Mid-October. Autumn deepened.
A gentle breeze mixed with fine drizzle drifted through the misty morning air of Marineford.
At the Navy Headquarters' harbor, a middle-aged man sat atop a mooring post, gazing out at the empty sea. His white "Justice" coat fluttered behind him, and the light rain dampened his purple hair.
"Kaka…"
"Hey, Zephyr. What're you doing sitting out here?"
"No classes at the Academy today?"
A burly middle-aged Marine walked up behind him, staring in confusion.
"Oh, Garp."
Zephyr turned his head, finding Garp behind him, chewing on senbei with a puzzled look on his face.
"Nothing much. If I've calculated correctly, Yoriichi should be arriving this morning."
"I had nothing better to do, so I figured I'd come down to the docks and take a look."
Zephyr shrugged casually, then suddenly seemed to think of something. He glanced at Garp and asked, "And what about you? Why are you here? Heading out to sea?"
"Heh heh heh."
"Nope. Haven't gotten any news about Roger lately—what would I set sail for?"
"I came to the port… heh, for the same reason you did."
Zephyr's brows twitched the moment he heard that. His voice deepened, laced with wariness:
"You're here… to pick up Yoriichi? And why exactly do you need to do that?"
"What kind of question is that? I'm the one who brought Tsugikuni Yoriichi into the Navy. Isn't it perfectly natural for me to check up on him?"
"Hahahahaha!"
Garp swallowed the senbei in his mouth and burst into laughter. But Zephyr's face darkened. He shot to his feet with a whoosh, pointing at Garp and shouting:
"You bastard, Garp! Could you stay away from Yoriichi for one second?!"
"He sailed with you for only three months and already picked up all your terrible habits!"
"You think I don't know what that brat did in the West Blue?!"
"A mere trainee—an intern third-class seaman—goes and does something that outrageous? Who else could he have learned that from?!"
Garp calmly extended his pinky to dig his nose, completely unfazed by Zephyr's fury. Turning away, he looked toward the sea and said with a grin:
"Don't blame me. How could that possibly be my influence?"
"You were the one who approved it. Don't think I don't know."
"Sengoku told me everything—you even had him promote Yoriichi to major."
"Heh. A twelve-year-old Headquarters major… that's quite the promotion speed."
As he spoke, Garp flicked away the speck from his fingertip. He wasn't taking any responsibility—if anything, his gaze teased Zephyr openly. Zephyr saw that look and his already simmering irritation flared into full-blown rage.
"That was because I had to clean up after that brat's mess!"
"If he hadn't acted on impulse, things wouldn't have blown up like that!"
"An internal investigation should be handled quietly—quietly! But he? He arrested the entire branch! Was he scared people wouldn't notice otherwise?!"
"He was such a good kid before! Calm, level-headed—how did he turn into this?!"
"Garp! Stay away from him! Your stupidity is rubbing off!"
"Shoo. Shoo!"
Zephyr flapped his hands at Garp like he was chasing away a stray cat or dog, even adding a literal "shoo shoo" sound.
"Hahahahahaha!"
"That kid did great—decisive, bold. The type who can accomplish big things!"
"Zephyr, I couldn't influence him even if I wanted to. That brat—young as he is—clearly has something he's determined to uphold."
"You can feel it too, can't you?"
As Garp spoke, a lone mast appeared in the distance. Before long, sails bearing the emblem of the 133rd Marine Branch rose into view on the horizon. Garp spotted the ship, turned to look, and grinned broadly.
"Something he's determined to uphold…"
"I don't need you to tell me. That kid… he has his own understanding of justice. That's why I chose to clean up his mess."
"My judgment is never wrong. Yoriichi… is the future of the Marines."
"And that's exactly why I absolutely will not let him turn into a fool like you!"
After saying that, Zephyr turned toward the approaching warship. The irritation on his face softened, replaced by something warmer.
"Didn't expect to be back this fast."
"It's only been a little over a month… I barely did anything, and the internship is already over."
"Feels kind of anticlimactic."
Standing at the bow of the 133rd Branch warship, Tsugikuni Yoriichi rested both hands on the railing as Marineford came into view. He couldn't help but sigh.
From early September, when he left Marineford for the West Blue, to now, only a little more than a month had passed. Nearly twenty days of that time had been spent simply traveling back and forth between Headquarters and the West Blue.
Meaning—Yoriichi had actually spent barely twenty days in the West Blue at all.
Yes, in that short period, his rank had jumped from Third-Class Seaman to Major, but Yoriichi knew very well that as for internship experience, he hadn't truly learned much of anything.
Practical navigation experience? None.
Bonding with local officers and soldiers? Also none.
His so-called "gains" amounted to nothing more than using the blade in his hand to carve out the aura befitting a Headquarters major… and making the name Tsugikuni Yoriichi echo throughout the West Blue.
As for exposing the corruption in the branch—honestly, that had just been incidental. And it had left him more annoyed than satisfied, even giving him a worse impression of the Marines overall. Hardly something he'd consider a "benefit."
No, his biggest gains from the West Blue were his new rank… and meeting Nico Olvia, Robin's mother.
Even now, Yoriichi could still picture Kuzan's crestfallen expression after returning from escorting Olvia back to Ohara. Every time it surfaced in his mind, he found it amusing all over again.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Pretty rare, isn't it? Yoriichi—look at the docks."
While Yoriichi was quietly amused over Kuzan's pitiful look, Victor approached and pointed toward the harbor, his voice tinged with surprise.
Following Victor's finger, Yoriichi spotted the two figures waiting at the pier—Zephyr and Garp. His smile deepened.
"…I'm back."
The warship slowed as it neared the harbor, eventually docking smoothly. Before the anchor had fully settled into the water—and before the wooden gangplank had even descended—Yoriichi's figure vanished from the bow.
On the dock, Zephyr and Garp both had their heads tilted upward, watching the warship settle. Then—almost at the exact same moment—both sensed something and lowered their gazes.
"Looks like you've improved again, brat."
Garp tilted his head slightly, catching sight of the figure behind him.
"Indeed. His speed's increased a lot. His blend of Armament Haki and 'Soru' is nearly flawless now."
Zephyr also turned with a smile, voice full of approval.
Behind the two stood Tsugikuni Yoriichi—now wearing a crisp white Marine officer's uniform, the Headquarters' "Justice" coat draped over his shoulders, and a long sword at his hip. He looked at the two of them with a bright, easy smile.
Compared to the month-ago version of him, dressed in a sailor uniform like some ordinary low-ranking grunt, the current Yoriichi truly had the composure—and presence—of a Marine officer.
"Vice Admiral Garp."
"Long time no see."
"Zephyr-sensei… I'm back."
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