Open and Aboveboard Justice (Please Read On!)

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 leaned against the wall with his arms folded, sizing him up with great interest.

Beiyuan Heng paused, immediately straightened his back, and gave a standard Marine salute. Without any unnecessary pleasantries, he nodded in greeting and prepared to continue onward.

Back in the office, Sengoku had been sitting down, so he had not directly felt the difference in their heights.

But standing before Garp now, Beiyuan Heng truly understood just how outrageous the height settings in the world of One Piece were.

He was already nearly two meters tall. Before crossing over, he had been among the tallest of his peers, and even within the Marines, he could be considered imposing.

Yet before Garp, who stood nearly three meters tall, he looked like a teenager.

Good grief. A normally sized person in this world would probably be considered severely disabled.

Beiyuan Heng grumbled inwardly, and images of the powerhouses of the New World rose unbidden in his mind.

Whitebeard's nearly seven-meter-tall body, Big Mom's enormous frame, and Kaido, who was practically as large as a giant.

He could not help muttering, "Could it be that the stronger you are, the taller you grow? Or do you just grow taller with age?"

Still muttering, he arrived at the logistics department.

The quartermaster had long since received Sengoku's orders. The moment he saw him, he respectfully handed over a brand-new Marine Justice coat. Its material was heavy, and the embroidered word "Justice" was striking and solemn.

There was also a 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, their Marine emblems gleaming beneath the sunlight.

He quickly found the warship assigned to him. Its hull was massive, 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 announced loudly,

"I am Beiyuan Heng. From today onward, I am the captain of this warship and a Marine brigadier general."

"From now on, I will lead you in carrying out missions, upholding justice, and never disgracing the honor of the Marines!"

The soldiers answered in unison, their booming voices echoing across the deck.

At that moment, Beiyuan Heng's gaze fell upon 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 long pink hair reached her waist, and though her face was cool and proud, her eyes carried a sharp competence. She was Hina, the user 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 surrounded him. He was Smoker, the user of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit.

His gaze was sharp as he stared directly at Beiyuan Heng, openly scrutinizing him.

"Hina thinks the new captain seems like a very approachable person."

Hina spoke first, her voice gentle and her tone filled with goodwill.

But Smoker's tone carried a trace of provocation. "A brigadier general? You look younger than I am. What makes you qualified to be our captain?"

"I'd like to see whether your strength really deserves that rank."

He was filled with dissatisfaction. 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, but had soared straight to brigadier general.

Smoker found that hard to accept. He only wanted to use strength to see whether Beiyuan Heng truly had the qualifications.

Hina hurriedly stepped forward and tugged at Smoker's sleeve. "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 all this time. If you could restrain yourself a little, you would have been promoted long ago."

Their argument did not last long. Beiyuan Heng merely watched quietly, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips. He was neither angry nor inclined to stop them.

Within the Marines, strength was the greatest authority. Smoker's doubts could only be completely dispelled through strength.

The warship slowly departed the harbor and sailed toward the Sabaody Archipelago.

Beiyuan Heng stood at the bow and draped the Justice coat over his shoulders. It snapped loudly in the wind, while the word "Justice" on its back danced behind him, giving him an imposing presence.

The Sabaody Archipelago was enormous, divided into nearly eighty districts.

The Marines controlled only Districts 60 through 69. Most of the remaining districts were lawless areas, and manpower was severely lacking.

This was also where Fisher Tiger was most likely hiding. After all, a chaotic environment was best for concealing one's tracks, and Fish-Man Island lay directly beneath the Sabaody Archipelago.

Sengoku had sent him here precisely to fill the Marines' manpower shortage in this area.

After several hours of sailing, the warship finally arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.

From afar, the islands looked bustling and lively, but the more prosperous a place appeared, the more darkness it concealed beneath the surface.

Districts 1 through 29 of the Sabaody Archipelago were infamous for human trafficking and lawlessness. Pirates, assassins, and merchants from the underground world could be seen everywhere.

Anyone walking around here without a few lives on their hands would be too embarrassed to hold their head high.

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 normal circumstances.

That was most likely connected to Fisher Tiger.

To avoid alerting the enemy, Beiyuan Heng ordered the warship to dock at a concealed pier in District 1, away from the densely crowded areas.

The Sabaody Archipelago hid all manner of powerful figures. Even Dark King Rayleigh lived in seclusion here.

With his current strength, he neither intended nor had the ability to purge the entire archipelago.

His plan was clear: under the pretense of searching for Fisher Tiger, he would wipe out a wave of pirates in the lawless districts, spread his name among both Marines and pirates, raise his reputation, and perhaps improve his trait levels through battle.

It would be best if I could upgrade one of my green traits.

Beiyuan Heng calculated inwardly.

In his trait system, green traits were mostly related to basic abilities. Improving them could not only enhance his physical abilities and aptitude in a particular field, but also improve his reaction speed and judgment in battle.

For example, the [Swordsmanship Mastery] trait allowed him to predict his enemies' movements more accurately in battle and make the most suitable counterattacks.

Looks like I need to find a good blade.

Beiyuan Heng lowered his head to look at the standard Marine saber at his waist, his brow furrowing slightly.

The thing was of ordinary quality and 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, so he had not needed a sword of particularly high quality.

But now, if he wanted to improve his swordsmanship trait, a good blade was undoubtedly essential.

Unless one reached a certain level, no matter how strong one's swordsmanship was, a small knife could not compare to a great-grade blade...

As he pondered this, Hina walked to his side. Her gaze swept across the chaotic scene on the islands, and she frowned slightly before saying softly,

"Hina thinks we should change clothes."

"This place is too chaotic. Wearing Marine uniforms is too conspicuous, and we could easily be surrounded by pirates. It would not help our covert search."

The moment she finished speaking, Smoker came over. He spat the cigarette butt from his mouth onto the ground, crushed it beneath his foot, and spoke disdainfully,

"What is there to fear? We are 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 Beiyuan Heng, her gaze asking for his decision.

Beiyuan Heng raised his head. The corners of his lips slowly lifted, and his eyes shone brightly. "Smoker is right. We are Marines."

He paused, raising his voice slightly. "Marines should act openly and aboveboard."

"That is my justice—open and aboveboard justice!"