The First Light About to Be Lit

But Admiral Kong's decision wasn't wrong either.

The three admirals had been part of the Navy's structure since its founding. They represented Marine Headquarters' highest combat power and ranked only below the fleet admiral. Of the current three admirals, one had died from lingering injuries sustained in battle with Rocks, another had retired due to old age, and only Kong remained in active service.

With the seas in such chaos, replacements were urgently needed.

Garp's recent popularity and reputation were more than enough to qualify him for an admiral's position. If Garp became an admiral, Navy morale would rise considerably.

But Garp interrupted Kong.

"Admiral Kong, becoming an admiral means having to take orders from those pieces of trash sometimes, right? No matter what, I won't agree to it. Find someone else! Sengoku is more suitable than me!"

Garp waved a hand, picked up the coat of justice draped over the back of the sofa, and casually slung it over his shoulder.

"Let's go!"

Hearing his father's words, Dragon stood up and followed him out of the office.

The officers in the room collectively fell silent as they watched the father and son leave. In the end, Kong broke the stiff atmosphere.

"Then you'll be promoted, Sengoku."

Upon hearing Kong's words, Sengoku showed little joy. He merely nodded with a complicated expression.

"I'll make the necessary preparations, Admiral Kong."

In the corridor, Dragon quickened his pace and came up beside Garp. In a low voice, he said, "Dad, I'm planning to leave the Navy."

After leaving Annus's ship, Dragon had returned directly to Marine Headquarters with the help of the local branch Marines.

After reporting his safety to Garp, he had kept probing for information about everything related to God Valley...

The result disappointed him. Everyone tacitly kept silent about everything concerning that island, as though nothing had ever happened. Once, merely because he said the words "God Valley," his superior had even clapped a hand over his mouth.

Dragon would never forget the expression on his superior's face then—terror, fear, panic... as if those three words were forbidden words capable of reviving a demon.

Afterward, his superior had darkened his face and warned Dragon with unprecedented severity never to mention that island again...

"Just treat it as though... such a place had never existed in this world!"

Those were his superior's exact words.

Although he thought Garp's refusal of the promotion was quite manly, Dragon still had no intention of remaining in the Navy.

In Dragon's eyes, Garp was also someone who knew about the God Valley Incident. Yet despite knowing, he had changed nothing. Afterward, he had even gained worldwide fame and become the greatest beneficiary of the battle at God Valley...

Dragon looked down on that kind of father.

"You're resigning? Why?"

Garp was confused by Dragon's decision. Ever since the branch personnel had brought him back, his son had been acting strangely and asking about God Valley everywhere.

"Because I saw it with my own eyes... everything at God Valley! It was a scene straight out of hell!"

Garp fell silent. He had thought his son was merely curious. He hadn't expected him to already know the whole truth.

After a moment, Garp slowly said, "Yeah, if you've decided, then resign... But don't become a pirate."

"And bury that secret in your heart forever. Otherwise, Cipher Pol will set its sights on you."

As even more loyal lapdogs than the Navy, Cipher Pol existed to handle the World Government's dirty business that could not see the light of day.

Or rather, any mature regime would inevitably give rise to something similar.

"I know. I'll protect myself."

Dragon spoke softly as he looked toward the black sea beyond Marineford.

He suddenly recalled Annus's words. What would the world be like if the Celestial Dragons did not exist?

It was easy to imagine that it would be far better than the world of today.

Their many conversations aboard that pirate ship had allowed Dragon to understand Annus better. He wasn't merely the vicious figure the Marines spoke of, but a wise man with vision and perspective, much like Vice Admiral Tsuru.

People like that were often more frightening than those who possessed nothing but brute strength.

But Dragon wasn't worried. He no longer intended to be a Marine, and Annus would not be his enemy.

His enemy was... the Celestial Dragons!

"One day, you'll understand, Dragon. Only with my support will you have the ability to change this world..."

In a daze, that man's voice echoed beside Dragon's ear again, making him clench his fists unconsciously.

In any case, I'll first try contacting that man. With his resources, I'll establish the first light to illuminate the darkness!

Dragon had already resolved to approach the devil. Though the devil was terrifying, as long as making a deal with him could grant power, that was enough.

A few days later, at the docks of Water 7, a ship came ashore.

At the same time, Annus's hand suddenly stopped as he was placing a chess piece, leaving it suspended in midair.

"What's wrong, Lord Annus?" Diumil, seated across from him, asked.

"A World Government ship has docked. Send word out and have the patrol teams return first."

The existence of Mantra had allowed Annus to detect the anomaly ahead of time. That World Government ship had actually come for Diumil.

"Do you need me to deal with them?" Diumil requested.

"No need. Those people came for you. Our battle near Scrap Island some time ago seems to have let someone discover your race."

Like the Buccaneer Tribe and the Davy Clan, the Lunarians were a thorn in the World Government's side and carried an astonishing bounty.

Simply providing the World Government with the location of a Lunarian could earn a reporting reward of one hundred million Berry.

"Go get Yale... Wait."

Just as he was about to have Diumil ask Yale to deal with those people, Annus suddenly changed his mind.

Diumil, who had been ready to carry out the order, froze and gave Annus an inquiring look.

"No need to go. Something interesting has appeared. It seems someone is preparing to solve our problem for us."

At the docks, a group of World Government agents in plainclothes disembarked and found the person who had reported the information to them.

"Are you sure a Lunarian is on this island? False reports are punishable."

Because of the high reward, many people had tried to claim the bounty through lies over the years. These Cipher Pol agents hadn't paid much attention to the report and had only come to Water 7 for a preliminary inspection as a matter of routine.

To avoid alerting their target, they had even deliberately changed into plainclothes.

The one who had provided them with the intelligence was a white-haired old shipwright. When questioned, he excitedly pointed toward the shipyard where Annus and the others were hiding.

"My lords! It's absolutely true! That Lunarian with black wings and flames burning behind his head is hiding in the shipyard over there!"

At that, the agents' eyes lit up. They exchanged glances and saw the burning excitement in each other's eyes.

Capturing a Lunarian would be a tremendous accomplishment!

"Take us there!"

"Huh? But the reward..."

"Go collect it from the relevant department afterward! We don't handle that. We're only responsible for the capture!"

"...O-okay... okay..."