Legacy of the Sea
The seas were quiet now—eerily quiet.
After the fall of Blackbeard, the world seemed to pause, as if holding its breath. The newspapers hailed me as the "Savior of the New Era," a title that brought neither joy nor pride. It felt heavy. Behind every victory were countless losses, faces I'd never forget—friends, allies, brave Marines who had laid down their lives for a fragile peace.
I stood on the deck of my ship, the Judgment Storm, gazing over the blue waters of the Grand Line. The wind was calm. The sun glistened off the surface of the sea. It was beautiful, deceptively peaceful. But I knew better. Peace in this world was only ever a pause before the next storm.
"Admiral Gojo," came a voice from behind—Vice Admiral Monica, once a rookie I'd mentored, now a fearsome warrior in her own right.
I turned to her, offering a small nod. "Report."
"We've finished the burial rites. The names of the fallen have been sent to Marine HQ. Families will be compensated, and statues will be raised in the Marine Garden to honor them," she said solemnly.
"Good." I stared into the horizon again. "Have we heard anything from Sakazuki?"
"Yes. He's been appointed the new Fleet Admiral. Kong officially retired following the Blackbeard War."
I closed my eyes. Sakazuki... A man of justice, but extreme in his methods. He would not tolerate the new pirate crews rising in the East and South Blue.
"Let's return to HQ. We have a world to rebuild."
Twenty years ago, I stood alongside legends—Garp, Sengoku, Tsuru, Zephyr. Now, only a few of us remained active. The world had changed. New pirate crews had emerged from the shadows left by the Rocks and Blackbeard eras. But perhaps more importantly... so had a new wave of Marines and revolutionaries.
And then there was him—Gojo Ren, my son.
He was everything I had hoped he'd be: strong, intelligent, fearless, and above all, kind-hearted. I had kept his existence secret during my prime to protect him from my enemies. But now that he was grown—Vice Admiral of the Marines at the age of 22—his name was beginning to echo across the seas.
Ren reminded me of myself in my youth, but calmer, wiser. His weapon of choice was a long silver polearm imbued with advanced Seastone, and his control over Haki surpassed even the top admirals. Though not as flashy as me, he had something even rarer—the ability to unite others, to lead not by fear or power, but by trust.
The world was watching him now.
Rumors began to stir. A young pirate had begun sweeping across the New World, defeating warlords and Yonko remnants, collecting Road Poneglyphs with a smile and a straw hat.
Yes. Monkey D. Luffy.
Garp's grandson.
It felt like destiny had come full circle. I laughed the first time I saw his wanted poster. That reckless grin... so similar to Roger's.
Sengoku, now living in quiet retirement, chuckled when I visited him.
"He's like Roger and Garp combined, that boy," he said, sipping tea. "I only hope the world survives the storm he's about to create."
"And if it doesn't," I replied, "then it means the world needs to be broken to be rebuilt."
The final battle between Luffy and the World Government was inevitable. And I had to decide—stand by the Government, or follow my own sense of justice.
War came once again.
Impel Down was broken into for a second time. The Holy Land, Mary Geoise, burned under a revolutionary assault. And in the midst of the chaos, Luffy stood on the battlefield, facing the Fleet Admiral and three Admirals.
He didn't falter. His allies were a legion—pirates, revolutionaries, and liberated nations.
I stood between both sides, my white Admiral coat billowing in the storm.
Sakazuki turned to me. "Are you going to fight with them, Gojo?"
"I'm going to protect the innocent," I said. "No matter who they stand behind."
The battle that followed was the most brutal the world had ever seen. But in the end, Luffy stood victorious, his fist raised high. The World Government fell.
With the fall of the Celestial Dragons and the disbanding of the World Government, a new world order was established. Luffy was offered the title of Pirate King, but he rejected it.
"I just wanted freedom," he said. "Now everyone else can have it too."
Nations once ruled by tyrants were now free. The Marines were restructured under a new system of justice—one that valued people over power. And at the center of it stood Gojo Ren, the newly appointed Fleet Commander of the United Marine Forces.
I watched him from a quiet village in East Blue, a place Garp once called home.
The sea was calm again.
I was an old man now.
My body, once capable of tearing islands apart, now ached with every step. But I didn't mind. I had lived through the worst the world could offer—and still smiled. I watched children laugh in the streets, heard tales of adventure that no longer ended in tragedy. The world was truly free.
One evening, Ren came to visit me. We sat beneath a sakura tree, the petals drifting in the breeze.
"Did you ever think it would end like this?" he asked.
"No," I said. "But I'm glad it did."
We stared out at the sea together.
"It's your world now," I told him. "Protect it. Guide it. And when it's time—pass it on to someone worthy."
He smiled. "I will, father."
And with that, I closed my eyes—my final voyage complete.