"Belle-mère!! Waaaah!"
"Alright, alright. It's over now, Nami, Nojiko. Don't cry." Belle-mère stroked their hair, heart aching.
Gen, half-carried by other villagers, limped over.
"Belle-mère. Are you three okay?"
"Gen… thank you for earlier," she said. "But your wounds are serious. Come inside and rest."
Gen waved it off, face red.
"No need. I still have to check on the village."
He hobbled away, favoring one leg.
Belle-mère watched him go, then looked down at the two girls.
"Okay. Nami, Nojiko."
"Let's get the house in order."
"When we have the chance, we'll go to Loguetown and thank those Marine brothers and sisters properly."
"Mm!" the girls nodded hard, supporting her as they went back inside.
On the warship.
"Didn't think you'd be scared of something like… feelings," Tokikake said, watching the scenery slip by.
"I'm not scared," Jin said. "I'm annoyed."
He leaned on the rail.
"Marines killing pirates is normal."
"We shouldn't be asking for payment every time we do our jobs."
"But every fight ends the same way."
"Villagers dropping everything to feed us and pour us drinks."
"Makes it feel like the Marines only protect people for a fee."
He snorted.
"And those villagers… their houses still in ruins, corpses not even buried…"
"Yet they're already anxious about 'thanking' us."
"I can't stand it. So I leave."
Tokikake lit a cigarillo of his own and blew smoke upward.
"Heh. Being popular as Marines isn't a bad thing."
Jin shrugged, then nodded and shook his head at once.
"It's good."
"And it's not."
"Hm?" Gion tilted her head. Tokikake did as well.
"What do you mean?"
Jin lazily pointed ahead.
"Like that."
"That's the 'not good' kind."
Two Marine ships were anchored ahead. As they closed, a gangplank dropped, allowing a man in a rat-like hat and uniform to scuttle aboard.
"I'm Colonel Nezumi of the 16th Branch," the skinny man said, chin up. "Which unit are you from?"
Neither Gion nor Tokikake wore their justice coats or visible ranks. Nezumi didn't recognize them.
He stood there awkwardly as silence stretched.
"Why aren't you answering?" he snapped, irritation rising. "You, the lieutenant commander. Speak!"
He jabbed a finger at Jin.
Jin didn't even look at him.
"That one," he said to Gion and Tokikake. "He took Arlong's money and ignored everything that happened in Cocoyasi."
"You two are the investigators. Handle it as you see fit."
"I'm… not exactly neutral here."
Nezumi flinched, color draining.
"A-Arlong? I have no idea what you're talking about," he squeaked.
"How could a righteous base commander ever collude with pirates?"
Gion's eyes narrowed.
"That's strange," she said softly.
"We never said Arlong was a pirate."
"How did you know?"
"This, this…" Nezumi's face twisted as he scrambled for an excuse.
Tokikake stepped forward and hit him twice before he could finish the sentence.
Bang. Bang.
"You'll be standing in front of a military tribunal soon."
"Y-you can't do this to me!" Nezumi yelped, clutching his face. "I'm Rear Admiral Nezumi's nephew! You can't—!"
Gion smiled coldly.
"Then let's hope Rear Admiral Nezumi doesn't learn what you've been doing."
"Or he'll be in trouble too."
Tokikake straightened his back.
"I am Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Tokikake," he said. "Codename 'Chaton.'"
"You will return to your own base at once and await further orders."
"H…Headquarters… V-Vice Admiral…"
The Marines on the other ship panicked.
They rushed back aboard, scrambling to weigh anchor.
Tokikake eyed the shifty bunch with disdain.
"Pathetic."
"Look at them, then look at your guys."
He nodded at Jin's crew.
"These guys are built like monsters. Those over there look like they got picked off a street corner."
Nezumi inched closer, sweating.
"Vice Admiral, sir, perhaps—in light of my uncle—"
"Shut up."
Tokikake punched him out cold with one blow.
"Idiot. Still talking like that at a time like this."
Jin chuckled.
"Who knows?"
"Maybe someone up top would cover for him."
He glanced sideways, eyes mocking.
Gion scowled.
"Impossible," she snapped. "The Marines are the embodiment of justice. We would never do that."
Jin sighed dramatically.
"Such a laughable justice."
"Shut it."
Gion glared at him.
"Aren't you a Marine? How can you say such things?"
Jin flicked his cigarette overboard.
"I'm a Marine with zero justice."
"…You…"
Gion turned away, chewing her lip, too angry to speak.
Jin laughed.
"Alright, alright, calm down."
"Shut up!" she barked.
Seeing Gion about to explode again, Jin sensibly closed his mouth.
Tokikake hurried to smooth things over.
"Don't be mad, Gion. You know how he is by now. Just a thug in uniform. Only thing he's got going for him is his face."
"You roll too," she said, driving a kick into Tokikake's ribs and sending him skidding across the deck.
She turned back toward Jin, ready to lecture him—
He suddenly threw his head back and shouted:
"All hands, prepare for combat!!"
"This time the enemy is one of the most vicious pirates alive!!"
"Huh?" Gion blinked.
"What are you talking about? There's no ene—"
She followed his gaze upward.
Her eyes widened.
"What… is that?"
