While the entire sea was still reeling from the shock of Edward Teach's bounty poster—
The mastermind behind it all, the man pulling the strings of Whitebeard Jr., the "White Dragon" Storm—
Was still stuffing his face.
After learning that his bounty had been utterly overshadowed by a mere Clay Doll, Storm went completely berserk. Channeling his frustration into his appetite, he devoured every scrap of food in sight in one go.
By the time Storm was done, the restaurant owner had no choice but to rush out from the kitchen.
"Sir, honored guest, you…"
The owner stared at the towering stack of spotless plates beside Storm, forcing a weary smile onto his face.
"Was the meal to your satisfaction?"
"The taste was decent, but the portions were way too small!"
Between bites, Storm polished off another plate of fried rice. He shot the owner an impatient glance and urged,
"Boss, hurry up with the next dish! How is anyone supposed to get full on this?!"
"Honored guest, well… the thing is, you've already eaten everything in the shop…"
The owner wrung his apron nervously, looking utterly helpless.
"There isn't even a single grain of rice left in the kitchen…"
"What kind of restaurant runs out of food?!"
Storm finished the last plate of grilled meat in front of him, stood up, and reached for his wallet.
"How much do I owe? And where's the nearest restaurant around here?"
"Honored guest, we… already sent our staff to buy out all the food from every shop nearby…"
The owner wiped sweat from his brow and whispered,
"Um… you've basically cleaned out the entire street's food supply…"
"..."
Storm fell silent, paid the bill, and left.
Then he set off to find another island to eat at.
Soaring through the sky atop the Blue-Eyed White Dragon, Storm pulled out a map while digesting his meal.
He had already pinpointed the location of the island he was just on.
This was still the East Blue, and the small island belonged to the "Four-Leaf Clover Island Region," surrounded by countless other islands of varying sizes.
The "Dawn Island" he had been searching for earlier wasn't far from here.
"Let's head straight to Dawn Island!"
Adjusting the dragon's flight path, Storm sped toward his destination.
To be honest—
Dawn Island wasn't particularly famous in this world.
It was home to only one small World Government-affiliated kingdom—the Goa Kingdom.
That's right!
The very same Goa Kingdom that spawned an entire family of "Monkeys"!
Since Storm was already in the East Blue, he figured he might as well swing by the Goa Kingdom for a quick "check-in."
After all—
Dawn Island was also where the Sun God currently resided.
And the Flare-Flare Man, who would one day stand against the "Magma Man" on behalf of the Sun God, was probably still on Dawn Island too…
Storm was quite interested in these two brothers.
Might as well drop by first!
Of course—
If the legendary Marine Hero Monkey D. Garp happened to be in the Goa Kingdom at the time,
Storm wouldn't mind trying to "check in" on him too.
He had once told Grizly that he wanted the Marine Headquarters to raise his bounty a bit.
But as things stood now…
The White Dragon's bounty remained unchanged.
While Whitebeard Jr.'s bounty soared into the stratosphere.
The most outrageous part was that Whitebeard Jr.'s bounty was over twenty times higher than White Dragon's!
In that case.
Storm decided to act on his earlier words—
"Beat up every Marine Vice Admiral I see"!
What Marine hero?
Just some ordinary old geezer of a Vice Admiral.
Storm rode the Blue-Eyed White Dragon, following the nautical charts and compass directions as he headed toward the Kingdom of Goa.
Buru Buru—
Just then, the Den Den Mushi rang.
Storm picked it up, and his eyes immediately lit up.
"Well, if it isn't Fleet Admiral Sengoku! This is the first time I've ever gotten a call from you. Did the Marines finally receive my letter?"
Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office.
Kizaru and Vice Admiral Tsuru, who had been in the office earlier, had already disappeared.
Beneath the plaque inscribed with "Absolute Justice," only Sengoku remained.
Hearing Storm's words, Sengoku paused for a moment.
A letter?
Hmm...
If he recalled correctly, Grizly had indeed delivered a letter some time ago.
Reportedly, it was White Dragon's personal letter.
As the Fleet Admiral, Sengoku naturally knew what "White Dragon" signified.
A pure-hearted Marine cadet born under the righteous seagull flag!
A member of the SWORD Unit!
Every time Sengoku remembered that a SWORD Unit member had become one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of absurdity...
Who the hell sent Vongola Storm undercover?!
Oh, right—it was Sengoku himself who signed off on it...
"Yes, the letter. Ahem."
Sengoku cleared his throat, intending to exchange pleasantries first and get acquainted with this "super blade" who had now become a Royal Seven Warlord.
"Headquarters has received the letter, and I've read it...
"Storm, your request is... rather difficult to accommodate..."
While stalling with bureaucratic rhetoric, Sengoku racked his brain trying to recall the contents of that letter.
If he remembered correctly...
Storm wanted a promotion?
"So you read the letter, huh? Then why hasn't my bounty changed at all? Why is it still less than a billion?!"
Storm demanded through the Den Den Mushi.
"That Whitebeard Jr. guy has a bounty of two billion! Two billion!"
So it wasn't about a promotion—it was about the bounty...
A faint sense of relief flashed through Sengoku's mind as he quickly responded.
