Staring at the light streaming through a small window, a man in prisoner's garb sat motionless.
Former Marine Captain, Axe-Hand Morgan.
He'd extorted citizens and ruled tyrannically in secret. Exposed, he was arrested and held in Shells Town's cell before being transferred to a warship. Now en route to Marine Headquarters in the Grand Line, he awaited trial.
These past days, he'd been eerily quiet.
No complaints to his former subordinates, just unsettling silence.
No objections to being shipped to Headquarters, no words of resentment. He seemed to accept it all calmly, yet his refusal to share his feelings was chilling.
The day of transfer arrived.
A ship from Headquarters came. Unaware, Morgan's cell door opened, and a marine—once his subordinate—stood before him, serious. The time to part had come.
"The Headquarters ship is here. To the deck."
"Yeah."
His voice was cold, emotionless. Morgan stood without hesitation.
The clank of handcuffs and leg irons echoed with each movement, but he didn't react. His detached demeanor suggested indifference to his restraints.
Passing through the cell door, he walked, surrounded by marines.
On the deck, light flooded, far brighter than the cell's window.
He squinted briefly. The scenery wasn't unpleasant.
Marines stood in formation, disciplined and high-spirited, befitting a Vice Admiral's ship. No unit in the East Blue could match this.
Ahead, he spotted the Vice Admiral.
A sturdy man in a white suit, justice cloak on his shoulders, wearing a dog mask.
Marine Hero, Garp the Fist. Among Vice Admirals, he stood out—a living legend, old but active, who'd fought Pirate King Gold Roger multiple times and survived that era.
Morgan approached, stopping before him.
The man's presence was overwhelming, exuding pressure unlike the surrounding marines.
Then, Morgan noticed something odd. Despite Garp's intimidating aura, there was an air of absurdity.
His calm heart stirred.
Moments ago, he'd been resigned, ready for execution. Now, something shifted.
Strength returned to his eyes and body.
A voice called out—his son's.
"Dad!"
"Helmeppo-san, don't get close!"
Glancing back, Morgan saw Helmeppo, in a marine uniform, crying and rushing toward him, restrained by Coby, also in uniform.
He felt no interest, but the sight mattered.
Something sparked, though he didn't know what.
Defying expectations, Morgan moved. Seizing a gap among the marines, he slashed Garp's chest with his axe-hand, still cuffed.
Blood sprayed, a moment of silence. Garp's body fell.
He'd been asleep—standing, unguarded, before a criminal. Morgan exploited it.
Fluidly, he smashed his axe against his cuffs, breaking the chains.
As marines panicked, he darted to Helmeppo, kicking Coby aside, who froze with a scream. Using his son as a shield, Morgan scanned the deck. On Garp's ship, he'd be lost, but this was Shells Town's warship—one he knew. He spotted a small boat tied with rope.
"Stop, Morgan! Don't add to your crimes!"
"D-Dad!?"
"Stay back!"
Holding the axe to Helmeppo's neck, he cut the rope, dropping the boat to the sea.
He charged, using Helmeppo as a shield, leapt to the boat, and sailed away.
A criminal's precision—swift and calculated.
The warship prepared cannons, but with Helmeppo aboard, they hesitated, as Morgan anticipated.
Far enough away, he released his trembling son and sat on the deck.
"You're useful for once. Thanks, you actually helped."
His cold words stirred a change in Helmeppo.
Knees shaking, sweating profusely, he showed a new expression—gritting his teeth, tears falling, a mix of misery and resolve.
Stumbling to his feet, he faced Morgan, pointing with a trembling but determined voice.
"Hey, Morgan!"
"What?"
"I was an idiot to think you were my dad!"
"What's with you, stupid son?"
Breathing heavily, trembling, Helmeppo barely knew what he was saying.
His voice grew louder.
He only knew he was angry. Called a fool before, rarely seeing a fatherly side, met with indifference when he tried to wield power, and now used as a hostage—that was his limit.
Words spilled naturally, driven by instinct.
For the first time, he confronted his father.
"I don't see you as my dad anymore!"
Morgan listened calmly.
"You'll see… I'll get stronger than you! I'll catch you one day!"
"Hmph. Do what you want."
Helmeppo stumbled off the boat, jumping into the sea toward the warship, which oddly didn't fire. The boat sailed away unhindered.
Morgan felt little watching Helmeppo's resolve.
The small sail caught the wind, the boat moving as he steered. Where to go?
He couldn't return to the Marines, nor did he want to. Everything he'd built was gone, nothing left. He refused to stay confined or serve others. He'd need a new path.
What now?
Gazing at the vast sea, he thought quietly.
Maybe revenge.
Oddly, he felt no hatred for the brats who defeated him. His heart was calm, disinterested. But with no destination, hating and hunting them seemed as good a goal as any.
Standing at the boat's bow, Morgan decided.
For the first time, he'd travel alone.
Resolved to search for the Straw Hat boy, he set off.
2
Clattering forks and knives filled the air. On a small sailboat, barely fit for ten, two people sat at a table.
