One Piece: Fire Pillar Of Justice

The attire of Wano Country—a kimono that Kyojuro found quite familiar—was replaced with the plain work clothes of a navy recruit.

Watching Kyojuro change into the new uniform, Vice Admiral Garp wore a satisfied smile.

For the first time, the man who was now Kyojuro's father in this life seemed at ease, his expression relaxing.

"Well then... I leave it in your capable hands!"

"Hahaha! Don't worry! I'll make sure this kid becomes the strongest marine in history!"

Garp let out a hearty laugh and pounded his chest with confidence.

Hearing Garp's bold laughter, Kyojuro felt an unexpected sense of kinship with him.

...

The naval warship sailed swiftly.

Without encountering any significant threats along the way, they headed straight for Navy Headquarters.

'Hmm, this place feels relatively more peaceful…'

Having experienced a voyage without any threats for several days, Kyojuro started to believe that this world he had reincarnated into might be safer and more peaceful than the one he had lived in before.

Before encountering the Sea Kings.

"Sea King spotted on the port side! Sea King spotted on the port side!"

"Vice Admiral Garp! A Sea King has appeared!"

"It's classified as a massive Sea King! There's a risk the ship could capsize!"

"All hands to the cannons! Prepare for battle!"

A Sea King had appeared off the port side of the ship.

Not knowing what a Sea King was, Kyojuro immediately turned to Garp to ask.

"Jiichan, what is a Sea King?"

At Kyojuro's question, Garp stroked his beard thoughtfully for a moment, then suddenly flashed a sly grin as though he had come up with a brilliant idea.

"Ahem… Well then, let me tell you about Sea Kings. First, climb into your grandpa's arms. Seeing a massive Sea King up close is a valuable experience for someone destined to become a strong marine, don't you think?"

"Yes, Jiichan! Understood!"

Without hesitation, Kyojuro climbed into Garp's arms.

'Now that I'm up here, Jiichan seems taller than Gyomei… Am I imagining things?'

Due to his smaller stature, Kyojuro couldn't help but notice just how enormous Garp, standing at 287 cm, seemed.

Compared to his former comrade, the Stone Hashira Himejima Gyomei, who stood at 220 cm, the difference wasn't as apparent to him yet.

Settling into Garp's embrace, Kyojuro relaxed as Garp called out to one of his subordinates to issue a command.

"Bogard! Go fetch 'that' from the storage!"

At Garp's words, his subordinate, Bogard, looked puzzled and asked, "What do you mean by 'that,' sir?"

"'That!' You don't know 'that'? I'm talking about 'that'!"

"If you mean something specific, please clarify, sir. Apart from supplies for the soldiers, the only things in the storage are your snacks," Bogard replied firmly.

At Bogard's blunt words, Garp hesitated, scratching his head awkwardly before whispering, "Didn't you bring my giant iron ball?"

"This is a routine patrol mission, sir. You specifically said we wouldn't need it, so we didn't pack it."

"Ugh…"

Originally, Garp had planned to show off one of his signature techniques to Kyojuro: throwing a massive iron ball, dozens of times the size of a regular cannonball, with one hand.

It was a demonstration he thought would leave a lasting impression.

Taking down a massive Sea King wasn't a challenge for Garp.

However, the idea of using mere cannon fire to do the job felt too plain and uninspiring.

Kyojuro, observing Garp's reaction, spoke earnestly, "Jiichan, if there's no weapon available, there's no shame in retreating when necessary."

Kyojuro didn't know exactly what "that" was, as Garp had put it, but he assumed it must be some sort of secret weapon.

Even so, as a seasoned Demon Slayer Corps member, Kyojuro understood well how difficult it was to face a demon without a Nichirin Blade, no matter how skilled the warrior.

No matter how proficient Garp was with a weapon, without it, his abilities would be of little use.

So, Kyojuro believed it would be better to retreat than to recklessly push forward without the necessary tools.

However, Kyojuro's grounded and rational, Earth-centric way of thinking didn't quite align with the logic of this world.

"Sniff… Kyojuro, are you worried about this old man? How touching… You're so young, yet so mature! But don't worry, your grandpa will take care of everything!" Garp declared, brimming with confidence. "Bogard! Bring me the spare anchor from the storage!"

Garp had instructed his subordinate, Bogard, to fetch the spare anchor.

The spare anchor was the largest and heaviest item onboard that could feasibly be used as a weapon.

