Chapter 52: Settling In
The outcome of the 'fight' was never in doubt. Satoru had effortlessly knocked every single one of them to the ground. Now, hundreds of Marines lay sprawled across the dock, staring blankly at the sky. The light had gone out of their eyes. They were questioning their entire existence. One moment they were charging, the next... they were here. They didn't even understand what had happened.
"Hmm. Their strength and combat ability are actually quite good," Satoru mused, brushing non-existent dust from his sleeves.
During the brief scuffle, these men had surprised him. Every single one of them had used Armament Haki. It suddenly reminded him of something from his past life's memories—in the Dressrosa arc, even a random Marine cannon fodder had used Armament Haki. It showed that in the New World, Armament Haki really was common. Maybe not every pirate had it, but it seemed like a required skill for every Marine stationed here.
"Well, it looks like you've tamed these thorns completely," Garp boomed, looking at the defeated men who had lost all their earlier arrogance.
"In this world," Satoru said simply, "your fists are the most useful things."
"Alright then! Come catch up with this old man! I'll fill you in on the basics of this base while I'm at it."
"Yes, sir."
Normally, the base's executive officer would give the briefing. But right now, that officer was lying on the ground, doubting his life choices. So the task fell to Garp.
In the commander's office, Garp plopped himself into the big chair behind the desk as if he owned it. Satoru sat across from him.
"This naval base," Garp began, his usual boisterousness gone, "is arguably the most dangerous posting the Navy has in the New World."
In an instant, the mood turned serious.
"It's situated right between the territories claimed by the Beast Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates. Because of that, it gets harassed by both crews more than any other place. Since it was built, this base has almost been destroyed by those two crews several times.
"So I'll ask you one more time. Are you sure you want to stay here? Your tricky abilities might work on other people. But against Kaido or Linlin... they're nothing. Both of those monsters have mastered Advanced Conqueror's Haki infusion."
When Garp first learned where Satoru was being sent, he'd been furious. No one wanted to see family in such danger, even if that family member had a way to protect themselves.
"Of course, old man," Satoru replied, his voice steady. "This is the perfect place for me. Even if those two don't come looking for me, I'll find a chance to meet them myself. And the 'Strongest Man in the World,' Whitebeard... I'm very interested in him, too."
Hearing this, Garp stared hard at Satoru, his expression unreadable. Finally, seeing the unwavering confidence on the boy's face, Garp's stern look broke into a wide grin.
"You kid... you might not share our blood, but your personality is exactly like ours!"
Garp had surrendered. He knew he couldn't change Satoru's mind.
"Since you've made your decision, I won't say more. Zephyr wanted me to talk you into coming back. Looks like I failed, too."
Garp and Zephyr were like worried parents, fretting over a child going on a long journey. In their own ways, they just wanted him to grow up safe in a comfortable place.
"Don't worry, old man," Satoru said, a confident glint in his blue eyes. "Nothing will happen to me. Because I'm very strong."
"Hahaha! Confidence is good, kid! But don't let it turn into arrogance. That'll only get you hurt."
"I know. I'm always careful about that."
"That's good." Garp leaned back, his tone softening. "If you get the chance, go visit Windmill Village. Luffy and everyone in the village miss you a lot."
Hearing that, images flashed in Satoru's mind: Luffy's rubbery grin, Makino's gentle smile, the Mayor's grumpy face. A warmth spread in his chest.
"Yeah. I will. I miss them, too."
It had been two years since he'd been back. And he wouldn't be able to return anytime soon. The commander of a New World base couldn't just leave on a whim. Just as the Navy had spies watching pirate movements, the area around their base was full of eyes from various forces. If they discovered the base commander was gone, they might use that opening to launch a surprise attack and destroy the Navy's foothold.
That would be a massive blow. Establishing a base in the New World cost an enormous amount of manpower and resources. It was even harder because the pirates who ruled these seas wouldn't just let them build it. No one wanted a watchdog right on their doorstep.
So for at least the next two years, Satoru was stuck here. He needed that time to subdue all the pirates in the surrounding waters.
After talking a while longer, Garp got up to leave, claiming he was going on vacation and wouldn't stick around to 'work overtime.' Satoru could only smile wryly and not press him. Right now, nothing was more important to Garp than going home to see his grandson.
After Garp's ship sailed away, Satoru got to work. Before he could start campaigning against the local pirates, he had to whip the Marines of G-8 into better shape.
They knew Armament Haki, but their attacks were basic—mostly just slashing with swords.
So Satoru decided to teach them Rokushiki, the Navy's Six Powers. They didn't all need to master all six, but everyone had to learn at least two. That would greatly increase their survivability in future battles.
Satoru himself had only properly learned Shigan (Finger Gun) and Rankyaku (Storm Leg) from Zephyr. But he could use the others if he wanted. As he saw it, this was simple stuff. You either could use it or you couldn't. And for him, seeing it once was enough to understand it.
He walked out onto the training ground where the Marines were slowly picking themselves up, groaning. He clapped his hands together, getting their attention. Hundreds of bruised, wary faces turned to him.
"Alright, listen up! Your vacation is over. Starting tomorrow, we begin real training. I'm going to teach you how to truly fight in the New World. The first lesson: never assume your enemy will fight fair. The second lesson: learn to hit harder, move faster, and survive longer. Any questions?"
There were none. The fight, brief as it was, had answered all their questions about his right to command. The thorns had been trimmed. Now, it was time to forge them into sharper weapons. The rule of Monkey D. Satoru at G-8 had officially begun.