The First Half of the Grand Line – Paradise
The Chris ship had docked beside a Navy battleship. Standing on the deck of the naval vessel, Weiss waited for the Navy medics to treat Jack and Kadun's injuries. He had exchanged the two men's bounties for this medical help after encountering the Marines.
The Rear Admiral had readily agreed—after all, Weiss was someone they had been instructed to keep an eye on. Doing him a favor could prove beneficial. Besides, this counted as a little bonus income for the crew.
According to the reports, Weiss had already been credited for killing Doran. The Navy was now responsible for paying the bounty, but Weiss had chosen to convert that reward into treatment for his crew.
Doran's bounty was 80 million, and Lute's was 38 million—over 100 million in total. Even after distributing shares among the crew, there would still be a sizable amount left.
With an opportunity like that, of course the Rear Admiral wouldn't say no.
"All right, Karina. The Navy's medics may not be the best in the world, but they're far from amateurs. Injuries like Jack's—they've seen plenty of them. There's nothing to worry about."
Weiss stopped Karina, who was pacing restlessly. At this rate, anyone would think her husband was in labor behind those doors.
Ah—wrong analogy. Men can't give birth. But still, you get the idea.
"...Sigh." Karina didn't speak. She just let out a quiet sigh.
...
...
"Enough sighing," Weiss continued. "Once they recover, I'm putting them through hellish training. This whole mess? It's because they got soft. That's what did them in."
"I've been too lenient. Can't even take down a small-time pirate worth 80 million? Pathetic. Absolutely disgraceful."
The nearby soldiers on guard duty twitched at Weiss's harsh words. Silently, they thought to themselves: Brother, we're still in the first half of the Grand Line—Paradise, as the pirates call it. An 80 million bounty here is already the ceiling!
Even beyond here, that's still a huge deal! Don't forget—before Crocodile became a Warlord, his bounty hadn't even hit 100 million!
Why does someone like that sound like a nobody to you?!
Just then, a Marine approached. "Mr. Weiss, our Fleet Admiral would like to speak with you."
Seeing the Rear Admiral arrive, the Marines straightened their posture, quickly discarding their earlier thoughts. They made sure to look sharp for their superior.
The Rear Admiral waved for his men to clear the area—he had no idea what would be discussed, and just in case it involved confidential matters, it was best not to have too many ears around.
"Huh? The Fleet Admiral—Sengoku wants to talk to me?" Weiss was puzzled. Killing a minor pirate shouldn't have warranted attention from the Navy's highest authority.
Could that pirate have had a hidden identity? A fallen noble? A prince from some distant land? Or… a missing Celestial Dragon?
Brow furrowed in confusion, Weiss accepted the Den Den Mushi from the Rear Admiral. He had his own, but it had never rung—and when he called others, they never picked up.
"Hello, helloooo, hellooooooo! This is Weiss!"
The once-neutral Den Den Mushi suddenly morphed into a silly, playful face. "Puhahaha! Little brat Weiss! Still remember me? It's Garp!"
Then came a loud thud, like something heavy hitting the ground.
The snail's expression shifted again, this time into wide frog eyes. "Hello. This is Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Yeah, we know you're the Fleet Admiral. No need to emphasize it. Of course, Weiss wouldn't say that out loud.
"Greetings, Admiral Sengoku. What can I do for you?"
Despite his casual tone, Weiss held deep respect for the man. Sengoku had carried the weight of the World Government on his back, striving to uphold justice across the seas. You could say he was the Navy's punching bag, caught between the Marines and the Five Elders.
After taking over from Kong during the chaos that followed Roger's final words, Sengoku was forced—under pressure from the Five Elders—to establish the Shichibukai system. He had managed to preserve the balance between the Navy, Warlords, and the Four Emperors… until a certain chosen one set sail and shattered it all.
That year, the rise of the Supernovas would throw the seas into utter turmoil.
"I called you today," Sengoku said, getting straight to the point, "because I want to invite you to join the Marines. If you're willing, I can immediately promote you to Vice Admiral."
Weiss was stunned by the directness of the offer. The Navy values me that highly?
This marked the third time they'd tried to recruit him—and the highest rank they'd offered so far.
The first time had been with Garp at Loguetown. The second was through Captain Endless. Weiss had never believed that second one was just the Captain's own idea.
Am I really that desirable? Of course, what Weiss didn't know was that Sengoku simply wanted to keep him under watch. If Weiss was close, it would be easier to monitor him.
The Rear Admiral standing nearby was too shocked to speak. This wasn't like the mass recruitment drives of the future—the Navy's current strength was still formidable. And yet they were offering someone a direct Vice Admiral rank?
He had no idea Sengoku wouldn't let go of anything even remotely related to the Golden Lion. Even if it was just Garp's gut feeling—Garp was one of the most powerful figures on the sea. His instincts alone were worth trusting.
And swordsmen wielding twin blades were rare enough. One young and strong enough to train up a swordmaster? Even rarer.
If Weiss could eventually clear any suspicion, Sengoku wouldn't mind grooming him as a future Marine leader.
"Alright, Admiral Sengoku. I just have one question. If you can answer it… I'll agree."
Weiss knew this would be his final word on the matter—no more future invitations.
"Go ahead."
"Do you stand for Marine justice, Celestial Dragon justice… or the Five Elders' justice? If their definitions of justice ever clash—what will you choose?"
Sengoku fell silent.
Weiss waited for his answer. The Rear Admiral beside him broke into a cold sweat. Why do I have to hear this? In his mind, the Navy's orders should always come from the Five Elders—without question.
After a long pause, Sengoku finally said, "I understand."
The call ended.
Weiss handed the Den Den Mushi back to the Rear Admiral and shrugged. He didn't say another word. Instead, he walked over to Karina.
"How are Jack and Kadun?"
"They're almost done. The medics are doing the final bandaging now. They gave us some medicine too, for later use." The Navy medics had received a nice bonus for this job, so they'd been extra diligent.
Back at Marineford, the Fleet Admiral's office was now eerily quiet. Sengoku sat alone, the call still fresh in his mind.
All these years… everything we've done—was it really justice?
He couldn't forget about CP, the Cipher Pol agents and the shady things they did in secret. Sengoku knew. As Fleet Admiral, how could he not? But what could he do? Without the World Government's backing, the Navy would collapse under the weight of its own expenses.
Weiss's question had made one thing clear—he would never join the Navy. Sengoku didn't have an answer. And even if he did, he couldn't speak it aloud.
He shook off the moment of introspection and returned to his work. Weiss's question might have drawn out a few minutes of reflection—but nothing more. It wouldn't slow him down.
A short while later, Sengoku picked up a photo. The sword wounds in it were clearly visible… familiar, even. Is this because of Garp's bias? Or is it just that they both use twin swords?
He called for a Marine messenger.
"Go inform Mihawk: there's an eighteen-year-old swordmaster on the Grand Line."
The messenger didn't know why this order was being given—but followed it nonetheless.
As he left, silence returned to the office. Only the soft sound of a pen gliding over paper remained.
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I just realized that every time I typed "Carina," my autocorrect kept changing it to "Karina." 😅 I didn't notice this until recently, so most chapters may still have the wrong spelling. Please bear with it for now—I don't have much free time to go back and edit everything immediately. Thank you for your patience and understanding! 💙