The sound of boots thudded against the worn wooden floor as Garp shoved open the tavern doors. The double panels banged against the wall, swinging on their old hinges. Jin followed behind, arms folded, his mercenary instincts already prickling at the sudden heaviness inside.
She was there.
At the counter, back straight, a long mane of pink hair spilling over a black suit jacket. Her silhouette was refined yet tense, every line screaming of discipline frayed at the edges. A cigarette glowed between her fingers. When the doors slammed, she turned sharply, instinct snapping like a drawn blade.
Her eyes — sharp, commanding, but hollowed by grief — locked onto Garp. In one fluid motion, she rose and saluted.
"Marine Headquarters, Captain-class Officer, Tina, reporting for duty!" Her voice cut through the tavern like steel striking stone.
For a heartbeat, Jin almost admired the sheer force of it. Then, like a candle guttering in the wind, the fire died. Her shoulders slumped as though she had just burned her last ounce of pride. She lowered her hand, returned to her seat, and dragged deeply on her cigarette. The smoke clouded her face, but it couldn't hide the weariness in her expression.
The tavern had grown quiet. Villagers drinking in the corner cast furtive glances, whispering. Marines didn't belong here — not in their sacred little pocket of peace.
"Oi," Garp's tone was strangely softer, his booming presence dialed down. "Tina. I pulled you here to give you something the Marines can't. A chance."
Her lips curled, bitter and sharp. She tilted her head back, exhaling a plume of smoke. "A chance?" Her voice dripped disbelief. "Can you bring my father back, Vice Admiral? Can the Marines punish the monster who killed him? Or will you just file another report and tell me to wait while more families burn?"
Jin's eyes narrowed. He'd seen this before — soldiers breaking after losing their anchor. Pride melting into rage, rage crumbling into despair. A mercenary king could spot a fractured soul like a wolf sniffing blood.
Tina laughed then, a sound jagged as broken glass. "If not for Vice Admiral Tsuru and my father's dying words, I would have resigned already. Tell me, Garp, is that the 'opportunity' you mean? To rot quietly while the beast that slaughtered him grows stronger?"
The tavern had gone silent now, every villager hanging on the sharp, trembling edges of her voice. Jin leaned casually against the bar, cutting the tension with his drawl.
"This isn't the place for this talk. Too many ears." His eyes flicked to Makino. "Ki-ki-neesan, we'll be out back."
Makino dipped her head, her calm smile hiding the flicker of worry in her gaze.
"Come, Tina-san." Jin pushed the back door open, gesturing like a gentleman leading a reluctant guest.
The stone table in Makino's back garden was already set with jars of fruit wine. Jin poured without asking, setting cups before Garp and Tina before seating himself. He didn't speak, letting the silence tighten, letting her own anger echo in her skull until Garp finally sighed.
"You need to understand," the Vice Admiral began, his face uncharacteristically serious. "The Navy isn't idle. The Yonko are growing, their territories swelling like storms. Kaido's beast army alone could flatten fleets. Whitebeard, Big Mom, Shanks… pulling one thread risks unraveling the entire sea. Sengoku is planning. We can't act recklessly."
"Planning?" Tina's voice cracked. She slammed her cup down, amber wine splashing across the stone. "You call hiding behind bureaucracy while monsters ravage families planning? My father's blood wasn't spilled by paperwork, Garp. It was spilled by Kaido's men. And you grounded me. Stripped me of duty. I am a Marine. My purpose is to fight pirates, not sit here waiting for orders that will never come!"
The heat in her words rippled through the garden. Even Makino, listening from the doorway, flinched.
"Calm down," Garp muttered, scratching his temple. "That's exactly why I brought you here. You can't find your revenge through Marine channels… but there may be another way."
Her head snapped toward him, disbelief flaring into fury. "Another way? Don't patronize me. Who in this world can face a Yonko if even the Marines won't? Tell me, Garp — are you mocking me?"
"Gahahaha," he laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm not the reliable one here, Tina."
Her glare said everything: no shit.
"Then who?" she spat.
Garp smirked, the cunning glint in his old eyes betraying his feigned cluelessness. "The one sitting next to you." He shoved his empty cup across the table and stood, stretching like a man escaping paperwork. "Talk it out with Jin. He'll make more sense to you than I ever will. I'm off."
Jin caught it — the little victorious twist at the corner of Garp's mouth before he turned his back. The old bastard was proud of his setup.
Tina exhaled slowly, then finally turned her full attention on Jin. Her eyes flicked over him, taking in the relaxed posture, the faint smirk, the black hair falling lazily across his brow, and the strange violet gleam of his eyes. He looked young, barely older than a cadet. Not a savior. Not a man who could tilt the balance of the seas.
Her lips thinned. She sighed.
Jin tilted his head, smile playing at the edge of his mouth. "That sigh… didn't sound like belief. More like disappointment."
"Because it is." Her words cut without hesitation. "You don't look like someone who could kill a Yonko. Not even close. Unless you have an army at your back, you're nothing but another drifter spouting bold words."
Jin chuckled low, leaning forward, elbows on the table. His voice dropped into something softer, but heavier, carrying the weight of a thousand battlefields. "An army? No. Armies die under cannons. I've seen it. I don't need an army. What I have is enough — a blade, a will, and the kind of experience that makes monsters bleed."
He paused, eyes half-lidded, and began listing as though reciting to himself. "Yonko, huh? Whitebeard — strongest man alive. Shanks — clever bastard, steady hand. Big Mom and Kaido… two storms that'll tear the seas apart. Whitebeard's still top dog, Shanks a close second. Kaido and Big Mom? Depends on which one you're unlucky enough to meet first."
The words rolled out smooth, casual, yet precise, every name weighed, every rank considered.
Tina blinked. For the first time since stepping into Windmill Village, her eyes widened not with grief, but with curiosity. "You… know of the Four Emperors? Not gossip, not rumors — but details." She leaned closer, smoke trailing from her lips as if she might inhale his secrets. "How? You're barely sixteen. No cadet should even understand their power, let alone analyze it like that. Who are you?"
Jin only smiled — sly, unhurried, the smile of a man who had already gambled with fate and won too many times to count.
"I'm Jin. And I know a lot more than you think, Tina-san."
The garden fell quiet. Only the soft clink of ice in his cup broke the silence.
And for the first time, she didn't look at him with disappointment. She looked at him with suspicion… and a flicker of dangerous hope.
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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