Sabaody Archipelago.
With Kuina's help, Kojin changed into a fresh Marine uniform. His previous one had been completely destroyed during the battle, whenever Kojin really got into a fight, tearing through his clothes was practically inevitable. Ordinary fabric simply couldn't withstand the strain of his body.
About ten minutes later, Vice Admiral Joyce arrived with a serious expression and began reporting on the aftermath.
"The civilians in Area 12 were evacuated in time, so damage there was limited," Joyce delivered the report carefully. "I also ordered the evacuation of the four neighboring areas closest to Area 12 ahead of time, which prevented further casualties. Our people haven't found any trace of Dark King Rayleigh."
Joyce was deeply grateful to Kojin. Not long ago, when he'd been trapped in an awkward, dangerous situation involving a Celestial Dragon, Kojin had stepped in and resolved it for him. In a sense, the Admiral in front of him had saved his life.
"How is the pirate suppression operation going?" Kojin asked. "This is the island closest to Marine Headquarters and the final stop of the first half of the Grand Line. Sabaody's location makes its defense one of the Marines' most important responsibilities. I don't care how much the Celestial Dragons lose or whether they get hurt during a pirate attack. Compared to them, civilian casualties and economic losses matter far more."
Joyce took a deep breath and answered without hesitation. "Nearly every Marine stationed on Sabaody was deployed. We now have the situation completely under control. The chaos caused by the Eleven Supernovas was fully suppressed after you intervened earlier, and we've captured most of the ringleaders. Including captains, officers, and crew members from other pirate groups, the total number killed, wounded, or arrested has exceeded thirty-five hundred."
At that point, Joyce couldn't hide a trace of excitement. "A pirate suppression operation on this scale hasn't happened here in more than ten years. It's dealt a serious blow to the pirates' arrogance. Even the ones still hiding on the island don't dare show themselves now."
After a brief pause, he continued. "As for the civilians, we've already registered everyone who suffered losses during the fighting and unrest. We'll submit compensation requests afterward and help them rebuild." Joyce sighed. "As long as pirates exist, ordinary people will always be the ones who suffer most."
Hearing that, Kojin's opinion of Joyce improved considerably. Clearly, the man was practical. He might not be one of the strongest Vice Admirals, but his ability to actually get things done was excellent. When the unrest broke out, he had made decisive, accurate judgments in a very short time, issued the right orders, and after meeting Kojin, quickly understood what kind of person he was. Most importantly, he had placed the safety and interests of civilians first.
'Useful,' Kojin thought to himself. Then he smiled. "You've worked hard, Vice Admiral Joyce."
A smile appeared on Joyce's face as well. "Admiral Kojin, may I ask you something?" He had suddenly remembered the question that had been bothering him.
"Go ahead," Kojin smiled. He was usually quite tolerant of competent people who had principles and was more than willing to deal with them.
"There are only a handful of people in the world capable of fighting you on that scale, Admiral," Joyce spoke carefully. "So who exactly was the person who appeared on Sabaody?"
The identities and abilities of the world's strongest fighters were always a topic of endless discussion. For Joyce, this wasn't merely gossip, it was valuable intelligence.
"The one who fought me?" Kojin narrowed his eyes slightly, then smiled. "I suppose there's no harm in telling you."
Joyce listened closely.
"Monkey D. Luffy."
Kojin gave him the name and walked past him.
Joyce was left standing in stunned silence, his expression changing dramatically.
"Straw Hat… Monkey D. Luffy?! How is that possible?! He's only ranked second among the Eleven Supernovas! How could he possibly have enough power to fight Admiral Kojin?!"
The answer sounded completely absurd, and yet Joyce believed him. Someone of Kojin's strength and position had no reason to lie, nor any need to exaggerate someone else's reputation.
"Send every Supernova captured during this operation to Headquarters," Kojin's voice drifted back on the wind from farther away.
Joyce immediately turned and bowed. "Yes, sir!"
Only after Kojin had completely disappeared did Joyce's expression turn serious again. He summoned his adjutant.
"Gather every Marine who was present in Area 12 earlier. I want everything they know about the person who fought Admiral Kojin. And immediately send all the captured Supernova pirate crews to Marineford. Make sure they're handed directly to Admiral Kojin or one of his subordinates."
The adjutant carefully memorized every instruction before turning and leaving.
An hour later, Joyce personally questioned every Marine who had witnessed the battle in Area 12.
"The pressure at the center of the battlefield was suffocating. I couldn't get anywhere near it."
"I only saw Admiral Kojin's opponent from a distance, but he looked almost exactly like Straw Hat Luffy."
"I think he must be someone connected to Straw Hat. Maybe a twin brother or something."
