Chapter 22 —! The Foothold of the New World
A week had passed since Yuichiro began training his Haki, and the supplies aboard Garp's warship were starting to run low.
Since setting out to sea, there'd been no updates on the Roger Pirates' movements. Garp was beginning to realize that this mission was going to turn into yet another prolonged pursuit — just like the ones before.
So, when they passed by a small country called the Neil Kingdom, he ordered the ship to dock at its port and told the crew to replenish their provisions.
He also intended to use this chance to gather information on the Roger Pirates.
The Neil Kingdom was a tiny nation within the New World. "Kingdom" might sound grand, but in truth, it was merely a large island — smaller even than the Sabaody Archipelago — with a population of only a few tens of thousands.
Weak and insignificant, the Neil Kingdom had little in the way of military power. Its royal army numbered no more than a thousand soldiers.
Yet, being located in the chaotic waters of the New World, the kingdom needed protection to survive. To ensure its safety, the Neil Kingdom became a member nation of the World Government — and in turn, served as one of the Navy's outposts in the New World.
However, beneath this façade, the Neil Kingdom also maintained ties with the criminal underworld. With the Whitebeard Pirates' banner as its unseen shield, it offered "safe harbor" and supplies to pirates entering the New World.
With one foot in the light and one in the shadows, the Neil Kingdom had managed to hold its ground amid the chaos.
This political balancing act made the kingdom a melting pot of all kinds — pirates, smugglers, traders, marines, and spies all mixed together. The local Navy branch here operated discreetly, focusing more on intelligence gathering than open conflict.
When serious incidents occurred, it was usually the royal army that intervened. The marines rarely took direct action unless civilians were harmed — and even then, cooperation between the royal forces and the Navy was reluctant at best.
And whenever pirates targeted nobles or ministers, the Neil Kingdom simply raised the Whitebeard banner as their shield of protection.
In those cases, asking the Navy for help was useless. After all, every pirate who made it to the New World already carried a hefty bounty. There were simply too many of them for the Navy to chase down every last one.
A pirate could slaughter and plunder, load his treasure aboard, and set sail again — the Navy couldn't afford to hunt every petty crew across the seas.
But the Whitebeard Pirates were different. Anyone who dared provoke Whitebeard's authority would find themselves hunted to the ends of the earth.
In the New World, Whitebeard's name carried far more weight than the Navy's.
As for the marines, their true role was maintaining relative order — the actual business of catching pirates depended entirely on the threat level.
Truth be told, the Navy's influence simply wasn't enough. It was this very weakness that would one day prompt the World Government to establish the Seven Warlords of the Sea system — a laughable attempt to stabilize the seas by legitimizing pirate activity.
"State-sanctioned piracy," Garp would often grumble. "Can you believe that?"
And yet, places like the Neil Kingdom — where law, power, and corruption intertwined — were exactly where information flowed fastest and truest.
That was why Garp had come here: to gather intelligence on the Roger Pirates' whereabouts.
Splash!
The warship's anchor plunged into the water of Neil Kingdom's naval harbor, and a wooden gangway was extended to the dock, locking into place with a series of creaks.
Creak… creak…
Garp, draped in his white Justice cloak, descended the ramp at an unhurried pace. Behind him followed his two subordinates, Aokiji and Bogard. Beside them walked a red-haired youth with a sheathed sword at his waist and a black eyepatch over one eye — Tsugikuni Yuichiro.
The eyepatch had actually come from Aokiji; Yuichiro had borrowed it after complaining that the usual black cloth was too inconvenient to tie and untie.
To accelerate his Haki training, Yuichiro now wore the eyepatch almost constantly. After days of intense practice, his Observation Haki had finally reached a beginner's level — enough that even with his sight blocked, he could move freely.
His rapid progress left everyone aboard stunned.
