Joining the Marines

Marine Headquarters — Fleet Admiral's Office

The air seemed compressed to its limit; the wooden desk, floor, and walls were all drawn taut by an invisible pressure.

Yet the boy standing in the center seemed completely unaffected.

Fleet Admiral Kong sat steadily behind his desk, radiating an imposing presence without anger.

He closed the intelligence file and fixed Rock with a piercing gaze. "Rock, I've read all the information on you..."

"You appeared out of nowhere, as if falling from the sky, then boarded a Kuja Pirates ship to travel to Hachinosu."

"After defeating a powerful officer of the Rocks Pirates on Hachinosu, you voluntarily challenged Rocks himself."

"And you publicly stated... that you wanted to join the Marines."

Fleet Admiral Kong placed the file on the desk, tapping it with his fingertips. The sound carried an oppressive weight.

Then he looked up at Rock, his tone shifting from calm to sharp.

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

The moment those words fell, the air throughout the office seemed to freeze.

The backbone of the Marines had gathered here, all waiting for the Lightning Boy to give his answer.

Rock did not respond immediately. He swept his gaze over everyone before finally looking back at Fleet Admiral Kong, the corner of his mouth lifting.

"Fleet Admiral Kong, you're asking what I want to do?"

Rock spread his palm, where tiny yet extremely dangerous sparks of lightning slithered like a tamed thunder snake, lying still but capable of devouring heaven and earth with a single thought.

"I possess the fastest power on these seas."

"One afternoon, I flew from the coldest winter island to the hottest summer island."

"Along the way, I saw far too many stories."

"Pirates burned villages, plundered merchant ships, and slaughtered civilians."

"Marine parasites used justice as an excuse to take bribes, file false reports, and turn the cries of civilians into the clinking of glasses."

"Black-market merchants wore human skin while keeping their ledgers, weighing children's cries by the pound. The scrape of chains was harsher than the abacus of hell."

"And the Marines..." He paused, his eyes sharp as thunder tearing through the night sky.

"Too often arrived too late."

A flicker of shock passed through Sengoku's eyes, but he remained composed.

The air in the Fleet Admiral's office grew so heavy it seemed capable of crushing steel.

Rock softly said, "These seas are too vast, while the footsteps of order are too slow."

Lightning danced at his fingertips as he casually pointed toward the mountain of documents on Fleet Admiral Kong's desk.

"Even people as powerful as you are trapped between paperwork, routine correspondence, and mountains of letters requesting support."

"While you're checking a report, an island may be falling to pirates."

"While orders are still being passed down through layer after layer, the bodies of innocents have already gone cold."

He lowered his hand and quietly said—

"If justice arrives late, it is meaningless."

Sengoku's gaze trembled. He instinctively pushed up his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses filled with caution and vigilance.

"This kid... has completely seen through the Marines' most fatal problem."

Zephyr's arm muscles tensed, his brows deeply furrowed. "Young... yet he sees things so clearly."

Tsuru's gaze deepened further. She looked as though she were assessing a freshly forged famed blade whose edge had yet to be dulled.

Rock suddenly smiled, wild and candid. "I don't like the kind of freedom Rocks wants, the kind that turns the world into scorched earth."

"And I despise the sticky filth festering beneath the shadow of the World Government."

His gaze grew sharper. "If power can only maintain the status quo, only stop the bleeding but not cure the disease... then it's far too boring."

At that, Sengoku could no longer hold back. "Are you implying that you want to change how the Marines operate?"

"Not change."

He raised his head. In that instant, arcs of electricity lit up in his eyes.

"Accelerate."

Those two words fell like thunder, shaking the entire office.

Sengoku's pupils contracted.

Zephyr's breathing deepened.

A glint flashed in Tsuru's eyes.

Garp was already grinning as if he had found treasure.

Fleet Admiral Kong's attention sharpened further.

Rock took a step forward. Facing the five pillars of the Marines, he showed no fear whatsoever.

"That's why I'm joining the Marines."

He raised his hand, lightning bursting from his palm. "Not to become a blade wielded by those in power."

"But to become a nerve, a beam of light."

His voice grew steadier, like a declaration of a new era. "With my speed, I'll make justice faster than pirates' blades."

"Faster than despair spreading."

"Faster than darkness taking root."

He lowered his hand and slightly raised his chin, revealing the smile of the strong. "My ambition is simple."

"I want justice to become the first thing to arrive on these seas—"

"Hope."

As the word hope left his lips, the air in the office nearly exploded.

"For that, I need a position, one where I can maximize my speed and light."

"As for so-called rules..."

He raised a brow at Fleet Admiral Kong, his smile sly. "As we sail, we'll always find a way that both sides can accept... right?"

At that point, the entire office fell into deathly silence.

So arrogant.

So clear-headed.

So dangerous.

And such... an impossible argument to ignore.

Zephyr took a deep breath and slowly spoke, his tone carrying more weight. "Your ideas are too radical. Justice is not something that can be defined by speed alone."

Sengoku immediately followed. "Order is an enormous machine. It cannot be casually changed by one person's strength."

"If your power goes out of control, the Marines will bear the consequences as well."

Tsuru added quietly, "Even pure light can wound its comrades if it has no sheath."

Their rebuttals were logical and well-founded, the most orthodox and solid voices at the heart of the Marines.

However—

"Bwahahahaha!!!"

Garp suddenly burst into laughter, shattering the heavy atmosphere.

He slapped Zephyr hard on the back, nearly knocking the breath out of the future Admiral.

"Zephyr, did you hear that? 'The first hope to arrive'! I love it, damn it—!!!"

Zephyr's shoulder jolted from the blow. "Garp! You—!"

A vein throbbed on Sengoku's forehead. "Garp! Shut up!!"

Tsuru let out a soft sigh. "Honestly..."

Yet what truly made the air in the office tense again was Fleet Admiral Kong's reaction.

At that moment, Fleet Admiral Kong stood up.

In that instant, the room seemed three centimeters shorter.

His mountain-like body loomed over everyone, steady, commanding, and majestic, yet his eyes shone with a long-lost light.

He looked at Rock and slowly broke into a rugged smile. "Speed and light..."

"Indeed, this great warship called the Marines can be a little too cumbersome at times."

He casually tossed Rock's intelligence file aside. "Rock, I admire your courage, vision, and ambition."

"Your power may be the wind the Marines need for the future."

Sengoku was about to speak, but Fleet Admiral Kong stopped him with a raised hand.

Kong's gaze remained firmly locked on Rock.

"Rock."

Fleet Admiral Kong extended his hand, his voice booming like a bell. "Welcome to the Marines."

The room shook for a moment.

Sengoku frowned but did not object again.

Zephyr remained silent, a trace of approval flashing in his eyes.

Tsuru smiled slightly, seeming to understand something already.

Garp threw back his head and laughed as if he had known the outcome all along. "Bwahahaha! See? I told you! This kid is absolutely fine!!!"

Fleet Admiral Kong continued, "The position you want... Sengoku and Tsuru will discuss the arrangements."

"As for the rules you mentioned—"

The corner of Fleet Admiral Kong's mouth curled into a meaningful smile. "Since this is a new route... we'll adapt as we sail."

Rock lightly raised his chin. In that instant, his smile was as sharp as lightning splitting open the sky.

"Understood, Fleet Admiral."

"With lightning, I will carve a brand-new path of justice for the Marines."

(PS: In the original work, Kong was promoted to Fleet Admiral only after the God Valley Incident and was still an Admiral at this point. However, to avoid creating an additional new character, he was made Fleet Admiral early in this novel's storyline.)