One was Buggy the Clown, a pirate blown away from Orange Town. Found head-first in the ground on a nearby island, he was rescued and fed, devouring meat in his tattered state. The damage from Luffy was severe, but his eating frenzy showed no signs of stopping.
Across from him sat a stunning woman.
Wearing a rolled-up coat over a bikini, her slender, curvaceous figure was captivating. Her smile, gazing at Buggy, would make anyone call her beautiful.
The woman who saved him introduced herself as Alvida.
"So, blown away by a pirate… Tough break. I got beat by one too—lost my ship and crew. Now I'm on my own, wandering."
"Damn that guy! I won't forgive him. I'll find him and get revenge!"
"Eager, huh? First, you need to regroup with your crew. By the way, I'm looking for someone too… Was that pirate wearing a straw hat?"
"What!? How'd you know!?"
Shocked, Buggy stopped eating, slamming the table.
Alvida smiled, unfazed.
"As I thought. That's the guy I'm after."
"What? Another comrade beaten by that jerk…!"
"You're hunting Luffy, right? Let's team up. With Headquarters auditors around, more allies are better."
"Fufufu, got it… Alright, we're allies now!"
Buggy grinned, pleased with a new ally, but his mind kept working.
Reluctantly, he acknowledged Luffy's immense strength.
In high spirits, he made another proposal to Alvida.
"But I'm not just getting revenge for what they did. I'll make it flashy!"
"How so?"
"Gather forces. Crush them completely."
A cunning pirate, Buggy had razed towns effortlessly, earning a fifteen-million-Berry bounty in the peaceful East Blue.
He'd bide his time, scheming, to greet them grandly later.
Grinning wickedly, Buggy laughed, and Alvida, agreeing, shrugged.
"Sounds fun. I'm in. Let's gather useful people."
"First, I reunite with my crew. They're probably crying without me. Then, we recruit the best."
"But will they join easily? If they're pirates, betrayal's likely."
"I know. We'll use them."
"Them? You mean Luffy?"
Chuckling, Buggy nodded smugly.
"Exactly. They beat us, so their strength deserves some credit. Others will lose to them too. We recruit those, united by resentment, and form an alliance."
"Clever. Bound by grudge, not gold or trust."
"If they die before we meet again, they're just that weak. But if we do, we'll be ready…"
Buggy raised his mug; Alvida followed.
They clinked, eyes meeting, toasting.
"We're the 'Straw Hat Subjugation Alliance' from today! Gyahaha, we'll rise!"
"Nice spirit, Buggy. I'll follow for now."
Downing their drinks, they sealed the deal, birthing a new force.
Small now, but with potential to become an unstoppable storm.
In high spirits, the two began plotting their new voyage.
3
Den Den Mushi, creatures with unique traits, communicate via radio waves. Humans fitted them with receivers and buttons, making them telephones.
Having just finished a call, Wendy placed the receiver back on the snail's shell.
It fell asleep, the room quieting.
In the warship's office, sent as reinforcements, Wendy sighed deeply, slumping in her chair. The Lieutenant, seeing her, spoke up.
"Colonel, sit properly."
"No way. I'm done. Problems keep piling up…"
"No choice. Your obsession with that pirate caused this. Admiral Nelson Royale's missing, and the Eighth Branch is in chaos."
"Really? Maybe they're relieved."
"Don't say that, even if you think it. Be mature, Colonel."
Pouting like a child, Wendy sulked openly before her trusted Lieutenant.
He sighed, knowing she couldn't show this side to subordinates. She was capable and serious, but sometimes lost motivation, turning whiny—a troublesome habit.
Leaning back, rocking the chair, she spoke boredly.
"Vice Admiral Garp let Morgan escape. Fell asleep standing during the transfer. Said he found some lively youngsters, but Sengoku was right—Garp's free-spirited, for better or worse."
"That's Garp for you."
"Must've happened before, right?"
"Rarely. Letting an enemy escape? Unlikely. His combat prowess is top-tier, even now. In his prime, no one escaped."
"So, he's just old?"
"Can't deny it, but he's still strong. And Colonel, don't use Garp to dodge work. I'm not listening."
"Tch, I didn't even say anything."
Stretching, Wendy deepened the Lieutenant's frown.
He had plenty to say, struggling to choose where to start.
Scolding her sternly, he began.
"This voyage was a waste. You called for reinforcements, but don't mix in personal matters. The Eighth Branch needs reassignments, Shells Town's short-staffed, and other bases report corruption. It never ends. We can't return to the Grand Line."
"That's fine. I'll stay here a bit."
"You complained about missing family."
"Yeah, they'll miss me, but it's nice to work for East Blue's citizens sometimes."
"Haa… It's about him, isn't it?"
Wendy just laughed at the Lieutenant's sigh.
A knock came, and a marine entered, standing tall, reporting their arrival.
Wendy nodded, heading to the deck with the Lieutenant.
An island lay ahead.
A small one, with a village by the sandy shore.
Cocona Village—his hometown, from what he'd shared.
This was personal, her whim. She had questions, stories to hear, even briefly.
Her chest swelled with anticipation, a smile forming.
This new, unfamiliar excitement stirred her, uncontainable.
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