Notice: Please note that some character names have been changed. Kindly refer to the list below for the updated names.
*Roca, Rocca to Loka*
After everything had settled, Rear Admiral Garp and Major Loka led the Navy forces into the royal palace of the Kingdom of Neil.
They were like the justice heroes in movies—always showing up just a bit too late. They never missed an appearance, but they were always fashionably late.
Outside the grand hall, the furious hurricane subsided, and Aokiji's powers were undone. The ice wall in front of them shattered and dispersed.
Yoriichi and Aokiji walked out of the palace and happened to spot Garp and Loka, who were leading a group of Navy soldiers, surrounding the entire hall.
Yoriichi's gaze lingered briefly on Garp and Loka before he couldn't help but glance towards the distant palace wall.
Atop the towering wall, a large hole appeared out of nowhere. Next to it, the royal palace's main gate stood wide open.
Yoriichi was certain that when Garp and the others arrived, the Devil Fruit user who created the mud fort had already been dealt with. Despite this, Garp still didn't take the usual path.
When they saw Yoriichi and Aokiji emerge from the hall, Garp and Loka only glanced inside for a moment before their eyes settled on Yoriichi and Aokiji.
Garp smiled and patted Major Loka's back with pride, saying,
"Loka, this was taken care of by my two boys. No need to thank me."
"I'll leave the credit to you. If anything happens, just help them out in the future."
Garp's grin was radiant. With his keen Observation Haki, he had already understood the scene inside. The decapitated corpse near the throne was clearly Yoriichi's work. The ice shards on the floor were most likely from Aokiji's powers.
Garp was very familiar with both of their combat styles!
When Garp first brought Yoriichi from Ryugu Island, Yoriichi had personally wiped out a group of pirates, each strike decapitating them—his methods as ruthless as today's.
As for Aokiji, his Devil Fruit ability was well-known in the Navy, and having spent some time under Garp, he knew Aokiji very well.
"Hmph!"
"How could I thank you for that?"
"Not holding you accountable is already quite generous."
"While these two kids took care of the pirates, you still went ahead and damaged the palace walls."
"Don't you think you should pay for that?!"
"I'll speak to Steel Bone Kong. They'll deduct it from your salary!"
Loka snorted in displeasure, but Garp didn't feel guilty in the slightest. He nonchalantly picked his nose with his pinky, clearly uninterested in Loka's words.
Seeing Garp's indifferent attitude, Loka sighed, called over his aide, whispered a few words to him, and then walked over to Yoriichi and Aokiji with a changed attitude, smiling warmly.
"You two are impressive!" he said, his admiration clear.
"I've received intel. The ones who attacked the palace were the Nuke Pirates!"
"The captain, Nuke, ate the Mud-Mud Fruit and is a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, with a bounty of two hundred million!"
"He committed numerous crimes in the North Blue—he's a troublesome character."
"His crew also has some strong members. It's impressive that you both managed to clear out the Nuke Pirates!"
"You've done something at your age that I never could back then!"
Loka didn't hide his admiration for both Aokiji and Yoriichi, complimenting them openly.
At this moment, Loka's aide returned to his side and reported, "Major Loka, there are no enemies left in the hall. We've found the king's body and successfully rescued the queen and several attendants."
"We also located Captain Nuke's corpse, confirming that he has been decapitated."
"However... the rest of the Nuke Pirates…"
Before the aide could finish, Loka waved his hand with a smile, "Just record that they were all eliminated. That's all that matters."
"Ah, the youth today… truly remarkable."
Loka's gaze lingered on Aokiji for a moment before shifting to Yoriichi. While Loka was familiar with Aokiji's abilities, it was Yoriichi, the young teenager, who truly amazed him.
Loka's Observation Haki was incredibly strong, and he had already gathered the entire scene in his mind. The state of Nuke's body was clear—it was a clean decapitation, no signs of a fight.
Instant kill! Absolutely an instant kill!
Loka knew it wasn't Aokiji who did this.
Aokiji was well-known in the Navy, and his combat style wasn't like this. The person who ended Nuke's life so swiftly was clearly Yoriichi, standing next to Aokiji.
A single slash to kill a pirate worth two hundred million.
"If I remember correctly, Garp told me you're only twelve years old, right?"
"Hehehe, Yoriichi, huh? You're wasting your talent under Garp. How about you come work with me?"
"I'll treat you as a successor and train you properly."
Loka bent down slightly and patted Yoriichi on the shoulder. He didn't hide his fondness for Yoriichi, even trying to poach him right in front of Garp.
Yoriichi was momentarily stunned by Loka's sudden proposition. He hadn't expected the old major to say such a thing. With a light chuckle, he shook his head.
"I appreciate Major Loka's kindness, but I still prefer to sail with Rear Admiral Garp."
"I want to see more of the vast seas."
Yoriichi's refusal was without hesitation. Although Loka was a kind, friendly old man, and Yoriichi didn't dislike him, compared to staying at the base with Major Loka, Yoriichi preferred to sail with Garp.
After all, Garp was the strongest Navy officer he knew, and with Roger still out there, sailing with Garp would give Yoriichi the chance to witness the strength of the Pirate King. He was deeply curious about these top-tier figures of the seas.
Yoriichi was simple and pure, with no real desire for wealth, fame, or power.
He only hoped that when he traveled across the world, he wouldn't be faced with ruin and death everywhere.
He simply wished to improve his strength, to challenge various powerful enemies and defeat them.
Training was addictive, much like working out.
Seeing his body transform little by little for the better, watching his strength grow, was a feeling that words couldn't quite describe.
And combat was addictive too. Overcoming powerful foes gave Yoriichi a satisfaction unlike any other.
"Is that so… what a shame."
"I know you're not yet a full-fledged Navy officer. Whether it's Garp or Zephyr, they won't restrict your freedom."
"Yoriichi, whenever you have time, you're welcome to visit me."
Loka's brief disappointment faded as he smiled brightly again. He didn't linger on the topic, instead directing the officers to clean the battlefield and comfort the survivors.
After that, things no longer concerned Yoriichi and Aokiji. The lieutenant in the base asked them briefly about what had happened and then allowed them to leave.
Aokiji and Yoriichi walked back to the food street they had visited earlier. They ate and strolled, but their mood was not as high as before. Because of the Nuke Pirates, their spirits were low, and after a short while, they hurried back to the Navy base.
"Pirates… they're truly rampant!" Aokiji suddenly said, his voice tinged with frustration.
"For the sake of wealth and power, they harm innocent people. These scum… they deserve to die!"
At a lawn in the Navy base, Yoriichi sat under a tree, meditating with his eyes closed.
Clearing his mind through meditation was actually a great way to relax.
Aokiji lay beside him, his hands behind his head, staring at the blue sky. After a moment, he spoke again.
Hours had passed since the battle, but Aokiji was still thinking about it. This young Navy officer, full of righteous anger, couldn't let go of his fury so easily.
"Yeah, they deserve to die. Isn't that why you joined the Navy in the first place?"
"You did it. So why are you still dwelling on all this anger?"
Yoriichi asked, somewhat speechless. He had been meditating, but Aokiji kept grumbling by his side, venting his anger. He had never expected the normally cold Aokiji to be so hot-blooded when he was young.
"Hah!"
"Yeah, I joined the Navy to punish these people!"
"And I've done it!"
Aokiji nodded, muttering to himself, then fell silent.
"Those scum… really deserve to die!"
Suddenly, after a few minutes of quiet, Aokiji muttered bitterly again.
*********
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