In One Piece, Watching Roger's Execution at the Start

The warm morning sun seemed a little shy, hiding half behind the clouds as golden rays spilled over Foosha Village, where cooking smoke curled into the sky. Under the sunlight, Foosha Village was so peaceful and quiet that it seemed like a paradise untouched by the dust of the mundane world...

Atlas had spent the past few days hanging around Makino's bar. The incident where he had frightened off the bandit Higuma had greatly improved Makino's impression of him, and she had even quietly given him a discount, saving Atlas quite a bit of money.

But such days were ultimately far too boring, and Atlas was not a patient man. He therefore planned to go to Gorgon Mountain and "chance upon" Garp and Ace. Perhaps he could even lure Ace into becoming a Marine in the future.

Once he had the thought, he acted on it immediately. He raised his long legs and headed toward Gorgon Mountain...

--Several hours later--

Atlas looked helplessly at the tiger growling a warning at him. If he remembered correctly, this enormous beast would later become the king of Gorgon Mountain and give the three brothers, Ace included, no end of trouble.

"Shoo, shoo. Don't block my way."

Atlas waved impatiently, not caring whether the beast understood him. He lifted his leg and prepared to walk past it, but the tiger's growl grew deeper, and its fur stood on end as though it had been shocked by electricity.

Atlas paid it no mind. If the tiger let him pass, all would be well. Otherwise, he did not mind tasting tiger meat. The king of Gorgon Mountain seemed to sense Atlas's thoughts and continued growling from time to time, but showed no intention of attacking...

After walking around the tiger, Atlas activated Observation Haki to avoid various obstacles and troublesome creatures. The journey became much smoother. Although Atlas did not know where Dadan's home was, he could not go wrong by heading toward the center.

After wandering around for several hours, Atlas's Observation Haki finally detected Garp's presence.

"Yo! Old man Garp, you were quite hard to find. By the way, when are we leaving?"

As Atlas approached, he saw a child with short black hair, large monolid eyes, and a few freckles on his face. Rather than ruining his innocence, the freckles added a touch of cuteness. It was none other than little Ace.

At that moment, Ace was tugging on Garp's short beard and laughing loudly. He mumbled "Grandpa" through his laughter, while Garp looked at him with obvious affection.

After several days together, the grandfather and grandson had gone from strangers to enjoying themselves together. Ace was not shy by nature in the first place. After all, he carried the bloodline of the Pirate King, so he quickly became familiar with Garp.

"Hahahahaha! Atlas, you little brat, how did you find this place? This is my grandson, Ace."

Garp lifted little Ace over his head and proudly showed him off to Atlas.

Little Ace opened his bewildered eyes wide and curiously sized Atlas up.

"Yo, little Ace. Come on, call Uncle Kanos. Come on, be a good boy!"

Atlas wore a mischievous grin. By seniority, that means Roger and Whitebeard are my peers. Luffy will have to call me Uncle when he sees me in the future too. Hehehe... As he imagined it, tears of delight unashamedly trickled from the corners of his mouth.

Ace seemed to sense Atlas's ill intentions. He immediately turned and burrowed into Garp's arms, refusing to pay attention to Atlas's teasing.

Atlas did not mind and continued teasing Ace until the boy made an expression as if he were about to cry. Only then did Atlas stop.

"By the way, old man, when are we leaving?"

Atlas asked about his earlier question again.

"In a few days. When we pass through Loguetown, I'll drop you off there."

Garp seemed to remember Colonel Randall's request and answered casually.

Over the next few days, Atlas either teased little Ace or went to Gorgon Mountain for a snack and to satisfy his appetite. Dadan's group handled the preparation of the ingredients, so at worst he could give them the animals' hides, teeth, and such as payment.

Happy times always passed quickly. At last, the day came to leave Foosha Village. Villagers of all ages came to the pier of their own accord to see Garp off. Whether they admitted it or not, Foosha Village owed its continued peace and quiet to Garp's protection.

Before long, after the supplies and personnel aboard had been counted, the Dog-Head Warship slowly left the shore. The villagers gradually became irregular black dots until they vanished completely...

Voyaging at sea was always dull and boring, so Garp resumed training Atlas...

Atlas tore off his Marine uniform, revealing his sturdy upper body. His sharply defined physique, almost entirely free of fat, gleamed beneath the sunlight. Standing opposite him was Garp in a gray-white suit.

"Hahahaha! Brat, what I taught you before was the power of will. If you still don't understand it, that's fine. Now I'll teach you how to bring out your strength perfectly."

Garp laughed loudly.

Although this technique sounded ordinary, its practicality was terrifying. For example, Atlas's current strength might be worth one hundred, but the force behind his punches might only reach seventy or even less, with the remaining thirty dissipating. What Garp wanted to teach him was how to turn one hundred points of strength into one hundred and twenty points of damage!

