Grand Line G-5 Branch Main Gate Post Morning Mist
The morning mist was as thick as cloth splashed with salt, making a crackling sound as it fell on the military boots. The sirens in the guardhouse were as silent as tombstones, with only the solemn eagle on the flag soaring high in the sky.
Rhett was holding an old toothpick in his mouth, lazily leaning against the sentry box, staring at the entrance where the fog was rolling, and suddenly poked the guy next to him with his elbow.
"Hey, you charlatan—your ears are so big, did you hear that? The smell of rusty iron mixed with the smell of blood is back. Our leader is back."
Enel's earlobe crackled, and the golden stick slowly rose horizontally, pointing towards a vague figure in the fog.
"...and a smell of...milk?"
The wind lifted the edge of the fog, and beneath that familiar cloak was Rogge's stone-still profile, and beside him—
A young man followed silently in his footsteps. His thin figure was wrapped in an oversized uniform with a crooked collar, but his military cap was worn straight. His golden pupils looked down coldly at the two seniors.
"...ha!?"
Lei Te blinked, then laughed out loud: "Boss, did you kill a little devil on this mission?"
Enel stabbed the golden stick into the ground with a thud, raised his eyebrows and snorted, "This little thing's face is not even as big as my earlobe. How many bombs can it withstand?"
"Trafalgar Law, personally approved by Sengoku, Seaman First Class." Rogge said lightly.
Before he finished speaking, Enel's earlobes began to tap. "You beat me up like that back then, and only then did I get Seaman First Class! How come this little brat started right at the same level as me?"
Rogge: "His Sengoku grandfather can cut out your mines as if they were his appendix."
When Lei Te heard this, his face was numb with smile: "Sure, kid, your resume is quite impressive!"
He ruffled Luo's hair and pointed at the furious Thor next to him, "Don't look at him getting angry, when he gets angry, even the kitchen disappears."
Luo looked at the two lunatics in front of him, his expression did not change, but he raised the corner of his mouth slightly.
"You two, teach him from today on."
Rogge patted Rhett's shoulder and said, "Don't hold back. Beat me like you were taught."
He stared at Enel again, "...especially you."
"Hmph." Enel's earlobes twitched as he sneered, "Leave it to me."
Enel narrowed his eyes and smiled dangerously. "Now I'll teach you your first lesson—how to say 'I was wrong' when struck by lightning."
[Time Skip: Tempering One Year Later]
From East Blue to New World, whenever the G-5 flag was raised, the Pirates seemed to hear the hum of a knife sterilizer.
Trafalgar Law—this name began to spread quietly within Marine.
Twelve naval battles, thirty-four near-death rescues, and nearly a hundred sutures.
When the word "ROOM!" is heard on the battlefield, it means that death is about to be precisely cut.
The enemy ship was like a living body being dissected by him. The mast was broken, the deck was separated, the gunpowder magazine was removed at specific locations, and even the wailing was neatly divided into left and right channels.
On the G-5 bridge, Enel arrived like the god of thunder, his lightning net covering the sky;
And Trafalgar Law,
——He is no longer the aloof boy covered in scars. Like an executioner in surgical gown, he cleans up the battlefield time and time again in a low voice and ruthlessly.
"Just barely passing."
Lei Te carried a bazooka and said, "But your smile is uglier than Enel's."
"Um?"
Enel raised his eyebrows, his earlobes clicking. "If you don't learn how to pull up the corners of your mouth, I'll consider getting you a muscle lift."
At the celebration banquet, the bonfire crackled.
Luo Zheng squatted next to Lei Te, using ROOM to accurately remove the alcohol residue in his body, while quietly complaining:
"The alcohol level far exceeds your lightning pressure and muscle concussion. This is my medical conclusion."
The corner of Lei Te's mouth twitched, and he slapped Luo's wrist with his backhand: "You dare to steal my wine now?"
"I just cut out the 'hangover zone.'
Luo smiled slightly, his tone too serious to be a joke.
On the side, Enel swung out a can of marshmallows from the shadows and said, "Hey, last year you couldn't even tie your combat boots, you were so anxious you almost cried.
"Now you have become the military doctor king, right?"
"Who cried?" Luo did not shy away, his golden eyes as calm as water. "Do you want me to remove your exaggeration?"
"Ha!" Rhett laughed out loud, blowing his nose and yelling, "This kid... is becoming more and more like a member of our gang!"
The bonfire jumped high in the night wind, making everyone's smiles hotter.
