapsing limply.

"Hehehehe, kid, you dare kill Marines at such a young age. Want to join my pirate crew?"

A towering figure poked his head down from above.

Blue skin, a head narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, and a mouth full of sharp teeth—his face alone could make children cry at night.

Upon hearing that voice, Lin Ye, who had long sensed his presence, nodded.

"Sure!"

"Hehehehe, then keep up with your captain..."

Seeing Lin Ye agree, Moria chuckled and walked ahead with his sword slung over his shoulder.

Lin Ye turned and merged into the pirates behind Gecko Moria.

Those pirates had naturally heard Moria's words. Seeing a child like Lin Ye approach, none of them tried to stop him.

In this era, it was not uncommon for children that young to become pirates.

With Moria clearing the way, the rest of the journey to the coast went much more smoothly.

Lin Ye looked at the tall Moria ahead, a glint flashing through his eyes as he picked up every Entry along the way.

By the timeline, Moria would go to Wano Country and wage a great battle against Kaido a year later. The current Moria was far stronger than when he encountered Luffy in the Devil's Sea.

"Boys, board the ship!"

Moria shouted. With the long blade in his hand, he cut apart two ships beside a pirate vessel before boarding his own ship and raising his sword high again.

"Whoa!"

The pirates following Moria aboard erupted in cheers. Lin Ye boarded with them and turned to look at the chaotic Loguetown.

The sails rose, and the ship set off.