"Come on, Vice Admiral Garp!"

Atlas understood how powerful this was, so he showed no fear and shouted loudly.

Garp was one of the absolute powerhouses of the old era. With a pair of iron fists, he had fought countless battles. Most pirates lost the will to resist the moment they heard his name, let alone now, when he was still at his peak. His combat experience and techniques were naturally worth Atlas's serious study.

The other soldiers aboard the warship were also drawn to their battle. For one thing, they could learn something from watching the two fight. On this cruel sea, every increase in strength was precious. For another, it gave their otherwise boring voyage a little entertainment.

Whoosh!

One Sword Style—Waterfall!

Atlas swung his blade downward at Garp. Black matter suddenly appeared over Garp's hand—Armament Haki! It had to be noted that those who had not awakened Haki could not see Armament Haki. Atlas, however, could naturally "see" it with his Observation Haki.

Bang!

The two collided. Garp did not move an inch, while Atlas staggered back several steps before barely coming to a stop. The difference in strength was immediately clear!

"Again!"

Atlas was not discouraged.

He pressed forward once more and thrust straight at Garp.

One Sword Style—Bird Thorn!

Garp did not defend himself, leaving his center wide open. Yet his chest beneath his clothes turned pitch-black—localized Armament! His right fist swung directly toward Atlas's forehead.

Atlas was startled. He pulled back his sword to block and narrowly stopped the punch.

The battle between the two continued for more than an hour, finally ending with Atlas lying on the ground, exhausted and covered in lumps.

Still, relying on his powerful talent, Atlas forcibly absorbed all the combat experience. Battles like this continued to appear from time to time over the next few days, giving the other soldiers something to talk about over meals and adding a little fun to the dull voyage.

Until...

Shimotsuki Village

East Blue...

A huge Dog-Head Warship sailed slowly across the calm sea. Several seagulls flew across the sky from time to time, and the peaceful weather was exceedingly pleasant. Of course, if one ignored the lumps covering his head and the strange looks from the Marines around him, Atlas's mood would have been even better.

"What island are we passing next?"

Atlas grabbed a Marine who happened to pass by him. They had been away from Loguetown for so long that he missed everyone a little, especially Lieutenant Wright and Smoker. Atlas had complicated feelings toward Lieutenant Wright. On one hand, Wright had been the first person he met after coming to this world and had helped him greatly when he had first joined the Marines, always assisting him openly or secretly. To Atlas, Wright was more like an older brother—or even a father. Atlas sincerely appreciated him.

"Huh? We'll be reaching Shimotsuki Village soon."

The Marine looked somewhat puzzled at being stopped but answered honestly. After all, he greatly admired Atlas's efforts and talent, even if Atlas looked somewhat comical now.

"Shimotsuki Village... Shimotsuki Village."

Atlas felt that the name sounded familiar. He quickly realized that this was where Zoro had studied swordsmanship as a child. He then frowned, seemingly caught in a difficult decision.

After a while, Atlas's tightly furrowed brows relaxed. He strode toward Garp, who was wolfing down food in the dining room.

"Vice Admiral Garp, I'd like to disembark at Shimotsuki Village later."

Atlas spoke to Garp solemnly.

"Huh? Why? Mmph... mmph... Aren't you returning to Loguetown?"

Garp spoke while chewing on a piece of meat.

"I heard that Shimotsuki Village has a swordsmanship dojo, and that its master, Koshiro, is an extremely skilled swordsman. I want to study there for a while. My swordsmanship has reached a bottleneck, after all."

Atlas explained carefully.

"So I'd like to trouble Mr. Garp to tell Colonel Randall when you pass through Loguetown that I'll return there within a year at the latest. Please!"

As he spoke, Atlas rose and bowed deeply to Garp. This bow was not only to ask Garp to deliver a message, but also to thank him for taking him in and teaching him without reservation during this period.

"Got it. Honestly, you little brat..."

Garp grumbled impatiently, but there was not the slightest displeasure in his eyes. Clearly, he was very satisfied with Atlas. Over the years, Garp had trained countless Marines, the most famous being the current monster Vice Admiral of the Marines, Aokiji Kuzan.

After sparring with Atlas for so long, Garp could absolutely determine that Atlas's potential was no weaker than Kuzan's. Moreover, the justice in his heart was no less than that of any other Marine. He would certainly become a pillar of the Marines in the future.

After receiving Garp's permission, Atlas returned to his cabin to pack some daily necessities and clothes. He then asked Bogard for some money to use in case of emergencies.

However, he did not plan to wear his Marine uniform. In his previous life, he had heard that Koshiro had some connection with the Revolutionary Army. Atlas was not afraid that Koshiro would harm him. For one thing, he believed that Koshiro possessed the bearing of a strong man and would not attack him. For another, the Revolutionary Army was different from pirates and was not the sort to slaughter innocents. He only wanted to conceal his Marine identity so that Koshiro would not refuse to let him stay.