[Distant Pier]
Rosinante stood quietly in the shadows, not moving forward.
He saw the little devil who once had blood and mud on his face, holding a knife and cursing the world, now being thrown into the air by his companions with a smile, and falling down in lightning and laughter.
He leaned lightly against the wooden pillar, holding the barrel of liquor specified by Leiter in his hand, his eyes full of the silent satisfaction of time.
"Little ghost..." He whispered, his voice so low that it was blown away by the sea breeze.
"Finally, you smile like a human being."
He did not disturb Luo's celebration party, nor did he appear under the lights.
Just stood there quietly, watching the child step by step leave the wasteland of hatred and walk into the light.
"If you can live with a smile like this... then it's worth it to me."
G-5 Training Ground, Early Morning
"Ha... If I don't come soon, you'll be laughing more than me."
Rosinante finally emerged, barrel in hand, leaning against the fence.
On the training ground, Luo Zheng was shooting calmly.
Hearing the voice, he responded without turning his head: "Talk less and exercise more."
"Enel's catchphrase."
He turned and gave Rosinante a slightly awkward but genuine smile.
"...Good fellow,"
Rosinante grinned as well: "You really have learned it all."
[Same day, Naval Headquarters, Intelligence Conference Room]
The morning light filtered through the blinds of the conference room, illuminating the sullen faces.
On the projection screen, the intelligence officer used a laser pointer to highlight the key points of the notice, speaking in a clear, emotionless tone:
"The Shichibukai system has been officially adopted by the Five Elders."
"First round of entries: Mihawk, the Hawkeye; Jinbei, the Sea Knight; Boa Hancock, the Empress."
"The remaining candidates are being shortlisted and it is expected that the seven seats will be filled within a few months."
The exclusive intelligence carrier pigeon on the corner of the table just returned home, carrying an urgent document - it landed on the G-5 branch's special channel.
G-5 Branch Operations Command Room
"Bang——"
Spider-web-like cracks appeared on the edge of the fine porcelain teacup, and the slightly hot tea slid down Rogge's fingertips and dripped onto the red zone sea on the map.
He stood in front of the strategic sand table, his eyes as cold as ice.
[Hawkeye], [Empress], [Seaman]—these names were printed on the top-secret documents of the briefing, and they surprisingly became the licensed holders of the "legal butcher knife."
"...Heh, they really give Pirates medals of honor."
Rogge sneered, then picked up the Den Den Mushi on the table and dialed the hotline.
[Beep—beep—]
The moment Den Den Mushi opened its eyes, it transformed into the expressionless face of Akainu Sakazuki.
"...Uncle,"
Rogge lowered his voice and said, "I think you've received it too."
"Um."
Akainu's voice, as always, suppressed the dullness of a volcano about to erupt.
"These World Government guys...are actually using the Pirates as a banner of peace. Sooner or later, I'm going to tear their skins apart myself."
Rogge lowered his eyes slightly, his voice carrying an uncontrollable sharpness:
"Sooner or later, the world will turn against itself."
Sakazuki paused, then suddenly asked, "You know about the training ship over at Zephyr, right?"
"Know."
Rogge said calmly, "I heard that the teacher personally led a group of elite Marine freshmen to go out to sea for training."
Having said that, Rogge looked up at the sky outside the window. The sea under the morning light seemed to reveal an indescribable anxiety.
"I want to go over there."
"Why?" Akainu raised an eyebrow.
Rogge's eyes were as deep as the abyss, and he slowly uttered a sentence:
"I have a feeling...something's going to happen."
At this moment, the other end of the Den Den Mushi was silent for a few seconds.
Sakazuki frowned and whispered:
"...Your premonitions are always so accurate that they're annoying."
"I'll have the intelligence department immediately send you the Zephyr fleet's location, route, and escort organization."
"If there really is a problem—" He said this, his tone becoming grim.
"Kill them all."
Rogge nodded gently. "As you command, Admiral."
The Den Den Mushi slowly closed its eyes and went out.
[Bridge · Ten Minutes Later]
The wind blew from afar, Rogge put on his windbreaker and climbed up the ladder.
Lei Te clasped his seastone brass knuckles tightly and grinned, "Setting off again?"
Enel twirled the golden stick while complaining, "I've only been lying down for two hours."
"Target—Zephyr Training Fleet."
"Go to sea."
Rogge spat out two words, and his figure was like a sharp blade piercing the sky.
He will personally guard this peaceful training area.
Because he knew—
The real storm often comes after the calm.