The dark-blue blade carved through the air like a streak of lightning.
"Who's there?!"
Bluejam twisted sharply, swinging upward from the left with brute force. His cutlass met resistance
Clang!
Steel screamed against steel.
And then too fast.
Far too fast.
A deep-blue arc flashed past his vision, descending in a clean, merciless line.
"Secret Technique: Iai Blue Horizon."
The strike landed before Bluejam could even register the motion.
His cutlass shattered.
Not chipped.
Not bent.
Shattered instantly.
"H-how is that possible…?!"
Cold sweat poured down his face.
A flat-soled black boot drove into his abdomen with terrifying precision, crushing the air from his lungs. His body lifted clean off the ground, spinning helplessly before slamming into the trunk of a massive tree.
The impact split bark.
Bluejam collapsed forward, coughing violently. His vision swam. His skull felt as though it had been shaken apart.
He hadn't even seen her clearly.
He only saw blue.
Bluejam's blurred gaze lifted
The muzzle of his flintlock was still in his left hand.
And it was aimed at Ace.
Even if I die… I'll take one of you brats with me!
"You little"
Bang!
The gunshot split the forest.
Ace froze.
Everything had happened too fast. The white silhouette. The blade. The impact.
Was this how he would die?
He closed his eyes.
But the slash was faster than blinking.
A streak of dark blue cleaved through the air
The bullet split perfectly in half.
Two fragments fell harmlessly to the ground.
Silence returned to the forest.
The figure stood between them and Bluejam.
Silver-white hair flowed to her waist like moonlight cascading over snow. Draped across her shoulders was a pristine Marine coat. The word "Justice" fluttered in the wind behind her.
Her black leather boots pressed firmly against the forest floor.
She exhaled softly.
The blade spun once in her hand
Then slid smoothly back into its sheath.
Click.
"W Wow…!"
Ace stared, stunned.
Saint Roselith Seraphina.
A Marine officer by position
But by birth?
A direct descendant of one of the twenty royal bloodlines that founded the World Government.
A Celestial Dragon of the Roselith Family.
Yet unlike the degenerate nobles of Mary Geoise, she had chosen to walk the path of justice.
✦ [SYSTEM] ✦
Target: Bluejam
Threat Level: Low
Combat Evaluation: Complete suppression
Collateral Damage: Minimal
Recommendation: Capture or terminate
Her eyes flicked briefly toward the unconscious pirate.
She ignored the prompt.
Instead, she turned toward the children.
"Are you two injured?"
Her tone softened immediately.
She stepped forward and examined them carefully. The freckled boy's leg was bleeding heavily. The smaller one bruised and battered had clearly taken a beating.
"I apologize for being late."
Ace stiffened.
He stared at her Marine uniform.
"No… we're fine."
His pride refused help.
Seraphina tilted her head slightly.
"You are not fine."
She pointed at Luffy.
"Is he your younger brother?"
Ace hesitated.
"…Yeah."
"Then act like it."
Her voice wasn't harsh but firm.
"Look at him. You're both in no condition to refuse treatment."
Luffy suddenly shot upright.
"Is it lunchtime already?!"
He looked around wildly.
"Where's the food?!"
Ace snapped, "There is no food!"
Seraphina blinked.
…What kind of survival instincts are these?
She crouched slightly.
"What are your names?"
"I'm Luffy!"
"I didn't ask you first," Ace muttered.
"I'm Portgas D. Ace."
Her eyes sharpened slightly.
D.
So it's true.
"And you are Monkey D. Luffy."
Luffy gasped.
"How do you know that?!"
She allowed a faint smile.
"Because your grandfather mentions you both quite often."
At the mention of their grandfather, both boys made identical expressions of irritation.
"That old geezer?!"
She almost laughed.
"Yes. Vice Admiral Garp."
The Hero of the Marines.
The man who rivaled the Pirate King.
The legend.
✦ [SYSTEM] ✦
Detected: Monkey D. Luffy
Future Probability: Extreme Influence on Global Balance
Observation Recommended
Seraphina ignored it again.
Future probabilities meant nothing.
Only the present mattered.
"Show me where you live. I will treat your wounds properly."
Ace hesitated.
She was strong.
Far stronger than Bluejam.
And yet
She had saved them without hesitation.
"…Fine."
He pointed toward the direction of Mt. Colubo.
As they walked, Seraphina applied first aid with calm precision, cleaning wounds, binding cloth tightly, stopping blood loss efficiently. Her knowledge of anatomy was extensive; she had studied Marine medical manuals and ancient surgical texts alike.
Her mastery was not boastful.
It was practiced.
Behind them Bluejam's finger twitched.
His eyes snapped open.
He did not move.
He controlled his breathing.
He suppressed his presence.
Even Seraphina's Observation Haki had not detected the faint flicker of consciousness.
"I already died once…" he whispered hoarsely.
His body was scarred from the fire at Gray Terminal.
The nobles had abandoned him once.
Now the Marines humiliated him.
The Goa Kingdom betrayed him.
His lips curled into something monstrous.
"Don't underestimate a man who's crawled back from hell."
He staggered upright and disappeared into the trees.
Back at Dadan's house
"Boss!! This is bad!! A Marine is here!!"
"Ace brought a Marine back!!"
The door burst open.
Curly orange hair.
Massive build.
A presence loud enough to shake the walls.
Dadan of the Dadan Family Bandits.
She sprawled lazily across the wooden floor, digging into her nose without shame.
"A Marine? So what?"
She flicked something aside.
"I've dealt with Garp plenty of times."
Then she looked up.
And froze.
This wasn't an ordinary Marine.
The coat.
The composure.
The presence.
Even without arrogance
There was something unmistakably noble about her bearing.
Seraphina stepped inside calmly.
"My name is Saint Roselith Seraphina."
The room fell silent.
Even the bandits instinctively stiffened.
Roselith.
One of the Twenty.
A Celestial Dragon bloodline.
But she bowed slightly.
"I am here as a Marine. Not as a noble."
Her silver hair shifted gently.
"These children were injured."
Dadan stared.
"…You're not like the others."
Seraphina's gaze grew distant for just a moment.
"No."
She wasn't.
And she never would be.
Far above the clouds in the sacred land of Mary Geoise
The Roselith Family would soon learn that their daughter continued to walk a path they neither approved of nor could fully control.
And somewhere deep within the forest
Bluejam watched the mountain from afar.
His hatred burning brighter than ever.