Rosede Kingdom.
Eastern harbor.
The sun was bright and warm, the sky a clear blue without a single cloud in sight.
A massive Marine warship lay anchored at the pier, hull towering over the dock. The great white flag with the seagull insignia billowed in the sea breeze.
Clatter…
The rigging and sails chimed against one another with crisp, musical sounds, like notes drifting over the water.
After about an hour's walk from the palace—
Kai finally arrived back at the harbor.
From a distance—
He could already see the familiar warship, and on the railings above, the familiar silhouettes of the Marines watching the shore.
He headed straight toward them.
Under the respectful, almost worshipful stares of the gathered Marines, Kai walked up the gangplank and stepped onto the deck once more.
"Done already?"
"And this fast?"
Kuzan gave him a strange look, clearly baffled.
This was supposed to be a rescue operation.
How was it over this quickly?
Those jobs were usually the most tedious and troublesome.
"It's done,"Kai said lightly. "And I met a pretty decent talent along the way."
"That Rob Lucci kid, right?"Kuzan's lips curled into a faint, amused smile. "Let me guess—did you scare him half to death?"
When it came to "geniuses"…
Who on earth could outshine the monster in front of him?
Kuzan couldn't think of a second example that even came close.
"Almost made him start doubting his entire existence,"Kai replied.
"Ha!"
"I knew it."
Kuzan couldn't help but laugh.
"This time, those World Government geezers finally rammed into a steel wall."
"'Once-in-eight-hundred-years genius,' was it?"
"After meeting you, kid, they'll have to think twice before throwing that title around so casually."
"In front of you…"
"Any so-called 'genius' is basically just a bunch of trash cans in uniform."
While they were talking—
Garp wandered over as well, scratching his nose.
"How'd it go? All wrapped up?" he asked, eyeing Kai.
"Yeah. We can set sail anytime,"Kai said. "Picked up a Devil Fruit on the way too."
"Gotta say, Rosede's king is pretty generous. After we took care of their little crisis, he opened his royal treasury and told us to pick one item as a reward."
"This fruit is what I chose."
Kai lifted his hand, revealing the strange fruit resting in his palm.
Shaped vaguely like a banana, its skin a dark purple patterned with intricate, swirling sigils—unmistakably a Devil Fruit.
"A Devil Fruit, huh?"Garp clicked his tongue, taking it from Kai's hand.
He peered at it up and down—
Then promptly lost interest and tossed it toward Kuzan.
"Only weaklings rely on Devil Fruits," he snorted. "Like you, brat—Kuzan!"
Kuzan: "…"
Why am I catching strays again?
What did I do this time?
He caught the fruit anyway.
Fine. Vice Admiral Garp is strong, he's old, he's earned it. Whatever he says goes…
"This is a Paramecia-type, right?"Kuzan said, turning the fruit over in his hand.
"Bomb-Bomb Fruit. Not bad at all,"Kai nodded.
"Oh, that one,"Kuzan said, recognition flashing in his eyes.
He'd gone through plenty of Devil Fruit reference books back in the day.
The Bomb-Bomb Fruit wasn't top-tier…
But it definitely wasn't garbage either.
Like all Devil Fruits—
It depended entirely on who ate it.
Different wielders meant completely different ceilings.
Same as Haki.
Two people could both use Haki, but the power gap between them could be like heaven and earth.
Any so-called "weak" Devil Fruit—
If mastered to the extreme—
Could still unleash terrifying power.
That much was beyond debate.
By now, the nearby Marines had all wandered over, crowding around Kuzan to gawk at the Bomb-Bomb Fruit.
At the same time—
Seeing Kai back safe and sound, Garp turned to the stern, where his adjutant stood by.
"Bocato, tell them to raise anchor and set sail," he ordered. "We're done here. Time to head back to Headquarters."
"Yes, Vice Admiral Garp!"
Bocato snapped to attention, then strode off to relay the order.
"Raise anchor! Set sail!"
With a booming shout, the command echoed across the warship.
Moments later—
Under the coordinated movements of the helm and deck crew, the massive warship slowly pulled away from the stone pier.
The hull sliced through the calm sea—
Sending ripples and waves radiating outward, the surface blossoming with overlapping circles of foam.
Bit by bit—
The warship left Rosede Kingdom's harbor behind.
The coastline grew smaller.
And smaller.
Until it finally vanished from sight.
Time at sea flowed by quickly.
Monotonous.
Dull.
But before you realized it, the days bled together, slipping quietly through your fingers.
During those days—
Kai, as always, kept up his brutal training schedule.
Sweat-drenched drills. Tekkai, Soru, Shigan. Pure physical conditioning.
Day in, day out.
Every single day, he drove himself to the edge of exhaustion.
Every single day, his strength continued to climb.
Each individual training session only brought a small improvement—
But stacked up day after day, the overall growth was anything but small.
As for the Bomb-Bomb Fruit—
Kai tossed it to Garp without a second thought.
Garp could give it to whoever he wanted.
To Kai, it was just a "freebie" he'd snagged from Rosede IV's treasury.
He had no interest in it at all.
He still believed—
That true strength didn't come from external powers.
Especially not from Devil Fruits.
Only the weak needed to cling to their abilities like a crutch.
Kai wanted to rely on nothing but his own fists.
So—
He trained.
And trained.
And trained.
Day after day.
Three days passed in a flash.
On the third day—
The sun hung bright over the horizon, casting a warm golden light across the sea.
Sunlight scattered over the waves and bounced back in blinding flashes, as if the entire ocean had been plated in gold.
In those three days—
The voyage had been unusually smooth.
No storms.
No bizarre sea currents.
No pirate ambushes.
No sudden missions handed down from above.
Everything was calm.
Because of that—
By now, the warship had drawn very close to its destination.
From the very beginning, the route from Rosede Kingdom to Marine Headquarters, Marineford, had only been a three-day trip.
With completely clear sailing—
They were right on schedule.
The navigators confirmed as much.
According to their readings and charts—
If nothing unexpected happened…
They would reach Marineford today.
The thought sent a wave of excitement rippling through the entire crew.
After so long at sea—
Every Marine on board was eager to see Headquarters again.
Life on the Grand Line was harsh and tiring.
Compared to that…
Marineford was comfort.
Home.
Bit by bit—
The warship entered a more distinctive sea zone.
On deck, hundreds of Marines pressed up against the railings, their voices ringing with barely contained excitement.
"We're almost at Marineford!"
"We're finally home!"
"Life at sea is too damn boring… I miss being back at Headquarters."
"Tell me about it…"
Even the so-called "training maniac," Kai—
Skipped his usual drills today.
Instead, he came to the starboard railing early and stood there, hands resting on the wood, looking out at the endless sea ahead.
"So we're finally almost there, huh…"
"Marine Headquarters, Marineford…"
His eyes gleamed with anticipation.
This was the Marines' holy land.
Their true bastion.
He'd been dreaming of this place for a long time now.
And at last—
Under Kai's steady gaze—
It appeared.
Not long after—
A colossal island slowly emerged on the distant horizon, rising from the line where sky met sea.
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