Not too far away, under a different stretch of sky in the East Blue, a Marine warship cut through the waves like a steel shark.
On its prow, Monkey D. Garp stood with his arms crossed, cloak fluttering behind him. The Den Den Mushi at his side had gone back to sleep, but his mind hadn't.
Bogard approached quietly, as he always did.
"You indulged him," the swordsman remarked, stopping at Garp's side.
Garp snorted. "Brat would've gone out anyway. At least this way I can point him in the right direction."
Bogard's gaze was calm, unreadable. "You believe he'll aim correctly?"
Garp didn't answer at once.
He remembered Sabo's letter, how two of his grandkids wept for the loss of a child he was beginning to see as his third.
He remembered the wails and the terror he could sense as the Grey Terminal burned.
He remembered a boy with fire in his eyes and a pipe over his shoulder, shouting about freedom and the rotten nobles.
He remembered being shackled when he wanted nothing more than to throw a punch.
"That kid," Garp said hoarsely, "sees the world too clearly for his own good. Something's changed in him; he's sharper than he used to be."
Bogard glanced at him. "Reminds you of someone?"
"Reminds me of too many someones," Garp grumbled. "Dragon with his revolution crap. Sabo with his nobles. Even Sengoku when he's yelling at the higher-ups and pretending he's not tired."
He gripped the railing tighter, the material creaking under his strength.
"He's going to sail from one mess to another," Garp muttered. "He's going to see things the World Government doesn't want seen."
"And then?" Bogard asked.
Garp's jaw worked.
"Then he's going to call me," he said. "And I'm going to have to decide what I care about more, the uniform, or the people it's supposed to protect."
Bogard studied his profile, the deep lines etched by too many battles and too many compromises.
"And where do you lean now?" he asked softly.
Garp didn't speak immediately, his mind going back to a certain battlefield where Gods clashed.
He remembered his old rival, and the man who had the ambition to conquer the world.
He remembered the cries of slaves and civilians alike as the so-called "nobles" hunted them for sport.
And he remembered the thing that one of the five elders turned into. That creature that assaulted his haki with a greed and a darkness so fathomless that, even now, he felt lucky to escape.
Fire. Screams. The thunder of tyrants laughing over cages.
And Dragon — a young, furious Dragon — shackled for trying to save children marked as "Prizes" for the nobles.
Garp remembered smashing those bars with his bare hands.
He remembered Dragon's eyes — too sharp, too knowing, too angry for a boy that age.
He remembered the conversation that followed, whispered in the smoke while the Celestial Dragons were busy hunting children like game pieces.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
God Valley, 38 Years Ago
Dragon's wrists were raw and bleeding where the shackles had torn him.
"Why?" he demanded, breath trembling but voice steady. "Why save me? You serve them. You serve the system that lets this happen."
Garp said nothing at first. He simply crushed the last of the collar around Dragon's neck and threw it aside.
"I serve people," he said finally, voice low. "Not these bastards."
Dragon stared at him.
"Then leave. If you hate this—leave."
Garp's jaw clenched.
"You think I haven't thought about it?" he muttered. "I saw something today that… that should never exist. Something those so-called 'Gods' hide even from the highest ranks. If I try to walk away now—"
He didn't finish.
He didn't have to.
Dragon understood. The World Government wouldn't just kill him, they'd burn islands to break him, slaughter anybody associated with him, destroy anything he loved. Just to make an example.
Garp forced a breath.
"So I stay. I protect who I can. I shield the good Marines who don't know what's above them. I'll keep punching monsters wherever I'm allowed to."
Dragon's eyes softened.
"And when you're not allowed?"
"…I look the other way."
The admission tasted like poison.
Dragon grabbed his wrist.
"That's not justice."
Garp met his son's gaze — blazing, unyielding.
"I know."
Silence. Then Dragon said the words that would echo in Garp's mind decades later:
"If you can't change the system from inside… someday, someone will have to from outside."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CURRENT DAY
That was nearly forty years ago now. For a time, his plan had worked. But "looking the other way" had slowly become the norm, and "turning a blind eye" had chipped away at his sense of duty.
The truth is, Garp had long since lost the pride in wearing the uniform. What he hadn't forgotten was the pride in his justice. The issue was, after everything he'd seen, all the secrets he knew… that weight had dulled his fire.
Maybe it had been a design by those old bastards and that "Rat King", as Rocks had so affectionately called it, to bring him to heel. Or, maybe it was a natural consequence of being in his position.
But now, something in Luffy's voice had stirred a familiar flame, the fiery pride he once took in bringing justice to those who needed it.
"…Toward the brat," he said. "Same as always."
He forced a laugh a moment later, shaking off the heaviness.
"Besides," he scoffed, "if I leave justice to those puffed-up idiots at Mariejois, the sea'll be ruined in a year. Someone's gotta keep an eye on 'em. Whether I'm wearing this coat or not."
Bogard smiled faintly.
"Then I suppose we should be ready for the day the Hero of the Marines gets in trouble for standing with the Hero of the Seas."
Garp barked out a genuine laugh at that, loud and booming.
