One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

Kid hadn't been present last night.

However, from the murmurs around him, he had pieced together the gist of what had transpired.

Compared to Maude single-handedly taking down both the mafia and Abby, what intrigued him more was the sniper who had guarded Maude.

"Did that old man make a move…"

Kid grabbed a bottle of liquor and tilted it back, gulping down its contents.

Clear liquid trickled down the sides of his lips, releasing a rich, intoxicating aroma into the air.

Killer sat silently beside him, watching the unusually irritable Kid.

Behind his mask, no one could see Killer's current expression.

Moments later, Kid finished the bottle and flung it aside. The empty glass shattered against a neighboring table, sending shards scattering over a group of pirates.

"You bastard!"

The pirates immediately erupted in anger, slamming the table as they stood and fixing Kid with ferocious glares.

Kid, however, met their stares with a murderous gaze of his own.

Their initial fury quickly dissipated, and they slumped back into their seats, avoiding his eyes altogether.

Seeing their meek response, Kid coldly withdrew his gaze and stood abruptly, the force of his movement sending his chair tumbling backward with a dull thud.

The sudden noise made the nearby pirates flinch.

"Let's go."

Without sparing them another glance, Kid strode toward the door.

Killer tossed a few Berries onto the table and followed him out.

The two walked in single file before falling into step beside each other.

Kid kept his gaze fixed ahead, the streets filled with drunken pirates reveling in hedonism.

"Killer, there's no point staying in a place like this anymore."

His eyes gleamed with a cold light.

They had indeed encountered a few noteworthy individuals here.

But the majority were worthless trash.

"What about manpower?"

"We'll get it."

Kid quickened his pace.

"Just not here. There are plenty of places we haven't been to yet."

"Understood."

The pair made their way toward the harbor.

"Usopp…"

As he marched forward, a frail figure flashed through Kid's mind.

Killing Usopp—this was the first time since setting out to sea that he felt a genuine need to eliminate someone.

But Sol's presence had extinguished that thought entirely.

Kid and Killer passed through the bustling streets and reached the once-busy harbor.

They paused to survey the docked ships, their eyes scanning for a suitable target.

After a few moments, they settled on a pirate ship that caught their eye.

Side by side, they wove through the crowd, heading toward their chosen vessel.

Two figures passed them by.

It was Sabo and Koala, who had returned to Mad Hat Town.

After walking a short distance, Sabo glanced back at Kid's retreating figure.

"What is it?" Koala asked, puzzled.

"Nothing," Sabo replied, shifting his gaze forward again.

Koala eyed him curiously but said nothing as they continued walking.

After another hundred meters, a loud commotion erupted behind them.

Turning around, they saw chaos breaking out among the pirates.

"Was it those two?" Koala asked, watching as Kid and Killer boarded a pirate ship by force.

"Let's go," Sabo said, quickening his pace.

Koala nodded and hurried after him.

As Sabo and Koala left the harbor, Kid and Killer, having claimed a ship through violent means, hoisted its sails and began their departure.

Marineford, Naval Headquarters – Fleet Admiral's Office

Fleet Admiral Sengoku sat at his desk, staring intently at a bounty poster in his hands.

"This 'D'... What exactly is its origin?"

He muttered under his breath.

Perched on his desk was a fluffy white goat, peering curiously at the poster.

The goat knew that it was only a matter of time—minutes, maybe an hour—before Sengoku would feed it the paper.

As always.

"Knock, knock."

Someone rapped on the door.

"Come in," Sengoku said, looking up.

A bearded officer stepped in, marched to the desk, and saluted crisply before reporting:

"Fleet Admiral, Vice Admiral Garp's warship has departed the inner bay without prior authorization."

"Understood."

Sengoku's expression remained unchanged.

After the officer left, Sengoku sighed and rubbed his temples.

Garp, as usual, was the only one in the entire headquarters who would pull such a stunt.

Though it wasn't in line with regulations, Sengoku had long grown accustomed to it.

Garp's carefree attitude often came with an unshakable reliability—when it came to important missions, he never slacked and always delivered results.

"What's Garp up to this time? Ah, forget it…"

Sengoku murmured, turning his attention back to the poster.

After a long silence, he extended it to the goat.

The goat happily took the poster into its mouth, chewing it slowly and savoring the taste.

At that moment, Vice Admiral Tsuru entered the office.

Her arrival interrupted Sengoku's thoughts.

"Tsuru, what brings you here?"

Sengoku stepped out from behind his desk, looking surprised at her calm, serene demeanor.

"I came to deliver a message on Garp's behalf," Tsuru said softly.

"What is it?"

"He's headed to the West Blue to deal with Phantom Gun. Including the journey there and back, he won't be returning for a while."

"What?" Sengoku's expression shifted slightly. By the time Tsuru finished, he was already rubbing his temples again.

No wonder she'd come in person—this was well beyond the scope of a "vacation."

"Garp, that bastard…"

"Sengoku, focus on the matter at hand," Tsuru interjected.

"Oh, you mean Phantom Gun."

Sengoku looked at her, his tone calm.

"For Garp to have located Phantom Gun, you must have contributed significantly—strategizing, perhaps?"

Tsuru nodded gently.

"In that case, there's no need to worry. Garp knows how to handle Phantom Gun. Taking too many people would only lead to unnecessary casualties."

Lowering his gaze, Sengoku recalled memories of Phantom Gun.

Though unassuming aboard the pirate ship, Phantom Gun was undeniably one of Roger's most reliable allies.

As a top-tier marksman, Phantom Gun had silently cleared countless obstacles for Roger.

During their numerous skirmishes, it was Phantom Gun who had claimed the lives of countless Marines.

For Garp, who had led the charge against Roger's crew, many of his own men had fallen to that rifle.

This, more than anything, fueled Garp's relentless pursuit of Phantom Gun.

Yet from the Navy's perspective, the intense efforts to hunt down Roger's remnants had long since dwindled.

Today, individuals like Phantom Gun, Rayleigh, and Gaban—formidable but reclusive—were no longer worth the expenditure of resources.

[TL/N: The raw says Jabba instead of Gaban. I don't know if this is an OG in this fanfic or the author made a mistake. If there are futher contexts detailing this character, I will promptly change it.]

Even Garp understood this, choosing not to trouble Sengoku over it.

Seeing Sengoku lost in thought, Tsuru suddenly remarked, "Aokiji is on Garp's ship."

"What?" Sengoku's eyes widened.

Then, he remembered that Aokiji was currently on leave.

But still…

Sengoku chuckled helplessly.

On the calm seas, a dog-headed warship sailed steadily forward.

On the deck, Aokiji lounged in a sun chair.

"By the way, where are we heading?" he asked lazily.

"West Blue," Garp answered reflexively before spinning around to glare at Aokiji.

"Kuzan! What are you doing here!?"

"???"

Aokiji tilted his head, utterly bewildered.

Around them, the Marines stood silently.

He's been here the whole time!

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