Tokikake, still half-prone, scrambled to his feet.
"Where's the enemy? Where—"
He looked up.
Floating islands drifted across the sky.
Tokikake's face went white.
"Damn it."
"Why is Shiki here?!"
"Hurry, contact HQ—"
"Too late," Jin said calmly.
"If HQ moves, he'll just fly away."
He turned and shouted.
"Everyone grab onto something!"
His crew didn't hesitate; they latched onto masts and railings like they'd done it before.
Tokikake and Gion exchanged a confused look.
Jin stepped to the bow and drew his fist back.
"I pestered Vice Admiral Garp for half a year to learn this."
"Don't tell me—" Gion began.
"No way," Tokikake muttered, grabbing a mast on reflex.
"Wind-Calling Fist!"
Jin punched the air.
A shockwave exploded beneath the ship.
FWOOO—BOOM!
The entire warship launched skyward like a cannon shell.
"AAAAHHH—dammit!! It really is that move!!" Tokikake yelled, hugging the mast.
Up above, on a floating island, Shiki frowned.
For some reason, his altitude had dipped for a second.
He looked around—
And saw a Marine warship arcing through the sky toward him.
"…Garp?" he muttered, recognizing the absurdity of the scene.
Jin could feel him clearly now.
"Shiki's mine," he said.
"You two handle the others."
"Oi, oi, don't go showing off now," Tokikake snapped, bracing for landing. "That's Shiki the Golden Lion!"
Gion pulled out her sword, Kinpira, face serious.
"Little brother, I know you're strong."
"But he's not someone you can handle yet. Leave him to us."
"Let the great Tokikake take care of it," Tokikake added eagerly. "You can mop up the small fry."
Jin's eyes never left the figure stepping off the edge of a floating rock.
"We won't know if I can do it…"
"…until we try."
He slung the greatsword off his back.
"Big Strength Slash!"
A hundred-meter blade of compressed air shot across the sky.
Shiki's brows lifted.
"Keheheheh. Picking a fight, huh?"
"Chop Wave!"
He answered with a flurry of slashing winds from his twin swords.
BOOM!
The slashes collided midair, grinding against each other before canceling out.
Jin laughed out loud.
"Hahahaha!"
"Shiki the Golden Lion, huh?"
"Not bad for an old guy."
Shiki laughed back, drifting lightly in the sky, coat fluttering.
"Keheheheh! Brat, who are you?"
"Garp's disciple?"
Jin's grin turned feral.
"Something like that."
"Looks to me like the heavens saw I was about to leave the East Blue…"
"So they dropped a farewell present on my head."
"Hahahahaha!"
He slashed again and again, sending wave after wave of sword aura screaming toward Shiki.
"Dammit, does this brat have infinite stamina?!" Shiki snapped.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
His swords blurred, knocking each cut aside.
"Keheheheh!"
"This all you got?!"
"Keep going, old man!" Jin called.
"Soru!"
He vanished.
Shiki's jaw clenched.
"You brat… trying to die?! Chop Wave!!"
He fired slashes to intercept.
Jin deflected them casually, flickering closer through the air using Moonwalk and Soru.
Gion glanced up at the airborne duel and couldn't help muttering:
"Another one who goes completely off script…"
"Just like Garp."
"Come on," she said to Tokikake. "Let's deal with the rest."
"Got it."
On the nearest floating rock, pirates poured out, led by a huge man in circus paint and a hulking gorilla.
"Keheheheh! Indigo, Scarlet!" Shiki shouted. "Take care of those Marines!"
"Yes, Shiki-sama!"
The gorilla pounded its chest, then pointed a massive finger at Gion.
"Ho ho ho! HO HO HO!!"
Tokikake's face darkened.
"What did you just say?"
"Ho ho ho ho!"
The gorilla thumped its chest again.
"You want to marry Gion?!"
"Ho!! Ho ho ho!!"
"You filthy ape!"
Tokikake exploded.
"You dare lay eyes on Gion?!"
He threw himself at the gorilla.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA!!"
"HO HO HO HO HO!!"
Fists collided, shockwaves exploding with each impact. One moment the gorilla went flying; the next, Tokikake got booted across the deck.
They both forgot about everyone else entirely.
High above, Jin and Shiki's blades clashed again and again.
"Keheheheh! Brat, real combat isn't pretty!" Shiki cackled. "There are no rules."
He caught Jin's greatsword on one blade, then flicked a cut across his side with the other.
In the next few exchanges, several bloody lines opened up on Jin's body.
He barely seemed to feel them.
"Keep going!!"
"This is great, Shiki!!"
He answered with a flurry of slashes, then used Moonwalk and Soru to dash and twist around Shiki's defenses.
"Hmph. Not bad," Shiki admitted. "You've got talent, brat."
"But talent isn't enough!"
"Killing lions is my job!!"
"Lion's Threat: Earth Rumble!!"
The ground far below heaved and tore open as chunks of earth shaped like roaring lions surged upward.
"Che."
"Don't look down on me, Shiki."
"Big Strength—Spinning Slash!"
Jin spun like a top, sword dragging a ring of tearing sword aura around him.
The compressed slash carved through the charging earth-lions, shredding them into dust.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios