Blue skies, white clouds, and flocks of birds soaring.
Grizly regained consciousness, the sharp, tearing pain in his abdomen still vividly present.
The intense pain quickly snapped the Marine Headquarters' elite vice admiral out of his daze, restoring his clarity.
"White Dragon!"
Ignoring the pain, Grizly swiftly rose from the battleship's deck, searching for the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea member who had suddenly attacked him.
But to his astonishment, the Prison Battleship remained peaceful and orderly—nothing like the hellish scene he had imagined.
Apart from Grizly, the highest-ranking officer present, not a single Marine soldier on the ship seemed injured.
'Was White Dragon… only targeting me?'
The thought flashed through Grizly's mind.
Just then, Storm's voice sounded from nearby.
"Oh, Vice Admiral Grizly, finally awake?"
Hearing the voice, Grizly instantly tensed. His military sword, sheathed at his waist, was drawn in a flash, its gleaming blade pointed straight at the enemy—
A pirate.
A pirate who was…
Holding a bowl of noodles, slurping them down eagerly?
When Grizly fully registered Storm's current appearance, his eyelid twitched violently.
What the hell did this guy think the battleship was!?
"It's been a while since I've had such authentic Marine Ramen."
Between words, Storm had already polished off an entire large bowl.
He casually tossed the empty bowl aside, where a pile of finished bowls had already stacked up nearly as tall as a person.
"Vice Admiral Grizly, want a bowl?"
Storm picked up another bowl of ramen while his Clay arm extended, offering one to Grizly.
Swish—
Grizly swung his sword horizontally, cleanly slicing the soft Clay arm in two.
Then, with his right hand, he steadily caught the falling bowl of ramen—not a single drop of broth spilled.
If a pirate could eat this ramen, why couldn't he?
"Hmph!"
Grizly sheathed his sword, accepted the chopsticks handed to him by a nearby Marine, and began noisily slurping the noodles.
Meanwhile, Storm, who had been eating nonstop during Grizly's unconsciousness, was nearly done.
After finishing his current bowl, he stopped eating.
"Vice Admiral Grizly."
Hearing Storm's voice, Grizly didn't respond—he just focused on slurping his noodles harder.
The vice admiral only spared a sidelong glance at the towering stack of empty bowls piled like a small mountain beside White Dragon.
Then he slurped even more vigorously…
Storm didn't mind the cold reception and continued casually.
"We'll be arriving at Jaya soon. I've already taken care of the pirates there—just transport them to Impel Down.
"I've also written a letter. Please deliver it to Impel Down's Chief Warden, Hannyabal.
"After all, I'm helping boost Impel Down's performance metrics.
"With two whole pirate islands' worth of criminals delivered at once, Hannyabal should be thrilled, right?"
At that, even Grizly, mid-slurp, couldn't help but cough.
"Boost performance metrics"?
What kind of fresh terminology was that?
Storm glanced at the still-coughing Grizly, unfazed, and added.
"One more thing. I just wrote a letter—please deliver it to Fleet Admiral Sengoku at Marine Headquarters."
"Tell him my current bounty is too low! Increase it! At least raise it to over 100 million Belly!"
"Otherwise, I'll beat up every Vice Admiral I see from now on."
"Vice Admiral Grizly, you wouldn't want the Navy's dignity trampled under a pirate's foot, would you?"
You bastard!
Grizly stopped eating his noodles entirely, glaring furiously at Storm.
If not for "the rules," he'd have taught this White Dragon bastard a lesson!
At the very least, make him bleed!
Storm shrugged under Grizly's intense gaze, completely unfazed, and continued speaking.
"Oh, and another thing—"
"The Navy isn't your messenger!"
Grizly coldly cut him off, unable to tolerate Storm's endless chatter.
"If you have something to say, deliver it yourself!"
"Whether it's Marine Headquarters or Impel Down, they'd both 'welcome' you!"
"Hmm, you're right. But I'm a bit tied up at the moment, you know?"
Storm spread his hands, adopting an infuriatingly smug tone.
"You know how pirates are."
"The righteous Navy just needs to follow orders, uphold the government's rule, and be good lapdogs for the Celestial Dragons."
"But pirates have a lot more to consider."
To be fair.
Storm wasn't even trying to be sarcastic.
He was just stating the Navy's actual role.
But as the classic saying goes:
Lies don't cut deep—truth is the sharpest blade.
Grizly's lips trembled at the biting remark, but not a single word escaped him. His mustache quivered with rage.
And what infuriated Grizly the most?
Everything Storm said was true!
Enough was enough.
Shiiiing—!
In a fit of fury, Grizly unsheathed his sword, coating the blade in thick, black Armament Haki.
For a Marine Vice Admiral, mastering both Armament and Observation Haki was a basic requirement.
Storm remained utterly calm as Grizly pointed the sword at him, meeting his gaze without flinching.
"One last thing."
"Don't casually point a sword at one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"Because you're weak~"
[More-More Fruit: Hundredfold Speed]!
Storm's voice exploded like thunder in Grizly's ears.
Despite being an elite Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters, Grizly couldn't even perceive when or how Storm had moved.
He couldn't track his trajectory at all.
So getting hit by his fist was only natural.
BAM!
Storm's punch landed squarely in Grizly's gut again.
The Vice Admiral's body curled up, eyes bulging, as he went flying off the battleship—all the way to Jaya Island ahead.
History repeated itself.
Vice Admiral Grizly—defeated.
[Platinum Trophy: Grizly]
[Trophy Rating: ★★★★★]
Storm shook his fist and turned to the petrified Marine soldiers nearby.
"Marines, get to work!"
...
The Prison Battleship loaded its prisoners and set sail from Jaya Island.
Due to an unexpected "passenger"—the battleship's original route hadn't included Jaya—many prisoners had to be crammed into the same cells.
But that wasn't Storm's concern anymore.
On Jaya Island at this moment.
Apart from Storm, only a few stragglers remained.
Calling this place a "deserted island" wouldn't be far from the truth.
Ignoring the others on the island, Storm was alone by the shore, honing his [Armament Haki].
Pururu— Pururu—
The ringing of a Den Den Mushi sounded.
As if expecting it, Storm mounted his dragon and took flight before answering the call.
"Moshi moshi—"
"Vongola Storm!"
Admiral Aokiji's stern voice came through the Den Den Mushi—a tone he rarely used.
"Why did you attack Grizly? And even threaten to assault a Vice Admiral?"
"So it's about this after all..."
Storm showed no surprise at Aokiji's heated reaction, replying nonchalantly.
"Because this is my 'revenge.'"
"...?"
Aokiji's previously furious expression instantly turned bewildered.
The Den Den Mushi vividly mimicked his shifting demeanor.
"Revenge?"
Aokiji was completely unprepared for this answer.
"Why would you seek revenge... against Grizly? What grudge do you have with him?"
"Not revenge against Grizly, but against the Marines."
Storm corrected Aokiji's misunderstanding.
"To be precise, this is directed at you, Admiral Aokiji."
"...? Huh?"
Aokiji's confusion deepened.
"Me? What did I do wrong? I haven't done anything..."
"Exactly! Because you did nothing!"
Storm's tone became impassioned as he launched into a tirade.
"Admiral Aokiji! You promised to raise my bounty to 1.295 billion Belly!
"Why did I only see 95 million Belly today?
"Where's the remaining 1.2 billion? Did you pocket it?
"Do you have any idea how much this 95 million Belly bounty has wounded my fragile young heart?"
"..."
Aokiji's mind went blank.
Or perhaps, sheer exasperation rendered him speechless.
"...That's it? That's the reason?"
"Yes! That's the reason!"
"You're insane!"
Click!
Aokiji angrily hung up the Den Den Mushi.
He'd thought Grizly must have provoked Storm first, leading to their clash.
Before calling, Aokiji had even considered mediating between them.
Never did he expect it was over a bounty issue?
Was this even an issue?
After much deliberation and barely restrained frustration, Aokiji couldn't hold back.
He immediately redialed.
"Vongola Storm! You little—!! Don't push your luck!!!"
"Admiral Aokiji! You broke your word first!"
"I never agreed to this!"
"You never refused either!"
"Subordinates don't talk back to superiors!"
"Reporting, Admiral! This isn't backtalk—I'm reasoning with you!"
"You—"
Aokiji was fuming at Storm's words.
If not for the distance separating them,
He'd have frozen Storm's mouth shut with "Ice Age" right then!
"Ara ara, quite the sharp tongue..."
Aokiji, utterly baffled, fell silent for a moment before letting out a hollow laugh.
"Whose 'logic' is this you're spouting? The Navy's? Or the pirates'?"
"It's universal logic!"
Storm refused to back down.
"Words must be matched by actions—that's my logic."
"You little brat..."
Aokiji gritted his teeth, the grinding sound echoing faintly.
"Assaulting a Navy Vice Admiral is wrong, no matter what!"
"And is it right for a Navy Vice Admiral to personally let slip the 'Devil Child,' a top priority of the World Government?"
"..."
"Is it right for a Navy Vice Admiral to order the bombardment of innocent civilian refugee ships?"
"..."
"Is it right for a Navy Vice Admiral to turn a blind eye to the triennial 'World Government Non-Affiliated Nation Indigenous Hunting Competition'?"
"..."
"Speak, Admiral! Aokiji Kuzan! I'm telling you to speak!"
"..."
Aokiji closed his eyes. The fury in his heart vanished without a trace, leaving only a long, weary sigh.
"Storm... just how much do you know? At your age, you shouldn't have been exposed to so much of the world's darkness..."
"Have you forgotten? I once served in Impel Down."
Storm's tone remained flat, unreadable.
"There, I made a friend—Emporio Ivankov."
"In the South Blue, I made another—Bartholomew Kuma."
"As for that 'Devil Child'... you were the one who personally entrusted her to me."
Emporio Ivankov. Bartholomew Kuma. Nico Robin...
The God Valley Incident. The Ohara Incident...
One after another, buried memories resurfaced in Aokiji's mind.
He had thought his "Lazy Justice" was too lazy to even recall such nauseating evils.
Yet here he was now.
With just a few words from Storm.
The darkness he had cast aside was dredged up once more.
"I'm sorry, Storm..."
Aokiji smiled bitterly, his voice as cold as his Ice Fruit.
"This is just how the Navy is."
"As you said, the Navy only needs to follow orders, to uphold the government's rule..."
The pristine white Navy coat bore the emblem of "Justice" on its back.
But as the World Government's enforcers, how could the Navy truly uphold justice?
Forget the ordinary Marines who couldn't even grasp the concept properly.
Even the Admirals of Marine Headquarters.
Couldn't uphold their own justice!
Akainu's "Thorough Justice"... whether right or wrong, that was another matter.
Aokiji's "Lazy Justice"... was already disgraceful enough.
And Kizaru's "Unclear Justice"...
Could that even be called "justice"?
More like "heartless justice"!
Even as a fellow Admiral, Aokiji often couldn't comprehend Kizaru's "justice."
Yet.
This was what it meant to be a Navy Admiral.
Storm's voice cut through the silence again.
"Admiral Aokiji."
"What."
"Do you like chess?"
"Hm?"
"Life is like a game of chess—those playing are blind, while the spectators see clearly."
"What are you saying? I don't understand."
"What I'm saying, Admiral Aokiji, is... why don't you leave the Navy—"
Click.
Aokiji hung up the Den Den Mushi without hesitation.
"Ara ara..."
Storm held up the Den Den Mushi that had lost its signal, imitating his superior's distinctive laugh.
"Aokiji, Aokiji... 'Lazy Justice' wavers once again~"
Storm remembered clearly—the last time he tried to "recruit" Aokiji, the man had outright refused his invitation.
Back then, Aokiji had even declared, "I will never leave the Marines!"
But this time...
When Storm once again suggested "leaving the Marines," Aokiji didn't say a word—he simply hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Was it that he didn't want to answer?
Or didn't dare to answer?
Storm chuckled. Just as he was about to put away the Den Den Mushi, the ringing suddenly started again.
But this time, it wasn't Aokiji.
It was Bartholomew Kuma, who had been out of contact for days.