After leaving Sengoku's office, Beiyuan Heng had barely taken two steps when he ran into a tall figure head-on.
Wearing a dog-head hat and eating snacks, Garp stood against the wall with his arms crossed, studying him with great interest.
Beiyuan Heng paused, immediately straightened his back, and gave a standard Marine salute. Without exchanging any unnecessary pleasantries, he nodded in acknowledgment and prepared to continue forward.
Just now, with Sengoku seated in his chair inside the office, he had not been able to directly sense the difference in their heights.
But now that he stood before Garp, Beiyuan Heng truly understood just how absurd the height standards of the One Piece world were.
He was already nearly two meters tall. Before crossing over, he had been considered outstandingly tall among people his age, and even in the Marines, he could be considered imposing.
Yet before Garp, who stood close to three meters tall, he looked like a teenager.
Good grief. Someone of normal height in this world would probably be considered severely disabled.
Beiyuan Heng grumbled inwardly, unable to stop images of the powerhouses of the New World from surfacing in his mind.
Whitebeard's nearly seven-meter-tall body, Big Mom's enormous frame, and Kaido, who was practically the size of a giant.
He could not help muttering under his breath, "Could it be that the stronger you are, the taller you grow? Or do you grow taller the older you get?"
While muttering, he had already reached the logistics department.
The logistics officer had long since received Sengoku's orders. Upon seeing him arrive, he respectfully handed over a brand-new Marine justice coat. The cloak was thick and heavy, with the word "Justice" embroidered prominently upon it, solemn and eye-catching.
There was also a completely snow-white Den Den Mushi resting inside an exquisite wooden box, occasionally letting out soft chirps.
After collecting his supplies, Beiyuan Heng headed straight for the harbor.
Several Marine warships were docked neatly along the shore, the Marine insignias on their hulls gleaming brilliantly beneath the sunlight.
He quickly found the warship assigned to him. Its hull was enormous, and cannons lined its sides.
After boarding, Beiyuan Heng stood in the middle of the deck. His gaze swept over the Marines waiting in formation as he declared in a clear voice:
"I am Beiyuan Heng. From today onward, I will be the captain of this warship, a Marine Commodore."
"From now on, I will lead you in carrying out missions and upholding justice. We will never disgrace the honor of the Marines!"
The soldiers responded in unison, their voices loud and resounding across the deck.
At that moment, Beiyuan Heng's gaze landed on the two people standing at the front of the formation, and his pupils narrowed slightly.
He recognized both of them at a glance. They were characters from the original story.
The woman on the left wore a Marine colonel's uniform. Her pink hair fell to her waist, and her face was cool and proud, though her eyes held a capable sharpness. She was Hina, wielder of the Fence-Fence Fruit.
The man on the right wore sunglasses and had a cigarette hanging from his mouth. His Marine major's uniform was worn casually, and a faint haze of smoke lingered around him. He was Smoker, wielder of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit.
His gaze was sharp as he stared straight at Beiyuan Heng, his scrutiny completely undisguised.
"Hina thinks the new captain is someone very easy to get along with."
Hina spoke first, her voice gentle and her tone full of goodwill.
But Smoker's tone carried a hint of provocation. "A Commodore? You look younger than I am. What makes you qualified to be our captain?"
"I'd like to see whether your strength really matches that rank."
He was deeply unconvinced. He had struggled in the Marines for years before barely rising to the rank of major.
Yet this young man before him looked about the same age as he was, but had soared straight to Commodore.
He found it difficult to accept. He only wanted to use strength to verify whether the other man truly possessed the qualifications for the position.
Hina quickly stepped forward, tugging on Smoker's sleeve as she advised, "Hina still thinks it would be better if you did not cause trouble for the captain."
"It is because of your impulsive and stubborn personality that you have remained a major until now. If you could restrain yourself a little, you would have been promoted long ago."
Their dispute did not last long. Beiyuan Heng merely watched quietly, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth. He was neither angry nor did he stop them.