As for Armament Haki, though, he was still struggling. He'd learned how to channel it into his strikes, but his Armament was far too weak — during training bouts with Garp, he couldn't even scratch the man's defenses. Even Axe-Hand Morgan would have done better!
At the G-10 Marine Base stationed in the Neil Kingdom, the local commander — Rear Admiral Rokka — had already been informed of Garp's arrival.
Rokka was an old man, well into his seventies. His long white eyebrows drooped low over his eyes, which were closed as he stood waiting at the dock, nodding off as if half-asleep.
His frame was still sturdy, but his wrinkled skin, age spots, and full head of white hair told the story of a veteran nearing the end of his service.
The sound of the gangway lowering must have roused him, for he cracked open one eye, spotted Garp, and broke into a faint smile.
"You're here already, eh?" the old marine said, his voice raspy but warm. "Still as impatient as ever, aren't you, Garp?"
Although Rear Admiral Rokka held only a modest rank, he addressed Garp by name without a hint of formality. None of the marines following behind seemed surprised — they all greeted the old man with easy familiarity.
"Rear Admiral Rokka, sir!" several called out in unison.
Rokka waved a hand dismissively. "Go on, get back to your duties," he said, before turning his attention toward Garp. His tone was direct and businesslike as he added, "There's been no new intel on Roger lately."
"Ha ha ha ha! Uncle Rokka, I'm mainly here to see you this time," Garp replied with a booming laugh.
Rokka simply shook his head at that and said in a calm voice, "Come on. Let's go inside and get some rest first."
With that, the two men walked side by side toward the nearby Marine base.
Yuichirō, now having removed his eyepatch, watched the elderly officer ahead of them with curiosity. He tugged on Aokiji's trouser leg and asked quietly, "Kuzan, who is that Rear Admiral Rokka? He seems pretty close with Vice Admiral Garp."
Aokiji smiled faintly and bent his head to answer, "Oh, Rokka? He's one of the Navy's most famous intelligence officers."
"When Vice Admiral Garp was younger, he studied under Rear Admiral Rokka. Not just him — even Vice Admiral Tsuru and Fleet Admiral Sengoku spent time learning from the old man."
Yuichirō looked puzzled. "The Navy's most famous intelligence officer? If he's that capable and experienced, why is he only a rear admiral?" he whispered, lowering his voice.
But before Aokiji could answer, Rokka himself — walking several meters ahead — suddenly spoke up.
"That's because this old man got tired of life at sea," Rokka said with a chuckle. "A man's gotta live with his feet on solid ground once in a while. Only then can he squeeze out a few extra years."
Yuichirō froze in surprise. Though he had spoken quietly, Rokka had somehow heard every word. He lowered his head awkwardly, realizing how impolite it was to be caught whispering about someone right behind their back.
"I'm sorry, Rear Admiral Rokka," Yuichirō said after a moment's hesitation.
Rokka stopped walking and turned slightly, waiting for them to catch up. When Yuichirō apologized, the old officer waved it off with a good-natured gesture. He looked the boy up and down, then turned to Garp and asked,
"And who's this young one? Doesn't look familiar."
Garp gave a grin and jerked his chin toward Yuichirō, signaling for him to introduce himself.
"My name's Tsugikuni Yuichirō, sir."
Rokka nodded slowly. His wrinkled face softened with a hint of nostalgia. "It's been a long time since I've seen a marine this young," he murmured. Then, smiling again, he added, "Kid, you must be wondering how I heard what you said just now, huh?"
"Heh heh. This old man ate the Listen-Listen Fruit. If I feel like it, I can hear every conversation happening anywhere on this island!"
Yuichirō blinked in understanding and said softly, "To be able to hear everyone talking all the time… that must be exhausting."
Rokka froze for a heartbeat — and then burst into hearty laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha! What an interesting kid!"
Still chuckling, he turned away and clapped Garp on the shoulder. The two veterans continued toward the base together, leaving Yuichirō and the others following behind.
(End of Chapter)