"BWHAHAHAHA! Let 'em try! I'll crush every idiot between me and my grandsons!"
The warship sailed on, but a seed had been planted. A small, stubborn hope in a better future.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back on the cruise ship
By the next morning, the luxury cruise ship had become a strange fusion of vacation vessel and recovery ward.
The crew, grateful to be alive, worked tirelessly to patch the damage Alvida's arrival had caused. Passengers stayed mostly below deck, more than happy to stay out of the way of anything remotely exciting.
On the foredeck, Nami stood with her map and compass, eyes narrowed in concentration. A gentle breeze rustled her hair as she checked the position of the sun.
Koby and Luffy were nearby. One doing pushups, the other doing nothing remotely helpful.
"Hey, Nami!" Luffy called. "Are we there yet?"
"We only set course yesterday," she snapped. "Do you think islands are lined up like stepping stones?"
"…That would be way more convenient."
She glared. "Real seas don't work that way."
He leaned over her shoulder, staring at the chart.
"What are you looking at?" he asked.
"The currents," she answered. "The wind. The average drift. The ship's weight."
He blinked. "…You can tell all that from a bunch of squiggly lines?"
She sighed. "Yes, because I actually know what I'm doing."
He grinned. "You're amazing."
She fumbled her compass.
"D-Don't say stuff like that out of nowhere!"
"I mean it," he said easily. "Gramps always said even the strongest ship is useless without someone smart enough to steer. Heroes need directions too, you know."
She turned away, ears pink. "Just shut up and let me work."
He beamed. "Aye aye, Navigator-chan!"
Koby watched the exchange with a small, hopeful smile before dropping for another set of exercises.
Satisfied with the current heading, Nami relaxed a bit, taking a seat and allowing herself a moment to enjoy the wind tugging at her hair. Every once in a while her eyes would move between the horizon and a chart she kept near her, fingers tracing currents and bearings with practiced ease.
Behind her, Koby was midway through yet another set of squats, legs shaking, sweat dripping down his face.
"F-fifty…! I-I'm at fifty, Luffy-san!"
"You were at thirty two squats ago," Luffy pointed out cheerfully from where he lounged on a coil of rope. "But hey, I like the enthusiasm."
Koby wheezed, nearly toppling. "I… I was rounding up…"
Nami glanced over her shoulder. "If you pass out before we hit Shells Town, I'm tying a rope around your ankle and dragging you there."
Koby squeaked. "N-noted!"
Luffy just laughed, rolling onto his feet in one smooth motion. "You're doing good Koby! You'll be stronger than half the recruits there if you keep this up."
Koby went bright-eyed at that, even as his legs trembled like jelly.
Nami shook her head, but the corner of her mouth twitched.
It was late afternoon when Nami finally lifted her head and shaded her eyes with one hand.
"There," she said. "On the horizon."
Luffy and Koby hurried to the rail.
A dark shape slowly resolved out of the distant haze — an island rising out of the sea, small but bustling. White gulls wheeled overhead. The glint of metal and stone marked the presence of a Marine base tower, its emblem shining in the sun.
As they drew closer, more details came into view.
The town was clustered along the shoreline, simple buildings stacked together in haphazard rows. People moved through the streets in small groups, some pausing to glance up at the approaching cruise ship.
And above it all, like a blunt blade stuck in the island's back, loomed the Marine base.
Its central tower rose high, topped by a massive stone monument of a stern-faced man with a metal jaw and a huge axe resting on his shoulder.
Captain Axe-Hand Morgan's larger-than-life statue stared down at the town in silent judgment.
Nami's lip curled slightly.
"Subtle," she muttered.
Luffy giggled as he nudged Nami "Think he's compensating for something?"
She swatted his arm away, but couldn't stop the small chuckle that slipped out.
Koby swallowed hard.
"T-that's Shells Town," he whispered. "I've read about it. This is where I… where I start."
Luffy leaned on the rail, eyes taking everything in. The base. The town. The people.
He could feel it already, a wrongness in the air. Not as heavy as the dread that clung to the Mariejois he saw in the visions, not as choking as Shigaraki's malice or All For One's presence, but petty and cruel.
Authority turned inward, away from the people it was meant to serve.
His playful mood gone, Luffy turned to the girl beside him.
"Hey, Nami," he said quietly. "Do you feel it?"
She didn't look at him, but her jaw tightened.
"Yeah," she said. "I do."
Koby blinked between them, confused and nervous.
"Feel… what?"
"Abuse of power," Nami answered, lips curling into a sneer. "You'll get used to recognizing the stench."
Koby's hands tightened, but he didn't flinch away.
It was only a few days ago he had believed that the Marines were all righteous. The conversation he heard from Garp and Luffy changed that.
Luffy smiled faintly.
"Then I guess we're in the right place," he said simply.
Koby took a deep breath.
"This is it," he said, more to himself than anyone else. "I'm going to walk into that base. I'm going to become a Marine. And I'm going to make sure people like Captain Morgan answer for what they do."
Luffy clapped a hand on his shoulder.
