Chapter 10 – Hidden Identity Background Check!
"This world's night sky… it's deeper than the one before."
"And the stars… they shine even brighter."
While Yoriichi Tsugikuni was quietly marveling at the night sky, Zephyr was nowhere near home.
Tonight, he had a meeting to attend one that would prove crucial, both for him and for Yoriichi.
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office,
Steelbone Kong sat behind his desk, several stacks of documents piled high before him. At that moment, he was carefully reading through a dossier in his hands.
Standing on either side of him were Vice Admiral Tsuru and Admiral Sengoku, both likewise poring over their own sets of papers.
A knock suddenly echoed through the room.
"Knock, knock, knock"
"Come in," Kong's deep, commanding voice called out.
The door opened, and Zephyr, draped in his "Justice" coat, strode quickly into the office. After closing the door behind him, he approached the desk with a grave expression.
"How did the investigation go?" he asked sharply.
"Is there a problem?"
Kong didn't answer right away. He lowered his gaze again and silently flipped through another page.
Seeing that, Zephyr's eyes narrowed; he took a deep breath, just about to press further when Tsuru raised a hand to stop him.
"Don't rush," she said evenly. "Sit down for now."
"For the moment, there are… a few points of concern. But nothing that could be called a major issue."
Zephyr frowned, sat down heavily on the nearby sofa, and asked in a low voice,
"What kind of concerns?"
Before Tsuru could respond, Sengoku spoke up instead.
"Tsugikuni Yoriichi," he began, "is actually twelve years old."
"According to the survivors Garp rescued from Ryūgin Island, he's lived there his whole life."
"His parents arrived on the island about twenty years ago. Their origins—unknown."
"His father died of illness when he was two. His mother passed away when he was eight."
"After that, the boy survived on the goodwill of the townsfolk… until two years ago, when he suddenly disappeared. The next time anyone saw him was recently—when he appeared alongside Garp, helping purge the pirates."
Zephyr listened with furrowed brows, growing increasingly agitated.
"Hey, Sengoku," he interrupted, clearly irritated. "You've said a lot but where exactly is the problem?"
"His life's story seems perfectly straightforward to me. He went missing two years ago most likely lost in the forest. Ryūgin Island's full of wild beasts, so the townsfolk probably assumed he was dead."
"Didn't Garp find the cave he'd been living in?"
"The sword he carries probably came from his parents. His swordsmanship some of it might be talent, some of it instruction. What's strange about that?"
"This world's a big place. A child like him isn't that unbelievable!"
"He survived in the wild, relied on talent, grew stronger and was finally found by Garp and brought back to the Navy. Isn't that explanation perfectly clear?"
"So, Sengoku—what's the supposed 'doubt' here?!"
Zephyr's tone carried unmistakable protectiveness. He had already grown fond of the boy—this prodigious, bright-eyed child who radiated calm and maturity far beyond his years.
For someone so young to carry such composure, Zephyr thought, he must have endured something terrible.
And, in truth, he wasn't wrong.
"Now, now," Sengoku said with a faint chuckle, raising his hands in placation.
"No need to get worked up, Zephyr. Just hear me out."
If anyone could empathize with Zephyr right now, it was Sengoku himself.
Four years ago, he had adopted a boy named Rosinante not knowing the child's true identity at the time. When the standard Navy background check was conducted, the truth had come out: Rosinante was, in fact, a Celestial Dragon, a scion of the Donquixote family.
The revelation had caused no major stir in the Navy entirely because Sengoku had the influence to suppress it. Only a handful of people knew: the very ones gathered in this room… and Garp, who was currently out at sea.
Zephyr, on the other hand, had buried himself in his work since the loss of his family, pouring everything into training the next generation of marines.
And now, Yoriichi—this mysterious, talented boy had not only become Zephyr's disciple but was even living under his roof.
No other marine trainee had ever been granted such treatment.
Just like Sengoku once had, Zephyr had made the same mistake he had let his heart soften.
"Speak," Zephyr said curtly, folding his arms across his chest.
"The doubts," Sengoku began, "concern his weapon… and according to Garp, the boy has already awakened Conqueror's Haki."
The room fell silent for a moment. Zephyr's expression darkened as Sengoku's words sank in.
Seeing his reaction, Sengoku went on, his tone measured.
"I think you've noticed as well—Yoriichi's sword isn't ordinary. The craftsmanship is far beyond what you'd expect from a common blade."
"Yet, it's not one of the Supreme Grade Blades recorded by the World Government."
"A weapon of that quality couldn't have been forged by just anyone, could it?"
"And as for Conqueror's Haki… well, that's the qualification of a king. You don't really believe someone with that kind of talent just appeared out of nowhere, do you?"
Zephyr exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "That's exactly the kind of talk I can't stand!"
"Yoriichi is Yoriichi—his background has nothing to do with what he is!"
"I only know that from the moment he was born, he lived in the East Blue. He's done nothing wrong."
"He's just a child who lost his parents early on—nothing more. So what if he's talented? Since when did talent become a crime?!"
"'Doubts'? What a load of nonsense!"
His voice rose as he spoke, and finally, Zephyr stood up abruptly. He had heard enough.
He already understood Yoriichi's situation—that was all he needed to know.
He turned to leave, but before he could reach the door, a deep, commanding voice stopped him.
"Zephyr!"
It was Steelbone Kong.
"You're right," the Fleet Admiral said calmly. "At the end of the day, he's just a child who's lost his parents."
"But because he's a child, we must guide him properly—don't you agree?"
His tone hardened.
"For the next five years, I don't want him leaving Marineford."
"Furthermore, you are not to teach him any classified Navy techniques—no intelligence, no Haki, not even Rokushiki."
"Young people tend to be reckless. For a boy his age, the priority should be to build a solid foundation—and more importantly, to instill the right values."
"Until he comes of age, his training will focus solely on physical conditioning and basic knowledge."
Zephyr froze at the doorway, shoulders tense. Then he gave a cold snort.
"I don't need you to tell me that."
With that, he strode out and slammed the door behind him.
Bang!
The office fell silent.
Sengoku watched the door for a moment, then casually tossed the file he'd been holding back onto the desk.
"Well, I suppose my part here's done," he said lightly. "I'll head back—Rosinante's still waiting for me."
And with that, he too left the room.
Once the two had gone, Steelbone Kong turned to the one person still standing quietly beside him—Vice Admiral Tsuru.
"What do you think?" he asked gravely.
Tsuru, the Navy's keenest strategist, was someone whose counsel even the Fleet Admiral took seriously.
"His background checks out clean," she said after a pause. "There's nothing to worry about."
"A child is a blank canvas. I believe Zephyr will raise him well."
"Zephyr isn't Garp—he's reliable."
At the mention of Garp, Steelbone Kong couldn't help rubbing his forehead, a weary sigh escaping him.
Garp was a Marine hero, yes—but his son, Monkey D. Dragon, was becoming a growing concern.
Lately, Dragon had been disobeying orders, acting more and more unpredictably.
A faint unease stirred in Kong's chest—
a premonition that something troublesome was brewing on the horizon.
(End of Chapter)