Ding-ling...
The bell above the tavern door chimed softly as two men stepped in.
One wore the white cloak of Justice, his gait steady and his face freshly shaven—Vice Admiral Tea Dolphin.
The other followed close behind, tall but gaunt, the sharp lines of his face casting long shadows—T-Bone, the "Rail Knight."
Ronn blinked.
He hadn't seen Tea Dolphin in days, but something about him was… different.
His eyes were sharper, his presence steadier, his steps lighter.
There was a quiet confidence about him—a strange, monk-like calm.
Could it be…
Ronn rubbed his chin.
Has he really achieved enlightenment through heartbreak?
When there is no woman in your heart, your blade moves like a god...
He sighed.
"Master Zoro, your teachings truly reach across worlds."
But before he could think further, Tea Dolphin froze.
On the floor lay Akainu, battered beyond recognition—face swollen, uniform torn, covered in bruises.
Even his justice coat looked like it had been through a demolition site.
"Fleet Admiral!"
Tea Dolphin rushed forward, T-Bone following close behind—
but a crisp, elegant voice stopped them mid-step.
"Don't move him," the woman at the counter said lightly.
"Give it a few minutes. His wounds will heal."
The voice belonged to Keisha, sitting gracefully at the bar, gold hair cascading like sunlight.
Her beauty was enough to still even the clatter of glasses.
Akainu struggled to open one eye, his tone hoarse but respectful:
"Listen… to Queen Keisha…"
Queen… Keisha?
Tea Dolphin and T-Bone both blinked in disbelief.
Queen? He called her Queen?
This was Akainu—the walking volcano, the man who'd once glared at the Five Elders and called them "old fossils" to their faces.
And now he was addressing some woman—some beautiful stranger—as Queen?
The world must have gone mad.
"His wounds are… closing," T-Bone murmured in shock.
The two officers stared as the bruises faded before their eyes.
In seconds, the magma man's battered flesh was knitting itself back together, the glow of heat returning to his skin.
"Regeneration faster than any Zoan fruit…" Tea Dolphin whispered.
Ronn smiled faintly from behind the counter.
"Now that you're both here, sit down. You'll understand soon enough. Have a drink."
Still wary but curious, the two Marines nodded and took seats at the bar.
Unfortunately, the first thing they saw were two enormous demons sitting nearby—father and son—locked in a teary embrace, howling and sobbing like children at a funeral.
Ronn sighed.
He'd given this explanation far too many times.
"Don't be alarmed," he said patiently.
"They're… friendly."
Tea Dolphin and T-Bone exchanged a look.
Neither looked convinced.
Tohru appeared with her usual smile, setting two bottles on the counter.
"Your drinks. Enjoy."
Tea Dolphin took one without hesitation.
He downed a shot, then another, shoulders loosening with each burn.
The tension in his body slowly dissolved into the haze of alcohol.
T-Bone, however, sat perfectly straight.
The smell of liquor didn't tempt him at all.
His gaunt face was firm, disciplined—unshaken.
Ronn rested his chin on his hand, studying him.
"T-Bone," he said suddenly, "tell me—if one day a Marine dies not on the battlefield, but by the hands of a civilian… what would you feel?"
It was a quiet question, but it froze the air.
The Holy Master looked up. Keisha's gaze flickered.
Even Akainu, still half-healed, paused.
Years from now, Ronn knew, T-Bone would fall not to an enemy—but to the hunger of the very people he swore to protect.
A starving man would take his life for bounty money, just to feed his family.
And T-Bone would not resist.
The tragedy of justice, reduced to a transaction.
T-Bone was silent for a moment.
Then, calmly, he replied:
"If I feared being struck down by those I protect, how could I ever stand before them?"
"How could I call myself a Marine?"
His voice rang clear—steady, unwavering.
"Justice drives me to turn my back to civilians and face the storm instead.
My sword exists not to kill, but to shield.
Even in an unjust world, I will stand and show what true justice looks like."
"Even if the sea itself rages against me—
I will protect the innocent, always!"
As he spoke, his justice cloak billowed behind him though there was no wind.
The tavern fell silent.
Every gaze—angel, demon, god, and man alike—turned toward the gaunt Marine.
There was no mockery in any of their eyes. Only respect.
Ronn raised his glass slowly.
"Then, may your justice never waver," he said softly.
"Live long enough to make it matter."
T-Bone smiled faintly and raised his glass of water in return.
"Your blessing is enough, sir."
The two glasses met with a soft clink.
A sound that rang purer than any toast of wine.
Tea Dolphin frowned, watching Ronn carefully.
There was something in the bartender's tone—something too knowing.
He made a mental note: keep an eye on T-Bone.
Keisha, who had been quietly listening, spoke at last.
"If what you said does happen," she murmured,
"his justice won't die with him. It will transcend flesh and live in the next world."
Ronn smiled faintly.
"Perhaps. But it's still too soon to speak of that."
Because the tides were already rising.
The seeds had been planted—Doflamingo's corrupted freedom, Akainu's absolute justice.
And soon, those ideals would collide in a war that would reshape the seas.
A war that might yet rewrite fate itself.
Keisha nodded thoughtfully.
"I'll be back tomorrow," she said softly, standing.
But when she turned to leave, Ronn raised a brow.
"You haven't paid for your drinks."
She smiled—a mischievous, divine smile.
"I don't carry money," she said sweetly. "I'll pay… like that other vixen did."
Before Ronn could react, she leaned forward and brushed a kiss against his cheek.
A soft, fragrant click of lips—and she was gone.
The bar froze.
Rem and Ram's eyes went wide.
Their smiles were sharp enough to cut glass.
Lucoa's gaze narrowed to slits, and her tail coiled lazily around a chair leg.
Even Yoruichi's paw flexed on instinct.
Tohru, however, only grinned.
"Ronn, we're having grilled dragon tail tonight," she said cheerfully.
Ronn's expression went flat.
"You know it's venomous, right?"
And then—
the tavern filled with a brrring—brrring!
A den-den mushi on the counter began to ring.
Tea Dolphin's face lit up as he pulled it from his coat and answered.
"Did you get home safely?" he asked tenderly.
"I saw you standing on tiptoe to kiss him last night. I put some stones under your feet so you wouldn't strain yourself. Good thing you didn't squat—"
He broke off, laughing softly.
"I'll bring soup later. Your throat must be sore from—ah, talking."
Before anyone could react, another phone rang.
He answered immediately.
"I told you, I'm done simping for you. Stay focused at the hospital!"
A pause.
"What's that? You're coming over tonight… in your nurse uniform?"
"Well—maybe I can forgive you."
And then another call.
And another.
Five in total. Ten women.
Each conversation worse than the last.
By the end of it, Tea Dolphin looked like a man whose soul had ascended and descended repeatedly.
Akainu, now fully healed, stood behind him—expression dark, jaw twitching.
The admiral's voice was low, dangerous.
"…Tea Dolphin."
Tea Dolphin turned, half-drunk, half-grinning.
"Eh? Boss?"
Akainu's fist ignited.
📖 Author's Note:
This chapter's for T-Bone—
a rare gem of integrity in the seas of One Piece.
In the manga's latest chapter, he was killed by the very civilians he swore to protect.
They turned him in for bounty money—just to survive another day.
A cruel, simple truth:
even the kindest justice can't fill an empty stomach.
Rest well, old knight of the sea.
You deserved better.
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