What's more, its triangular shape made it not just a blunt instrument for impact, but something that could function as a massive drill-like weapon, capable of piercing through with devastating force.

With a sigh, Bogard headed toward the storage, clearly accustomed to the eccentricities of the Vice Admiral.

"Alright, let's go see just how big this Sea King is," Garp said, his tone brimming with excitement.

After giving his orders, Garp immediately made his way to the edge of the ship's deck.

Still held in Garp's arms, Kyojuro also turned his gaze to the distant Sea King in the water.

'Is this… is this even possible?'

Seeing a Sea King for the first time, Kyojuro couldn't contain his shock.

He had initially imagined something akin to a massive whale, but his expectations were utterly crushed.

'That's… clearly a rabbit! A rabbit that size? How can that even exist?'

"Oh, this time it's a rabbit," Garp commented casually.

The massive Sea King had the head of a white rabbit but the body of a whale.

Despite its whale-like body, it was entirely covered in soft rabbit fur.

And the sheer size of it was staggering.

True to the term "massive," the creature appeared to be easily 10 to 20 times the size of the warship.

Although it was currently about 100 meters away from the ship, its size and speed made it clear that it could close the distance in an instant if it wanted to.

Sensing Kyojuro's astonishment, Garp pointed at the Sea King and said, "It's rare to see a Sea King of this size. You're lucky, kid. Your first Sea King encounter is with one this gigantic."

"Vice Admiral! I've brought the spare anchor!" Bogard called out, arriving with the requested item.

Shortly after, Bogard arrived alongside 50 marines, all straining as they pushed a cart carrying the spare anchor toward Garp.

Even with the aid of the cart, the combined efforts of 50 grown men were barely enough to move the anchor, which looked to weigh at least 10 tons.

"Good work," Garp said, patting Bogard on the shoulder before casually lifting the massive anchor with one hand.

Wait—one hand?

Kyojuro blinked in disbelief, thinking he must have seen it wrong. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, just to make sure.

It was undeniable. The massive anchor, weighing several tons and requiring the effort of 50 grown men with a cart to move, was now being held effortlessly in Garp's single hand.

As if he were holding nothing more than a pebble, Garp casually lifted the anchor and spoke to Kyojuro.

"Watch closely, kid. This is your grandpa's strength—and the strength of the Navy."

Taking a small step forward to steady himself, Garp then hurled the anchor with incredible force.

It was as if he were throwing a baseball, the motion deceptively light.

The anchor flew through the air like a cannonball, heading straight for the Sea King's neck at an astonishing speed.

"Fist-Anchor Throw!" Garp shouted, his voice full of confidence.

The name of the move, while incredibly unimpressive and almost laughable, belied its sheer destructive power.

Have you ever seen an animal's neck cleanly severed? Perhaps only when witnessing the slaughter of a pig at a butchery.

For Kyojuro, this was the first time he had ever seen a living creature's head and body forcibly separated in such a way.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, Garp scratched his head as though something important had just occurred to him.

"Is something the matter, sir?"

Bogard asked, noticing the Vice Admiral's sudden shift.

Still scratching his head furiously, Garp replied.

"We didn't attach the chain to it."

"What?"

"The chain. We didn't attach the chain to the anchor."

"Well, the spare anchor is just meant to replace the anchor itself, so it's not set up with a chain," Bogard replied.

"Then we can't retrieve it!" Garp exclaimed.

For a moment, Bogard seemed genuinely touched and responded emotionally, "Vice Admiral, have you finally learned to value resources and stop being wasteful?"

"We need the chain to drag it back and throw a seafood feast!"

"That's what this is about?!" Bogard shouted, his brief admiration turning into disbelief.

...

After the commotion between the Vice Admiral and his subordinate subsided, Kyojuro began reflecting on the nature of this world once again.

'This world is strange.'

'Perhaps… in this place, it's possible to reach a transcendent level of power.'

He recalled the Upper Moon demon who had killed him in his previous life, repeatedly trying to persuade him:

"Become a demon, Kyojuro! Humans are weak! Only demons can reach the pinnacle of strength! Become a demon, Kyojuro!"

The demon had spoken those words because demons were inherently stronger than humans.

But in this world, it seemed that even humans could achieve such transcendence.

"Jiichan, I want to learn more about this sea!"

As a warrior, Kyojuro's passion reignited, and his determination returned to its purest form, burning brighter than ever.