Chapter 26 – Those Scum… Deserved to Die!
Once the dust had settled, Vice Admiral Garp and Rear Admiral Loka finally arrived at the royal palace of the Neil Kingdom—like the so-called "heroes of justice" who always show up after the battle is over. They never missed an appearance… but they were never on time, either.
The howling storm outside the hall gradually faded, and Aokiji dispelled his ice. The frozen wall before them crumbled apart, revealing the carnage within.
Yoriichi and Aokiji stepped out into the open courtyard—only to find Garp and Loka at the head of a Marine contingent, surrounding the palace.
Yoriichi's eyes lingered on the two officers for a moment, then drifted toward the distant palace wall.
A gaping hole had been blasted through the tall stone barrier—and beside it stood the palace gate, which was wide open.
Yoriichi was certain that the Mud-Mud Fruit user who had created the earthen fortress had already been dealt with before Garp's arrival. And yet… somehow, Garp still hadn't chosen the main entrance.
When Garp and Loka spotted the two emerging figures, they merely cast a glance toward the ruined hall. Their gazes quickly settled on Yoriichi and Aokiji.
Garp chuckled, clapping a broad hand against Loka's back and said proudly,
"Old man Loka, looks like my two rookies took care of everything before you got here."
"You don't need to thank me. I'll even let you claim the credit. Just do me a favor and look after them when they get into trouble later, eh?"
His grin was broad, carefree as ever. From what his Observation Haki had already sensed, Garp knew exactly what had transpired. The headless corpse slumped beside the throne bore Yoriichi's mark, and the frozen shards scattered across the floor were clearly Aokiji's work.
Garp was no stranger to their fighting styles.
When he'd first taken Yoriichi from Dragon-Chant Island, the boy had personally wiped out an entire pirate crew—each one cleanly beheaded, swift and merciless, just like today.
And as for Aokiji, his Devil Fruit powers were no secret within the Marines. Having trained under Garp for some time now, Garp understood the man well.
"Hmph!"
"Why in the world would I thank you?" Loka snorted, glaring at him. "You should be glad I'm not holding you accountable!"
"The pirates were already dealt with by these two, and yet you still had to blow a hole through the palace wall!"
"You think you won't have to pay for that?!"
"I'll be reporting this to Kong. He'll dock it straight from your salary!"
Garp, completely unbothered, picked at his nose with his pinky and muttered, "Eh, whatever." Not a hint of guilt crossed his face.
Loka sighed helplessly at the sight. Calling over his adjutant, he whispered a few instructions before stepping up to Yoriichi and Aokiji with a warm smile.
"You two did well."
"I just got the report—turns out the attackers were the Newk Pirates."
"Their captain, Newk, was a Logia-type user of the Mud-Mud Fruit. His bounty stood at two hundred million berries. He caused no small amount of trouble back in the North Blue."
"His crew wasn't weak either. To have completely wiped them out… impressive work!"
"You're both far beyond what I was at your age."
His tone brimmed with admiration, genuine and open.
At that moment, his adjutant hurried back and whispered a report, "Rear Admiral Loka, there are no remaining hostiles inside. We've recovered the king's body and successfully rescued the queen and several attendants."
"We also confirmed the death of Captain Newk—his body was found decapitated. However, the rest of the Newk Pirates…"
Before he could finish, Loka waved him off with a chuckle.
"Record it as total annihilation. That'll do."
He turned back to Yoriichi and Aokiji, still smiling. "You youngsters these days really are something else."
His gaze lingered briefly on Aokiji before shifting to Yoriichi. Loka was already familiar with Aokiji's capabilities—but it was the red-haired boy who truly astonished him.
His Observation Haki told him everything he needed to know. The headless corpse of Newk had been felled by a single, flawless strike, and the hall bore almost no signs of an extended battle.
It wasn't just a clean kill—it was an instant one.
There was no doubt in Loka's mind who had done it.
Aokiji's fighting style wasn't that ruthless.
