The first thing Rosinante did upon his return was burn two "Justice" coats.
Wright had no choice but to kick him back to Marine Headquarters, leaving Sengoku to handle the formalities of his impending promotion to Vice Admiral...
That's right—Rosinante, one of Wright's closest friends, had already been promoted to Rear Admiral before setting off on his mission to Wano.
Over the years, he had flawlessly carried out his mission, investigating Wano from Orochi's palace down to the lowest rungs of society, uncovering nearly everything there was to know!
While some deeper secrets remained hidden, most of Wano's affairs—at least from the era of Oden to the present—were no longer mysteries to Marine Headquarters.
Thus, Rosinante's achievements were monumental. Coupled with his training in Wano and his significant growth in strength, his promotion to Vice Admiral was more than well deserved.
...
"Hm... Less than a month until Uncle Wright's promotion ceremony."
On a beach of an island in the East Blue—
The recently renowned bounty hunter, "Fire Fist" Ace, lounged on a peculiar-looking small boat, legs crossed in a relaxed manner.
Speaking of East Blue pirates... well, things weren't looking great for them.
As Wright's reputation continued to soar and his rank climbed ever higher, one particular profession remained immensely popular in the East Blue—
Bounty hunting.
And now, with Wright on the verge of becoming the unprecedented fourth Admiral, his legacy was spreading across the world.
His early exploits were naturally being recounted once more in great detail, and among them, his one-man crusade through the East Blue was a story no one could ignore.
As a result, bounty hunters had practically become the embodiment of justice in the East Blue. Many who despised the constraints of the Marine code yet still aspired to uphold justice had taken up arms against the pirates.
Ace, ever the adventurer, had gone through several bouts of starvation with no money for food—yet, adhering to Wright's teachings, he never resorted to stealing meals...
And so, he had inevitably become a bounty hunter—especially after encountering a rather useless companion.
After acquiring the Mera Mera no Mi, Ace discovered he was not alone on the island where he had been stranded—there was another unfortunate soul awaiting death.
That man was none other than his current companion—Masked Deuce, a former medical student with abysmal combat ability, at least compared to Ace.
Together, they modified Ace's small boat into a speedboat powered by flames, finally escaping the island's strange coastal currents. This experience also prompted Ace to start seriously studying navigation.
After all, he was already hopeless on water—if he didn't pay attention, things could become troublesome quickly.
Unlike Wright, who had once systematically cleared out pirates, Ace as a bounty hunter focused more on adventure. And truthfully, the number of pirates in the East Blue had dwindled significantly.
"I've made quite a name for myself recently, and Uncle Wright is already about to become an Admiral... I haven't even reached the Grand Line yet."
Scratching his head, Ace let out a sigh. "I wonder when Uncle Wright will come pick me up?"
"Hey! Ace, the freshwater supply is all set. How's the food storage looking?"
Deuce's voice rang out. Ace looked up to see him carrying a bucket of water as he approached.
"All good—grilled fish, roasted meat... even some smoked provisions!"
Ace flipped himself upright, proudly showing off his handiwork to Deuce.
Deuce nodded approvingly at the perfectly cooked fish and meat in the cabin, all caught by Ace and himself from the surrounding island and sea.
"You know, Ace... you might have a knack for being a chef. Your fire control skills would make any top-tier cook envious!"
"Ahahaha... It's just part of my training. You remember how bad I was at first."
A small flame flickered to life on Ace's fingertips. As he manipulated it, the flame grew larger and smaller, taking on different forms—a ring of fire, a fireball, a fiery spike, even a blade of flame.
"The Mera Mera no Mi is incredibly powerful, but without precise control, I'll never become truly strong."
Recalling Wright's teachings, Ace furrowed his brows and intensified his focus.
The orange flames on his fingers lightened slightly in color.
"Still not enough. Increasing the temperature of my flames won't be easy."
Deuce set down the water bucket and shook his head. "Ace, there's no rush. At your current level, you're practically unbeatable in the East Blue."
"You're still young, and your strength is growing at an insane rate. If you keep this up, how are the old veterans supposed to survive?"
"Hah! With my skills, I probably wouldn't even last a single attack against Uncle Wright..."
Ace understood the strengths and weaknesses of Logia users well—Wright had drilled it into him and his brothers when they were kids. He wasn't about to overestimate himself.
"What kind of comparison is that?!"
Deuce groaned. "That's an Admiral you're talking about! Just what kind of monster raised you guys?!"
Deuce's understanding of Ace's background was limited to a few key facts—his grandfather was a Marine, his mentor was Wright, and he had two sworn brothers.
As for how he had discovered Wright was his mentor, it had only been recently—when Ace saw a full-color feature article detailing Wright's defeat of Shiki the Golden Lion, he had absentmindedly muttered, "Uncle..."
Deuce didn't even bother questioning why it was "Uncle" instead of "Teacher."
"Alright, let's head for the Grand Line. We're close to Reverse Mountain now, and I've gone through all the available charts."
Ace extinguished his flames and climbed into the boat, signaling Deuce to get aboard. For now, Ace was their designated navigator—out of necessity.
As for Loguetown, Ace had briefly stopped by, but Roger's legacy no longer had any hold over his free will.
Deuce hopped aboard. At the stern, flames burst from the boat under Ace's control, propelling them forward.
"The Grand Line—haha, get ready for a trial by fire!"
...
The Grand Line, Alabasta.
Cobra found himself both delighted and troubled in recent days.
He was elated because Wright was soon to be promoted to Admiral, and the development of Skypiea was progressing smoothly. The massive investments from Germa and Gran Tesoro in Alabasta had invigorated the nation's economy.
Initially, Cobra had been hesitant to increase taxes, especially after mobilizing the army frequently during the crackdown on Baroque Works, which had drained the treasury. But now, the national coffers were filling up again, and his mood had improved considerably.
Moreover, as Wright's staunch ally, Alabasta had been among the first to receive the newly assembled fifth-generation Lightforged Beacons—an endless energy source developed by Germa.
New supply stations had been established in Alabasta's drought-prone inland cities, heavily guarded and classified as top-secret, ensuring these beacons remained unknown to the public and pirates alike.
Yet, Cobra's biggest headache was Princess Vivi.
Ever since she began studying history and archaeology under Nico Robin, she had been practically invisible, buried in books.
With over 4,000 years of history, what could be more fascinating to Vivi than exploring her own kingdom?
And then there was Pell, who was openly flying Vivi around the country...
But what truly worried Cobra was a certain someone—someone who had recently come down from Skypiea and was seeing the sea for the first time.
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