East Blue – Shimotsuki Village.
CRACK!
The sharp snap of bamboo against flesh echoed through the dojo courtyard.
Zoro hit the dirt, teeth gritted, bamboo sword tumbling from his fingers.
Kuina stood over him, breath steady, eyes cool and detached.
"You're still weak," she said. No cruelty. Just fact.
Zoro glared up at her, jaw tight. "I'll beat you one day."
Without waiting, he snatched up the sword and stormed off toward the training hall.
Kuina didn't follow him with her eyes. She looked past the dojo, to the giant tree that loomed in the yard like a silent guardian.
Her voice was soft.
"I'm ten now. He said he'd come back when I turned ten…"
Her hands clenched at her sides.
"So where the hell is he?"
Marine Headquarters – Marineford.
The office doors groaned open.
Garp entered like a man who'd never once been yelled at in his life — donuts in hand, coat slung over one shoulder, whistling off-key.
You're back from East Blue again?" Sengoku muttered, not looking up from his desk. His fingers moved rapidly across a stack of paperwork. "You really love that backwater, huh?"
Garp grinned like a bastard and casually slid open a floor cabinet. Inside, buried under a stack of obsolete bounty posters, was his emergency donut stash. He popped one in his mouth and dropped onto the couch without a care.
"Beautiful weather, bad coffee, and people don't scream when I show up. What's not to love?"
Sengoku sighed. "Tell me you didn't cause a mess again."
"I didn't." Garp chewed loudly. "Though I did get my ribs nearly shattered by a goddamn eleven-year-old."
That got Sengoku's full attention. He dropped the pen.
"You're not joking."
"Nope," Garp said, voice now serious. "I asked the kid to hit me. Figured I'd test his blade. He gave me one slash. Just one." He tapped his chest. "Had to coat myself in Armament Haki to stay standing. Still ended up spitting blood."
Sengoku's eyes narrowed. "Name?"
"Jin."
That name hung in the air like a shadow.
Garp leaned forward, face still smiling but eyes steel-cold. "He said he didn't want to be a pirate. But he didn't want to be a Marine either. Said he just wants to be free. If someone gets in his way—Marine, pirate, anyone—he'll cut them down."
"Of course," Sengoku muttered, rubbing his temples. "Another wildcard. Like we didn't have enough problems."
"He knows more than a brat his age should," Garp continued. "Talked about the Celestial Dragons like he's seen what they are. Said being in the Navy is just being their lapdog."
"Where the hell is he learning this shit?"
Garp didn't answer. He didn't need to. Both of them knew — some things weren't taught. Some truths were learned the hard way.
"You should've brought him in," Sengoku said. "Recruit him."
"I tried. He laughed in my face."
"He'll be a fucking problem if he turns pirate."
"Then don't let him." Garp smirked. "Or maybe, just maybe, let's not piss him off."
Sengoku snorted. "Don't be cute. That kid's a monster. If he ever joins a crew or builds one himself…"
"He won't," Garp said. "He walks alone. That's what makes him dangerous."
Sengoku looked out the window, gaze drifting across the towers of Marineford. "We've kept this world in balance for years—Yonko, Shichibukai, Marines. But if kids like him keep showing up…"
"Then maybe it's time the world got shaken up," Garp said quietly.
There was a long silence.
Then Garp stood, brushing crumbs off his pants. "Anyway, I'm requesting a year off."
"No."
Garp raised an eyebrow. "Didn't even think about it?"
"You just got back," Sengoku snapped. "You're not even bandaged."
"My insides feel like soup."
"You're built like a battleship and you eat donuts for medicine. Denied."
"Heartless bastard." Garp picked his nose as a sign of protest.
Sengoku threw a paperweight at him. "You want sympathy? Join the damn pirates."
Garp caught it mid-air and tossed it back with a grin. "No thanks. I don't like rules… but I hate cowards more."
"You're dismissed," Sengoku growled.
"Already leaving."
As Garp strolled out, Sengoku returned to his desk and muttered under his breath, "Jin… don't become a name I have to carve into history."
East Blue – Passenger Ship, En Route to Shimotsuki Village
Jin sneezed hard enough to wake a sleeping crewman.
He wiped his nose and scowled at the sea. "Son of a bitch… someone's talking shit about me again."
He leaned back in his chair, boot on the rail, letting the salt wind wash over him. He was almost home. The thought sent a weird ripple through his chest.
Home, huh?
He hadn't felt like he had one in years. Maybe decades. But Shimotsuki was close. And so was she.
"Kuina," he whispered, eyes narrowing with a strange warmth. "You better still be waiting, you little sword witch."
He reached into his coat and pulled out the tiny wooden token she'd carved him years ago. It was worn down by now, but he kept it close.
"Ten years old," he murmured. "Time flies."
On deck, a few Marines passed by on patrol. Jin didn't bother hiding. He was clean—no bounty, no flag.
Not yet.
But soon.
He eyed the sea. "Once her trial's done… I'm taking her with me. No excuses. No turning back."
He chuckled, deep and low. "She won't even know what hit her."
Then, for a brief moment, his gaze darkened.
"…If anyone tries to stop me…"
He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to.
This story is inspired from various fanfics i have read from around the world so if you find any similarities please dont mind . Thank you
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T/N :
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