Chapter 1
FLEET ADMIRAL—SENGOKU 'THE GOLDEN BUDDHA'
Decades after his death, the world still remained ensnared by the words of 'that man'—words spoken in between laughs, just before his execution—words which continued to inspire thousands of pirates to this day.
Gold Roger, the Pirate King. His words had set ablaze an age of piracy and, and the Marines had been trying to stem the tide of this rising age ever since.
For each marine they recruited, a dozen pirates sprang up across the sea, nefarious and evil men, each of whom tried to trace back the footsteps of the former King of the Pirates as they hungered after his treasure at the edge of the world.
The Marines had only one figure who could compare to the charisma of that man, the Hero of the Marines who had defeated Gold Roger and thousands of others besides him—Monkey D Garp.
Yet, as he grew old, tales of his exploits began to be forgotten, and the Marines saw themselves becoming increasingly unpopular as they continued to fail in their duties due to corruption, decadence, and inaptitude.
Sengoku was getting old now and could feel that the time for the next generation was here. Just as the Supernovas threatened to usurp the hegemony of the Four Emperors, it was time for the Marines to move on from the relics of the past, like Garp and himself.
It was a time for the Marines to find a new Hero, and one of the candidates for this role stood before him—a young Marine who had joined their institution after getting inspired by the Hero Garp, like a thousand others.
He had spent the initial few years serving under the Vice Admiral, who had taken him on as his second protege. Just like Aokiji, he had proven his mettle as he tore through the ranks and became the youngest Marine ever to achieve the rank of Captain.
"I do hope that you have learned your lesson," Sengoku warned, and the young captain stood straight, his wild, light green hair splattered everywhere, and his rather prominent canines protruded as he smiled.
"Yes," he answered, though much to his dismay, his next words indicated that he had in fact not learned the 'right' lesson.
"Next time, I will leave none alive to tattle on me," and Sengoku closed his eyes in resignation. After all, what had he expected? How could a recruit trained by Garp be normal?
"You are supposed to say that such a thing will never happen again," Sengoku admonished, but the green-haired captain did not reply and kept smiling.
"I thought that Marines were discouraged from lying to their commanding officers," he said, and a headache burst in his head as he clicked his tongue.
"Do you have any idea about the severity of the incident you caused?" Sengoku questioned, and he saw those eyes twitch as the captain refused to back down.
"Attacking a ship flying under the banner of one of the Shichibukai. What were you even thinking?" and even amongst the Shichibukai, he had chosen to go against the worst of the worst, Donquixote Doflamingo. A man who had deep connections to the World Government, who was now under their protection because of the Shichibukai program.
"You are lucky that Garp and Aokiji were there to vouch for you. Otherwise, you would have gotten more than just a slap on the wrist," and even then, the young man had missed out on two promotions and had spent the last year as a scrubber in one of the Marine Bases, as his punishment.
It hated him that the marines were forced to rely on scum like the Shichibukai to do their work, but this was the reality of their world. A world where Pirates ran amok while corruption and inaptitude continued to eat away at their dwindling might.
"I know that our options were limited," the captain finally opened his mouth, and this time he was being rather serious as he looked him dead in the eye, and spoke the brazen truth that even he knew in his heart.
"But that man has no right to be affiliated with the Marines," and he shared his sentiment and his rage. He held no sympathy for Donquixote Doflamingo as well, but he was well-connected and too powerful a foe to bring down currently.
As a Shichibukai, the Marines were supposed to turn a blind eye to his piracy and other shady enterprises, as long as he continued to deliver on his terms.
"I understand your sentiment, but that man is a Shichibukai. Garp and Aokiji may have been able to protect you this time, but there is a limit to their power," he warned, hoping that the young man would take this lesson to heart and temper himself.
Of all the new recruits, he was the most promising one after Kuzan himself. He was usually level-headed and had taken down quite a few pirates while saving many marines from their wrath.
He had earned his current rank protecting a Marine Base from the Supernova, Eustass Kid, while being an ensign, stationed there. The young man had a bright future in front of him, as long as he learned to temper himself.
"I see," he whispered, and then the young captain reached into his breast pocket, took out a folded piece of paper, and put it on his desk.
"What is this?" he asked, grabbing the folded paper.
"My resignation..." and Sengoku was still at those words, his head snapping towards the young captain. He had just been hoping to see him ascend through the ranks, but now this.
"...and an application to be a part of SWORD!"
.
.
.
And sometime after the departure of the young captain, he found his office accosted by an old acquaintance, one who, much like Garp, refused to grow up at all and continued to add to his burdens.
"The boy asked to join SWORD?" she asked, and much like him, she had grown old as well. Tsurus was amongst the few people alive who had been active when Gold Roger had swept through the seas, becoming the King of Pirates.
"Yes," he said, rubbing his head as he tried to drown away that headache.
"Were you the one who mentioned it to the boy?" he asked, and Tsuru scoffed.
"I am not a fool," she rejected his insinuation, but SWORD was a secret known only to a select few. Yet that boy had somehow learned of it.
She smiled, though, almost with pride as she added.