No, the one who had executed the Logia user so decisively… was the quiet young man standing beside him—Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
A single stroke—one clean cut—and a pirate worth two hundred million berries had been slain.
"If I remember correctly," Loka said, his eyes wide with disbelief, "Garp told me you're only twelve years old, right?"
"Heh… Tsugikuni Yoriichi, wasn't it? You're wasting your talent sticking around with Garp. Tell me—how about joining me instead?"
"I'll train you as my successor, give you proper guidance."
The elderly rear admiral bent slightly, patting Yoriichi's shoulder with open fondness. Loka didn't even bother to hide his admiration—in fact, he was shamelessly trying to poach the boy right in front of Garp.
Yoriichi blinked, a faint smile curving his lips. He hadn't expected the old man to say something like that so directly. Shaking his head gently, he replied,
"Thank you for your kindness, Rear Admiral Loka—but I'd like to continue sailing with Vice Admiral Garp."
"I want to see more of the world—see what lies across the great sea."
There wasn't a hint of hesitation in his tone. Though he didn't dislike Loka's kind, grandfatherly demeanor, Yoriichi knew where he wanted to be. Remaining in the safety of a Marine base under Loka's command would never compare to following Garp into the vast and unpredictable ocean.
After all, Garp was the strongest Marine he knew—and at this point in time, the Pirate King Roger was still out there, sailing free across the seas. Traveling with Garp might even grant him the chance to witness the might of that man himself.
For someone like Yoriichi, such encounters were far more precious than rank, wealth, or reputation.
He didn't long for authority or fame. What he wanted was simple: that when he traveled the world, he wouldn't have to keep seeing burned ruins, massacred towns, and lifeless corpses littering the earth.
He wanted to grow stronger—to cross blades with the powerful, and to triumph over them.
Training, after all, was an addiction in itself—much like fitness. Watching one's body grow stronger, one's technique sharper, one's power increase day by day—that kind of satisfaction was hard to describe in words.
And battle… battle was addictive too. Defeating formidable foes brought a sense of fulfillment unlike any other.
"Is that so? What a shame, then," Loka said at last, his smile never faltering though a flicker of disappointment passed through his eyes.
"I know you're not officially enlisted in the Marines yet. Garp and Zephyr both value freedom highly—you're free to go where you wish."
"If you ever find yourself with time to spare, my doors will always be open to you."
Loka chuckled good-naturedly, then turned to oversee the cleanup. Under his command, the Marine officers began collecting bodies, comforting the surviving townsfolk, and restoring order to the devastated palace.
After giving a brief statement about what had happened, Yoriichi and Aokiji were released from duty.
The two returned to the same food street as before, wandering from stall to stall—but after all that had transpired, neither felt much like eating. Their hearts were heavy, and before long they silently made their way back to the Marine branch.
On a patch of grass behind the base, Yoriichi sat cross-legged beneath a tree, eyes closed in quiet meditation.
Emptying one's mind—simply breathing, simply being—was its own form of rest.
Aokiji lay nearby, hands tucked behind his head, staring up at the clear blue sky. After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"Pirates really are getting bolder, huh?" he murmured, his tone low. "All for money, power—these bastards destroy lives like they mean nothing. Scum like that… every last one of them deserves to die."
The words hung in the air like frost.
Yoriichi exhaled, opening one eye to glance sideways at him.
"You became a Marine to punish those people, didn't you? You did that today. So why keep brooding over it?"
He sighed quietly—Aokiji had been muttering beside him the whole time, venting his anger, making meditation impossible. He never imagined that the calm, detached man he'd come to know as Aokiji could once have been such a hot-blooded youth.
"Hah!" Aokiji gave a dry laugh. "Yeah… that's exactly why I joined the Marines—to bring justice to scum like that."
"And I did. You're right."
For a moment, he fell silent.
Then, after a few quiet breaths, he muttered again under his breath—his voice low but laced with venom,
"…Those bastards really damn well deserved to die."
Yoriichi could only sit there wordlessly.
(End of Chapter)