The cruise ship began to slow, anchors being readied as the harbor workers shouted directions. Ropes were thrown. The hull groaned faintly as it eased toward the dock.
"You two," one of the more composed crewmen called out, bowing slightly to Luffy and Nami, "thank you again. If not for you, we'd all be at the bottom of the sea."
Luffy scratched his cheek. "I just punched the problem, Navigator-chan did all the hard work."
Nami rolled her eyes. "You're welcome," she said smoothly. "Try not to let pirates board you next time."
The man laughed weakly. "We'll… do our best."
The gangplank dropped with a heavy thud.
For a moment, the three of them just stood there at the edge, the dock below, the town beyond, the looming Marine base watching over everything like a stone sentinel.
Koby drew in a deep breath.
"This is it," he said. "Shells Town. The first step."
"The first test," Nami added under her breath, eyes flicking toward the statue. "For all of us, I guess."
Luffy rested his straw hat with deliberate care, fingers lingering for a heartbeat on the brim. He wasn't entirely sure on how to feel about the hat, or Shanks, now.
Having inherited Midoriya's analytical side, it kind of felt like Shanks was setting him up to take on the world government.
The issue he had with that, is the same issue he now has with Gol D. Roger. It's all good to fight to take down a corrupt system, but with nothing to take its place, and no one to keep the peace, you would only further harm the people you were trying to help. While well intentioned, a short sighted plan would only lead to more suffering down the road.
To the new Luffy, it kind of felt like Roger lit the fuse to a powder keg, not knowing or caring who would have to clean it up.
"Roger picked the fight," he thought, "Now it looks like I'm the one to pick up the mantle and finish it."
All that could wait for now though, he had more immediate things to address.
"Hero of the Seas," he mused inwardly, "Guess this is where I start proving that wasn't just a cool line I came up with."
Aloud, he said, "Let's go, Koby. Time to get you signed up with the good guys."
Koby nodded, legs shaking but eyes blazing with determination. "R-right!"
"And you?" Nami asked, quirking a brow at Luffy. "What are you going to do while we're here?"
He tilted his head, considering the base, the statue, the streets below.
"…Take a look around," he decided. "See what kind of 'justice' this town is living under. If Morgan's just loud and stupid, great. If he's worse…" His smile turned sharper for a second, almost predatory, "Well, you heard what Gramps said about calling and punching."
Nami couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her. "You're going to give that man a heart attack."
"He'll be fine," Luffy laughed. "He's too stubborn to die."
Koby swallowed, then stepped onto the gangplank.
Nami followed, boots thudding softly against the wood. As she walked she began to double-check her satchel. Something clicked under her fingers—light, smooth, and round.
"Oh. Almost forgot about this," she muttered.
Luffy leaned over curiously. "What's that?"
Nami pulled out a small, pale blue shell the size of a coaster, faint spirals etched into its surface. The faintest shimmer rippled across it when she tapped the center.
Koby gasped. "Is that— a Dial?! But… aren't those things incredibly rare?!"
Nami smirked. "Super rare. Which is why this one sold for a fortune on the black market," She twirled it once, smile growing smug. "And why the pirate I stole it from was very upset when he woke up without it."
Luffy's eyes sparkled. "Ooooh, what does it do?"
"It's a Tone Dial," Nami explained. "It records sounds perfectly. Voices… conversations… anything within a few meters."
She ran her thumb across the spiral and the Dial repeated Alvida's earlier bellow in her exact voice:
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING BIG?!"
Koby jumped.
Luffy laughed. "Shishishishi, that's awesome!"
Nami snapped the dial shut with a satisfied smirk. "Figured it might come in handy one day. If we're planning on dealing with corrupt Marines or pirates who lie through their teeth, this could save our skins."
Then—more quietly, more serious—
"…And some people won't believe you unless you have proof."
Luffy nodded, all traces of joking gone. "Heroes need evidence too."
She hesitated for a moment, then handed the Tone Dial to him. Surprising even herself that it wasn't a loan. She was giving it to him.
"You keep it," she said softly. "You're the one who'll need it most."
Luffy accepted it with a rare, earnest expression.
"I'll protect it. Promise."
Nami rolled her eyes and turned away quickly. "Just don't drop it in the ocean."
Luffy grinned. "Shishishi— I'll do my best!"
And with that small exchange—more meaningful than perhaps either of them realized—the three walked down the gangplank toward Shells Town.
Luffy brought up the rear, hands behind his head, posture relaxed, but eyes alert, taking in every detail as they crossed from the relative safety of the ship to the complicated, fragile order of Shells Town.
As they reached the dock, the wind shifted, carrying the mingled scents of ocean, tar, cheap food, and something else underneath.
Fear.
Resignation.
The quiet kind of anger that simmers when people are pushed just low enough to stop shouting about it.
Luffy smiled faintly, it was something he had encountered plenty of times before as Midoriya.
"Alright then," he murmured. "Let's see what needs fixing."
Nami glanced sideways at him.
Koby clutched his resolve tight.
And together, the odd trio stepped off the gangplank and into Shells Town.