"There's no way it was actually Straw Hat himself. He might be a famous Supernova, but there's no way he could fight an Admiral!"
…
After compiling all of their testimonies, Joyce arrived at a conclusion so shocking that he sucked in a sharp breath.
'Admiral Kojin was telling the truth after all! Monkey D. Luffy, the biggest dark horse of this era, actually fought the strongest Admiral at Headquarters and still managed to leave alive! Has he already reached Emperor-level strength?'
If news like this spread, it would undoubtedly shake the entire world.
Joyce pulled Straw Hat Luffy's bounty poster from a thick stack of documents and slapped it onto the desk, his expression constantly changing. "I heard his grandfather is the Marine Hero, Garp… and Admiral Kojin is Vice Admiral Garp's disciple. What an unbelievable bloodline and legacy…"
After hesitating for a moment, Joyce carefully prepared a detailed written report and personally sent it to the Fleet Admiral's office at Marine Headquarters.
---
Kojin arrived at Marineford two hours later.
The moment he stepped off the ship, he received an unexpected report.
"Roronoa Zoro, the Pirate Hunter and one of the Eleven Supernovas, accidentally fell into the training field! He ran into the Marines of the Asura Class while they were training and has already been defeated and captured!"
The Marine delivering the report looked extremely nervous, but Kojin immediately grinned.
Bartholomew Kuma froze for a moment, a faint light flashing in his eyes.
"You didn't really think you could keep pulling little tricks right under my nose, did you?" Kojin smiled calmly. "That would be looking down on me, Kuma."
Kuina's expression immediately turned anxious. "Sensei, Zoro, "
"I know you're worried," Kojin cut her off. "But don't panic yet."
He started walking toward the training field. "Why don't we go see how that green-haired brat is doing first?"
Kuina forced herself to calm down and nodded. She trusted her teacher completely. Kojin's actions could sometimes seem strange or impossible to understand, but she knew there was always a reason behind them.
Still, Zoro somehow falling directly into Marineford and immediately getting captured… No matter how she looked at it, this felt like something Sensei had deliberately arranged.
Thinking of that, Kuina glanced at Kuma beside her. Even Bartholomew Kuma, one of the Seven Warlords, hadn't managed to escape Sensei's control.
A short while later, Kojin entered the training field. There, he found Zoro lying on the ground, covered in blood, even his green hair was stained red. There were no Seastone cuffs on him, but he clearly couldn't move.
Against Rob Lucci, the newly strengthened Gecko Moria, Daz Bones, and the others all attacking him together, guts and determination hadn't been enough. He had lost badly. If Koby hadn't desperately begged them to stop, pulling rank on his connection as Kojin's junior brother, Zoro might already have died under their combined onslaught.
"Zoro!" Kuina's expression changed as she hurried over. "How are you?"
Seeing his childhood friend, Zoro finally relaxed a little, but he still clenched his teeth and stubbornly answered, "I'm fine."
Kojin smiled and slowly sat down on a chair Perona had dragged over. "We meet again, Roronoa Zoro."
Zoro lay on the ground, too injured to move, but his mouth was still as stubborn as ever. "I didn't want to see your face again."
Kojin chuckled and narrowed his eyes. "Do you want to live? I can give you a few options."
Zoro's gaze sharpened, but he said nothing.
"Become a Marine, Zoro. I genuinely admire your talent with the sword. In my opinion, you're a prodigy no less gifted than Kuina."
Zoro froze for a moment, then a mocking smile appeared on his face. He spat out two words: "Keep dreaming."
Become a Marine? Impossible.
He had already made a promise with Luffy, he would help Luffy become Pirate King, and he himself would become the world's greatest swordsman.
"What a shame," Kojin shook his head.
At that moment, Kuina suddenly became anxious. She hurried forward and dropped to both knees with a thud. "I beg you. Please take Zoro as your disciple and teach him swordsmanship!"
The sight made Zoro's heart jolt. "KUINA!!"
Kojin looked at his beloved disciple, a trace of tenderness appearing in his eyes. In the end, he sighed softly. "After experiencing the despair of being powerless, a person should understand the importance of strength even more. And they'll be willing to pay any price to keep climbing toward the top."
He paused and looked toward Zoro. "You want me to take a pirate as my disciple? And teach him swordsmanship, Kuina?"
She kept her forehead pressed against the ground and said nothing.
Zoro clenched his fist. Kojin's words had struck straight at his heart. Without strength, he couldn't even control his own life. That feeling of helplessness really was despairing.
After a long silence, Kojin's voice drifted over again.
"You want to become my disciple. You want to grow stronger. You have ambitions big enough to shake the heavens… but you're letting a woman ask for you? Aren't you ashamed? If you want someone to accept you as their disciple… then you should ask them yourself."
(End of Chapter)
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