Chapter 102: A New Journey

Navy Headquarters, Marineford, Office of Fleet Admiral Sengoku.

Even for an administrative official of Sengoku’s rank, the size of this office was disproportionately large. The spaciousness lent the room an imposing and grand atmosphere.

Sengoku sat behind a massive desk befitting his broad stature, with the Navy emblem occupying the entire wall behind him. Glancing to the side, one could see a bold and vigorous calligraphy inscription: “Absolute Justice.”

Though the decor was simple, it exuded a solemn and authoritative aura.

This invisible yet powerful aura commanded respect from every visitor to the office, deterring any loud or disruptive behavior.

Of course, there were exceptions.

“Ha ha ha…”

Suddenly, loud laughter rang from outside the door.

Hearing that familiar voice, Fleet Admiral Sengoku immediately darkened his expression, interrupting his work to shout toward the door without any pretense of decorum:

“The door isn’t locked! Mind your manners…”

Before he could finish, the office door was abruptly flung open with tremendous force.

The one who pushed the door clearly hadn’t considered his strength, and Sengoku immediately noticed the deep dent the doorknob had left in the wall.

“You damn Karp!”

Sengoku slammed his hand on the desk in exasperation, yelling at his carefree old friend:

“After such a long vacation, you come back and start destroying government property!”

Karp didn’t reply, his mouth stuffed full of doughnuts.

Spotting Sengoku’s pet sheep inside the office, Karp casually shoved a doughnut into its mouth, choking the poor creature like a paper shredder.

Sengoku’s face darkened further.

He pounded the desk again, his expression turning stern:

“Karp, get serious!”

“Tell me, what’s really going on over in the East Sea?”

Karp kept chewing the doughnuts, carefree as ever, and asked:

“Anything big happening in the East Sea? I haven’t noticed.”

“It’s not exactly big…” Sengoku frowned, “but the recent situation in the East Sea is rather strange.”

His suspicion arose mainly from two odd pieces of data:

First, the Navy’s statistics on the number of pirate crews entering the Grand Line from the four seas.

In the past month, the number of pirate crews coming from the East Sea into the Grand Line had plummeted sharply. Even though the East Sea was the weakest of the four seas, the near-zero number of pirate crews was unusually low.

Second, the mission reports from Colonel Smoker stationed in Loguetown.

Smoker, merely the guard captain of Loguetown—the gateway to the Grand Line—had lately been enthusiastically conducting law enforcement beyond his jurisdiction, achieving staggering results.

In just one month, the number of pirates Smoker alone reported capturing exceeded the combined results of all other naval branches across the other three seas.

It seemed as if overnight, the East Sea—one of the four seas—had transformed into a model sea area of excellent public safety and clear order.

Though the Navy’s intelligence apparatus had many limitations, it was no mere ornament; Sengoku, famed as a brilliant strategist, immediately saw through the scheme behind the East Sea’s “Civilized and Harmonious Sea Area Construction” and “Exemplary Public Security Campaign.”

“Karp.”

Sengoku fixed his serious gaze on his old friend and asked gravely:

“What exactly is going on with this ‘enthusiastic citizen of the East Sea’?”

“That so-called ‘Knight of Justice’ is right in your hometown, the Goa Kingdom. Don’t tell me you don’t know anything!”

“Gallen, huh?”

Karp finally paused his doughnut chewing, his tone turning serious:

“That kid’s not a bad person.”

“What he’s doing suits my sense of justice—I believe in his righteousness.”

Most of Gallen’s activities involved eradicating pirates and rescuing civilians. Command of his soldiers was fully shared with Smoker, making him almost an ally of the Navy.

His crackdown on the nobility in the Goa Kingdom seemed sensitive, but it was all legally sanctioned by the king and never crossed any lines.

Sengoku understood Karp’s character and the protective tone behind his words.

Yet, he still harbored concerns, speaking in a low voice:

“What he’s doing may be beyond reproach, but…”

He left the rest unsaid, knowing Karp would understand his apprehension.

The East Sea was the weakest of the four seas, rarely producing major figures; but when a rising star emerged from the East Sea, it inevitably had a profound impact on the world order.

Karp, Roger, Dragon—each was a figure capable of shaking the entire world.

After years of silence, the East Sea had once again produced such a striking new figure. How could Sengoku not pay attention?