"The Royal Seven Warlords system works like this—once you become one, your bounty stops increasing..."
Sengoku vaguely remembered Storm bringing up the bounty issue multiple times, but handling this was genuinely complicated. He swiftly changed the subject.
"However, Storm, in light of your recent commendable performance, Headquarters has decided to raise your rank and benefits."
Storm was still a Marine.
Even though he had been transferred to Impel Down and then... escaped.
The Marines had never approved his resignation.
From this perspective.
Storm remained a member of the SWORD Unit.
And his current rank was "Marine Headquarters Ensign."
After all, climbing the ranks in the Marine system required not just personal strength but also "military achievements."
Storm had escaped Impel Down and later pulled off one major feat after another...
CHARACTER NAMES AND PRONOUNS:
-
Aokiji | Pronouns: he/him
-
Storm | Pronouns: he/him
-
Kujaku | Pronouns: she/her
-
Sengoku | Pronouns: he/him
-
Admiral Aokiji | Pronouns: he/him
-
Fleet Admiral Sengoku
-
Marine Headquarters
-
Sand Crocodile
-
Crocodile | Pronouns: he/him
-
Crocodile | Pronouns: he/him
-
Hanafuda | Pronouns: he/him
TERMINOLOGY:
-
SWORD Unit
-
Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea
-
Lizard King
The Marines had barely adjusted to Storm's new identity when…
He became one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea.
What could they say?
Promotion!
He had to be promoted!
"A rank increase?" Storm raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Sengoku's proposal.
"What level are we talking about here?"
Though Storm no longer cared much about his "Marine" status—truthfully, he never had—his family lineage was steeped in Marine tradition. Three generations of his ancestors had served. If he could rise to a high-ranking Marine position, at least he'd have something to show for it…
"First, you defeated Crocodile, the Sand Crocodile, and then you killed Hanafuda, the Lizard King."
Sengoku's mind raced, deftly sidestepping Storm's past transgressions and focusing solely on his merits.
"In light of these achievements, Headquarters has decided to promote you to Rear Admiral!
"A Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters!"
The rank of Captain was far too low for a Royal Seven Warlord of the Sea. Even Commodore felt inadequate.
So, Rear Admiral it had to be!
Honestly, if sheer strength were the only criterion, Sengoku believed Storm could easily qualify as a Vice Admiral of Headquarters.
But the Marines didn't operate on strength alone.
If Sengoku promoted Storm to Vice Admiral now, what would they do later?
If Storm accomplished even greater feats for the Marines in the future…
Would they have to demote one of the "Red-Yellow-Green" trio to make room for Storm as a Marine Admiral?
Promoting Storm to Vice Admiral now would leave them with no room for future rewards.
Commodore was too low; Vice Admiral was too high.
Thus, Rear Admiral was the only option!
"A Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters?"
Storm found the rank acceptable, but he had another identity to consider—his membership in the SWORD Unit.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, aside from Admiral Aokiji, are there any other officers in the SWORD Unit?"
Sengoku paused. "Well… no."
Joining the SWORD Unit required meeting stringent criteria. Ideally, recruits were unknown, fresh Marines—easier to deploy covertly.
Last year's recruit training had only produced two SWORD members: Storm and Kujaku.
This year's training cycle wasn't over yet, and the SWORD Unit hadn't absorbed any new blood…
"So, as a Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters, I'm now the second-in-command of the SWORD Unit?"
Storm's eyes lit up as he seized on this new angle.
"As both a Rear Admiral and the SWORD Unit's second-in-command, does that mean I can assemble my own subordinates?
"I'm talking about Marine subordinates!"
Sengoku inhaled sharply.
The Marines had strict regulations.
Generally, officers at the rank of Captain or above were entitled to aides, guards, and even their own warships.
But Storm was a SWORD operative…
A Royal Seven Warlord of the Sea—a world-renowned pirate!
"Storm, your current identity is still that of a 'Royal Seven Warlord of the Sea.'"
Wiping sweat from his brow, Sengoku opted for a delaying tactic.
"Forming a unit... let's talk about that after you return to the Marines."
"No problem, I don't have to recruit Marines as my subordinates."
Storm said with a smile, clearly unwilling to follow Sengoku's lead.
"I'll find my own people, recruit fresh faces. The Headquarters just needs to ensure timely salary payments."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, you wouldn't deny me such a small request, would you?"
A small request?
Sengoku's mouth twitched involuntarily.
For an ordinary Marine Rear Admiral, this would indeed be a trivial matter.
But Storm was one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea!
A Warlord commanding a Marine unit...
The situation felt fundamentally wrong to Sengoku!
Was this proper?
Yet faced with Storm's words, Sengoku couldn't find grounds for refusal.
Because technically, Storm was still a member of the Marine's SWORD Unit.
Moreover, he was the "Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral" that Sengoku himself had appointed!
Recruiting new members and forming units were basic rights of commissioned officers!
"Storm..."
After a long silence, Sengoku finally conceded.
"Don't forget what emblem stands behind the Marines."
"Relax, it's 'Justice', right?" Storm replied cheerfully.
"I would never let my subordinates bring shame to 'Justice'!"
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!