King of the Pirates / Sir Crocodile
"First, starting today, you live as Marines under my command."
At that, Evens had yet to speak when the Bald Man beside him widened his eyes.
"What? You want me to be a Marine?"
Xia Le ignored him and gave them the second choice.
"Second, this warship turns around and heads for Impel Down!"
"I'll use every connection I have to get you sent to Level Six, the most heavily guarded and prestigious floor of that prison."
He paused, then grinned.
"I guarantee you'll spend the rest of your lives there in peace, without the slightest disturbance or unexpected event."
The five men's expressions changed. They stared at Xia Le as if to say, Well, thanks a lot!
Unsurprisingly, all five chose the first option.
Pirate King
The warship left the Sabaody Archipelago and headed for the passage through the Red Line reserved for the Navy.
Few people paid much attention to Xia Le taking five pirates into his crew. After all, Navy officers recruiting pirates as subordinates was an old tradition. As long as they did not flaunt it, there would be no trouble.
The five men's bounties were quietly withdrawn the next day, after Xia Le spoke with Sengoku.
As the morning sun rose, a chorus of calls rang out across the warship's deck. Six people in apprentice Marine uniforms were huffing and puffing as they cleaned and mopped.
T Bone, a Navy lieutenant, watched the six of them work with a stern expression.
Xia Le stretched and surveyed the scene, a faint smile on his lips. He could not help feeling a little moved.
He gradually had a warship of his own, and soldiers of his own. His path as a Marine had finally gotten off to a good start.
"I'm Rosinante. Great to meet you!"
Mop in hand, Rosinante grinned at his new comrades.
He had been the only one doing the chores before. Having five others to share the work had clearly put him in a good mood.
"Evens. Sniper. Twenty-two. I hope for world peace."
"Yagyu Hyoe. Swordsman. Twenty-one. I want to use the sword in my hand to defend the justice in my heart."
"Mina. Navigator."
"Kira. Cook and gourmet. My dream is to taste every delicacy in the world."
"Slo. Shipwright! I want to meet the legendary Ship's Spirit."
The five exchanged glances. With Evens taking the lead, they reluctantly introduced themselves.
"From now on, we're comrades!"
Rosinante grinned.
At that, the five relaxed and nodded. If nothing else, being called comrades felt good.
"I'm T Bone. You can call me T-Bone, too. My rank is lieutenant."
T Bone came over then. His gaunt face looked rather frightening, but his tone was gentle and polite.
"Hello, sir."
The five paused, then greeted him.
"Rear Admiral Xia Le is the commander of this unit."
"No need to be nervous. He's a good man, and a kind one."
A smile spread across T Bone's gaunt face.
Xia Le heard their conversation but paid it no mind.
Friendly conversation would help him lead the crew. Besides, T Bone was describing him from his own perspective, and everything he said was full of praise and admiration.
"Our commander was once treated by the Nobles..."
"And later, by the Celestial Dragons..."
"After he joined the Navy, he..."
"He fought the Roger Pirates and held off the world-famous Great Pirate Dark King Rayleigh."
"Roger later called our commander a formidable opponent who could not be ignored, and praised him highly."
"..."
T Bone's words stunned Evens and the others. They kept stealing glances at the figure standing at the bow. They had never imagined this young Navy officer had such an extraordinary story. His experiences were much like their own.
The warship soon passed through the Red Line and entered the Second Half of the Grand Line.
Over the following days, Xia Le gradually learned more about the five through their conversations.
Evens was a sniper who had begun to awaken Observation Haki. He could sense danger, see more distant targets, and shoot them with precision.
Yagyu Hyoe had practiced swordsmanship since childhood and could already cut iron. He was physically strong, too.
Slo was a Shipwright, but he also had decent fighting skills.
Mina was not strong, but she had plenty of experience at sea.
As Kira had said, he was a gourmet. He had a knack for figuring out what each person liked to eat, though fighting was not his strength.
In short, the warship had grown livelier with the five of them aboard.
"You won't be skipping your training. T Bone, you'll lead these apprentices."
"And I'll give each of you guidance on your weaknesses."
Xia Le spoke with the authority of a commander.
"Yes, sir!"
All seven stood straight and answered loudly.
In just a few days, Evens and the other former pirates had begun to carry themselves like Marines.
During a later training session, Evens and the others were shocked to learn that the towering Rosinante was only twelve!
"How is that possible? You're barely a teenager, but you're already so tall?!"
"What have you been eating?"
Yagyu Hyoe and Mina shouted.
"Talent! I was born this way!"
Rosinante laughed, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
Despite his towering build, he still had the innocence and a touch of the childishness of a boy his age.
Just then, Xia Le walked over, his fists flying.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
A rapid string of punches left a swollen lump on everyone's forehead.
"No shouting during training."
Xia Le's voice rang out.
Evens clutched his head, tears springing to his eyes.
"Why do this guy's punches hurt so much? His fists are harder than my blade."
Yagyu Hyoe grimaced.
"Commander Xia Le is Vice Admiral Garp's disciple. He inherited his strength from his teacher."
Rosinante sucked in a breath and forced the words out.
Training continued. On that deck, none of them could escape the physical conditioning expected of apprentice Marines.
Xia Le's methods were both practical and effective. He had taken what worked from Garp and Zephyr's training and combined it with the methods taught at the Navy Academy.
T Bone joined in with equal dedication. He made no effort to hide how much he looked up to his commander.
After the warship reached the Second Half, it spent most of its time at sea, stopping at a Navy base only occasionally for supplies.
Xia Le also kept in touch with Navy headquarters and hunted down pirates whenever he received information about them.
Everyone grew stronger through battle.
Half a month after they entered the Second Half, a News Coo dropped a newspaper in front of them.
"Gol D. Roger reaches the end of the Grand Line, becomes Pirate King, and names the final island Laugh Tale!"
When Evens read the headline aloud, everyone aboard the warship froze.
"Roger became the Pirate King!"
Slo stared in shock.
Xia Le narrowed his eyes. He remembered that Garp had brought this up during a call not long ago.
The news shook the world. Newspapers spread in every direction.
Just then, the Den Den Mushi inside Xia Le's coat rang.
"Teacher Garp."
Xia Le answered, his voice low.
"You've seen the latest paper, haven't you?"
Garp sounded weary and solemn.
"I have."
Xia Le nodded.
"I chased him for two years, but in the end, I still couldn't stop him."
"I have to admit, that man's incredible. And he did it while seriously ill."
Garp laughed, though helplessness tinged his voice.
"I thought he'd do something unimaginable once he became Pirate King."
"But Roger disbanded his crew."
"Now we can't find him anywhere!"
Xia Le smiled. "Then you can finally get some rest."
"Hahahaha! You little brat. Do you think your teacher's the sort of man who wants to rest?"
Garp laughed and scolded him.
The two chatted for a while longer. Xia Le mostly listened as Garp recalled the years he had spent fighting and pursuing Roger.
Garp started with God Valley and went all the way up to Roger becoming Pirate King not long ago.
At last, the call ended.
Xia Le fell silent.
He knew Garp had been telling Roger's story, but he had also been telling his own.
He could hear, too, the uncertainty about the future and the faint trace of regret in his teacher's voice.
What did he regret?
Crocodile
Roger had become Pirate King. Before long, the earthshaking news had sent ripples across the world.