Gallen’s sterling reputation in the East Sea and his proclaimed path of justice made Sengoku even more wary.

“Sengoku!”

Karp, unusually serious, revealed a solemn expression rarely seen on the half-retired naval hero’s face:

“You know well what justice I stand for.”

“That young man’s actions do not contradict justice; on the contrary, he has resolved many dark corners the Navy could not reach.”

“Even my hometown, the Goa Kingdom, has been changed by him alone.”

Karp’s eyes burned as he stared at Sengoku:

“You tolerate those ‘legitimate pirates’ known as the Seven Warlords, but you can’t accept a young man who claims justice in the same name?”

“This…”

Sengoku knew well this was a fundamental ideological clash between the Fleet Admiral and the naval hero Karp.

Since accepting the World Government’s appointment and becoming Fleet Admiral, Sengoku’s conception of justice had quietly shifted.

Meanwhile, Karp had declined promotion to Admiral and voluntarily entered semi-retirement, precisely to uphold the justice they once believed in together.

“Sigh…”

Sengoku sighed helplessly. “If we ignore it, things might get troublesome down the line.”

“What trouble?”

Karp challenged his old friend unflinchingly:

“Isn’t one more Knight of Justice at sea better than one more great pirate?”

“If you push him into becoming a pirate, is that what you want?”

Karp’s voice darkened:

“If that young man ever really crosses the line, I will personally stop him!”

Sengoku fell silent.

“Fine.”

Rubbing his eyes, he finally acquiesced to his old friend’s wishes:

“There are still so many evil pirates in the Grand Line left to deal with. I won’t bother with this small player from the East Sea.”

“Ha ha ha…”

Karp laughed heartily:

“He’s probably not in the East Sea anymore.”

“Before I returned here, I already heard he was preparing to enter the Grand Line!”

.................................................

Alabasta, Rainbase Port City, Stronghold of the Seven Warlord Crocodile.

“Mr. 1 and Miss Double Finger both died in the East Sea?”

“What’s going on?”

Crocodile’s expression was grim as he crushed the documents in his hand into a crumpled mess.

An assassination mission in the weakest of seas, the East Sea, seemed to Crocodile like a free government-funded vacation.

If not for the exorbitant commission offered by a high noble—requiring consideration for client experience and company reputation—Crocodile would have casually assigned two mid-level agents to handle the task.

But he had never expected his agency’s strongest pair of operatives not only to fail the mission but both to perish in the East Sea.

The death of loyal veteran Mr. 1 pained Crocodile deeply.

“The East Sea Knight, Gallen?” Crocodile slowly repeated the name, his expression darkening further:

“Looks like I have to go to the East Sea myself.”

“The Baroque Works name isn’t something anyone can afford to insult.”

“Boss.”

A cold female voice suddenly sounded.

It was Nico Robin, Crocodile’s personal secretary and the agency’s second-in-command.

Robin interrupted Crocodile’s angry outburst with news that only worsened his irritation:

“You should have read the entire report before crumpling it.”

“It clearly states that the East Sea Knight is preparing to enter the Grand Line.”

“And among that knight’s trusted aides is a female agent who defected from our agency, so his target is very likely here.”

“What?”

Crocodile’s expression immediately grew serious.

Hearing of Gallen’s audacious act of voluntarily “delivering himself to death,” Crocodile no longer flew into a rage as before; instead, he felt a measure of respect mixed with caution for this unknown East Sea Knight.

If the man dared to come provoke Baroque Works himself, he was either recklessly fearless or truly had powerful backing.

After much thought, Crocodile finally ordered Robin:

“Gather as much information on this man as possible. The more detailed, the better.”

Robin calmly handed over a file, saying:

“It’s already prepared.”

Anticipating the boss’s wishes and predicting his moves was a basic skill of an excellent secretary.

Yet Crocodile, who often used Robin for mutual benefit, disliked having his thoughts so easily read.

Frowning deeply, he took the dossier on Gallen and began to read carefully:

“A famous hero of the East Sea, a symbol of justice, who through internal strife in the Goa Kingdom effectively controls the government?”

“This… sounds so…”

The more Crocodile read, the more intrigued he became, feeling a certain kinship with this so-called Knight of Justice:

“From outsider to complete control of the Goa Kingdom in less than a month?”

Crocodile silently closed the file and couldn’t help but sigh:

“A true expert!”