"That one sure has a spine, though. Though perhaps that is to be expected. He is that Monkey's protege after all," and it seemed to him that just like the other things, he was now inheriting Garp's penchant for trouble as well.
"That he is," and like all the powerful marines, the boy had his own brand of justice, one unlike any preached by the current top brass.
"He is a unique one," he said, staring at his file and all his achievements. He was amongst the most unique marine captains currently serving, for he was not just a marine but was also the head of a rather thriving private business enterprise.
They were based in East Blue, though they were expanding as well. They operated some casinos, hotels, and a few other inane businesses, which, while strange, were not completely abnormal.
No, what was abnormal was how he used this enormous wealth. Sengoku had been active for quite a while and had earned his fair share of rewards, but the young man's wealth rivalled his own. Unlike others who would try to live lavish lifestyles, the boy used most of his wealth to free slaves.
He had a reputation for being cruel, and was given the nickname Bartolomeo the Cannibal for his habbit of being an active slave buyer. Rumors were that he feasted on his slaves, enjoying their meat and bones, but the truth was that most of these people would be freed from their shackles, and many of them now worked in his various establishments as they tried to rebuild a life.
"For a man who only wishes to simply 'shield' the weak, he is quite zealous about hunting pirates," and Tsuru nodded.
"He is right, though. Those so-called Shibukai are no saints. They are the worst of the worst. I do not know what was the government thinking joining hands with those scum," and if there was anyone who shared Bartolomeo's hate for Donquixote Doflamingo, it was Tsuru who had spent quite a few years chasing after the man, until she was forced to pull back because of the 'Shibukai' program.
"We had no choice," he said, and he hated himself for coming to the defence of those scum, but there was a reason they had initiated this program.
"We must stem the rise of this new age, lest it will swallow us all," and this new batch of pirates was something different. They were more driven, more dangerous, and were compounding their problems.
At the moment, the world was living on a knife's edge, with the Marines locked in a stalemate against the Four Emperors, but this new group of pirates intended to disrupt that balance. The Supernovas, that was the name given to these upstarts but he could see their potential.
They were young now, but give them a few years and he could see these upstarts becoming a problem, one that would upset the already established delicate balance of power in the seas. He sighed as he felt himself withering under the weight of all these problems.
And now, they had nearly lost one of their future cornerstones.
"Let us hope Garp is able to talk him out of this idiocy," and for all his faults, Garp cared much about his students and protege, and he had personally taken Bartolomeo under his wing.
Garp knew what it meant to be a part of SWORD, and hopefully, he would be able to dissuade the young Barto from this notion.
"Hmm, though, have you wondered if it was not Garp himself who told him about SWORD?" Tsuru questioned, and he felt a vein pop.
"If that is the case, then I will kill the bastard myself," he shouted, as Tsuru chuckled.
"Where is he, that old monkey?" and she was amongst the very few who could call the Hero of the Marines a monkey.
"I am not sure myself, but he told me that he was going towards East Blue," and that was where he had sent Barto to, to find Garp and bring him to Marineford.
"East Blue, huh," and it was the most unique Sea, for this was the calmest part of the seas, though it was also the place which had been the birthplace of the man who would go on to become the King of the Pirates.
"That is where it all began and ended," and indeed, this was where Roger's journey had begun and also come to an end.
"Well then, it is time for me to go?" and just as she was about to get up, Sengoku stopped her.
"Have you finished looking into that matter?" he asked, his tone growing grave and serious as Tsuru's smile vanished.
"You still suspect him to be a part of the Revolutionaries?" and it was not he who suspected so, but those above him.
His enterprise and its actions had raised eyebrows among those who stood above him, and Sengoku knew that even he himself could not shield the boy if he were truly a double agent.
In that regard, it would be mercy if he were to kill the boy with his own hands, rather than letting those above him make an example out of him.
The CP agents were conducting their own investigation, but to stay ahead of them, he had tasked Tsuru with looking into the boy's private enterprise. It was how he had learned about its inner workings, which on paper seemed legitimate.
"We are the Marines! We cannot let anyone who holds sympathy for those damned Revolutionaries within our ranks," he declared, as Tsuru looked him in the eye.
"Well, then there's no need for you to worry," she answered, and a wave of relief washed over him as soon as he heard those words.
"His business, while controversial, are all legitimate, and what he does with his slaves is also all above board," and that was good to hear.
"That is a relief," he whispered, his shoulders sagging as he looked at the few files on his desk, which contained reports about Marine corruption and illicit activities.
There had been recent reports that one of their captains, Morgan, had been involved in some shady business along with many others, who were preying on innocent villagers, allying themselves with pirates.
"Perhaps, I should ask him to look into it while he is there...."
0000
And so, it begins. My foray into the wild world of One Piece.
Honestly, it's quite a daunting task given just how vast and intricate this universe is. However, I have had this idea floating in my head for quite some time, and I have decided to give it a try.
A Bartolomeo SI who is a Marine.
You can read ahead on my Patre 0n, and support me in this journey.
www.Patre 0n.com/Drkest
Have a nice day!