In the Marines, strength was the best authority. Only strength could thoroughly dispel Smoker's doubts.
The warship slowly departed from the harbor and headed toward the Sabaody Archipelago.
Beiyuan Heng stood at the bow and draped the justice coat over his shoulders. The cloak billowed in the wind, the word "Justice" on its back dancing with the breeze, giving him an imposing presence.
The Sabaody Archipelago was an enormous island, divided into nearly eighty districts.
Among them, the Marines only controlled districts 60 through 69. Most of the remaining districts were lawless areas, and Marine manpower was severely lacking.
This was also where Fisher Tiger was most likely hiding. After all, a chaotic environment was ideal for concealing one's tracks, and Fish-Man Island lay directly beneath the Sabaody Archipelago.
Sengoku had sent him here precisely to fill the Marine manpower shortage in this area.
After several hours of sailing, the warship finally reached the Sabaody Archipelago.
From afar, the island appeared bustling with activity, but the greater its prosperity, the more darkness it concealed beneath the surface.
Districts 1 through 29 of the Sabaody Archipelago were notorious for human trafficking and lawlessness. Pirates, assassins, and merchants from the underworld could be found everywhere here.
Anyone walking these streets without a few lives on their hands would be too embarrassed to hold their head up.
Not long ago, a large number of people had suddenly flooded into this area, including many fish-men and merfolk who were rarely seen under ordinary circumstances.
This was most likely connected to Fisher Tiger.
To avoid alerting the enemy, Beiyuan Heng ordered the warship to dock at a secluded harbor in District 1, staying away from the crowded areas.
The Sabaody Archipelago was filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Even Dark King Rayleigh lived here in seclusion.
With his current strength, he neither intended nor possessed the ability to purge the entire island.
His plan was simple: use the search for Fisher Tiger as a pretext to eliminate a wave of pirates in the lawless districts, spread his name among both the Marines and pirates, raise his reputation, and perhaps use battle to improve the level of his traits.
It would be best if I could upgrade some of the green traits.
Beiyuan Heng calculated silently.
In his trait system, green traits were mostly related to fundamental abilities. Improving them could not only strengthen his physical attributes and enhance his learning ability in certain areas, but also improve his reaction speed and judgment during battle.
For example, the [Swordsmanship Mastery] trait allowed him to predict an enemy's movements more precisely in combat and make the most appropriate counterattack.
"Looks like I still need to find a good sword."
Beiyuan Heng lowered his head and looked at the standard Marine saber at his waist, his brows furrowing slightly.
The thing was made of ordinary material and was not sharp enough. It simply could not bring out the full extent of his swordsmanship.
When he had carried out missions in CP9, he had mainly relied on the Six Powers and had not needed a sword of particularly high quality.
But now, since he intended to improve his swordsmanship trait, a good sword was undoubtedly necessary.
Unless one had reached a certain realm, no matter how skilled one's swordsmanship was, one could not compare using a small knife against using a famous-grade blade...
As he was thinking, Hina walked over to his side. Her eyes swept across the island's chaotic scene, and her brows drew together slightly as she said softly:
"Hina thinks we should change our clothes."
"This place is too chaotic. Wearing Marine uniforms makes us too conspicuous, and we could easily be surrounded by pirates. It would not be conducive to searching in secret."
The moment she finished speaking, Smoker came over. He spat the cigarette butt from his mouth onto the ground and crushed it under his foot, his tone dismissive.
"What is there to be afraid of? We're Marines. We represent justice. Who would dare stop us in the streets? Are we supposed to fear those pirates who hide their faces?"
Hina did not argue. She merely turned to look at Beiyuan Heng, her eyes carrying a question.
Beiyuan Heng raised his head. The corners of his mouth slowly lifted, and his eyes shone brightly. "Smoker is right. We are Marines."
He paused, then raised his voice slightly. "Marines should act openly and honorably."
"This is my justice—open and honorable justice!"
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