After disembarking, Atlas asked the local villagers where Koshiro's dojo was. He then straightened his clothes and headed in that direction.

Koshiro's dojo stood in the center of Shimotsuki Village. Most of the villagers had learned a move or two there. Most of them had practiced swordsmanship at the dojo when they were young, though the master at the time might have been Koshiro's father, Kozaburo. Moreover, the fees were not very high, so most villagers were happy to send their children there to study. After all, in this world where tomorrow was never guaranteed, having strength was not a bad thing.

Atlas soon reached his destination and saw the legendary Koshiro Dojo. After taking a brief look, he saw that the dojo mainly consisted of a low surrounding wall, with several buildings inside. Presumably, that was where Koshiro's family lived.

What puzzled Atlas was that no sounds of swordsmanship practice came from inside. Instead, it was completely silent, making Atlas wonder whether he had come to the wrong place.

Just as Atlas was about to knock and announce himself, a loud baby's cry broke the silence. Atlas immediately understood the reason.

What a coincidence!

Atlas sighed inwardly.

Guinevere had probably just been born. No wonder the dojo was so quiet, without the slightest sound.

Even so, Atlas knocked on the dojo's main gate.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

The sound was not loud, but with Koshiro's five senses—or rather, his Observation Haki—he should have sensed Atlas's arrival.

The gate soon opened, revealing a smiling face.

Atlas was momentarily stunned. He had expected to be greeted by a long, sour face. According to his memories from his previous life, Koshiro supposedly disliked his daughter very much because he wanted a son to inherit his dojo.

It seemed the rumors were wrong. Koshiro was not a man who favored sons over daughters. Most likely, he had only wanted Kuina to live safely, so he had deliberately said those things to discourage her. He had not expected Kuina to be so stubborn, causing his words to have the opposite effect.

"Hello, Mr. Koshiro. I've long heard of your name. I've come here because I wish to learn swordsmanship from you!"

Atlas got straight to the point and explained his purpose.

"Come in first, and we'll talk..."

Koshiro did not give a definite response. Instead, he smiled warmly and invited Atlas inside.

After following Koshiro in, Atlas carefully examined his surroundings. They were much as he had seen from outside. Near the entrance was a medium-sized training ground, where the disciples probably practiced normally.

When they reached the main hall, Koshiro and Atlas each sat on a cushion. Only then did they have time to properly examine each other.

As Atlas had imagined, Koshiro was a very gentle-looking middle-aged man who always wore a smile. Atlas did not know whether it was because his daughter had been born that day or whether he was always like this. A pair of glasses, not especially thick, rested on the bridge of his nose, while his perpetually narrowed eyes made it impossible to see through his thoughts...

"My daughter was born today, and my wife is unable to come out to receive you. Please forgive us."

Koshiro spoke with a hint of apology.

Koshiro's speech was rather formal, with a style somewhat similar to that of Wano Country.

"I already understand your purpose. If you do not mind my humble home, I would be willing to exchange insights on the sword with you."

Koshiro smiled.

Atlas understood. Koshiro did not want to accept him as a disciple, but he also did not want to offend the Marines, so he had agreed to let Atlas stay and study swordsmanship.

It seemed that playing tricks in front of a powerhouse like this was useless. With Koshiro's attainments in Observation Haki, he had probably noticed Atlas the moment Garp's warship docked.

"Very well. Then I'll be troubling you, Mr. Koshiro."

Since things had been put this way, Atlas could only accept. As long as he did not leave empty-handed, that was enough.

Buster Call

--West Blue, Ohara--

"History belongs to all of humanity! No one has the right to stop people from satisfying their curiosity and seeking to understand it!"

An old man with white hair spoke each word with a resolute gaze, voicing his resistance against the World Government!

But as cannon fire thundered one blast after another, Ohara was instantly swallowed by smoke and flames. Buried alongside it were a group of pioneers who had pursued the truth...

Blazing flames gnawed wildly at the Tree of Knowledge. The entire island had become a sea of fire, while cries of agony and arguments rang out without end, like hell descending upon the human world.

At the edge of the shore, Spandine, the highest-ranking officer of CP9, laughed maniacally. He seemed unable to contain his excitement at the promotions and wealth awaiting him, his face resembling that of an evil spirit.

Suddenly, the refugee ship that had been meant to shelter the displaced was struck by a cannonball and instantly reduced to wreckage. No one aboard survived...

"Damn it!"

Aokiji, who witnessed everything, burned with rage and could not help cursing.

"Once you've started, you have to finish the job. When dealing with evil, you must show no mercy!"

Sakazuki spoke in a low voice, his entire face hidden beneath his hood. The words he revealed carried a bone-chilling coldness.