Justice Before the Gravestones

Several days later.

Marine Headquarters, Marineford Harbor.

The sea wind carried a salty, damp scent as it rushed toward them. Waves crashed against the reefs, producing a steady, low echo.

A warship covered in patches slowly sailed into the harbor. Its steel hull was dented, its mast crooked, and its rigging had snapped in several places before being crudely secured again. The entire vessel looked as though it had just struggled back from an abyss where storms and war had intertwined.

At that moment, the harbor seemed to ignite.

"They're back!!!"

Before the warship had fully docked, the news had already spread like wildfire through Marineford's streets and fortresses.

The shouts instantly merged into a roar. Soldiers surged toward the edge of the pier almost at once, eager to witness the legendary heroes' triumphant return with their own eyes.

Garp had long since been standing at the very front, his arms folded, his entire body like an immovable mountain.

He said nothing, yet an invisible pressure naturally radiated from him, making the surrounding soldiers instinctively slow their steps and consciously leave an open space around him.

"Clang—"

The mooring rope was thrown down, landing heavily on the iron ring of the dock.

The warship finally docked, and Zephyr and Rock stepped onto the pier one after the other.

Zephyr's steps remained steady and powerful, but the figure beneath his cloak had visibly grown thinner.

Rock, meanwhile, was wrapped in bandages, faint bloodstains still seeping from his shoulder and abdomen. Yet his back remained straight, and his thunderous presence had not diminished in the slightest.

The next second, the cheers erupted completely—

"It's real! Rear Admiral Rock is back!!!"

"I heard he fought that Tremor-Tremor Fruit user, Whitebeard, to a standstill!!!"

**"That's Whitebeard! A monster who can summon tsunamis and shake